Health-care Law has Changed Game for Democrats Looking to Retake the House in 2014

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Photo Credit: APFew places may better explain how the bungled launch of President Obama’s health-care law has scrambled the political landscape for Democrats than this hamlet north of Philadelphia.

Democrats have been hoping to capitalize on the political fallout for the GOP from the recent government shutdown. If they can do so anywhere, it should be in the suburbs north and west of the city where three adjoining congressional districts represent a confluence of Democratic Party ambitions for the 2014 midterm elections.

The 13th District is represented by Allyson Y. Schwartz, a popular five-term Democrat who is the leading candidate for governor against a Republican incumbent widely regarded as the most vulnerable in the country.

The two other districts are held by moderate Republicans: Rep. Patrick Meehan in the 7th and Rep. Michael G. Fitzpatrick in the 8th. Obama won both in 2008 and lost both by less than one percentage point in 2012. If Democrats are going to get anywhere near the 18 seats they need to take control of the House in 2014, these two are must-wins, and a few weeks ago, with the GOP suffering in public opinion polls, everything seemed possible for Democrats.

The Affordable Care Act may have changed that.

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DC Mayor Fires Insurance Commissioner Following Critical Remarks of President’s Proposed ObamaCare Fix

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Photo Credit: Fox News The District of Columbia’s insurance commissioner says he was fired after questioning President Obama’s plan to fix ObamaCare and saying the city might not follow his suggestions.

Commissioner William White told The Washington Post on Saturday that he was called into Mayor Vincent Gray’s office the prior day and told the Democratic mayor “wants to go in a different direction.”

The president said Thursday that the millions of insurance plans scheduled to be canceled next year to comply with ObamaCare regulations could be extended for a year, after he told Americans prior to the law’s passage that they could keep their existing plans.

However, White and other insurance commissioners across the country have questioned the president’s proposed solution because it could create a mess in the marketplace.

Some of the top reasons for the commissioners’ objections are: policy prices are already locked in to comply with changes in ObamaCare; an extension could conflict with state-level laws to comply with the law and younger Americans needed to join the federal exchange to keep down costs will wait to enroll.

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Establishment Targets Tea Party Rep. Justin Amash Because “He Cannot be Controlled”

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Photo Credit: Mlive.com File PhotoMemo to establishment Republicans: Good luck getting Justin Amash.

Seven big Michigan donors have said they’re dedicated to ousting the two-term Western Michigan congressman, who’s facing a 2014 GOP primary from businessman Brian Ellis. J.C. Huizenga and Mike Jandernoa are among those raising money for the cause.

The Republican heavy-hitters signed a letter obtained by The Hill claiming that Amash “and others have effectively nullified the Republican majority in the U.S. House.”

The libertarian-leaning Amash has inflamed the GOP leadership and some business leaders because he can’t be controlled.

He’s refused to toe the party line on civil liberties issues. He’s not afraid to blast warrantless wiretapping (something many Democrats won’t do) or vote present on Planned Parenthood funding, despite being pro-life.

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U.S. War Readiness in Jeopardy as Pilots Flee (+video)

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Photo Credit: WND As if to dramatically illustrate repeated claims top generals have made to WND of a purge of senior officers and a degradation of military readiness under President Obama’s leadership, stunning testimony at a recent Senate committee hearing shows America may soon be unable to fight and win a war.

The Air Force is having problems retaining its pilots, even though they are being offered big bonuses to remain, senators learned at the Nov. 7 Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.

The problem appears to be partly from sequestration, which has imposed budget limitations on pilots’ ability to get in both the requisite flying time and the training needed to fly the next generation of aircraft, according to Air Force Secretary Eric Fanning.

He expressed grave concern about the trend toward budget cutbacks.

Likewise, at a recent Defense One Summit in Washington, Fanning warned that “we’re going to have flying hour issues for the foreseeable future,” a reference to the reality that pilots must fly a certain number of hours to maintain their ratings on various aircraft.

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Will this Court Case Destroy Obamacare?

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Photo Credit: WND

The Obama administration may be alarmed over the dismal number of people signing up for Obamacare, the rising health-care costs for Americans, the legal challenges to the religious discrimination embedded in the law and other problems.

But all of that would be of no consequence if a lawsuit in federal court in Washington succeeds. It alleges senators overstepped their authority in creating the Affordable Care Act and the law, therefore, is null and void.

The case argues that since the U.S. Constitution requires that revenue-raising measures originate in the U.S. House and Obamacare was created in the Senate, the law is unconstitutional. The case is headed toward the Supreme Court.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., who has been leading the Obamacare charge since its inception, took a House-passed bill, deleted its contents and then substituted the Senate’s 2,000-page bill.

Now dozens of members of the U.S. House of Representatives are signing onto the battle, claiming the Senate didn’t have the authority to pass the bill.

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Abortionist: The Baby is Still Alive When I Pull on the Arm and Remove It

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Photo Credit: Life News Why don’t those who support abortion believe what abortionists say about it?

For example, abortionist Curtis Boyd, who runs late-term clinics in Dallas and Albuquerque, made a “jarring admission” during an interview with WFAA in 2009:

“Am I killing?” Boyd said. “Yes, I am. I know that.”

During questioning in court in 1997 regarding his opposition to the Nebraska Partial Birth Abortion Ban, late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart testified:

Attorney for the Defense: In that situation… are you… when you pull on the arm and remove it, is the fetus still alive?

