In the Senate, members and staff are enjoying their second week of recess (as is the House), so the country is safe for a few more days. Meanwhile, Reid is back home in Nevada trying to put his best face forward in an ugly reelection battle. Since Sarah Palin and thousands of Tea Party activists descended upon Harry’s home town of Searchlight recently, Reid has been taking some shots at Palin at his sparsely attended events, mocking her for writing on her hand and throwing in a “You betcha” in as well, getting a laugh from his supporters.

Not as funny for Reid is his latest poll numbers. Rasmussen’s latest poll shows Reid getting 39-42 percent when matched against three other Republican opponents, and two of his potential opponents now top 50 percent. Furthermore, Rasmussen reports that a whopping 62 percent of Nevada voters support repeal of ObamaCare.

Bottom Line: Since Reid was one of ObamaCare’s champions and deserves much of the credit (blame) for its passage, his dismal poll numbers are striking fear in Democrats across the country. While each take-away the Republicans get in the Senate is key, the moral win of taking down the Leader would be huge.

In the House, Rep. Darrell Issa, ranking Republican on the Oversight Committee, has pledged to investigate and expose any back room deals that Democrats cut during the healthcare debate. Issa sent letters to five coalition groups demanding that each one disclose information about their meetings with the White House and Democrat congressional leadership and state any benefits they provided or received during the negotiations. The groups Issa targeted thus far are the American Medical Association, the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Hospital Association, and PhRMA.

In the letter to the groups, Issa stated “Contrary to the president’s oft-stated goal of transparency, the rank-and-file members of the Democratic Caucus and the entire Republican Conference have not had the opportunity to participate in the negotiations between Democratic leadership, the White House and health care stakeholders. This is troubling to members of Congress who value transparency in government.”

Also, Democrats seem to be in a bit of a panic about two upcoming special elections in Pennsylvania’s 12^th district and Hawaii’s 2^nd district, where they could potentially lose both currently Democrat held seats within four days of each other. This would likely be seen as a devastating blow to the current momentum that BO and the Dems are riding from passage of ObamaCare, and would be a foreboding sign of things to come in November. Former Rep. Ed Case is running against Republican state senator Colleen Hanabusa in Hawaii, and Murtha’s former aide Mark Critz is running against Republican businessman Tim Burns.

Bottom Line: Issa is taking wise advantage of his perch on the Oversight Committee and the persistent negative view Americans have of ObamaCare. Though he doesn’t have the power of the chair, he does have other useful tools and he’s proven he is not afraid to use them.

At the other end of the Avenue, Obama announced he will be significantly shifting America’s nuclear strategy, imposing strict and narrow conditions under which the U.S. would use nuclear weapons. According to the NYT, his aim is to actually make nuclear weapons “obsolete” and part of the policy would be to renounce the future development of new nuclear weapons. At the same time, Obama stated “I’m going to preserve all the tools that are necessary in order to make sure that the American people are safe and secure.”

In a more social setting, Michele Obama and hubby hosted the Annual Easter Egg Roll on the White House south lawn yesterday. The theme of the event was “Ready, Set, Go!” to go along with Michele’s ongoing “Let’s Move” campaign against childhood obesity. In a sweet irony that might illustrate her true commitment to this cause, the White House handed an entire box of sugary sweet Peeps candy to every child as they departed the event.

Bottom Line: The oft cited criticism of Democrat presidential nominees – and Dem presidents – is that they are weak on foreign policy and tend to appease the enemy. Obama’s move to swear of nukes fits the mold, and will likely be seen as refreshing news to Ahmadinejad and his friends. This will undoubtedly be an issue in the 2012 race for the presidency, particularly if (God forbid) another terror attack happens on American soil.

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In the Senate, Republican senators are hitting ObamaCare hard for how the new law will swell the government rolls, particularly size and scope of the IRS. Sen. Gregg stated “Everybody has to buy insurance under this bill, and your local IRS agent is going to show up at your door to tell you that you better do it or else you will have to answer to the IRS.”

