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Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn’s early light,
What so proudly we hail’d at the twilight’s last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro’ the perilous fight,
O’er the ramparts we watch’d, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro’ the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

The post Happy Flag Day appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

As the scandals continue to mount, the Obama Administration continues to be under fire from all sides of the spectrum.  It’s a matter of credibility, and according to the New York Times, the President is losing it.¹  What’s worse, Americans seem to agree.

The latest from NBC/WSJ asked respondents to give Obama a 1-5 rating on being “honest and straight forward.”  Let’s take a look at intensity, the 1s and 5s—1s being “very poor” and 5s being “very good.”  Only 23% gave the President a “very good” rating, down from 28% in January.  On the opposite end, 30% gave him a “very poor” rating, up from 24% six months ago.  That’s a net 11 point swing against Obama since the start of his second term.

And, get this.

In January 2009, when President Obama was first sworn in as Commander –in –Chief, a striking 41% gave him a “very good” rating in terms of being honest and straightforward, while a mere 8% said the opposite.  To put that in perspective, compared to today, when contemplating the President’s honesty, Obama has seen a net negative movement of 40 points since he first took office.

POLLSTER: Hart/McInturff for NBC/WSJ

DATE: Conducted 5/30-6/2/2013

SAMPLE: Sampled 1,000 Adults; MoE ±3.1%

SOURCE: http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/11/18885926-nbc-newswsj-poll-affirmative-action-support-at-historic-low?lite

¹ http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/07/opinion/president-obamas-dragnet.html

Since the start of his 2nd term, numbers show an 11 pt swing against Obama on being “honest & straightforward.” goo.gl/tLIIN #tcot

— Topline Translator (@ToplineReport) June 13, 2013

The post Polling Memo: Is Obama Losing His Credibility? appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

“It’s called the Affordable Care Act, but President Barack Obama’s health care law may turn out to be unaffordable for many low-wage workers, including employees at big chain restaurants, retail stores and hotels.

‘That might seem strange since the law requires medium-sized and large employers to offer “affordable” coverage or face fines.

‘But what’s reasonable? Because of a wrinkle in the law, companies can meet their legal obligations by offering policies that would be too expensive for many low-wage workers. For the employee, it’s like a mirage — attractive but out of reach.”

 

According to AP, employers with 50 or more workers are required to offer insurance that costs no more than 9.5 percent of the employee’s income. That rule could be counter-productive for workers who don’t earn as much.

It’s gotten to a point where you can set a very slow clock to bad news on ObamaCare. Every day news trickles out showing just how disastrous this law is.

Stand with the NRCC. We need to repeal this law because it’s hurting workers and small businesses.

The post ObamaCare May Be Too Expensive For Low-Wage Workers appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

Teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and aides are all in danger of facing reduced hours and less pay thanks to the law’s employer mandate. The mandate, which requires employers provide healthcare coverage for employees who work more than 30 hours a week, is proving to be a constant headache for business owners and employers across the country.

In response to the school districts’ frustrations, Members of the Indiana delegation sent a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius expressing their disappointment and frustrations with the job-crushing law.

“Secretary Sebelius, as a former Governor, we are sure you can appreciate the difficult choices being made in the heartland to deal with decisions handed down from Washington, D.C.,” they wrote. “Hundreds of middle class Hoosiers working in schools will now suffer the consequences of a law you told the American people would serve as a solution to making health care affordable for the middle class.”

So far, the Affordable Care Act has proved to be anything but affordable for millions of hard-working families across the country. These teachers and school employees are just the latest to suffer due to the overreaching, job-destroying, billion-dollar law.

Do you have a story about how ObamaCare is affecting you? Share it with us here.

The post School’s Out: ObamaCare’s Job-Crushing Mandate Strikes Again appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

On June 13, 2008, Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert died at the age of 58.

Tim was the preeminent political journalist of his time. You weren’t anyone in Washington until you could go toe-to-toe with Tim. He was famous for dragging quotes out of the archives and highlighting past positions that could leave even the most seasoned politician squirming.

Despite all the titles he held, the honors he received, and the politicians he knew, he was, at heart, a boy from Buffalo.

It wasn’t unusual for him to give a quick shout out to the Bills at the end of his broadcast.  Tim’s bestselling book, “Big Russ and Me,” detailed his life growing up in the blue-collar town as his father, Big Russ, worked two jobs to provide for his family.

He was bitten by the journalism bug early on, when his teacher at St. Bonaventure Elementary school enlisted him to write for the school newspaper. He eventually graduated from John Carroll University and Cleveland State Law School and got a job working for Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan.

