What Is RINO Boehner’s Definition of a Conservative Agenda?

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Speaker Boehner is doling out new punishments to conservatives. The Hill reports Boehner has defended his “tough love” actions saying, “We are in the majority. Part of being in the majority is advancing an agenda — a conservative agenda.”

Conservative agenda? This has to make one wonder what Boehner’s version of a “conservative agenda” really is.

With this article is a graphical review of the Republican-dominated House of Representatives’ accomplishments from this “conservative agenda” Boehner defends.

Those are only the accomplishments achieved during the past 6 months. There are 18 more months left of this “conservative agenda.”

Everything is backwards with GOP leadership, when Republicans dissent from the Obama agenda that Boehner is trying to rubber stamp, that is when the screws come out. Almost as if a transsexual party we have a transpolitical party, voters elected the Republican Party and what they got was a bunch of politicians that self-identify as Democrats that punish Republicans for not supporting the Obama agenda.

Now go back to The Hill article to see the hubris of the Washington Establishment on full display.

Here are some favorite quotes:

“The fact is we’ve got more than 200 rank-and-file members who are royally pissed off at those guys for voting to turn the House floor over to Nancy Pelosi,” said a senior GOP leadership aide.

See accomplishments listed above. Who is running the House floor again?

Also, what the GOP Establishment is not fessing up to is that the Obamatrade rule that governed its floor consideration contained several self-executing provisions that were intended to pass legislation without the majority of Republicans being forced to affirmatively vote for the provisions. Plain and simple: cowardice.

Here is another quote from a GOP Leadership aide:

“Taxpayer-funded travel is a privilege and not a right.”

Just to be clear, your tax dollars are being used as leverage to buy votes for liberal accomplishments to advance Boehner’s “conservative agenda.” Members are being denied those taxpayer funds to take critical national security-related trips because they disagree with….Obama’s agenda!

Apparently it’s now fair game to oust conservatives from positions of influence, hence Congressman Mark Meadows (R- NC) getting removed from his subcommittee and threats against freshman Congressmen Ken Buck (R-CO) of being pushed out as freshmen class president.

So now that the ground rules have been established that it is fine and dandy to target positions of influence, liberal Republicans won’t mind if conservatives fight fire with fire. It’s time for House conservatives to wake up to the reality of the war leadership has waged against them and decide their course of action. Will it be to sit by while more of this so-called “conservative agenda” is forced down the throats of voters? Or will it be to fight back even harder, regardless of the consequences? (“What Is Boehner’s Definition of a Conservative Agenda?”, originally posted HERE)

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FBI Rounding up Islamic State Suspects

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The FBI has been rounding up more potential “lone wolf” terrorists, Congressional leaders and the Justice Department say, in response to the perception of a mounting threat of domestic attacks inspired by the Islamic State.

Since the thwarted attack on a “Draw Muhammad” conference in Garland, Texas, on May 3, the Justice Department has announced the arrests of 10 individuals it says were inspired by and supporting the Islamic State. The lawmakers say there have been more arrests that have not yet been announced.

They say the FBI has shifted its approach toward arrests rather than keeping suspects under surveillance, and is also targeting individuals thought to be planning attacks in the U.S., unlike the bureau’s past focus on volunteers preparing to join ISIS’s fight abroad.

“Lately, we have seen an uptick in the number of arrests of ISIL followers who were planning violent acts in our homeland,” said John Carlin, the assistant attorney general for national security. “ISIL, differing from some other foreign terrorist organizations, has demonstrated that they see value in mobilizing sympathizers anywhere in the world.”

The spate of arrests comes in response to what Congressional leaders and the Justice Department say is a mounting threat that radicalized Americans will attempt low-tech, lone wolf attacks in the near future. Lawmakers see the changes as necessary because the Islamic State uses social media so effectively to radicalize Americans and because the group is getting better at using encryption to shield its communications with new recruits. (Read more from “FBI Rounding up Islamic State Suspects” HERE)

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GOP Senator Pat Toomey Trying to Revive Failed Gun Control Legislation

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In a not totally unexpected move, Senators Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) and Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) are exploring ways to reintroduce and pass legislation similar to their bill that was rejected by the Senate by 54 to 46 (60 votes were needed for passage) back in 2013. That rejected bill— which was described as a “compromise” measure — would have expanded background checks to include sales made at guns shows and online in addition to the already-required checks for buyers purchasing firearms made from licensed commercial gun dealers.

The senators’ attempt to revive their 2013 bill is not unexpected in the wake of the recent tragic shooting in Charleston because their original legislation was created as a response to the December 2012 shooting spree by a lone gunman that killed 20 school children and six adults at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut. After such highly publicized mass shootings occur, gun control advocates routinely capitalize on the natural horror resulting from such tragic events to pin the blame on the weapons, themselves, rather than on the unbalanced individuals who wielded them.

