Obama tries to use reason to convince Congress to support Iran deal. J/K He takes them golfing...

President Obama is making a rare golf outing with members of Congress, per White House pool: Democratic Reps. Courtney, Perlmutter, Yarmuth

— Julie Davis (@juliehdavis) July 19, 2015

72% of Republicans disapprove of their Republican Leaders in Congress...

Well, McConnell and Boehner have been pretty disappointing, but that didn't change recently. They have been disappointing for a long time. Republican voters should take their frustration out on their congressmen who keep voting McConnell and Boehner into leadership roles.I will not be supporting Rep. Andy Barr in 2016 for this very reason. He voted to make John Boehner Speaker of the House.

Chart source here:

Obama threatens to withhold DHS paychecks unless Congress caves and funds his illegal amnesty...

No change...

Via Daily Mail:

President Barack Obama claimed on Monday that without a comprehensive budget covering the Department of Homeland Security, more than 130,000 mission-critical employees will be forced to work without pay by the end of the month.
They include 40,000 employed by Customs and Border Protection, 50,000 Transportation Security Administration screeners, 13,000 Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and 40,000 Coast Guard personnel.
Pay would be restored at the end of any withholding period.
‘I know how vital you are, and I want to make sure more Americans know how vital you are,’ Obama told an auditorium full of DHS employees Monday the department’s headquarters, as the White House rolled out his $4 trillion budget request for 2016.
In addition, it’s likely that 4,000 people who work for the Secret Service will see paychecks on hold if Obama doesn’t strike a deal with Republicans in Congress, along with.
Keep on reading…

Push Back: Boehner invites Netanyahu to address Congress without consulting WH

If Obama doesn't care want the GOP controlled Congress thinks, why should they defer to him on anything?

January 21, 2015 President Obama warned Congress Tuesday night that he would veto any new sanctions legislation on Iran, saying it would derail U.S. negotiations in the Middle East. But John Boehner isn't ready to sit out the battle over Iran's nuclear program.

"[Obama's] exact message to us was: 'Hold your fire.' He expects us to stand idly by and do nothing while he cuts a bad deal with Iran. Two words: 'Hell no!'" the House speaker said during his weekly press briefing on Wednesday. "We're going to do no such thing."

Instead, Boehner has invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address Congress next month. He didn't consult with the White House before extending the invitation, and administration officials are not happy. Press secretary Josh Earnest said Wednesday afternoon that Boehner's invitation is a breach of normal diplomatic protocol. Typically, a nation's leader would contact the White House before planning a visit to the United States, he said. The White House heard about the invite from Boehner's office, not from the Israelis.

Mark your calender: December 9, 2014, Jonathan Gruber gets to tell Congress how stupid they are ...

Well, the Senate and House when Nancy Pelosi were stupid enough to believe Gruber's deceptions. 

Via Townhall:

Over the past two weeks Obamacare architect Jonathan Gruber has been seen on video repeatedly insulting the intelligence of the American voter and admitting the healthcare overhaul was written to deceive the public about costs, taxes and a redistribution of wealth of healthy to sick.
Today, Chairman of the House Oversight Committee Darrell Issa officially invited Gruber to testify on Capitol Hill.
"The Committee on Oversight and Government reform requests your testimony at a hearing on Tuesday, December 9, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. in room 2154 Rayburn House Office Building in Washington D.C.,"  Issa wrote in a letter to Gruber Friday, adding that he should be prepared to make a five minute opening statement before answering questions.
Gruber received nearly $6 million in taxpayer money at local and federal governments for work as a contractor on the healthcare law.

Congress finally sues Obama over Obamacare...

Giddy up...