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Survey: Palin Generates Beaucoup Bucks for Alaska Annually, Rivaling Revenue Generated by Sports Franchises

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Photo Credit: Breitbart Unlike the contiguous 48 states, Alaska is not exactly a bastion for professional sports. Yes, a couple of minor league hockey clubs play there but it’s not like people are flocking from out of state to see the Anchorage Aces or Fairbanks Icedogs skate. Sports nuts across this land do make the trek to Green Bay, Wisconsin or the Bronx, New York for a taste of sports history. Since Alaska doesn’t have that card to play, they need other things to attract visitors. Fortunately for The Last Frontier they have a unique woman, who all by herself brings in tourists and big money each and every year.

Certainly the beauty of Alaska alone attracts visitors from all over the globe. The scenery, wildlife, and all around majesty is unparalleled. They come on boats, planes, trains, and cars to get a glimpse of God’s handy work. In recent years, the tourism boom in Alaska grew even greater thanks to a wild card. She is an accomplished state championship basketball player, but you probably know her more for her stint as governor and her run for the vice presidency. Sarah Palin alone brings her home state a fortune, just by being herself.

Palin is a big draw on the speakers circuit. Her TV and radio appearances make her supporters and detractors alike stop and take notice. According to a recent study, that popularity also directly affects the economy of Alaska in a very positive way.

US for Palin conducted a survey, Market Research: Sarah Palin’s Impact on Alaska Tourism. In typical Palin supporter fashion it was a grassroots effort. The project was thrown together by numerous donations from several Palin backers. Many of the contributions were small. They added up however to allow the project to happen and the findings were giant sized.

The survey sampled just under 500 people, most of whom paid a visit to Alaska after Palin was a prominent figure. The false meme that Palin is not popular is blown out of the arctic water throughout the findings.

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Netanyahu Jabs Obama on Iran (+video)

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Photo Credit: Yonatan SindelIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised French President Francois Hollande’s “courageous stance” against Iran on Sunday, an indirect jab at President Obama’s push for diplomatic talks.

Netanyahu called France a “true friend” of Israel as he greeted Hollande on his first official trip to the country. France demanded last week that a preliminary deal on Iran’s nuclear program be toughened, causing it to be rejected by Iran.

“Zionism was influenced by the values of the French Revolution,” Netanyahu told Hollande, according to Haaretz. “Israel sees France as a true friend. France, like Israel, aspires for a stable Middle East that lives in peace and security.”

He told members of his Cabinet that he hoped Hollande’s visit could stiffen the resolve of other countries negotiating with Iran. Talks with Iran are being led by the permanent members of the Security Council – the U.S., France, Great Britain, China and Russia – plus Germany.

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If You Like Your Insurance, You Can Rent It… Maybe

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Photo Credit: Reuters/Jonathan BachmanThe main reason I left the insurance industry years ago was the fatigue of marketing a product that is misunderstood by the vast majority of its customer base, not to mention the majority of functionaries inside the industry. I was a lousy agent frankly, but for some reason, the concepts were very intuitive to me. I was the high scorer in of all of those licensing and continuing-ed type classes, but those don’t pay the bills, so for reasons of money and sanity, I left.

Alas, this escape was only temporary, as we all now live in a country where the industry is being seized by a president who remains totally oblivious to its realities. Yet he insists on occupying the position as grand poobah CEO of all of it, and ruling by edict. And his epic “fix” can be translated this way:

If you like your coverage, you can rent it. Maybe.

There are so many problems with what he said, it’s hard to know where to start — so let’s start with the absurdity of a one-year fix. That’s no fix. Even terminal cancer caregivers score being “fixed” in terms of a five-year survival. Besides, Obama’s 29 public pronouncements that you can “keep your insurance” were never mitigated with a “sell by” date. He hasn’t fixed Obamacare, and in fact, he hasn’t even fixed his “incorrect promise” by this. That promise depends, I guess, on what the meaning of “period” is.

And let’s consider this startling confession from the smartest man, the man with the sharpest pant crease — the most brilliant man to ever sit in the Oval Office — or for that matter, trod the soil of this humble planet: “What we’re also discovering is that insurance is complicated to buy.”

Shazam! Who knew?

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Deadly Storms Hit Midwest; Tornadoes Slam Illinois, Indiana

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Photo Credit: mccun934/flickrDozens of tornadoes and intense thunderstorms swept across the Midwest on Sunday, unleashing powerful winds that flattened entire neighborhoods, flipping over cars, uprooting trees and leaving at least five people dead.

Illinois took the brunt of the fury as the string of unusually powerful late-season tornadoes tore across the state, injuring dozens and even prompting officials at Chicago’s Soldier Field to evacuate the stands and delay the Bears game.

“The whole neighborhood’s gone. The wall of my fireplace is all that is left of my house,” said Michael Perdun, speaking by cellphone from the hard-hit town of Washington, where he said his neighborhood was wiped out in a matter of seconds.

“I stepped outside and I heard it coming. My daughter was already in the basement, so I ran downstairs and grabbed her, crouched in the laundry room and all of a sudden I could see daylight up the stairway and my house was gone.”

An elderly man and his sister were killed when a tornado hit their home around noon in the rural community of New Minden, said coroner Mark Styninger. A third person died in Washington, while two others perished in Massac county in the far southern part of the state, said Patti Thompson of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. She did not provide details..

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