Club for Growth

A Second 'House Call'

2009-11-06T22:22:27Z

If at first you succeed, do it again! House Republicans are having a second House Call on the steps of the U.S. Capitol tomorrow, ahead of the vote on ObamaCare. It starts at 1pm EST.

NY-23 Winner Breaks Four Campaign Promises

2009-11-06T21:33:41Z

Rep. Bill Owens has broken four campaign promises all within the first hour of being a congressman.

New Poll: VA and NJ Voters Were Sending a Message to Obama

2009-11-06T17:48:28Z

There are two new state polls out today by OnMessage, Inc. (Virginia voters) and McLaughlin & Associates (New Jersey voters).

Simple question (800 voter sample in each state):

Do you agree or disagree with the following statement: One of the reasons I voted for (Christie/McDonnell) is to send a message to the Obama administration that I am unhappy with the direction they are taking Washington and the country.

Answer:

NJ -- 68% said they agreed with the statement, and 46% strongly agreed.
VA -- 74% said they agreed with the statement, and 54% strongly agreed.

63% of NJ Independents and 76% of VA Independents agreed, as did even 63% of NJ Democrats and 46% of VA Democrats.

More details here.

The next question is this: Are President Obama, Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid listening?

Friday's Daily News

2009-11-06T16:07:14Z

Larry Kudlow reflects on yesterday's 200-point rally in the stock market.

Political analyst Stu Rothenberg shares his thoughts on the Florida Senate race.

AARP endorses ObamaCare. Now's the time to cancel that membership if you have one.

There's a civil war brewing within the American Medical Association after the group endorsed ObamaCare.

Pelosi breaks her pledge to put the final health care bill online for 72 hours before the vote.

WSJ Editorial: "The return of the inflation tax"

U.S. Trade Rep. Ron Kirk says South Korea has to open up its market to U.S. cars before Obama will sign a free trade agreement.

Meanwhile, South Korea approves a free trade agreement with India.

Check out the size of Ford's agreement with its labor union.

IBD's editorial board asks, "Are Democrats politically tone-deaf?"

Graph of the Day

2009-11-06T15:45:02Z

From the good folks in Mike Pence's office:

Unemployment Rate at 10.2%

2009-11-06T14:06:26Z

It's the highest rate in 26 years.

Key Vote Alert - Health Care Bill (HR 3962)

2009-11-05T18:52:51Z

KEY VOTE ALERT
"NO" ON AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR AMERICA ACT (HR 3962)

The Club for Growth urges all members of the U.S. House to vote "NO" on the so-called Affordable Health Care for America Act (HR 3962). The bill is expected to be considered as early as this Saturday. This vote will be included in the Club for Growth's 2009 Congressional Scorecard.

This $1.2 trillion bill would dramatically increase the government's involvement in the health care insurance industry through higher taxes, higher spending, more mandates, more regulations, and added levels of bureaucracy.

Rather than seek pro-growth solutions to health care reform that would lower costs and not add to the federal deficit, House leaders are pushing a bill that forces people and businesses to buy insurance, under penalty of a tax. The failures of this bill are endless, but it also puts the government in charge of deciding what can and can't be covered in an insurance contract, regardless of whether or not it meets a person's specific medical needs. It raises taxes by over $700 billion - a bad idea to begin with, but a more dreadful one when the economy is still on shaky ground. Finally, it creates a "public option" that we believe is a back door attempt to a full government takeover of the health care insurance industry. This bill needs to be vigorously defeated.

Our Congressional Scorecard for the 111th Congress provides a comprehensive rating of how well or how poorly each member of Congress supports pro-growth, free-market policies and will be distributed to our members and to the public.

Crist Says He Didn't Support the Stimulus

2009-11-05T17:02:23Z

From a letter signed by Gov. Charlie Crist and addressed to President Obama:

Dear Mr. President,

We are writing to express our support for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), which just passed last week the House and is under consideration currently in the Senate.