Several members have predicted that the IRS may hire up to 16,000 additional agents to enforce ObamaCare. Sen. DeMint recently stated, “There are going to be tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, before this is all over,” talking about the total government workforce swelling in size due to Obama’s healthcare reform bill. Neither HHS nor the IRS has been able to state thus far how many additional staff will need to be hired to administer ObamaCare. The law authorizes the IRS to fine those without “acceptable” insurance coverage, starting at $95 in 2014 and increasing to $695 in 2016.

Bottom Line: Americans intuitively know when you create a massive new federal entitlement program and propose to give away free health insurance to 31 million Americans by imposing additional taxes on all the other Americans… the government is going to grow exponentially. The laughable part of this is Democrat attempts to suggest it’s not going to be “as bad” as Republicans content. Really? How bad’s it going to be then?

In the House, Financial Services Chairman Frank wrote a scathing statement against one of his former staffers, who apparently had the audacity to go work for a new employer of which Frank did not approve. Former senior advisor Peter Roberson left Frank’s employment recently to work for Intercontinental Exchange. Politico is reporting that, as the world’s largest credit default swap clearinghouse, Intercontinental would be heavily regulated under Frank’s financial reform bill. Frank took the unprecedented (some suggest it borders on illegal and unethical) step of actually prohibiting any Financial Services Committee staff member from having any contact with Roberson on financial regulation.

Also, in a little gem so bizarre you simply cannot make up, at a recent HASC hearing Rep. Hank Johnson recently stated regarding the island of Guam “my fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize.” Speaking to Admiral Robert Willard, the Navy’s Pacific Fleet Commander, Johnson apparently believes that the addition of 8,000 U.S. troops and their families to Guam will turn the island into an overburdened dingy and plunge into the ocean.

Bottom Line: In the land of the free and the home of the brave… Barney believes he has the right to dictate where people work and whom people talk to. Sadly, this is another blatant example of an elected official that either despises the U.S. Constitution and the First Amendment or simply refuses to actually read what it says in plain English.

Regarding Guam capsizing, Adm. Willard responded to Rep. Johnson, after momentarily pausing to maintain his composure, by stating “We don’t anticipate that.” That’s a relief, since this writer was born on Guam and hopes to visit again someday!

At the other end of the Avenue, Obama is appearing a bit on the desperate side on the stump this week as he attempts to sell ObamaCare to a weary and leery public. A number of recent polls indicate that a majority of Americans still oppose ObamaCare. Obama, speaking in Maine yesterday, shot back at critics and the media who have repeated this inconvenient fact that “It’s only been a week!” Media reports indicated that there were more protestors against ObamaCare outside the venue where he was speaking than inside the building.

The stream of top-tier companies announcing millions of charges against earnings is turning into a river. Yesterday, Eaton announced it will take a $25 million charge against first quarter earnings due to the mandates and tax changes in ObamaCare. In a further sign that the White House is getting nervous about the negative impact of ObamaCare on the economy, Obama dispatched Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to pen a piece in yesterday’s WSJ downplaying the dozens of recent write-down’s.

Bottom Line: Secretary Locke actually stated in the WSJ piece, “taken as a whole, health reform is undeniably pro business and pro jobs.” That’s proving a very tough sell to the American public, since facts show otherwise. He’s basically suggesting that all these American companies taking charges are lying, and the government released numbers on the high unemployment rate, increased jobless claims, and slow housing starts are somehow unrelated to the punitive actions of the federal government in the private marketplace.

About an hour ago, March unemployment numbers were released, showing the unemployment rate at 9.7 percent unchanged for the third month in a row, and stating the economy added 162,000 jobs, roughly 40,000 fewer than expected. Also, this number is reportedly inflated by 100,000 temporary government jobs due to the ramp-up for the 2010 Census.