But most importantly, Tim was a loving father, husband, and friend. When he died, tributes came from across the political spectrum and even those in music. Tim was an avid Bruce Springsteen fan and could

often be seen at his concerts.

Take a moment and give thanks for the contributions Tim made to both our political system and our country.

In politics, five years is an eternity. But it seems like just yesterday we lost Tim.

The post Tribute To Tim Russert appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

That’s why many House Republicans have already called on Attorney General Holder to step down.

Yet several House Democrats seem to disagree and are doing their best to hide from the press.

A story in The Hill this morning details how several liberal lawmakers ducked and dodged from the press—basically doing everything aside from yelling, “Hey! Look over there!”

 

“Rep. Mike McIntyre (D-N.C.), approached outside his office in the Rayburn Building, said he instead had to finish a House Armed Services Committee markup of a bill, go to votes ‘and return a constituent phone call.’

‘Let me just wait on a comment for right now because I need to take care of some stuff, OK? I’ve got my mind on something else right now,’ he said.

…

“Democratic Reps. Bill Owens (N.Y.), John Barrow (Ga.) and Tim Walz (Minn.), who — along with McIntyre and Matheson — voted to place Holder in contempt of Congress last year, declined to comment or did not respond to repeated requests for comment for this article over the last two weeks.”

 

It’s unclear what these Democrats are so afraid of. Holder has been at the center of numerous controversies, namely the Fast and Furious program and secretly obtaining journalists’ phone records.

We always knew that these folks took their orders from Nancy Pelosi and President Obama, but when a Cabinet official has breached the trust of the citizens he’s served like Holder has, it shouldn’t be that hard.

In the meantime, you can voice your opinion here. Tell Eric Holder he’s got to go.

The post House Dems Refuse To Tell Holder To Step Down appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

From the Miami Herald: “After meeting with state investigators for two hours and taking repeated calls from reporters, Garcia said he’s willing to explain what he knows and what he doesn’t know about his campaign in 2012 or in 2010, when Arrojo and he ran against Rivera.”

Well you have everyone’s attention Congressman Garcia… When and where would you like to discuss this?

The saga of Congressman Joe Garcia’s life of political corruption is like a bad episode of The Real Housewives of Miami – it’s a train wreck, but we can’t stop watching. Unfortunately, the Florida families Garcia represents can’t just turn off the TV. Congressman Garcia owes the people he represents answers to these very troubling revelations.

In case you missed it…

Mailer links mystery candidate to Rep. Joe Garcia camp
Miami Herald
By Marc Caputo & Patricia Mazzei

The FEC case file indicates that the agency never made much of an investigation into Arrojo’s finances, or how he could afford the $10,440 qualifying fee or the mailers. If he paid the qualifying fee with his own money, the self-contribution might not have to be reported, but the expense should have been.

The qualifying fee aside, in order for Arrojo to have spent less than $5,000 on the mailers, he would have printed fewer than 10,000 of them — about half of a typical mailer.

But there was likely yet another expense: A campaign manager, mail vendor or some other type of middleman.

Image Plus’s president, Warren, said he never met Arrojo and that the print shop, like others, works almost exclusively with campaign managers or mail vendors who represent multiple clients.

While Warren said he couldn’t remember who came into his shop on Arrojo’s behalf, he recalled the work was already designed and was submitted to Image Plus on a compact disc.

After checking his files, Warren said he couldn’t readily find a distinct account for Arrojo. Warren, though, acknowledged he wouldn’t disclose private information about the company’s clients.

Warren, whose print shop is under no suspicion for any crimes, said he’d happily talk to the FBI if the agency begins investigating the case. The FBI refused comment.

Though Arrojo’s FEC complaint has been closed, the FBI could still investigate whether he illegally took money or whether he lied to the FEC — a federal offense.

Meantime, Sternad is scheduled to be sentenced Monday June 24 in federal court.

The unrelated state investigation into Joe Garcia’s campaign continues.

Garcia knows he faces a tough campaign ahead in 2014, especially now that he had to fire his top political advisor. The congressman points out that none of the fraudulently requested absentee ballots were ever fraudulently filled out or voted.

After meeting with state investigators for two hours and taking repeated calls from reporters, Garcia said he’s willing to explain what he knows and what he doesn’t know about his campaign in 2012 or in 2010, when Arrojo and he ran against Rivera.

“I didn’t know Arrojo then and I don’t know him now,” Garcia said. “In 2010, things were coming fast and furious, and I didn’t focus much on him, anyway.”