Via Daily Mail:

The House of Representatives, spearheaded by a growing Republican majority, sued the Obama administration on Friday over its implementation of President Barack Obama’s health care law, saying he had overstepped his legal authority in carrying out the program.
The case was assigned to Judge Rosemary M. Collyer, who was appointed to her post by President George W. Bush in 2003. The Department of Justice, which will defend the case on behalf of the Treasury and Health and Human Services Departments, has 60 days to file a response.
GOP lawmakers filed the lawsuit in federal district court in Washington the morning after Obama announced unilateral executive actions to expand protections for millions of immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally.
While Republicans complained that Obama had unconstitutionally exceeded his powers with those actions, the suit filed Friday did not address immigration.
Keep on reading…

Here are the Republicans who will sit on the Benghazi select committee...

Powerhouse...

Benghazi select committee: 
Rep. Susan Brooks (IN), Rep. Trey Gowdy (SC), Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan (OH), Rep. Mike Pompeo (KS), Rep. Martha Roby (AL), Rep. Peter Roskam (IL) and Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (GA)

GOPe and Democrats finally find an issue they agree on. They want to bring back earmarks and pork...

Apparently, eliminating pork is some right-wing radical TEA PARTY idea.

Porky's II: The Earmarkers Strike Back
TOM COBURN 

May 1, 2014 7:13 p.m. E
Remember the $223 million in federal funds earmarked in 2005 for the "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska? The project stalled but the public outrage it sparked led to a 2011 decision by Congress to end earmarking. Well, it looks like the bridge-to-nowhere crowd is ready to get the scaffolding out again, with lobbyists and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle calling for a return to earmarks and pork-barrel politics.
The powerful House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R., Ky.) has called the ban a "bad idea." Two Republican candidates in Mississippi—Sen. Thad Cochran and House candidate Gene Taylor —are making a return to pork part of their platform. Meanwhile, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D., Ill.) recently tried to dismiss the bipartisan ban as a fringe, right-wing idea that has led to gridlock. "It was a tea party reform," Sen. Durbin told reporters in Springfield, Ill., on April 14 after a speech to Teamsters. "They came in and eliminated it and what they did is take the glue out of a federal transportation bill. That was the glue that held everybody together."
Mr. Durbin said he longs for the day "when we get back to the point where members of Congress are sitting down with a common goal—let's pass this bill, let's make sure there is enough money in this bill, let's find the sources of revenue necessary for this bill—you know, it creates a much better and more positive feeling."
The "glue" is pork and the "positive feeling" that Mr. Durbin is referring to is the joy of spending other people's money. For politicians, this sensation is highly addictive. It's why I called earmarks the gateway drug to Washington's spending addiction after fighting my own party's earmarks in the 1990s. Read it all...

Lois Lerner’s Lawyer: Holding Her In Contempt of Congress Would Be “Un-American” or Something…

“Un-American” is when you use the power of the IRS and other government agencies to target someone because you don't agree with them politically. Lois Lerner is likely the one who is “Un-American.”

Via WSJ:

A lawyer representing former Internal Revenue Service official Lois Lerner is requesting a chance to plead her case against a planned House vote to hold her in contempt of Congress.

On Friday, Majority Leader Eric Cantor said in a memo to members that the House of Representatives would vote in May to hold Ms. Lerner in contempt of Congress over her refusal to testify before a congressional committee about IRS targeting of conservative groups. Ms. Lerner headed the division that handled the groups’ applications for tax-exempt status, and is at the center of congressional investigations.

Ms. Lerner has twice declined to testify before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, citing her Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination. GOP lawmakers argue that she waived her privilege by making a statement at the first hearing, professing her innocence of any wrongdoing.

They were further angered when it became known that Ms. Lerner gave a lengthy interview to the Justice Department about the matter. The committee approved a contempt resolution concerning Ms. Lerner earlier this month.

Ms. Lerner’s lawyer, William Taylor III, said on Monday in a letter to GOP leaders that holding Ms. Lerner in contempt of Congress “would not only be unfair and, indeed, un-American, it would be flatly inconsistent with the Fifth Amendment as interpreted by the Supreme Court.”