More here (PDF).

Club Releases TV Ad in Florida

2009-11-05T16:22:12Z

Club for Growth Releases Ad in Florida
Day After Crist Says He “Didn’t Endorse” Stimulus, TV Spot Corrects the Record

WASHINGTON - The Club for Growth today released a TV advertisement encouraging Florida Governor Charlie Crist to set aside his big government record and embrace pro-growth policies to revive Florida's economy.

The ad, which will air soon on Florida television stations, details the consequences of Crist's embrace of big government spending, and comes one day after Crist told CNN that he never endorsed the $787 federal stimulus bill this year. The ad states:

"Since Charlie Crist helped pass Barack Obama's spending program, nearly two hundred thousand Floridians have lost their jobs. Unemployment is the highest in decades. Personal income's down. And the deficit in Washington is three times larger."

"Yesterday, Charlie Crist said he never endorsed the stimulus, but that's simply not true," said Club President Chris Chocola. "Crist embraced the stimulus, and Florida's economy has suffered for it. The Club for Growth's ad sets the record straight, and we encourage Floridians to remind their governor that jobs are created by free markets and competition, not big government spending and debt."

Radio Interview with Club President Chris Chocola

2009-11-05T14:51:32Z

Andrew Roth http://www.clubforgrowth.org

Your Taxes Are Being Used to Study 'Fat Taxes'

2009-11-04T21:15:08Z

From a press release issued by the University of Illinois at Chicago:<.p>

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have received $1 million from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to study the relationship between "fat taxes" and food consumption, diet quality and obesity.

The funding for the two-year project was made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

For the uninformed, the "American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009" is Obama's stimulus plan.

Health Care Bill a 'No Go'?

2009-11-04T17:09:25Z

From ABC News:

Senior Congressional Democrats told ABC News today it is highly unlikely that a health care reform bill will be completed this year, just a week after President Barack Obama declared he was "absolutely confident" he'll be able to sign one by then.

"Getting this done by the by the end of the year is a no-go," a senior Democratic leadership aide told ABC News. Two other key Congressional Democrats also told ABC News the same thing.

Photo of the Day

2009-11-04T16:31:24Z

Via Rep. John Shimkus, here are the GOP's health care bill (on the left) and the Democrats' health care bill (on the right). Which one would you prefer?

Wednesday's Daily News

2009-11-04T15:58:52Z

The New York Times has a comprehensive list of yesterday's election results.

The Democrats' nationalized health care bill is getting bogged down in the Senate.

Senator Tom Coburn and Rep. Paul Ryan pen an op-ed about health reform's moment of untruth.

According to the Heritage Foundation, Democrats slipped a $6 billion slush fund into the House health care bill.

The House may vote on a health care bill as early as Friday.

From the WSJ, a shoe store owner tells a stimulus war story.

Remember when Republicans said they'd reform earmarks? That's not working out.

WSJ Editorial: Sacramento demands a loan from California taxpayers.

Jonah Goldberg writes, "After 15 or 20 years of steady moderation, many conservatives think it might be time to give their ideas a try."

Steve Landsburg: "The next time some Luddite tries to tell me that living standards haven’t improved in the past couple of decades, I think I’ll hand him a copy of this book."

Hoffman Comes Up Short in NY-23

2009-11-04T13:34:04Z

The Conservative Party's Doug Hoffman, the Club PAC's endorsed candidate in NY-23, came close to winning last night, but fell short. With 93% reporting, here are totals:

CANDIDATE PARTY VOTES PCT.

Bill Owens Dem. 63,496 49.3%

Doug Hoffman Con. 58,161 45.2%

Dede Scozzafava Rep. 7,137 5.5%

CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES	PCT.
Bill Owens	Dem.	63,496	49.3%
Doug Hoffman	Con.	58,161	45.2%
Dede Scozzafava	Rep.	7,137	5.5%