Denver, U.S.A. — “Mitt Romney is the architect of Obamacare,” said Jefferson George, president of the conservative tax-exempt group American Right To Life Action. “Romney has already implemented what Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton only dream of: homosexual marriage, tax-funded abortion on demand by health care reform with the individual mandate, robbing religious freedom from pro-life hospitals. The list is long. If anyone believed the ‘lesser of two evils’ con, they’d have to vote for Obama.”

“Strategists say that independents decide elections,” said Darrell Birkey, the ARTL research director overseeing the new RepublicansAgainstRomney.com website. “So the only way for pro-lifers to get candidates who won’t kill unborn children is to become independent enough to oppose liberal, pro-abortion, pro-homosexual politicians like Mitt Romney.”

Agreeing with ARTL is the longtime vice president of the nation’s first “right to life” group, Colorado Right To Life. “The Republicans Against Romney site documents that the excuses the campaign makes for Mitt’s anti-child, anti-free-market, anti-family actions are nothing but lies,” said Leslie Hanks. “Sadly, conservative talk show hosts lap it up and repeat the lies. This website even offers a$100 reward for corrections to errors of fact.”

According to the site, Romneycare is fundamentally a liberal, socialist program with its individual mandate that saps the federal treasury. Romney’s top consultants aided the development of Obamacare and put Planned Parenthood on the “health” committee that, from day one, offered $50 tax-subsidized abortion on demand. And still today Romney plans to nominate justices “like John Roberts,” who upheld Obamacare.

RepublicansAgainstRomney.com documents that Mitt Romney claimed to be pro-choice in 1994, pro-life in 2001, pro-choice in 2002, pro-life in 2004, pro-choice in 2005, pro-life in 2006 and then funded abortion in 2006. In 2012, he’s back to supporting abortion for “health reasons,” the loophole opened by the Supreme Court’s Doe v. Bolton opinion that allows all abortions, as in Colorado for example, throughout all nine months.

“And ironically,” adds Birkey, “the ’legitimate’ rape issue is Romney policy, not a Todd Akin policy. The congressman advocates protecting every child, but it’s Romney’s rape exception that requires determining whether or not there was a rape.”

Image Courtesy of   Gage Skidmore

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Rick Santorum, the man who surprised the world with his performance during the Republican primaries, has been announced as a speaker in the Republican National Convention.

Former Pennsylvania Senator, Rick Santorum’s, effort in the primaries made him very popular among the conservatives. His designation as a speaker in the Convention is trying to prove that the differences that arose during the primaries are over and that the Republican Party is united under Mitt Romney’s figure.

His appearance as a speaker in the Convention would greatly help Santorum’s political career and his future aspirations. The Convention is his great opportunity to solidify himself as the social conservative leader of the nation.

Santorum’s official website explains that “Rick Santorum was a candidate for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2012 and became known as a voice for conservatives who didn’t feel their voice was being represented.  His grassroots approach to campaigning – including visiting every one of Iowa’s 99 counties and his stunning victory in the Iowa caucuses – catapulted him to frontrunner status where he ultimately won 11 states and 3 million votes during the Republican primary process.” Santorum had a great performance in the Republican primaries, even though he didn’t have the money or the resources other candidates had.

Rick Santorum and his wife Karen are the parents of seven children, and during the primaries he consistently talked about the importance of needing strong families to build a strong economy. His basics proposals were that the government should give incentives for “marriage, children and free enterprise.” With his speeches he gained the support of the country’s most conservative sector.

Rick Santorum is also a dedicated believer in the dignity every life has. Santorum’s younger daughter, Isabella, was born with a condition called Trisomy 18, and the doctors didn’t expect she would survive her first day. But the little girl has beaten all odds and celebrated her fourth birthday in May of 2012. This experience has made Santorum a strong fighter against abortion.