###

In the Senate, amid a growing national effort to repeal ObamaCare outright, there are some moderate Republicans that have suddenly gotten weak knees on the strategy and softening their stand. Rep. Mark Kirk, who is running for Senate from Illinois, initially backed the repeal effort but is now arguing Republicans need to “minimize its harmful impacts” and pursue a “more effective approach.” Sen. Corker flatly stated “It’s just not going to happen.”

Several more top-tier corporations have announced that ObamaCare will cost them millions in earnings, including Boeing, Goodrich, and Lockheed Martin. Boeing announced yesterday it will take a charge of $150 million this quarter, Goodrich expects to incur a one-time charge of $10 million, and Lockheed Martin will take just shy of $100 million charge, all three citing provisions in Obama’s healthcare law as the culprit.

Bottom Line: It’s notable that Kirk has moderated his stance against ObamaCare now that the primary is over, though his watered-down position may hurt him in the general election as well. Republicans would do well to consistently tie the effort to repeal ObamaCare directly to the struggling economy, since – as predicted – more bad news is announced daily about how the new healthcare law is directly impacting employers ability to hire and turn a profit.

In the House, with members home in their districts over the Easter recess, many Democrats are lying low with few or no events planned, while their Republican counterparts are crisscrossing their districts stoking the flames of the “repeal the bill” movement. There is also increased pressure on Democrat attorneys general to join in the lawsuit against the individual mandate in ObamaCare, or defend their position that the bill is constitutional and risk alienating voters in the process.

More than a dozen Republican AGs have joined together in pursuing a lawsuit against ObamaCare to protect the liberty of their citizens in purchasing the healthcare of their choice. The issue is particularly pivotal in certain states, and several AGs of both parties are seeking higher office.

Bottom Line: The repeal the bill effort on the state level is shaping up as the determining factor in some key races for governor and senator, and puts Democrats between a rock and a hard place: either join Republicans to repeal the bill and abandon BO and your Dem colleagues, or choose to defend the constitutionality of ObamaCare and its rippling effects on the economy and be viewed as beholden to party interests above constituents.

At the other end of the Avenue, Obama’s announcement yesterday to expand oil and natural gas drilling came under sharp criticism from both GOP House and Senate leaders yesterday. Once Obama provided additional details of his plan, it was revealed that he was proposing to prohibit drilling on a larger area than was going to be available for new drilling. Sen. McConnell pointed out that Obama’s proposal would leave “enormous amounts of American energy off limits” and suggested that Obama would stand idly by as his closest allies actively sought to delay drilling in the few open areas for decades.

In another dose of bad news for ObamaCare and the economy, Texas officials have estimated that the cost of complying with ObamaCare over the next 10 years will surpass $27 billion. This is an increase if their earlier estimate and even incorporates several billion in savings not previously accounted for. The unfunded mandate on states was one of the main arguments against ObamaCare during the year-long debate, and is certain to be an ongoing fight as states begin to examine their already tight budgets and review the impact of the new law and its associated mandates and regulations.

In yet another piece of bad news for Obama and his “number one priority” of jobs and the economy, ADP private sector job numbers were released yesterday showing a loss of 23,000 jobs in the March. Since several economists had predicted an increase, this news comes as a staggering blow to Obama and the Democrats, and casts a dark shadow over the Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers expected Friday.

Bottom Line: Its almost surprising to see the amount of bad economic news being brought to light so quickly one ObamaCare passed. Though Republicans predicted just such a dire scenario, it’s sad to see the harmful effects coming to pass so quickly. Worse yet, this is only the beginning, since much of the new taxes and regulations have yet to be implemented.

###

In the Senate, Sen. Schumer, speaking right from the White House healthcare playbook, predicted that those Democrat members who voted No against ObamaCare will be hurt come Election Day. Schumer stated, “I predict that by November those who voted for healthcare will find it an asset and those who voted against it will find it a liability.” Two recent polls, conducted by Gallop and the Washington Post, still show a majority of Americans oppose Obama’s new healthcare law.