Before the Sandy Hook shootings, the same reaction resulted from the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007, and the Fort Hood shooting in 2009. Lost amidst all the grief and emotions is the realization that each of these shootings occurred among a group of unarmed, defenseless people, who might have defended themselves had the personal possession of firearms not been so heavily restricted.

Once again, while emotions over the Charleston shooting still run high, Manchin and Toomey are dusting off their repertoire. However, they are proceeding with caution.

Toomey told the Washington Post he was trying to figure out if there was “something that could get the support of the 60 votes that we would need in the Senate.” Elizabeth Anderson, a spokesperson for Toomey, said that it would be erroneous to describe the senator’s efforts as “revisiting” his 2013 bill, but he “is open to exploring” legislative options. (Read more from “Senators Manchin and Toomey Consider Reviving Failed Gun Control Legislation” HERE)

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Investor: Markets ‘Extremely Overheated,’ Especially in Junk Bonds

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Carl Icahn warned investors on Wednesday that he believes the market is “extremely overheated—especially high-yield bonds.” ( Tweet This)

“I think the public is walking into a trap again as they did in 2007,” the activist investor told CNBC’s “Fast Money Halftime Report.” “I think it’s almost the duty of well-respected investors, like myself I hope, to warn people, to tell people, that really you are making errors.”

Icahn compared the current market situation to the prerecession days, when mortgage-backed securities were being widely sold. “It’s almost deja vu,” he said. Many companies are selling at huge multiples and reporting earnings that are “sort of fudged” due to various accounting methods, he said.

“I do think you are going to have a dramatic pullback, certain things may happen,” he said. To remedy this, Icahn would like to see the government and regulators look at the way earnings and guidance are reported by companies. (Read more from “Investor: Markets ‘Extremely Overheated,’ Especially in Junk Bonds” HERE)

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Here’s How Much Corporations Paid US Senators to Pass the Sovereign-Killing Trade Bills

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Fast-tracking the TPP, meaning its passage through Congress without having its contents available for debate or amendments, was only possible after lots of corporate money exchanged hands with senators. The US Senate passed Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) – the fast-tracking bill – by a 65-33 margin on 14 May. Last Thursday, the Senate voted 62-38 to bring the debate on TPA to a close.

Those impressive majorities follow months of behind-the-scenes wheeling and dealing by the world’s most well-heeled multinational corporations with just a handful of holdouts. (Read more from “Here’s How Much Corporations Paid US Senators to Fast-Track the TPP”

Using data from the Federal Election Commission, this chart shows all donations that corporate members of the US Business Coalition for TPP made to US Senate campaigns between January and March 2015, when fast-tracking the TPP was being debated in the Senate:

•Out of the total $1,148,971 given, an average of $17,676.48 was donated to each of the 65 “yea” votes.
•The average Republican member received $19,673.28 from corporate TPP The average Democrat received $9,689.23 from those same donors.

The amounts given rise dramatically when looking at how much each senator running for re-election received.HERE)

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Coulter: Forget ‘Moronic’ Confederate Flag Talk, Ban ‘Democratic Party’ to Help Blacks [+video]

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By Al Weaver. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter dismissed the “completely moronic” debate going on about the Confederate flag Tuesday, arguing that the Democratic Party should be banned in order to help African-Americans . . .

“I think it’s completely moronic,” Coulter said. “I mean, this is an awful thing that happened in Charleston. Luckily, it’s quite rare. But to jump on this and go back to a litany of liberal talking points that make Republicans look bad, how about banning the Democratic Party?”

“They were the ones who supported — who were on the Confederate side of the Civil War. They were the ones that supported segregation for a hundred years,” Coulter said. “If we want to do something nice for black people, how about ending immigration which is dumping millions of low-wage workers on the country, taking jobs from African-Americans, as enumerable studies have shown.” (Read more from “Coulter: Forget ‘Moronic’ Confederate Flag Talk, Ban ‘Democratic Party’ to Help Blacks” HERE)

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Whoa: This Is How the Slain Pastor Felt About the Confederate Flag…

By Michele Hickford. Matthew 5:9 says “Blessed are the peacemakers” and it would appear Pastor Clementa Pinckney was definitely one of those.

While the mainstream media is decrying the fact that the Charleston shooting victim’s body was carried past a Confederate flag today, the good pastor may not have found it all that offensive.

In 2000, during his first term in the South Carolina State Senate, Pinckney actually voted in favor of H5028, the May 2000 compromise which placed the flag at its current location.

H5028 related to THE PERMANENT PLACEMENT OF THE UNITED STATES FLAG, THE SOUTH CAROLINA STATE FLAG, AND THE SOUTH CAROLINA INFANTRY BATTLE FLAG OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES OF AMERICA.