His official website tells us his pro-life initiatives. Santorum “wrote and championed legislation that outlawed the heinous procedure known as Partial Birth Abortion as well as the ‘Born Alive Infants Protection Act,’ the ‘Unborn Victims of Violence Act,’ and the ‘Combating Autism Act’ because he believes each and every individual has value and the most vulnerable in our society need to be protected.”

A Washing Post reporter wrote that “Santorum was a tea party kind of guy before there was a tea party.”

Rick Santorum recently tweeted: “Honored to be speaking at @GopConvention where conservatives from across country will rally together for @MittRomney & make voices heard!” Let’s wait to see what kind of speech he has prepared for the Convention.

Image Courtesy of  Ryan Rodrick Beiler / Shutterstock.com

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In 1988 the scientific community established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as a forum for sharing their concerns about documented – and disturbing – changes in global weather patterns. By 1997 the evidence of climate change was so convincing that 191 nations signed the Kyoto Protocols, aimed at slowing the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

Fast forward to 2012. NASA has produced clear evidence that atmospheric CO2 levels are higher than they’ve been in 400,000 years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the federal agency in charge of the National Weather Service, states that there is no longer any doubt that human activity is changing the chemical characteristics of the Earth’s atmosphere. The national science academies of the world’s leading economies, including the U.S., Germany, Russia, and China, have declared that climate change is real and urged their governments to take immediate, aggressive action.

And then there’s Rick Santorum.

Along the campaign trail in Colorado, Ohio, and Michigan Santorum has declared climate change to be a hoax cooked up by the Obama administration to scare people about oil exploration. Spending less money on oil exploration means more money for the federal government, Santorum said, which means more government control over peoples’ lives.

He doesn’t explain how the government would make money by allowing less oil exploration, or how any of that would equate to more control over peoples’ lives. Nor is it important that concerns about global warming began long before Obama entered politics, or that America’s most prestigious scientific institutions are urging immediate action to reduce carbon emissions. Somehow it’s all connected, and in the alternative reality of Tea Party politics, the more elaborate and mysterious the conspiracy, the more plausible it becomes.

Romney and Gingrich have also questioned climate change, but it’s clear they are just pandering to conservative audiences. Both have acknowledged the problem during their political careers and will likely do so again when the primaries are over. And neither man has accused the country’s scientific establishment of being involved in a vast conspiracy to deprive the American people of their freedom.

Not Rick Santorum. His strident rejection of any scientific evidence that conflicts with his religious or social views has helped make him the new champion of the far right, which is why he is surging in the polls. But if he wins the nomination based on his anti-science agenda, he’ll be in no position to back down during the presidential campaign.

Intellectual curiosity is not a quality that American voters prize in their leaders, as the election of George Bush clearly demonstrated. But they do expect them to respect and support America’s scientific establishment, not label them as political enemies. Questioning the severity and timing of climate change is one thing; but where’s Santorum’s evidence that it’s a hoax?

Right now, Santorum is preaching to the Tea Party choir, and they’re cheering him on. But in a presidential campaign, the national media won’t be so kind. Republicans should be deeply concerned.

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ConservativeHQ.com Chairman Richard Viguerie announced the first group of conservative leaders to join him in endorsing former Senator Rick Santorum for President:

“…Some 150 conservative leaders gathered at Nancy and Paul Pressler’s ranch in Texas to discuss the Republican presidential campaign”.  There was an overwhelming 75 percent consensus to support Rick Santorum for President. ”The group of conservative leaders named…includes Dr. James Dobson, Gary Bauer, Joseph Farah,Foster Friess, Elaine Donnelly, and many others representing all four segments of the new conservative coalition who are coalescing behind Rick Santorum’s candidacy.

“I’m pleased that, so quickly after Rick Perry suspended his campaign, I was able to announce the firstbloc of conservative leaders who have come forward to endorse Rick Santorum. ”This list of endorsers demonstrates that Rick Santorum is the best candidate to bring together social conservatives, national defense conservatives, economic conservatives, and the newly energized constitutional conservatives of the Tea Party.