The post FL Democrat Rep. Garcia’s Political Corruption Goes Way Back appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

It’s seems that more and more he’s remembering the days of complete Democratic control over Washington as “the good old days.” Those times when he could walk into a meeting of congressional leaders and only listen to Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi. Or those times where his mere whim could become a legislative agenda.

Since 2010, when Republicans took back the House, he’s been stymied—preferring to engage in campaign stunts across the country instead of working with Republicans.

Fed up with working with members of the other party and yearning for the days when getting votes for a bill was a mere call to “Nancy” or “Harry” away, President Obama has made taking back the House of Representatives his number one goal in 2014.

In fact, he’s committed to an unprecedented level of engagement this cycle. That means raising money, campaigning, or recruiting candidates.

Just last night at a million-dollar fundraiser in Miami, the President pined for a Democratic House saying it would be ”a lot easier if I had a Democratic House.”

#Obama, at Miami Beach fundraiser, says it would be “a lot easier if I had a Democratic House and a Democratic Senate.”

— Ken Thomas (@AP_Ken_Thomas) June 13, 2013

And he’s right: it sure would be easier…

…easier to block the Keystone pipeline.

…easier to raise taxes on middle-class families.

…easier to rack up trillions more in debt.

…and easier to cement his liberal legacy through Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

We can’t let this happen. There’s simply too much at stake.

Stand with us at the NRCC and fight back against President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats would want to take our country backwards.

The post President Obama Last Night: It Would Be “A Lot Easier If I Had A Democratic House” appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.

• Yet today, it’s clear the Obama administration has not only failed to live up to its promise – things appear to have gotten even worse.

• Last year, it was revealed the GSA spent millions on lavish conferences and bonuses. It also recently came to light that the IRS spent $50 million on conferences, even one including a “happiness expert.”

• After 4 years in office, the Obama administration’s broken promises are piling up. Two years to the day after committing to root out the waste of taxpayer dollars, it’s clear that the party hasn’t stopped in Washington.

On June 13, 2011, Vice President Biden Announced A White House Plan To Cut Taxpayer Waste In Government Agencies. “Today, the Vice President hosted an event at the White House where he announced that the President has asked him to take on a new role holding the Cabinet accountable for cutting waste in their agencies as part of the Administration’s ongoing effort to make government more accountable to the American people.” (Erin Lindsay, “Vice President Biden To Take On Making Government More Accountable,” White House Blog, 6/13/11)

• Upon Announcing The Program, Vice President Joe Biden Said “There’s Nothing Like Accountability, Man.” (Joe Biden, Remarks, Washington, DC, 6/13/11)

• Biden Also Lamented The Waste Of Taxpayer Funds And Vowed To Step “Up The Hunt For Misspent Dollars.” “‘For too long the federal government has allowed billions of taxpayer dollars to be wasted on inefficiencies,” said Vice President Biden. “Over the last two years, we have been slashing waste across government and today we are putting Washington on notice:  the President and I are committed to changing the way government works and we are stepping up the hunt for misspent dollars.‘” (Erin Lindsay, “Vice President Biden To Take On Making Government More Accountable,” White House Blog, 6/13/11)

The IRS Spent $50 Million On Conferences Over Two Years. “A government watchdog has found that the Internal Revenue Service spent about $50 million to hold at least 220 conferences for employees between 2010 and 2012, a House committee said Sunday.” (“House Report: IRS Spent $50M On Conferences,” Associated Press, 6/2/13)

During One Conference, The GSA Gave Away $3.6 Million In Taxpayer-Funded Bonuses. “According to the records, more than 3,700 employees received bonuses averaging about $1,000 apiece at the conference. The cost to taxpayers was $3.6 million — minus the cost of the drumsticks, and the consultant who headed up the exercise. (Doug McKelway, “Documents Show Dozens Of Questionable GSA Conferences, Millions In Bonuses,” Fox News, 7/31/12)

• One GSA Regional Conference Spent $822,000 For Just 300 Attendees. “A GSA Inspector General’s report on the 2010 GSA “Western Regions” training conference in Las Vegas shows the government spent more than $822,000 for the 300 attendees, including $75,000 on team building exercises, $6,000 on commemorative coins and $6,000 on canteens, keychains and T-shirts.”  (Lesa Jansen, “GSA Head Resigns Over ‘Wasteful’ Las Vegas Seminar,” CNN, 4/2/12)

The post “There’s Nothing Like Accountability, Man” – 2 Years To The Day After Biden Announced Plan To Cut Government Waste, Agencies Still Living Large appeared first on National Republican Congressional Committee.