Repeal Obama’s Ideas and Replace with Conservative Ones

Over the past month President Barack Obama, who remains personally popular, has pushed some very unpopular policies.  Polling numbers indicate the future of ObamaCare, and the remainder of President Obama’s agenda, are in danger.  According to Rasmussen Reports, “three weeks after Congress passed its new national healthcare plan, support for repeal of the measure has risen four points to 58%.  That includes 50% of U.S. voters who strongly favor repeal.”  Gallup’s most recent poll has the President with a mere 49% approval rate.  These polls indicate that the American people want President Obama’s actions repealed and replaced with small-government ideas.

ObamaCare–Euthanize It

The three-pronged strategy to repeal every single word of the intolerable ObamaCare, has commenced. First, Florida Atty. Gen. Bill McCollum is leading a lawsuit on behalf of the citizens of 18 states to have the individual mandate declared unconstitutional.  The federal government doesn’t have the enumerated power, under the Commerce or Taxing Clause of the U.S. Constitution, to force citizens of states to buy a privately marketed financial product. 

Finally, and most important to the cause, are the one-sentence bills to obliterate ObamaCare.  Most of the offensive provisions in ObamaCare don’t kick in until 2014, therefore there are a few years for Sen. Jim DeMint (R.-S.C.), and Republican Representatives Jerry Moran (Kan.), Connie Mack (Fla.), Michele Bachmann (Minn.) and Steve King (Iowa) to garner support for their legislation for full repeal.  This issue may well define the 2012 presidential campaign.

Goodwin Liu

President Obama has nominated Berkeley Law Professor Goodwin Liu to be a judge on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.  Liu has the education and experience for the job, yet he may have disqualified himself from serving on our federal courts because of his propensity for defending judicial activism.  The potential fight over the Liu nomination could foreshadow how the Senate will handle the process to replace Justice John Paul Stevens on the U.S. Supreme Court.

Liu’s problems began when he was interviewed for a podcast of the American Constitution Society on May 5, 2009.  He stated, “the Constitution should be interpreted in ways that adapt its principles and its text to the challenges and conditions of our society in every single generation.”  This statement evidences a troubling possibility that Liu would legislate from the bench.

Pay-As-You-Go

Senators Jim Bunning (R.-Ky.) and Tom Coburn (R.-Okla.) have been fighting the efforts of liberal Senate leaders to railroad through legislation that temporarily extends unemployment benefits, health insurance subsidies for the unemployed, increased payments to physicians who treat Medicare patients and national flood insurance. 

These programs cost tens of billions in new spending and are reauthorized every month.  Yet liberals in Congress refuse to offset this new spending with cuts to other wasteful programs.  The Senate waived a point of order against this temporary extension last week and yet again violated the letter and spirit of Pay-As-You-Go rules that attempt to slow the growth of government. 

2nd Amendment Restored in D.C.

This week the House may finally pass legislation to restore 2nd Amendment rights to residents of the District of Columbia.  Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D.-Md.) announced that a bill to give D.C.’s delegate to the House voting rights on the House floor may be voted on next week.  An amendment in that bill (added by John Ensign (R.-Nev.) during Senate consideration) would strip out D.C.’s oppressive and unconstitutional gun restrictions. 
 
Cheers to Heritage Action

A new activist organization is encouraging members of Congress to act on conservative principles.  The Heritage Foundation’s new Heritage Action for America, a conservative grassroots advocacy organization, will supplement many other conservative groups in Washington and will provide an effective means of promoting the idea of building “an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity and civil society flourish.”  Congratulations and good luck to Mike Needham and Tim Chapman, the two leaders of the new organization.