“Rick Santorum is the only reliable conservative left in the race.  He has a long involvement in the conservative movement, and he has demonstrated his commitment to hiring conservatives on his Senate staff and in his campaign.  On the issues of vital importance to conservatives, such as the right to life, the pro-family agenda, national security, and fighting the growth of government, he has walked with us even when the path was hard.

“If conservatives want a conservative, not just another establishment Republican, nominated in Tampa and elected in November, it is time for us to start concentrating on consolidating that winning four-part coalition behind one candidate.  The candidate who best appeals to all four segments of the winning 2010 coalition, with the fewest negatives, is Rick Santorum.

“This is an encouraging sign that movement conservatives are finding their natural home in the Santorum campaign and are in fact coalescing behind Rick’s candidacy.”

The text of the endorsement and the list of endorsers released today follows:

“Conservatives are the largest ideological bloc in the American electorate.  In this election cycle, a number of candidates with legitimate claims to conservative support have considered or sought the Republican nomination for President, but this has left the conservative vote divided, empowering those who do not share our views and values.

To defeat Barack Obama, now is the time for conservatives to rally behind the most electable conservative candidate, and we believe that candidate is former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum.

“In recognition of Rick Santorum’s character, judgment, and especially his commitment to institute an administration that will govern according to conservative principles, we the undersigned endorse former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum for President of the United States and pledge to advance his candidacy.”

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The ten worst media disasters of 2011 include a politician who lost his place, a country singer who lost his job, and a celebrity who lost his show. The list was published December 14 on the Mr. Media Training Blog, the world’s most visited media training website.

The media spokespersons were selected based on the impact of their gaffes. All ten people reinforced an existing narrative about their lack of preparedness for office, their lack of discipline, or their lack of compassion. Videos of all ten media disasters are available at http://www.mrmediatraining.com/index.php/2011/12/14/the-ten-worst-media-disasters-of-2011/.

10. Hank Williams, Jr. Compares President Obama to Adolf Hitler

In October, country singer Hank Williams, Jr. was fired up during an appearance on Fox and Friends. While reflecting on a golf match between President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner, Mr. Williams quipped, “It would be like Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu.” ESPN promptly dropped his theme song as its Monday Night Football opener.

9. Sarah Palin’s “Blood Libel”

Months before Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-AZ) was shot in Tucson, Former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-AK) released a “crosshairs map,” which placed a target over Ms. Giffords’ congressional district. In the days after the shooting, Ms. Palin was blamed by some journalists for the shooting.

Palin was upset by media stories connecting her to the crime; she was right that no evidence linked the shooter to her map. But she over-reacted, gracelessly blaming the media for committing “blood libel.” That term is most commonly used as an anti-Semitic slur referring to Jews murdering Christians. Her poll numbers immediately plummeted among Independents and Republicans.

8. NPR Fundraiser Ron Schiller Blasts The Tea Party

National Public Radio’s chief fundraiser, Ron Schiller, went to lunch with a couple of men claiming to be Muslim donors in March. It turned out they were Republican activists with a hidden camera. During the meal, Schiller called members of the Tea Party, “seriously racist, racist people.”

That he made those comments was bad enough; that he made them while NPR was already in the midst of a heated debate about its public funding was flabbergasting. His comments led to his immediate resignation and the resignation of NPR’s CEO. The House of Representatives voted to strip NPR of its federal funding; the Senate prevented that from happening – for now.

7. Rupert Murdoch Channels Tony Hayward

While testifying before the British Parliament in July, News Corp CEO Rupert Murdoch was asked whether he accepted the ultimate responsibility for his company’s phone hacking scandal. Not only did he say “no,” but he delivered his answer without even a hint of humility. By delivering such an indifferent answer, he gave former BP Executive Tony “I’d like my life back” Hayward competition as the world’s most clueless corporate executive.

