Friday, November 15, 2013

Friday, November 15, 2013

Stand With Israel 

As we have reported in recent days, the Obama Administration is desperately trying to cut a deal with Iran. Even the French have called Obama's effort a "suckers deal." 

The Obama White House has already weakened the existing sanctions against the Iranian regime. Now it is actively opposing a bill calling for tougher sanctions, even though the bill has bi-partisan support in Congress. 

TAKE ACTION: Our friends at Christians United For Israel are fighting back against attempts to go soft on Iran and undermine our ally Israel. Click here to send a message to your senators telling them to support stronger sanctions against Iran. 

Democrats, Media Reject Obama Fix 

There was a time when Obama's words sent supporters swooning. But the left's superstar seems to have lost his powers of persuasion. His much-hyped fix to Obamacare's false promise about keeping insurance policies you liked has been widely panned by members of his own party as well as members of the media. 

Washington state Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler, a Democrat, rejected Obama's fix just hours after he spoke yesterday. Kreidler said he had "serious concerns" with the plan and stated flatly, "We will not be allowing insurance companies to extend their policies."

William White, Insurance Commissioner for the District of Columbia, said Obama's fix "undercuts the purpose of the exchanges … by creating exceptions that make it more difficult for them to operate." 

In a stunning report that would have been unimaginable four years ago, Obama is, according to Politico, "in serious danger of permanently losing the trust of Democrats in Congress." In a separate story,Politico reports that Senate Democrats are "not fully satisfied" with Obama's fix.

Meanwhile, major media outlets were similarly unimpressed. The New York Times editorial board wrote that Obama's plan "raises a few troubling questions, most of which cannot be answered quickly." 

The Washington Post piled on, adding, "Unfortunately, it was his promise that was wrong. …his proposed fix will have little impact except to let him shift the blame; at worst, it will undermine reform." AndUSA Today called the proposal "ugly." 

House Passes Keep Your Health Plan Bill 

Responding to the growing outrage of millions of Americans who have lost their health insurance because of Obamacare, the House of Representatives today overwhelmingly passed a bill sponsored by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI) that allows individuals to keep health insurance policies they had. The Upton bill goes beyond Obama's "faux fix" by allowing insurance companies to sell policies not just to existing customers, but to new customers as well. 

Obama has vowed to veto the bill because it is a direct threat to Obamacare. The reason is obvious: The policies Obamacare is eliminating were much cheaper than those offered under Obamacare. If the uninsured have a choice between current, inexpensive plans or Obamacare's often outrageously expensive plans, Obamacare loses. 

Earlier today Newt Gingrich suggested that this would be a very telling vote about Obama's influence. Newt said, "If more than 40 Democrats vote with Upton, there is a real crack in the Obama machine." Thirty-nine Democrats backed the Upton bill today. 

By the way, Gingrich also highlighted another major problem with Obamacare -- it has a massive marriage penalty. Sadly, Obamacare is driving some people to divorce. 

Holder In The Hot Seat 

While Obamacare is dominating the headlines, House Republicans have not forgotten about Operation Fast and Furious. In fact, 20 House Republicans are supporting articles of impeachment against Attorney General Eric Holder.

Introduced by Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX), the impeachment resolution charges that Holder has "engaged in a pattern of conduct incompatible with the trust and confidence" of his office. It specifically cites his failure to comply with congressional subpoenas related to Operation Fast and Furious, his failure to enforce the laws of the country, including the Defense of Marriage Act, his failure to prosecute individuals involved in the IRS scandal and committing perjury during congressional testimony related to the Justice Department's investigation of Fox News reporter James Rosen. 

The Left's War On Birds 

In addition to waging an aggressive war on coal, the Obama Administration and its left-wing allies are also pushing alternative energy mandates at the state and federal level. That has led to the growth of massive windmills and solar farms. In addition to raising your energy prices, it is also killing birds. 

We've known for a while that wind turbines were a danger to birds. But one recent study estimated that they may slice and dice nearly 1.5 million birds and bats each year, including endangered species such as bald eagles. Now we're learning that large solar farms are "frying birds" and causing them to crash into solar panels. 

Years ago, environmentalists put the logging industry on the ropes to save the spotted owl. I wonder how tree huggers feel about the left's war on our feathered friends?