In recent days, many Fortune 500 companies – including such industry leaders as AT&T, John Deere, Caterpillar, Verizon, and 3M – have announced that ObamaCare will cost them billions of dollars in the years ahead, and several have begun reporting charges (losses) against their earnings. AT&T reported it will take a $1 billion charge against earnings due to provisions in ObamaCare.

Also, in a not-so-surprising bit of news, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison will reportedly announce today that she will serve out the remaining two years of her term, breaking her pledge to step down following her failed run for governor of Texas.

Bottom Line: The problem for Schumer and other Democrats who continue to sing the party line of prosperity and free insurance for all is that voters will soon realize the rhetoric doesn’t match reality. The significant “benefits” of ObamaCare will take years to implement (and conservatives argue will not appear as advertised), but the bulk of the tax increases and federal regulations begin this year. Thus, the real short and long-term effect of ObamaCare will be to stifle job creation… and undermine Obama’s “number one priority” of improving the economy.

In the House, Democrat Rep. Jim Matheson spoke frankly to a local news outlet about the partisan atmosphere following passage of ObamaCare, and was particularly critical of the ability of Obama’s healthcare reform law to bring real reform to the health insurance industry. Matheson stated that “reform means you’re probably going to have to take on some powerful interests and I’m not sure this legislation does that.” Matheson is co-chair of the Dems Blue Dog Caucus and one of 34 Dems to vote against ObamaCare. Matheson also stated that he was convinced ObamaCare would not control rising healthcare costs, and added that “a little better behavior” was needed from members if real reform was to take place.

Meanwhile, attempts by Obama to parlay his healthcare win into victories on immigration, global warming regulations, revamping education and campaign finance laws, and financial services industry reform – all before September – is meeting still resistance from beleaguered Democrat members. While the liberal’s favored “Wall Street crackdown” is coming, few other major legislative initiatives are likely to pass before the mid-term elections.

Bottom Line: While both chambers will undoubtedly roll out perhaps a dozen more federal make-work “jobs” bills in the coming months, Democrat efforts to pass significant regulations on additional American industries will likely result in a backlash, and play into the GOPs hands to tie the Democrat’s program of massive federal spending and regulations to the sluggish economy and stubborn jobless rate.

At the other end of the Avenue, Obama is set to propose opening significant amounts of coastline to oil and natural gas drilling, including areas around Alaska and the U.S. Eastern Shore. Obama and Interior Secretary Salazar are expected to formally announce the move this morning, reportedly at Andrews Air Force Base. This proposal is certain to infuriate Obama’s liberal base, and will be vigorously opposed by environmentalists.

Bottom Line: Conservatives contend this is a much needed step in the right direction, and is similar to proposals by President Bush near the end of his term, though Obama’s proposal is not nearly as broad as Republicans would hope. Furthermore, drilling in the newly opened areas would not actually take place for years, but may be a bid to soften Republican opposition to upcoming global warming (climate change) legislation.

###

In the Senate, it appears the comity of the Senate has not been irreparably harmed by the unprecedented use of reconciliation to pass ObamaCare, as was suggested or expected. For most of the past year, Sen. Reid and other Democrats vowed they would not utilize the reconciliation process to move ObamaCare, so when they made an about-face and broke their promise, Republicans were up in arms and warned it would eviscerate any remaining bipartisanship in the Senate. Now that ObamaCare and its reconciliation companion bill has passed, several moderate GOP senators have softened their position.

In a report by the The Hill today, Sen. Snowe and Graham have both signaled their willingness to work with their Democrat counterparts on upcoming legislation, such as climate change and immigration reform. Sen. Gregg stated that the rulings of parliamentarian Alan Frumin were “fair” during reconciliation, and Sen. Corker has actually been critical of his GOP colleagues for not engaging with Dems earlier on financial services regulatory reform.

Bottom Line: It is often said that politics is the art of compromise, and there’s something to be said for compromising in the face of defeat. However, principles and core convictions should never be compromised. Given what Obama, Reid, and Pelosi have done to the Constitution over the course of the last year, conservatives warn that much compromise with the Dems of this Congress is a dangerous gambit… for the country and their own careers.