Demo Congress Critter James P. Moran Can't Live On His $174,000 Salary?

This is three time more than most Americans make.

Via Roll Call:

Despite what constituents outside of Washington might think, members of Congress are underpaid, a House Legislative Branch appropriator suggested Thursday.
Virginia Democrat James P. Moran said he plans to highlight the injustice by introducing an amendment to the Legislative Branch bill during its full committee markup, and at floor consideration of the bill. Moran made the comments while the bill that funds member’s $174,000 salaries was being marked up in the Legislative Branch subcommittee.
“I think the American people should know that the members of Congress are underpaid,” Moran told CQ Roll Call. “I understand that it’s widely felt that they underperform, but the fact is that this is the board of directors for the largest economic entity in the world.”

Why does your Congress critter fly first-class on your dime?

Because they are the ruling class...

Via Town Hall

When was the last time you flew first-class on an airplane? For most people, the answer is never or once or twice thanks to an upgrade. I fall into the latter category. Not to mention, those who can afford to pay for first-class tickets, aren’t doing it on the backs of taxpayers…unless of course you serve in the U.S. Congress.
Last year, Bloomberg Businessweek ran a feature titled, The Pampered World of Congressional Air Travel. The story detailed the cushy and expensive travel bookings Congressman and Senators make on a regular basis with frequent trips back and forth to their home states and districts. The cost to taxpayers is enormous, but could be much less if they’d simply swallow their pride and sit in coach with the rest of us.
There is no more pampered class of air traveler than members of Congress.
At Washington’s Reagan National Airport, they have their own special parking spaces—right up close to the terminal—that they don’t even have to pay for. As Bloomberg Television’s Hans Nichols reports, this perk costs the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority $738,760 in foregone revenue.
To members of our fly-in-Tuesday-fly-home-Thursday Congress, these perks are a big deal. Most fly a lot, and many fly first class. They don’t just jet home to their districts. Sometimes, they’re jetting around the world at taxpayer expense ($23,646, to be specific), as Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson-Lee of Texas did in February.
Now, Republican Reps. Paul Gosar and Walter Jones along with California Democrat Rep. Raul Ruiz are looking to end the first-class treatment out of respect for taxpayers. Earlier this week Gosar wrote and submitted a request with Ruiz and Jones to the Committee on Appropriations asking that language prohibiting lawmakers from traveling first-class on the taxpayer dime be added to the Fiscal Year 2015 Legislative Branch Appropriations Act.... More here...

Don't look for this to change. Congress will deep-six any rules requiring them to fly coach. 

Woman too stupid to get $9 birth control at Target while in college wants to run for Congress...

Sandra Fluke, who was too stupid to get $9 a month birth control at Target while in college, wants to run for Congress. Well, she is a democrat...

Fluke:

"Forty percent of the female students at Georgetown Law reported to us that they struggled financially as a result of this policy," regarding the Catholic university's policy of not covering birth control. "Without insurance coverage, contraception, as you know, can cost a woman over $3,000 during law school."

Via CBS Local:

Sandra Fluke, the women’s rights activist who became a lightning rod in a national discussion about contraception, said she is “strongly considering” a run for Henry Waxman’s soon-to-be vacant House seat.
Waxman, 74, a longtime liberal California Democrat, described by friends and foes alike as one of the most prolific congresspersons of modern times, announced Thursday that he would retire at the end of the legislative session.
In a statement released after Waxman’s announcement, the 32-year-old Fluke said, “I’m flattered that I’m being discussed as a potential candidate, especially for Rep. Waxman’s seat, considering his incredible legacy. A number of folks I respect very deeply have reached out today and encouraged me to run. I am strongly considering running. I’ll be making my decision soon.”
Waxman served in Congress for 40 years.

Rasmussen: 69% of likely voters want Obama to work with Congress instead of issuing executive orders...