6. Rick Perry’s “Oops” Moment

During a Republican presidential debate in November, Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) confidently declared he would eliminate three government agencies – and promptly forgot what they were. For 47 painful seconds, Mr. Perry tried to recall the third agency he would eliminate. He finally gave up, shrugged his shoulders, and lamely said, “Oops.” That one moment likely sank any remaining chances Mr. Perry had of winning the nomination.

5. President Obama Jokes About Joblessness

With the nation’s unemployment rate above nine percent and millions of Americans desperate to find work, President Obama cracked a joke in June that few people found funny. When a questioner asked a serious question about the nation’s inefficient permitting process, Mr. Obama cracked wise about his two-year-old pledge to create shovel-ready jobs, joking, “Shovel-ready was not as shovel-ready as we expected.” Many people blasted the President for displaying an insensitive political tin ear.

4. Charlie Sheen’s Downward Spiral

There’s little funny about addiction, and Charlie Sheen’s dangerous spiral was sad to watch. Sheen stayed in the news for months, but it was his out-of-touch interview with sycophantic radio host Alex Jones in February that led to his dismissal from his top-rated sitcom, Two and a Half Men.

In that interview, Sheen made vaguely anti-Semitic comments about “Men” creator Chuck Lorre, called Alcoholics Anonymous a “bootleg cult,” and labeled Thomas Jefferson a “pussy.”

3. The Herman Cain Affair

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain was caught flat-footed in October when numerous women accused him of sexual harassment (another woman later asserted she had had a long-term affair with him).

Mr. Cain changed his story on an almost-hourly basis, even arguing that a “settlement” meant something different than an “agreement.” Mr. Cain dropped out of the race in December, maintaining his innocence to a public that no longer believed him.

2. (Alleged) Penn State Child Rapist Jerry Sandusky Speaks

When former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky spoke to NBC’s Bob Costas in November about horrific allegations that he raped numerous boys, no one was prepared for his jaw-dropping answer to this direct question: “Are you sexually attracted to young boys?” It took Sandusky 16 seconds to say “no.”

Instead, he began by saying how much he “enjoyed” young people and loves to be around them. Sandusky’s alleged actions, combined with Penn State’s ineffectual response, led to the firings of the University president and legendary football coach Joe Paterno.

1. Anthony Weiner’s Twitter Scandal

Self-immolations rarely come in more spectacular fashion than when Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) was caught tweeting naughty photos to strangers in June.

His approach to crisis management was to deny the charges and claim his Twitter account had been hacked; call a reporter a “jackass;” say that although he hadn’t sent the photos, he couldn’t rule out “with certitude” that the erect undies shot was of him; hold a tearful press conference to admit he had actually tweeted the photos himself; watch helplessly as a nude photo of his penis was released; and resign in shame.

After Mr. Weiner resigned, a Republican won his seat, costing Democrats a critical seat in the House of Representatives.

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The occupy Wall Street protesters have been dismissed by most media outlets. As the group begins their third week of occupation, media outlets are unable to ignore the growing chants any longer. The media’s main outrage with the group has been that they are not organized or do not have a list of demands.

Although, I am not sure the Tea Party events have a list of demands either, but the Tea Party protests with far fewer people get far more coverage and political attention. And they say we have liberal media in America? The protesters at Wall Street have begun to organize and are making a list of demands. The media asked, the protesters answered.

The group released a declaration for occupation on Friday, stating in part that the movement aims to “express a feeling of mass injustice.” The injustices include foreclosure crisis, work place discrimination and student loan debt. The occupation, which has enjoyed a smattering of celebrity endorsements, received some larger supporters on Friday.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka embraced the global occupy Wall Street protests. Asked about the ongoing mass protest in New York’s financial district, which has begun to gain support from major unions, Trumka said Friday morning: “I think it’s a tactic and a valid tactic to call attention to a problem.