In the House, Pelosi is back home and still swaggering over her healthcare triumph. She said Republicans have “nothing to sell” to the American people. Responding to questions about the GOP using her as a fundraising tool, she said, “I could care less…I should be thanking them, it really helps me with my fundraising.”

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Waxman recently denounced some of the nation’s top CEOs, challenging them to provide proof that ObamaCare will cost their companies millions of dollars in increased health insurance expenses. Many CEO’s have warned that they will report increased health costs this quarter due to harmful provisions in ObamaCare. Specifically, many have cited the provision within Obama’s healthcare overhaul bill that eliminates a tax deduction for employers that provide drug coverage for their retired employees, which may force some employers to reduce or eliminate health insurance benefits or curtail new hiring.

GOP Leader Boehner was highly critical of Waxman’s attack on these CEOs, stating “Instead of interrogating America’s private-sector job creators, Congress should be listening to them, heeding their warnings about the effects of this deeply flawed new law, and replacing it with reforms that will help them get back to creating jobs.”

Bottom Line: In the coming weeks and months, there will inevitably be dozens or perhaps hundreds of fresh reports of the ramifications of ObamaCare on businesses. To combat the bully pulpit of the presidency in selling ObamaCare to a less than receptive public, each new piece of evidence against socialized medicine and big-government mandates must be communicated far and wide to arm the electorate come November, so they can make an educated decision on their elected leaders.

At the other end of the Avenue, Obama crosses the Potomac this morning to sign the reconciliation “fix” bill at Northern Virginia Community College. He’s set to tout the provisions within the bill that shut out private sector lending institutions from the student loan industry, instead opting for a government financed system.

It also appears the recent USA Today poll, released just after ObamaCare was signed into law, showing a big shift in public opinion in favor of ObamaCare may have been premature. A new gallop poll reports that 50 percent of Americans see Obama’s healthcare bill “a bad thing.” Obama must also combat a new report stating health premiums may rise 17 percent for young adults, the group least able to afford such an increase and most likely to opt against purchasing health insurance.

Bottom Line: Republicans would be wise not to underestimate the resolve or energy of BO. He has shown himself more resilient than previously thought, and willing to say virtually anything to accomplish the task before him. It has been said before that the most challenging adversary is the one not bound by the truth.

###

In the House, various Hill aides and news sources are reporting that Pelosi will unveil the much anticipated reconciliation legislation today, potentially at an afternoon press conference, with a CBO scored expected as early as tomorrow.

In keeping with Pelosi’s promise to publically post the bill 72 hours before the vote, this would setup the House Rules Committee to meet and report the rule for the reconciliation bill (i.e. – ObamaCare Part II; i.e. – government takeover of healthcare “fix” package) this Saturday, and the floor vote to occur on Sunday. The Slaughter Solution is expected to be employed, meaning a vote on the rule will effectively be a vote on passing the Senate ObamaCare bill. GOP Leader Boehner called the Slaughter Solution “a fingernail in the eye of the American people.”

Boehner and House Republicans also plan to force a vote today on a resolution by Rep. Parker Griffith (who switched from Dem to GOP in December in disgust over the healthcare bill) that would require a “clean, up-or-down vote” on the Senate-passed bill. The text of the resolution would be offered on the previous question (or PQ, basically the motion to proceed in the House) to the rule that allows the House to vote on suspension bills the remainder of the week. While the Republican effort will undoubtedly fail, it will put House Dems on record for rejecting the chance to have a clean vote on the Senate-passed healthcare bill, which is what many Dems argued for all along.

Bottom Line: With Pelosi reportedly still needing over a dozen votes to reach 216, watch for an already intense atmosphere on Capitol Hill to turn nasty (Stupak says it already has). If holdout Democrats wanted to support ObamaCare, it would have already passed, so strong-arm tactics and outrageous promises are sure to be the norm in the next few leading up to the vote of the decade, and perhaps the century.