Obama is unable to comply. He can't or won't do a real compromise. Obama's idea of a compromise is for Republicans to give him most of what he wants and in return he doesn't call them extremists for a short time. 

Via Rasmussen:

President Obama made it clear in his State of the Union speech last night that he is prepared to take independent executive action if he can’t get Congress to work with him on some major issues, but voters strongly believe it’s better for the president to work with Congress than to go it alone. However, most also think it’s more important for Republicans in Congress to work with the president than to stand for what they believe.
The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey, taken the night before and the night of the president’s speech, finds that 69% of Likely U.S. Voters think it it better for the president to work with Congress on things he considers important. Just 27% believe it is better for the president to go around Congress if necessary to accomplish what he feels is important. (To see survey question wording, click here.)
Fifty-three percent (53%) say it is more important for the Republican Party to work with the president, while 40% place more importance on the GOP standing for what it believes in. These attitudes are virtually unchanged from early November 2012 just after the president’s reelection.
But here’s the partisan rub. A plurality (49%) of Democrats thinks it’s better for the president to go around Congress if necessary, while 73% of Republicans believe it’s more important for their party to stand for what it believes in rather than to work with Obama.

Interesting: Majority of Americans want to drug test Congress...

I would really like to know what Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are on...

WASHINGTON -- While most Americans like the idea of drug testing for welfare recipients, they LOVE the idea of drug testing for members of Congress.
According to a new HuffPost/YouGov poll, 64 percent of Americans favor requiring welfare recipients to submit to random drug testing -- a measure pushed by Republican lawmakers in recent years -- while 18 percent oppose it. But an even stronger majority said they're in favor of random drug testing for members of Congress, by a 78 percent to 7 percent margin. Sixty-two percent said they "strongly" favor drug testing for congressional lawmakers, compared to only 51 percent who said the same of welfare recipients.

Don't let your Congress critter tell you he is in the same health insurance boat you are...

Lawmakers may have to buy Obamacare, but it isn't the same. First, Obama gave them  an exemption that allowed their employer, the taxpayers of this country, to pay 70 percent of their insurance premium. No one else is allowed to have their employer subsidize their exchange premium on the exchanges. That isn't the only perk Congress gets that you don't.

Via The NY Times:

Members of Congress like to boast that they will have the same health care enrollment experience as constituents[...]

That is true. As long as their constituents have access to “in-person support sessions” like the ones being conducted at the Capitol and congressional office buildings by the local exchange and four major insurers. Or can log on to a special Blue Cross and Blue Shield website for members of Congress and use a special toll-free telephone number — a “dedicated congressional health insurance plan assistance line.”

And then there is the fact that lawmakers have a larger menu of “gold plan” insurance choices than most of their constituents have back home.

While millions of Americans have been left to fend for themselves and go through the frustrating experience of trying to navigate the federal exchange, members of Congress and their aides have all sorts of assistance to help them sort through their options and enroll.

House Republicans on Obama's claim immigration reform is on agenda next: “No, it’s not.”

I would have said, "Hell no."

Via Breitbart: 

Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX), the vice chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s subcommittee on Immigration and Border Security, has changed his mind and now opposes any efforts to grant amnesty to America’s at least 11 million illegal immigrants. Poe said his stance is a specifically a result of President Barack Obama’s style of dealing with congressional Republicans during the recent government shutdown and debt ceiling battles.
"The President has proven over the last few weeks that ‘negotiating’ means conservatives must give in and that it's his way or no way,” Poe said in an email to Breitbart News. “In his opinion, there is no compromise, just intimidation with inflammatory rhetoric. The President is putting his political agenda ahead of what's best for America."[...]
Poe’s decision to turn against amnesty comes on the heels of Rep. Raul Labrador (R-ID), a supporter of immigration reform, saying it would be “crazy” for House GOP leadership to negotiate with the Senate and President Obama on the Senate’s “Gang of Eight” immigration bill because Obama’s motives with it are not pure. Obama is using this debate to try to “destroy” the Republican Party, Labrador said.
Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC), the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s immigration subcommittee, similarly came out publicly against Obama’s new push for immigration reform this year, saying in response to Obama’s claims that immigration was next on the congressional legislative agenda: “No, it’s not.”
Gowdy had originally been open to some kind of immigration reform deal, but like Labrador and now Poe, he is closed to doing anything because of Obama’s brash style of negotiation.

