Yesterday I posted about which senators to target in the upcoming healthcare showdown. In addition, I mentioned that there were two State Work Periods coming up which, presumably, will mean that our senators will be back in New Jersey and available to their constituents.

This prompted me today to call Senator Lautenberg’s and Senator Menendez’ offices to see what their schedule and agenda was for these two breaks. Their answer? Neither office knows what the senators are doing. They don’t know if they are going to be in New Jersey, let alone if they have any events scheduled. Considering that the first break begins tomorrow, this seems a little suspicious to me (albeit not surprising). 

So, here we are with one of the most serious and important pieces of legislation to come before the Senate in our lifetimes and our two senators are MIA. They have no known plans for giving the people they represent a chance to speak with them about an issue that will impact their very lives before a potential vote in December. For all I know they will be on their way to St. Bart’s to console their fallen comrade, Governor Corzine.

Frankly, I think it’s time our two senators stopped hiding behind their desks. It’s time both of them showed some guts and faced their constituents.

Cross-posted at Red County and Conservatives with Attitude!

Here is the description from Amazon.com.

Senator Bob Menendez has long been disturbed by the rhetoric of media figures like Lou Dobbs and Rush Limbaugh, who, he believes, are spreading fear and misconceptions about the Latino community. For Menendez, who has held the highest-ranking position for a Hispanic in congressional history, it is about time the truth about Hispanics and their potential in this nation is brought into the spotlight—for all the right reasons.

Instead of viewing Latinos as the growing cause of many of America’s problems, he sees quite the opposite—and in this book he takes a unique approach by imagining a hopeful future for our nation. With the step-by-step plan that Menendez has devised and proposes in this book, the United States’ future will be made brighter and more successful precisely because of, not in spite of, the burgeoning influence of the Hispanic population as it “grows its American roots.”

Yep, raise your hand out there if you view Hispanics as causing many of America’s problems! What are there, 10 or 12 of you?

Well, move over Mark Levin’s Liberty and Tyranny and Glenn Beck’s Common Sense! You are going to have company soon…NOT!

Now, the really fun part! Senator Menendez is even going to have a book signing event! The book signing event will be held at Border….wait, sorry…the book signing event will be held at Wal-….oops, sorry, no…the book signing event will be held at Barnes &….oh, no, I keep screwing this up….no, here it is…the book signing will be at…

National Council of La Raza, 1126 16th Street, NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20036

That’s right! What better place to hold a book signing event for his pro-Hispanic tome than amongst radical open-borders zealots who believe the American Southwest should belong to Mexico! It all makes sense to me now!

Thanks, Senator. I can now see the light!

Cross-posted at Red County and Conservatives with Attitude!

To vote in the poll, go HERE.

.

While the Democrats still face some obstacles in the House – about 30 Democrats will not vote for a public option while 57 will not vote for a bill without it – Congressman Shadegg said in no uncertain terms that “this bill will pass…unless the American people rise up again like they did in August…and say ‘NO.’”

Here are some specifics from the call:

Congressman Shadegg took aim at the Baucus bill in the Senate which has a price tag of $829B. The Baucus bill would raise taxes starting in 2010 while healthcare services would not change until 2013. As such, the CBO scoring of the Baucus bill is completely flawed. It’s numbers are based on 10 years of revenue but only 7 years of benefits.

Additionally, Congressman Shadegg pointed to some of the shenanigans that are going on in the Senate - calling it a ‘Soviet Gulag style’ of politics.

For instance, Harry Reid (who is in trouble in Nevada) is using his position to have the federal government pick up that state’s share of its Medicare expenses. To cover himself on this, 3 other states (blue states mind you) will receive the same exception. So, the rest of the states would still have to subsidize Medicare, while Nevada will not in order to boost Reid’s chances of re-election.

Senator Schumer is also using his power to thwart a luxury tax on so-called Gold-plated insurance plans. The bill calls for a tax on anyone with a plan of $21k or more. Schumer has included language that would raise this threshold to $24k in New York (in Masssachusetts it would be $25k).