In the Senate, Leader McConnell’s office is saying the Democrats have a serious problem with their efforts to modify the Cadillac Tax provision using reconciliation. In order to abide by a deal between Democrat leadership and their loyal labor union cohorts, the Senate bill provision starting the Cadillac tax in 2013 must be moved to 2018. The reconciliation bill contains this fix, but Republicans claim it will be deemed “extraneous” by the parliamentarian because it makes changes to Social Security. Thus, McConnell would raise a point-of-order to strike the section, and they only need 41 votes to prevail… thus breaking the Dems promise to the unions.

The Senate passed the $17.6 billion “jobs” bill yesterday by a vote of 68-29 and it’s on the way to Obama’s desk. While 11 Republicans voted for the measure, Sen. Grassley and other Republicans don’t see how it will help the economy. Grassley stated, “This is supposed to be a jobs bill, but is more money going to Wall Street or is it going to jobs? It kind of irritates me that the Democrats are promoting this as a jobs bill and so much money is going to Wall Street…it’s kind of a case of transparency and truth in packaging.”

Also, Hoyer and a group of wavering House Democrats are attempting to extract a promise in writing from at least 51 Democrat Senators that they will support a package of reconciliation revisions. The House members will likely get their wish of a written commitment, but it remains to be seen if Senate Democrats can deliver. Republicans are committed to raising a point-of-order on anything that does not meet the strict requirements of budget reconciliation.

Bottom Line: The Cadillac tax problem is huge, since several House Dems are reticent to agree to support the Senate bill if they’re not confident the fix can pass the Senate. Therein lies the issue – there is really no way to guarantee this or other fixes will pass the Senate, so the GOP’s claim that claim that Obama’s end goal is to simply sign the Senate bill into law without reconciliation has merit.

At the other end of the Avenue, Obama is set to sign the “jobs” package this morning in a Rose Garden ceremony. After Senate passage, Obama stated “It is the first of what I hope will be a series of jobs packages that help to continue to put people back to work all across America.” One provision that garnered some Republican support was the payroll tax “holiday” allowing employers who hire unemployed workers to skip paying the tax for the remainder of the year. Experts are split on whether or not this provision will actually boost hiring.

Bottom Line: Obama is likely jubilant over the opportunity to actually tout a jobs package and deviate from healthcare, but it will be short lived. Conservatives point out that no matter how many “jobs” bills that Congress passes in the coming months, long-term jobs and economic growth are not created by government programs or by ObamaCare. Tax cuts and a reduction in federal regulations on private industry would help immensely, but don’t count on these from the current Administration and Congress.

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AMERICANS WANT ACTION ON HEALTH REFORM

• More than three-quarters of Americans (76 percent) believe it is extremely or very important to reform the way health insurance works. [85 percent of Democrats, 79 percent of Independents, 64 percent of Republicans] [KFF, 2/23/10]

• · 63 percent of Americans want lawmakers in Washington to keep trying to pass a comprehensive health care reform plan, rather than giving up on it. [ABC News/Washington Post, 2/10/10]

• · 61 percent of Americans either support the current reform proposals or want Congress to keep working toward a solution to achieve reform. [Democracy Corps, 3/9/10; Pew Research, 2/12/10]

• 58 percent of Americans say they would be disappointed or angry if Congress stopped working on health reform now. [KFF, 2/23/10]

• A recent Ipsos/McClatchy poll found that of the 47 percent who say they oppose reform, 37 percent do so because they think reform does not go far enough.  [Ipsos/McClatchy, 3/2/10]

SUPPORT FOR KEY ELEMENTS IN LEGISLATION

TAX CREDITS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

• 72 percent say it is extremely or very important to provide tax credits to small businesses. [77 percent of Democrats, 70 percent of Independents, 67 percent of Republicans] [KFF, 2/23/10]

• 75 percent support requiring most businesses to offer health insurance to their employees, with tax incentives for small business owners to do so. [Newsweek, 2/19/10]