You can see here that Pinckney’s name is among the “93 yeas.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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House Republican Unveils Conservative Response to King v. Burwell [+video]

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As Republican lawmakers brace for the U.S. Supreme Court’s King v. Burwell decision, a conservative plan has emerged that would eliminate the subsidies awarded under the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare.

In anticipation of the King v. Burwell decision, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., introduced the Premium Reduction and Insurance Market Reform Act. The bill would end Obamacare’s subsidies and eliminate the law’s age rating restrictions, benefit mandates and minimum actuarial value requirement—addressing the issue if the Supreme Court rules against the Obama administration. A decision could come as early as Monday.

The Supreme Court is examining the legality of subsidies awarded to consumers purchasing health insurance on the federal exchange. As it was written, the law limits the availability of subsidies to states operating their own exchanges. Just 16 states and the District of Columbia originally established their own exchanges.

However, the administration extended the tax credits to include the remaining 34 states using the federal exchange, HealthCare.gov.

If the court rules against the Obama administration, striking down federal subsidies, Republicans are expected to roll out a response to the decision that would still provide a safety net for the approximately 6.4 million Americans at risk of losing their tax credits.

GOP lawmakers in both chambers gathered Wednesday night to discuss legislative options.

A plan from Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., being discussed in the House allows for the allocation of block grants to states wanting them. Those states would be able to determine how to best spend the block grants to cover consumers. States that do not want the block grants would be able to keep the subsidies offered under Obamacare.

“It block-grants the money to states that opt into our state program, and then they can set up their own exchange; they can give tax credits; they can set up health savings accounts; they can do whatever they want,” Rep. John Fleming, R-La., told The Hill.

In the Senate, Republicans are discussing options that include extending Obamacare’s subsidies through 2017.

“We’re going to be prepared,” Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told Politico. “We wouldn’t call them subsidies. But we’d certainly keep people whole so that they wouldn’t suffer because of this interim time.”

Republicans are also looking into aspects of legislation introduced separately by Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Ben Sasse, R-Neb.

Though GOP senators appear to be uniting behind a plan that extends subsidies to those living in states on the federal exchange, conservatives like Gosar are pushing for the elimination of them.

In a statement, Michael Needham, chief executive of Heritage Action for America, praised Gosar’s legislation for getting rid of the subsidies. The group touted the plan as the “conservative” response to King v. Burwell.

“A continuation of illegal subsidies will simply cover up the law’s costs while giving the impression Republicans believe subsidies are necessary for Americans to afford health insurance,” he said. (“House Republican Unveils Conservative Response to King v. Burwell”, originally posted HERE)

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RINO House Republican Leaders Targeting Congressman Ken Buck for Retribution

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Rep. Ken Buck (R-CO) is nothing if not a team player. Having narrowly lost his first bid for the U.S. Senate, Buck ran again for the Senate in 2014. But Buck graciously stepped aside for Congressman Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) and, instead, ran for a congressional seat . . .

That has all come to a head now. The Republican Leadership in Congress has decided to rapidly, and without due process, strip Buck of his status as Freshman class President. The honor was given to Buck not by Leadership, but by his incoming House freshman colleagues.

Buck dared to stand up to the House Leadership on the trade promotion authority legislation. He voted against the rule. Just as Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) was stripped of his subcommittee chairmanship, Buck must be stripped of his title . . .

It does not matter to the House GOP Leadership though. They are rushing a meeting in the next 24 hours. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) 31% and Rep. Mimi Walters (R-CA), who are the go to freshman congresswoman for Rep. John Boehner (R-OH) and leadership, has set the meeting for at 8:30 am tomorrow in room HC-8. (Read more from “House Republican Leaders Targeting Congressman Ken Buck for Retribution” HERE)

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FBI Files Reveal Obama Adviser Valerie Jarrett’s Deep Family Ties to Communist Activities [+video]

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Top presidential adviser Valerie Jarret is well known for being a far-left liberal, but FBI files obtained by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch show she comes from a family even further left than most Democrats would want to admit.

Jarrett’s father, her father-in-law and her maternal grandfather were all under investigation by the FBI for deep Communist ties during the 1950s, Judicial Watch reports.

According to Judicial Watch:

Jarrett’s dad, pathologist and geneticist Dr. James Bowman, had extensive ties to Communist associations and individuals, his lengthy FBI file shows. In 1950 Bowman was in communication with a paid Soviet agent named Alfred Stern, who fled to Prague after getting charged with espionage. Bowman was also a member of a Communist-sympathizing group called the Association of Internes and Medical Students. After his discharge from the Army Medical Corps in 1955, Bowman moved to Iran to work, the FBI records show …

The Jarrett family Communist ties also include a business partnership between Jarrett’s maternal grandpa, Robert Rochon Taylor, and Stern, the Soviet agent associated with her dad.

(Read more from “FBI Files Reveal Obama Adviser Valerie Jarrett’s Deep Family Ties to Communist Activities” HERE)

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