Wall Street is out of control. We have three imbalances in this country—the imbalance between imports and exports, the imbalance between employer power and working power, and the imbalance between the real economy and the financial economy. We need to bring back balance to the financial economy, and calling attention to it and peacefully protesting is a very legitimate way of doing it.”

Hailing the power of street protests to shift the dialogue, Trumka said, “I think being in the streets and calling attention to issues is sometimes the only recourse you have because, God only knows, you can go to the Hill, and you can talk to a lot of people and see nothing ever happen…”

More local unions have supported the movement, including a transport union, which has over 38,000 people. The movement has also started to gain attention worldwide as countries in Europe express similar outrage over the growing income inequality.

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A new Associated Press/ GfK poll found that Congress really really sucks. Not surprising to plenty of us, but still it is nice to see the actual numbers. The survey, conducted Aug. 18-22, found that approval of Congress has dropped to its lowest level in AP-GfK polling – 12 percent. That’s down from 21 percent in June, before the whole debt ceiling fiasco.

The poll brought bad news to all members of Congress, but particularly the Republicans. The poll found that the tea party is losing support. Speaker of the House John Boehner is becoming more unpopular and more respondents are okay with the idea of raising taxes in addition to cutting spending, something the GOP has been fiercely fighting against.

“I guess I long for the day back in the `70s and `80s when we could disagree but we could get a compromise worked out,” said Republican Scott MacGregor, 45, a Windsor, Conn., police detective. “I don’t think there’s any compromise anymore.”

When respondents asked which party they trust more to handle fiscal issues, it was a statistical tie, 40 percent chose Republicans and 43 percent picked the Democrats. Nearly a third of independents said they trust neither party on the issue.

Republican Speaker Boehner’s favorability rating was only 29 percent, the lowest level of his tenure. Forty-seven percent of Republican respondents said they approve of Boehner; only a fifth of independents have a favorable opinion of him.

According to the poll, unfavorable views of the tea party climbed 10 percentage points since November.  Thirty-two percent have a deeply unfavorable view of the movement and just a quarter of respondents say they consider themselves supporters of the tea party – the lowest in AP-GfK polling and a dip of 8 percentage points since June.

More Democrats and Independents are leaning toward an increase in taxes. Half of Democrats polled said raising taxes should be the focus over cutting services, up 10 percentage points from March.

Independents showed a clear preference for cutting services over raising taxes in March, 64 percent to 28 percent. Now, only 42 percent of independents say focus on cutting services while 37 percent say increase taxes, according to the poll.

Overall, 57 percent of respondents believe both that that taxes will rise and government services will be cut in order to balance the federal budget.

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Michele Bachmann, the newly emerged frontrunner in the Republican presidential field, is trying to broaden her base in order to win the nomination. Often thought of as a tea party candidate, the congresswoman from Minnesota appears to be trying to appeal to all Republicans and not just those on the fringe.

“Fiscal conservatives – I’m one of those. National security conservatives – I’m one of those. Social conservatives – I’m one of those. And the tea party – I’m one of those,” Bachmann said repeatedly in South Carolina this past week.

Although Bachmann has always regarded herself as a social conservative, the economy is the number one concern among voters at this time. Bachmann has to try to appeal to moderates and independents as well as the socially conservative in her party.

She has had a 100 percent rating from the influential American Conservative Union during her nearly five years in Congress, based on her voting record. She frequently appears on television and has been a favorite among the tea party. During a recent debate, she skillfully handled a question about a past remark citing the Bible as instructing wives to be “submissive to your husbands.” In a measured tone, she explained it was about showing mutual respect. Although, that is not at all the definition of submission.

In Florence, South Carolina last week, she began her remarks with her views on cultural issues. However, she quickly moved to jobs. “You cannot spend more money than what you take in. It’s a simple fact of life, right?” Bachmann told a receptive crowd in South Carolina. She promised to submit only balanced budgets as president even though critics say that’s impossible.