HEALTH EXCHANGES

• More than seven in 10 (71 percent) say it is extremely or very important to create a health insurance exchange. [78 percent of Democrats, 71 percent of Independents, 67 percent of Republicans] [KFF, 2/23/10]

• 81 percent support creating a new insurance marketplace – the Exchange – that allows people without health insurance to compare plans and buy insurance at competitive rates. [Newsweek, 2/19/10]

CLOSING THE MEDICARE DRUG DONUT HOLE

• 71 percent believe it is extremely or very important to help close the Medicare prescription drug ‘doughnut hole’. [78 percent of Democrats, 70 percent of Independents, 66 percent of Republicans] [KFF, 2/23/10]

HIGH RISK POOLS

• 70 percent believe it is extremely or very important to expand high risk insurance pools. [79 percent of Democrats, 67 percent of Independents, 61 percent of Republicans] [KFF, 2/23/10]

SUBSIDIES FOR LOWER INCOME AMERICANS

• Nearly seven in 10 (68 percent) say it is extremely or very important to provide financial help for low/middle income Americans. [88 percent of Democrats, 64 percent of Independents, 48 percent of Republicans] [KFF, 2/23/10]

• 73 percent of those surveyed support insurance subsidies for lower income families. [Ipsos/McClatchy, 3/2/10]

• 56 percent favor requiring all Americans to have health insurance, either from their employer or from another source, with tax credits or other aid to help low-income people pay for it. [ABC News/Washington Post, 2/10/10]

###

“Again the President and Vice President have come to the Buckeye State to try and sell their massive job-killing government takeover of health care, but Ohioans aren’t buying it.  Instead, as we approach nearly a year of double-digit unemployment in Ohio, hard-working families are wondering why Washington Democrats refuse to abandon their government takeover of health care, their ‘cap and trade’ national energy tax, and all their government spending that will only make matters worse.

“This week members of Congress will be asked to pass the Senate health care bill with its job-killing tax hikes, its ‘Corn Husker Kickback,’ its ‘Louisiana Purchase,’ and its taxpayer funding for abortions.  Ohioans don’t want it.  The American people oppose it.  Ohio’s undecided Democrats have a decision to make.  Are they going to stand with President Obama and his fellow Washington Democrats, or are they going to stand with their constituents?’

“It is not too late to scrap this job-killing monstrosity and start over with a step-by-step approach focused on lowering costs for families and small businesses. Republicans have offered a plan to lower premiums by up to 10 percent, which is exactly what the American people want.”

NOTE: According to a recent Quinnipiac poll, 56 percent of Ohioans oppose Washington Democrats’ government takeover of health care.

Boehner represents Ohio’s 8th Congressional District, which includes all of Darke, Miami, and Preble counties, most of Butler and Mercer counties, and the northeastern corner of Montgomery County.  He was first elected to Congress in 1990.

# # # # #

In the Senate, parliamentarian Alan Frumin is getting a great deal of attention of late, with literally the fate of the country at stake on how he rules on provisions within the Democrats healthcare reconciliation package.  Republicans are expected to show a united front of opposition to ObamaCare and will vote as a block to support every possible point-of-order against the bill.

Banking Committee chairman Dodd is expected to unveil his financial reform bill this afternoon, a package some expect to create concerns on both sides of the aisle. One provision rumored to be included that’s certain to anger conservatives is the creation of the much maligned consumer financial protection agency within the Federal Reserve.

Bottom Line: While there will undoubtedly be a great struggle against the reconciliation bill in the Senate, if it gets to that point, the reality will be that the bulk of ObamaCare will have already passed the House and on its way to Obama’s desk. Defeating reconciliation in the Senate will only alter ObamaCare, not defeat it. Thus, House Dems must be made to realize any deals they make trading their vote for reconciliation provisions may not come to fruition.

In the House, the Budget Committee released a 2,309 page healthcare “fix” package last night intended to serve as the base bill for reconciliation in the Senate. The bill will reportedly be modified substantially during markup in the Budget Committee (today at 3pm) and the Rules Committee (later this week) before coming to a vote on the House floor.

