In interest of future speculation– however– the special election results in Massachusetts offered promising hope.  Many expected a sure win for the Democratic Party, yet Republican Scott Brown walked away Senator in the end.  The victory may have been unexpected by established sources, yet it was anxiously anticipated by citizen’s nationwide.

USA Today: Two weeks ago, Massachusetts Democrat Martha Coakley enjoyed a double-digit lead in polls, was raising an average of $24,000 a day in political contributions and had yet to put up a single campaign television ad.

In a matter of days, her front-runner status had collapsed. Suddenly, a little-known Republican state lawmaker, Scott Brown, had turned the contest for the Bay State’s Senate seat — a seat that had been held by Edward Kennedy for 47 years — into a real race.

Massachusetts voters responded Tuesday by turning out to the polls in droves as snow fell across portions of the state, delivering an upset victory for Brown despite a 3-to-1 Democratic advantage in voter registration. The Associated Press called the race less than an hour and a half after polls closed.

This is upsetting to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not only because it shows how potentially misleading “voter registration” advantages can be, but also the very real delay this will put on her much criticized health-care reform bill.

The fallout: Democrats rethinking health care bill

“People do not want the trillion dollar health care plan that is being forced on the American people, and this bill is not being debated openly and fairly. It will raise taxes, it will hurt Medicare, it will destroy jobs and run our nation deeper in to debt,” Brown said in his acceptance speech.

[...]

House Republican Leader John Boehner fired back at Pelosi’s “right on course” comment, with spokesman Michael Steel saying, “Regardless of what happens in Massachusetts, it’s clear that jamming this government takeover of health care through Congress will set off a political firestorm. The American people are screaming, ‘stop’ at the top of their lungs, and out-of-touch Democratic leaders ignore them at their peril.”  Politico

The Associated Press reported that some were concerned that they would “block Brown long enough to complete congressional passage of the health care plan he has promised to oppose.”  Harry Reid comments:

“The people of Massachusetts have spoken. We welcome Scott Brown to the Senate and will move to seat him as soon as the proper paperwork has been received,” said Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin said he would notify the Senate on Wednesday that Brown had been elected.

The loss by the once-favored Democrat Martha Coakley in the Democratic stronghold was a stunning embarrassment for the White House after Obama rushed to Boston on Sunday to try to save the foundering candidate. Her defeat on Tuesday signaled big political problems for the president’s party this fall when House, Senate and gubernatorial candidates are on the ballot nationwide.  Associated Press (Yahoo News)

Needless to say, the Speaker of the House is in store for some “big political problems” of her own.  Contribute your support to the John Dennis Campaign today, and help insure she gets her full share.

Brown is a free-market advocate who believes that the “federal stimulus bill made government bigger instead of creating jobs.”  Nancy Pelosi is overwhelmingly responsible for such growth (previous post).  Congratulations on your win, Senator Scott Brown.

Pelosi is learning the hard way that there’s a difference between receiving attention for being a pioneer and receiving attention for fouling up on the job…  To call it a disastrous public performance would be polite.  NY Times

Having been in office since 1987 with virtually zero opposition, what kind of havoc could this woman wreak?

The first and foremost complaint has been her readiness to support and advocate “bailouts” for American industry.  Especially considering the “industry” originally bailed out, which can hardly be called an industry at all; i.e. the banking (money derivatives) sector of our economy.  America has lost its position as a manufacturing superpower some years ago.  It has since been saturated with international finance derivatives specialists.  This position is only strengthened by government bailouts, and to the dismay of citizens, our “real worth” in the world has diminished as a result.  To bailout the institutions responsible is absolutely ludicrous; unless your agenda differs form that of the people you serve, Ms. Pelosi.

Healthcare reform under Pelosi has blatantly included penalties of up to $250,000 and 6 years in jail for those who cannot afford health insurance.  Yet we are to believe that this is GOOD for the 40 million or so who are uninsured?  This is the same practice Obama denounced in reference to Hillary Clinton’s reform plans.

Although she is currently unloading her war efforts on the President, no one can deny that she has been a pivotal force in the funding for both the Iraq and Afghanistan war fronts.  This kind of “flip-flop” policy making is nothing unheard of to those following the Speaker’s procedures.

The Hill says that she is looking for a new “boogeyman” come 2010, pointing out:

In her book, “Know Your Power”, Pelosi wrote that the first agenda item in winning campaigns is, “You must take down the ratings of your opposition.”

And keep in mind that she is not new to the game.  This is a multi-generational political spinster, as John Armor points out here.

There is one hope, one person, one candidate that can usurp the Queen of the House.  His name is John Dennis, and he needs your help now more than ever.  Please visit his site and “vote with your wallet” TODAY to show the Madame Speaker that we are serious.  She wants a “boogeyman” for 2010?  She has one.

The rift between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the Catholic Church will likely grow thanks to new comments the abortion advocate made. Pelosi said in a new interview that the “free will” of women wanting abortions outweighs pro-life Catholic teachings.

Newsweek’s Eleanor Clift conducted a year-end interview with Pelosi.

The conversation turned to the topic of abortion and health care and Pelosi blasted the Catholic bishops for their opposition to the pro-abortion bill.

She tells Clift it was frustrating that Catholic bishops “were not willing to accept what we know to be a fact” — that the “public option” would supposedly not violate a ban on federally-funded abortions.

Then, as Clift asks about her “brushes” with the church, Pelosi drops a bomb.

“I have some concerns about the church’s position respecting a woman’s right to choose,” Pelosi responds. “I am a practicing Catholic, although they’re probably not too happy about that. But it is my faith.”