Rasmussen: Republicans tie Democrats in generic congressional ballot...

Democrats were leading. There appears tpo be little chance of Republicans losing the House in 2014. Barack Obama and Harry Reid's strategy to force a shutdown and and score political points for 2014 by blaming it on Republicans is failing.

Via Rasmussen:

As the federal government shutdown continues without an end in sight, Democrats have lost their lead of the last two weeks and are again running even with Republicans on the Generic Congressional Ballot.
A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey for the week ending Sunday, October 6, shows that 40% of Likely U.S. Voters would vote for the Democrat in their district’s congressional race if the election were held today, while another 40% would choose the Republican instead.

Stupid: Obama calls Republican leaders to WH over shutdown crisis and tells them he will not negotiate...

Most of the mainstream media will only report Obama called congressional leaders to a meeting to try and solve the impass. They won't reveal Obama told Republicans he won't negotiate. So, what was the purpose? Did Obama call in Republican leaders to accept their surrender?

Via NBC News:

Emerging from a White House that stretched for more than an hour, Republican and Democratic congressional leaders said that they are still at an impasse over how to end the ongoing government shutdown.
"The president reiterated one more time tonight that he will not negotiate," said Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who did not take any questions after a brief statement to reporters.

Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid talks about Wednesday's meeting at the White House between President Barack Obama and congressional leaders.

"We had a nice conversation, a light conversation, but at some point we've got to allow the process our founders gave us to work out," he added, saying that Senate Democrats should agree to a bipartisan "conference" to negotiate a deal that could include major changes to President Barack Obama's health care law.

It's your move Harry Reid...

House Republicans have sent the Senate a funding bill that delays the Obamacare individual mandate one year and strips the hated medical device tax from the bill. I am disappointed they did not strip the illegal exemption 70% taxpayer funded subsidy Obama granted Congress and their staffs. Congress can afford to pay the full amount of their healthcare.

Via The Hill:

House Republicans approved a stopgap spending bill that delays ObamaCare in an early-morning Sunday vote that increases the chances of a government shutdown.
The high-stakes GOP move intensifies a game of chicken with Senate Democrats with just 48 hours to go before the lights could go out on the federal government.
The White House threatened to veto the measure, while Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) proclaimed it dead in the upper chamber.
The imminent deadline, combined with the prolonged impasse, has led some lawmakers to predict a shutdown is all but inevitable.

Is Your Congress Critter Avoiding You?

The old fashion town hall is becoming rare these days. Most Representatives are afraid to face their constituents in a uncontrolled situation.

This summer is all about keeping a safe distance from voters and sticking to the party script. Before Congress left town, House Democratic and Republican leaders handed out “tool kits” full of talking points and specific event ideas, along with sample editorials written and ready to be planted in hometown newspapers. This enables them to stay within the preprogrammed Washington bubble even when they’re outside the safety of the Beltway.
Both parties’ tool kits urge members to focus on small gatherings with friendly audiences, keeping in touch with the public on Facebook (FB) and Twitter. Democrats were told to play up Obamacare benefits. “Find a woman in your district who has a ‘pre-existing condition,’ such as being a breast cancer survivor, and who has had a hard time finding insurance, and hold a press conference,” party leaders suggest. Talk about immigration reform in “meet-and-greets with successful immigrant entrepreneurs from the district or from the state. Have them tell their inspirational story.”

 Here are a couple of samples of what strikes fear in Congressmen and women.