The GOP Debates Taking Toll on American Voters

There are far too many GOP debates. And, they have been too much like reality shows, always contentious and sometimes purport to be helpful but offer little substance.

I keep hearing GOP candidates proselytizing these debates are necessary. Hmmm.

Then there are the other political pundits who continue to beat the drum that the candidates need to continue debating. They say Americans need to hear it all before they can make a thoughtful decision. I suppose to some extent this is true.

When is enough, enough?

I know how to surf the web, pick up the phone and make calls…pretty much all you need to do to truly get to the information you need about any candidate regardless of whether they are running for a national, state, or local office.  

The current roster of GOP candidates insist they need to get it all out in the open for Americans before the final nomination decision is made. They argue the derision and fury that will be focused on the GOP candidate by Team Obama starting in June will be the greater messaging battle. I suppose this could be true too, President Obama is the most notorious of all campaigners we have known.

Knowledge is a good thing, the facts even better. I contend in the end that fewer scurrilous debates at this point would offer more GOP public relations value moving forward.

Most know what Obama’s campaign strategy end game will be, and I think weary Americans and GOP nominees will need all the rest they can get.

Time to Stop the Obamacare Freight Train Before It’s Too Late

Many have heard of the notorious Jack Abramoff, the powerful lobbyist who was sent to jail. Although Kevin Spacey entices Americans with his portrayal of “Casino Jack,” most of us have no idea of how he actually got the job done.

In his CBS 60-Minutes interview last year with Lesley Stahl, Abramoff let the cat of the bag when he explained how he asserted power and influence over so many in Washington, D.C., with just a swipe of the pen.

The answer was simple for Abramoff: find a moving train, find the reform bill. Lobbyists, Abramoff stated very matter-of-factly, love the reform bill. It was his client’s ticket to getting what they wanted out of a law.

In this instance, the reform bill took on a new form. It was a means to end or the provisional key for the client and meant big bucks for the involved politicians, which required a Congressional conduit.

Abramoff spent three and a half years of a six-year sentence in prison. And, he’s still paying millions in restitution. Ironically, many of the Congressmen and Senators who knowingly took Abramoff’s checks are still in D.C. working their magic into new bills on behalf of special interests instead of their constituents.

If you happen to live in Salt Lake City, you can listen and learn for yourself from the author of Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America's Most Notorious Lobbyist. Jack Abramoff will be in town on 2/23 speaking at the Radisson downtown SLC to the lobbyist community, public and elected officials about his former life as a K Street power broker, redemption, and what he is doing now to change the tide of corruption in Washington as well as speaking signing books at the Costco at 1818 South / 300 West, Salt Lake City and presenting at the Hinckley Inst. of Politics forum at the U of U.  




Bringing Abramoff’s tactics forward 20 years, put this in the context of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (or Obamacare). It consists of more than 2,000 pages and 1.15 million words representing the mother of all reform bills.

Americans today need to quickly comprehend the “why” and the urgency associated with repealing this monster healthcare reform bill. Despite the early warnings and a few desperate pleas against Obamacare, there were very few who were “in the know” at the time of its passing. Their exasperation fell on deaf ears. En masse, Americans were, and continue to be unable to comprehend the end-game behind such a reform bill. Socialist medicine has arrived while Americans remain most concerned with who will be the next American Idol.

In the simplest of terms, the federal government has overstepped its limited authority by attempting to force citizens to purchase health insurance.

Aside from its unconstitutionality, the universal mandate is also a job killer. The business that pays fines to Uncle Sam for employer-paid healthcare will either decide to no longer offer the assistance, or will find other ways to trim its budget, which often results in a hiring freeze.

For more detailed analysis on Obamacare overreach, check out Utah Attorney General candidate Sean Reyes' recent and thoughtful opinion piece in the Davis Clipper.

And, despite its promise or the rebuttals of its supporters, Obamacare does not establish a patient-focused health care system that saves money. According to The Heritage Foundation, Congress cannot build sound, market-based health care reform on Obamacare’s crumbling foundation, which is utterly incompatible with consumer choice and free markets.

Moreover, being mindful of past mistakes and the tactics of a duplicitous Abramoff, we must take the time to better understand who is already receiving a payday from Obamacare’s passing. Who “got the ticket to ride” so that once efforts to repeal the seriously expensive and damaging bill are successful, these mistakes won’t be repeated and those who benefit from the labors of the American worker are exposed.

While repealing universal healthcare is of great importance, Utahns must find the time now to understand how this deceptive reform bill has the real possibility of driving Utah’s and U.S. healthcare over the cliff, especially given the new CBO report findings which prove we can’t afford Obamacare.

Obama's Reelection Message Simply Stated...

...in cartoon format.

 

Occupy CPAC protestor experiences brain freeze

My good friend in the State Department sent this video my way today...it did make me laugh. But I have to admit, I felt a little dumber for having watched it too.

Take Your Hands Off My Bulbs!

It’s Super Bowl Sunday! While I realize the November 2012 general election will be pivotal and is closing in, I also realize that every once in a while you have to just laugh and watch football. Go Pats!

Before I dive into the chips, I’ll share that I’m optimistic despite the underlying feeling that the change required in November to move this country toward less government, greater freedom, and prosperity could be insurmountable if the Republican Party doesn’t wise up fast to conservative demand.

The D.C. grip on this country, the states, and its people is unyielding but not impossible to break.

I just finished Jack Abramoff’s book Capitol Punishment: The Hard Truth About Washington Corruption From America's Most Notorious Lobbyist last night. It was great, not the most fluid in terms of writing style but incredibly factual, relevant and eye-opening. The details were many although you could tell the biography was carefully cleansed to not expose the many who still actively broker power in Congress that benefitted from the same corrupt behavior and sometimes illegal conduct Jack went to prison for. 

Abramoff’s book offers some solutions to the corruption and illegal activity gripping our country. Are we willing to listen?

Americans know today’s provisional shenanigans with huge payoffs for special interests and their lobbyists and Congress are going on in Washington 24X7 and yet collectively as citizens we take a back seat and put our heads in the sand.

Is the freight train moving too fast? I don’t think so. While I agree with Jack that change isn’t likely to occur anytime soon.

The change starts to occur by reading, self-educating, and then executing on that education.
If the Republican Party should take the Oval Office in 2012, we can only hope with institutional memory in mind, that the new president will proactively address Washington Corruption, do the right thing and make some hard choices: entitlements, tax policy, and energy among the three most important.