[…]

The comments will likely throw fuel on the fire of public opinion within pro-life and Catholic circles that Pelosi is well-outside the mainstream — but she tells the pro-abortion Newsweek reporter she doesn’t care.

[…]

For Pelosi, her motive appears to be more about winning than her reputation and standing.

“I don’t care how popular I am. I’m not putting myself out there to run for higher office. I just [want to] make sure that we win the election next year,” she said.

The new comments follow on the heels of Pelosi thanking God that the Senate health care bill funds abortions.

Read in full, December 28, 2009

In yet another comment that will draw guffaws from pro-life advocates, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is thankful to God that the Senate bill include massive abortion funding. Pelosi also claims she has enough votes to pass a pro-abortion health care bill in the House, though that is disputed.

The Senate bill, unlike the House government-run health care measure, funds abortions though the public option and affordability credits.

[…]

The Senate bill “doesn’t have a public option, doesn’t expand Medicare for the (age) 55 to 64 group, and has abortion language that is completely different from the House — thank God.”

Pelosi told reporters she believes the House can approve the Senate bill or a merged conference committee measure even without the Stupak amendment the House added on a large bipartisan vote to remove abortion funding.

Read in full, December 17, 2009

Attorney Mary Harned of Americans United for Life, has also examined the abortion sections of Reid’s new measure, which she says “provides for an unprecedented expansion of federally-funded abortion. ”

“The bill includes pro-abortion language and mirrors the false compromise Capps Amendment from the House debate — it allows the public option to include abortion coverage and provides federal subsidies for private plans which cover abortion,” she said.

Read in full, November 19, 2009

Upset 2010?
by Ryan Jaroncyk

Not your typical Republican, John Dennis is adopting an unorthodox strategy in his bid to unseat Speaker Nancy Pelosi in next year’s congressional mid-terms.  Many political pundits would consider his campaign a long shot, especially in the more liberal domain of San Francisco, but rising voter discontent and a 27% congressional approval rating may set the stage for some potentially spectacular upsets.

Pelosi is revered by most Democrats and is one of the most powerful women in the world.  She is a seasoned politician and has become one of the most recognizable faces in the US Congress. However, a number of developments have weakened Pelosi’s political standing. In an October poll, Pelosi registered a 34% approval rating in the state of California, with only a small majority of Democrats (51%) giving her high marks.  Since the 2006 Democratic takeover of Congress, Pelosi and her fellow Democrats have continued to fund the Iraq War, despite offering vociferous opposition under President Bush, and three years later, there are still over 120,000 troops stationed there and sectarian violence is once again on the rise.  In early 2008, the Bush-Pelosi $168 billion stimulus failed to rescue the economy from the coming crash.  In 2009, the $787 billion stimulus failed to stem unemployment at the predicted 8.1%, the Afghanistan-Pakistan war has been ramped up with two substantial troop surges in less than a year, and healthcare reform has disappointed many in the Democratic Party.  Couple these troubling developments with an angry grassroots movement bent on punishing incumbents throughout the nation, and Speaker Pelosi’s seat may not be as secure as she’d like.

Enter John Dennis.  Dennis is a successful businessman and entrepreneur running as a political outsider.  Unlike most of his fellow Republicans, he believes America should withdraw from Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as close down a significant number of US military bases around the world.  Instead, Dennis advocates a more limited, focused, and cost effective approach to national defense. On the domestic front, Dennis is a staunch defender of civil liberties, a diehard fiscal conservative, and a devoted adherent to the Constitution.  Not afraid to hold his own party accountable, Dennis even campaigned for Dr. Ron Paul in the 2008 presidential primaries, a campaign that vigorously challenged the GOP’s foreign policy, debt-laden fiscal record, and inability to predict the economic collapse.  For a closer look at Dennis’s positions on a slew of issues, click here.

If healthcare reform turns out weaker than expected, climate change legislation stalls, unemployment still hovers around 10%, the pace of the Iraq troop drawdown disappoints, and the Afghanistan war bogs down yet again, Pelosi could face robust competition from the upstart Dennis.  However, if the opposite scenario plays out, then Dennis will not stand a chance and Pelosi will face an easy reelection.

Keep an eye on this California’s 8th Congressional District.  Things could get very interesting.

Read original post at www.caivn.org

The 2005 video of Nancy Pelosi defending the 3-day rule in order to combat lengthy legislation has been watched by many.

Recently she passed a 1,990 paged health care reform bill that had been amended and changed frequently, then passed without sufficient time for review.  The hypocrisy is too blatant to ignore.

The Washington Examiner sums up the following in their “opinion” section:

The most obvious and immediate take on the video is disgust with the unsurpassed hypocriscy of Pelosi in forcing the Obamacare bill through to passage despite its massive size, its gigantic implications for changing the daily lives of every American, and its enormous impact on the financial integrity of the government.

But let’s not forget the context in which Pelosi’s 2005 speech was delivered. House Speaker Dennis Hastert and other leaders of the Republican majority that held power prior to 2006 were routinely doing exactly what Pelosi just did wth Obamacare – jamming continuing resolutions consisting of thousands of pages and costing trillions of dollars through Congress with barely enough time to read the titles, much less the entire text.

Bottomline: A binding, 72-hour public posting of all legislation should be an inviolate rule no matter which party is in power in either chamber of Congress. And it cannot happen too soon. The people at Readthebill.org need your help.

The bill levies a 5 percent tax on elective cosmetic surgery. The provision raises $5 billion and was needed to make the numbers work, according to a Democratic Senate aide.  Politico

Reform includes a shared responsibility requirement, for those who dont already have insurance to either purchase affordable health insurance or pay a fee of 2.5 percent of their income so they are not driving up everyone elses health costs.