To national security conservatives, she said: “I won’t step one toe out of this country and apologize for the United States of America,” the rap that Obama’s foreign policy approach gets from conservatives. Bachmann has also been emphasizing her role on the House Intelligence Committee, stressing how she’s trusted with the nation’s secrets and apprised of the most pressing threats.

Bachmann has also been reminding voters that her hometown is in Waterloo, Iowa in an attempt to appeal to Iowa voters and paint the picture of a down home woman from Middle America. But, even if Bachmann wins Iowa, she will have a much more difficult time in New Hampshire.

“I see very little oxygen left for Michele Bachmann in New Hampshire. Though she has some appeal, it is not very broad,” said GOP strategist Jamie Burnett, a former Romney backer unaligned with a candidate this time. “To win here, she is going to need to attract support from beyond the tea party in order to compete.”

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The Obama Campaign may be fighting back against the Tea Party Republicans who have hijacked any sort of meaningful dialogue. An Obama adviser went on the offensive on a television appearance while the President had a heated exchange with a tea party activist.

Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs went on MSNBC on Tuesday. Gibbs, who now serves as a re-election advisor for the president, criticized Republicans, saying that they must decide whether they’re going to “swear allegiance to the tea party” or work with Democrats to create jobs.

He advised Congress to “pay attention to creating jobs again.” He also suggested that some Republicans “do not want to see this economy get better” because they know continuing misery will likely improve their election prospects.

Gibbs says Obama favors a number of moves to help businesses step up hiring. He says “the president is not focused on keeping his job, most of all. He’s focused on creating jobs for the American people.” He reported that Congress likely will be asked to continue payroll tax relief.

Looking ahead to 2012, Gibbs said, “We’re not running against George W. Bush.” He added, “But many of the policies that got us into the mess that we’re trying to dig out of now, are the same policies that the frontrunners for the Republican nomination seek to go back to.”

Meanwhile in Iowa, the tea party confronted Obama about vice president Joe Biden’s remarks earlier in the month comparing the tea party to terrorists. “He said we were acting like terrorists,” Iowa Tea Party activist Ryan Rhodes said, confronting the president after the Decorah town hall as Obama worked a rope line of audience members. “What we stand for is limited government and a balanced budget,” Rhodes continued.

“First of all, in fairness to this gentleman who raised a question, I absolutely agree that everybody needs to try to tone down the rhetoric. Now, in fairness, since I’ve been called a socialist who wasn’t born in this country, who is destroying America and taking away its freedoms because I passed a health care bill, I’m all for lowering the rhetoric.”

Obama later countered that Biden was making the point that almost failing to raise the debt ceiling was irresponsible. “He wasn’t objecting to the balanced budget amendment, he was objecting to us almost defaulting,” Obama said. As Rhodes persisted, and Obama continued to shake hands, the president added, “It doesn’t sound like you are interested in listening.”

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In Ames, Iowa, Tea Party representative Michele Bachmann won a symbolic straw poll at a political festival held at the campus of Iowa State University. The vote was held on the same day as Rick Perry announced his candidacy and comes five months before the first official Iowa primaries, according to the BBC.

The Ames straw poll was a vote by attendees over the age of 18 and by the end of the day, Bachmann had received 4,823 of the 16,892 votes. Runner-up Ron Paul took a close 4,671 votes in the non-binding contest while former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlentry finished third with 2,283.

The straw poll is expected to give Bachmann’s campaign a boost and in her speech to the crowd after the count, she states “This is the first step towards taking the White house in 2012 and we have just sent a message that Barack Obama will be a one-term president.” The Boston Globe could report that the victor, who is the first female candidate to win the informal contest, had broken down in tears and hugged her husband after learning the result.

Despite the poll holding no official significance, observers agree that the poll has symbolic significance for the candidates. “It’s a big boost for her,” said Mike Huckabee, former winner of the caucuses, to reporters. “Whoever wins or comes in second, they get gas for their fire. Whoever doesn’t, they get water for theirs.”