The real battle of ObamaCare rests in the House, where a furious fight is raging in districts across the country.  Millions of advertising dollars will be spent in the coming days, particularly within those Democrat member districts who voted against the healthcare bill in the House last year, and in districts where pro-life Dems voted yes last time but are now leaning No.

The “Slaughter Solution” – where the House would “deem” the Senate healthcare bill passed within the rule bill for reconciliation (thus avoiding a direct vote) – is still being discussed by Pelosi as a viable option.  Republicans are outraged and view this is just another gross perversion of the democratic process by Pelosi and Hoyer in order to force their will on the American people.

Bottom Line: Pelosi, Hoyer, and literally hundreds of Democrat lawmakers on both sides of the Capitol are woefully underestimating the level of anger and disgust among Americans over their attempts to pass a government-takeover of our healthcare system.  With a final vote imminent, now is the time for any American who feels strongly on the subject to let their voice be heard with their member of Congress… and not to forget the actions of their elected representative come November.

At the other end of the Avenue, less than a week after Obama called on Congress to strip out the sweet-heart deals from the healthcare package, the AP is reporting that he’s backed down. Obama’s senior advisor David Alexrod has suggested that only state-specific deals be eliminated now. This would effectively leave intact dozens of deals cut by members, such as Dodd’s $100 million hospital, though the location would now be “determined” by the health secretary.

WH spokesman David Gibbs hit the Sunday talk show circuit and claimed ObamaCare will be signed into law in the next couple weeks. On Fox News Sunday, Gibbs claimed, “We’ll have the votes when the House votes, I think, within the next week.  And I think whoever sits here this time next week, you all will be talking about health-care reform not as a presidential proposal, but as something that will soon be the law of the land.”

Bottom Line:  The current tactics being employed by Obama to pass ObamaCare – utilizing reconciliation, the “Slaughter Solution”, buying vote with taxpayer funds, and other sordid schemes – can be accurately described as arrogant, brazen, and unabashed. Perhaps the most amazing aspect of all of this is that Obama and the Democrats believe the American people are stupid, and will not realize the perversion of democracy that is taking place.  A reckoning is sure to come, and November may just be the beginning.

Members of the U.S. House of Representatives have never before been asked to pass legislation by “deeming” it approved under a House rule instead of following the process required by the U.S. Constitution in which they actually vote on the proposal itself, according to a senior aide to House Republicans.

The procedure – dubbed by critics as the “Slaughter Solution – is the brain-child of House Rules Committee Chairman Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-NY, who, at the request of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-CA, is trying to fashion a rule that would allow the House to move toward passage of a health care reform bill without a recorded vote on the Senate version.

Like the Senate, which adopted its health care reform measure on Christmas Eve, the House passed its version last year. But there are major differences between the two measures, especially concerning federal funding of abortions. The Senate version includes billions of dollars to fund new health care clinics that would offer abortion services. The House bill was passed only after Rep. Bart Stupak’s amendment barring federal funding for the procedure was included.

Slaughter’s approach would bring to the House floor a reconcilliation bill to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of health care reform with the rule deeming the House to have approved the Senate version. The GOP aide, who requested anonymity, said a search of the House archives failed to reveal any previous use of the Slaughter Solution.

Earlier today, Slaughter told The Examiner’s Susan Ferrichio that a ruling from the Senate Parlimentarian would have no bearing on what the House does. The Parliamentarian said the Senate could not consider the reconcilliation bill until the Senate health care reform bill was signed into law by President Obama.

“We knew that. That’s not news to me. We always believed we had to have a signed bill before we reconcile.” Slaughter told Ferrichio. Slaughter wouldn’t say definitively if House leaders would employ her rule, and she said the Senate Parliamentarian  “cannot rule on what we have to do over here.”

Late this afternoon, the GOP aide said “you can report it as fact, they are moving down that road.”