Fire is definitely burning in the Republican camp where the race for a chance to challenge President Obama on key issues such as the recent downgrade, unemployment, health care and Wall Street will be critical in the bid to convince voters of what camp can best resuscitate the ‘ailing America’ as the Huffington Post puts it.

On the day of the straw poll, thousands of GOP activist gather at the Iowa State University campus to enjoy the festival that also serves as a fundraiser for the state GOP. Despite the attempt of several candidates to sway voters, Michele Bachmann stole the show. Her rhetoric and energy was noted as the important ingredient in her triumphant day.

In her speech, she emphasized her connection to the state and her opposition to abortion and gay marriage. Later, she danced on stage with her husband before 3,000 supporters and hundreds more who had gathered outside in hopes of catching a glimpse.

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While the nation is in disarray over the debt ceiling, the Republican Party in particular is in shambles. The Tea Party is warning the Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders to “hold the line,” while elders in the Republican Party and Republican business donors are urging the party to raise the debt ceiling to prevent an economic downfall.

The Tea Party and American Grassroots Coalition organized a rally on Wednesday in the capital. Seventy-five supporters and featured GOP Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Joe Walsh (R-Ill.), and Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah).  The supporters at the rally want the Republican leadership to bring back the “Cut, Cap and Balance” bill that the House passed, but failed in the Senate. The Act would raise the debt ceiling before August 2^nd deadline.

The Tea Party and many GOP lawmakers do not support Speaker Boehner’s plan, criticizing that it cuts too little. Boehner reportedly held a closed-door meeting on Wednesday and told Republicans to “get your ass in line.”

“This is the bill,” Boehner stated. “I can’t do this job unless you’re behind me.”

Boehner’s plan would temporarily raise the debt ceiling until the end of the year. The plan would also make spending cuts, although not as deep as many in the party would like.  Credit raters along with Bank of America have described the Speaker’s plan as insufficient and would not prevent an economic fallout.

The normally Republican-leaning National Association of Manufacturers is insisting that Congress raise the debt ceiling, again. In part, the statement read:

During the current uncertain economic times, Americans desperately need jobs. It is unreasonable for our government to stand by idly and allow interest rates to increase for families and businesses. Doing nothing also will result in a decrease in foreign investments in the United States and a general hit on the economy.

This is the time for leadership in Washington. The White House and Congress must act to raise the debt ceiling to ensure our country’s fiscal and economic well-being. To do otherwise is wholly irresponsible and ignores grave consequences and fiscal responsibility.

Senator John McCain (R-AZ) criticized the tea party republicans on the Senate floor on Wednesday. “What is really amazing about this is that some members are believing that we can pass a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution in this body with its present representation — and that is foolish,” said McCain on the Senate floor, according to The Hill.

“That is worse than foolish. That is deceiving many of our constituents.” The Arizona senator regarded the situation unfolding as “unfair” and “bizarre.”

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In a bid to end the protracted stalemate over raising the debt ceiling, President Obama and senior Democrats have met to hash out a solution that they hope will be palatable to the Republicans.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) unveiled the Democrats’ plan on Sunday night after the latest round of talks with Republicans broke down. It offers a $2.7 trillion package of cuts, an increase in the debt ceiling through 2012, and (perhaps most crucially) none of the tax increases that Republicans found so galling.

“We hope Speaker Boehner will abandon his ‘my way or the highway’ approach, and join us in forging a bipartisan compromise along these lines,” Reid said in a statement.

The Democrats’ maneuver comes as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, John Boehner (R-OH), announced that the Republicans would press for a short-term increase to the debt ceiling along with $3-4 trillion-worth of spending cuts and a program of long-term deficit reduction.

Under US law, Congress sets a maximum cap on the amount of money that the government can borrow. Currently, that cap is set at $14.294 trillion. On August 2, the government is projected to reach that cap and, according to the US Treasury, failing to increase the debt ceiling would leave the government in default of its obligations.

Although both Republicans and Democrats agree in principle that a default would be a bad thing, many Republicans are eager to use the issue as leverage in their bid to achieve their long-term financial objectives. Spurred on by the Tea Party, the Republicans want to see drastic spending cuts put in place before any increase in the debt ceiling is voted through. Because they control the House of Representatives, a certain amount of bipartisan agreement is essential before any plan can pass into law.

Vice President Joe Biden led bipartisan talks aimed at finding common ground which produced a plan for $1.5 trillion in cuts over 10 years, mostly through discretionary spending. But further agreement proved impossible when the Republican participants refused to countenance any tax increases.

Last week, the Republican-controlled House passed the Cut, Cap and Balance Act. It would have cut total spending by $111 billion in Fiscal Year 2012 and scaled back total federal spending by a percentage of the Gross Domestic Product. Also, it would have increased the debt ceiling, provided that the states ratified a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution. Obama made it quite clear that he would veto the act if it ever reached his desk, but it ended up dying in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

No doubt the president and his party leaders hope that their latest proposal will win the Republicans’ approval by giving them much of what they have been clamoring for. Even if this plan becomes law, America’s credit rating may still be downgraded, which could result in higher interest rates for mortgages, credit cards, and student loans.

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The Tea Party, the great grassroots movement from a couple of years ago, is dying.   The media, bought and paid for by American corporations, does not want you to know this.  They worked really hard to cultivate the image of a huge uprising of political conservatives.  And many people bought that story line for a long time—even though it wasn’t much truth to it even at the beginning.  Now, there is a genuine uprising of the middle class, but you wouldn’t know that if you watched most American news networks.

The Tea Party rallies have been sponsored by giant corporations who are using middle class folks to further their own agenda of cutting down the middle class.  Many people who attended Tea Party rallies really believed in their cause of small government and lower taxes.  They voted in an overwhelmingly large numbers last election to get their candidates in.  Republicans jumped in the wave of the Tea Party, promising to shrink the size of government.  However, since Election Day, they have done nothing of the sort.  Promising to focus on the economy, the GOP has done essentially nothing but attempt to increase the size of government and attack the middle class.  And people are waking up to it.

A big tea convention was scheduled in Tampa, Florida over the weekend of March  19^th.  The Save America website, who was sponsoring the event, promised 25 guest speakers, including party bigwigs like Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX), Fox News Judge Andrew Napolitano, and former GOP Congressman Tom Tancredo.  Seems like a big deal, right?  Not so much.  Only about 300 people attended the event.  Pictures of the event show vast rooms with the majority of chairs empty.  Politics has consequences as some in the GOP are learning.  I just don’t understand why those like Wisconsin governor Scott Walker and the other Wisconsin Republicans think they can do something that is widely politically unpopular and hold on to their jobs.

Speaking of Wisconsin, there is another growing movement in the U.S.  The many states that have tried to attack the middle class and workers have been met with large scale protests and demonstrations.  Take Wisconsin for instance.  The rallies in that state far outnumbered the largest Tea Party rallies.  And the voters in Wisconsin stayed for weeks to make sure their voices were heard.  This is a genuine uprising, one that is not organized by any corporations.  In fact, the opposite is true.  Corporations and the corporate-owned media seek to blackout coverage of the movement.  If the middle class starts to really get mad, corporations might not be able to continue the huge transfer of wealth that they have been organizing for the past 30 years.  No matter what the media forgets to tell you, the facts are clear.  the Tea Party is dying.  Republicans took advantage to get elected and have not even come close to following through on campaign promises.  The middle class and workers in America are finally fed up with the growing attacks from the wealthy.  The real discontent will be reflected in the next election.  Most political pundits will act surprised at the overwhelming loss of the Republican Party.  They will only be shocked because they are not paying attention right now.

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