Senators Stabenow and Kerry have inserted language that would provide $5B to underwrite policies for unions.

And Senator Menendez - ah, yes, our very own - is pushing for $1B in tax credits for R&D work for the pharma companies.

I also had a chance to ask both Representatives about Harry Reid’s scheme to attach a Senate bill to a House bill that has nothing to do with healthcare. they provided some interesting responses. First off,  Rep. McMorris-Rodgers said that the Republicans could “make the majority’s life difficult” and “grind this place to a halt” if the Democrats attempted such a maneuver. Secondly – and this gets a bit technical – there is the question of whether the bill is treated as a tax bill or not, which would impact what Republicans in the House could do. Congressman Shadegg said quite emphatically, “Our procedural rights are stunningly limited.” Because of the way Pelosi is running the House, the minority has been virtually shut out. They might not be allowed to propose amendments or motions to recommit the bill.

Representative McMorris-Rodgers pointed out that the Republicans have stood firm against both the stimulus bill and now the healthcare bills. The only bi-partisanship has been in opposition to the bills in the house committees. Note: 3 House committees have passed bills.

At the end of the day, Congressman Shadegg made it clear: “This bill will destroy the healthcare you have now.” He said, “Within 5 years every policy in America must meet the criteria in the bill.” He also said he actually hoped Pelosi would bring a bill to the floor before the Senate and that, hopefully, with public pressure and not enough votes, she would have to pull it. This, in turn, would send a signal to those in the Senate now considering voting in favor of a bill. If this were to happen, he said the Senate would “back away…and run like scared mice.”

But it is worth repeating: Congressman McMorris-Rodgers and Congressman Shadegg are now looking to us to put the same kind of pressure on our legislators that we did back in August. If we want to stop this, then we have no choice.

{UPDATE: Here is the audio link of the call. I come in at the 13:30 mark}

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

Well, I don’t know about you but I’m impressed. I mean, how could we function as a society if not for Congress tackling such vital issues like promoting a National Animal Rescue Day? And my favorite in the list: A bill to fund a study of video game console energy efficiency! Gee, thanks, Senator Menendez! Good to see we have loose change for this but can’t spare a dime for our military or defense.

It’s also good to see these people have time for all this meaningless crap but don’t have time to read a bill that threatens 1/6th of our economy. Fascinating, isn’t it?

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

Yesterday, Mark Impomeni of Human Events, added some fuel to this speculation. Mr Impomeni writes:

It could be déjà vu all over again in New Jersey, as rumors percolate that Democrats may force incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine off the November ballot if his poll numbers do not improve quickly. Corzine, a former United States Senator and first-term governor, trails Republican challenger Christopher Christie by nearly double-digits in aggregate polling in the governor’s race and has not enjoyed a lead over Christie in any poll since early January.

The Corzine campaign denies that the governor would consider dropping out, calling talk of a replacement “gossip.”  But New Jersey Democrats have replaced a poorly performing incumbent in the middle of an election once before.  

Now, published reports indicate that Democrats may be planning to resurrect that successful strategy in the governor’s race.  National Review Online first reported anecdotal evidence that Democrats were polling a potential replacement for Corzine.  The New York Times later reported that top New Jersey party officials were considering Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a rising star in the state Democratic Party, as a stand-in.  The poll reportedly asked registered Democrats how they would vote if Booker were on the ballot instead of the governor.

Booker has expressed interest in running for governor in the future, but has publicly committed to Corzine’s re-election.

But not all Democrats may be so willing to wait.  According to the same Times report, Rep. Frank Pallone “has made it known” that he would step in for Corzine if the governor bowed out of the race. Pallone was also considered as a replacement for Torricelli when he dropped out of his Senate race in 2002.

Another Democrat considered as a replacement for Torricelli was Sen. Robert Menendez, then a member of the House. Corzine appointed Menendez to fill the vacancy left when he was elected governor.  Menendez has expressed his displeasure with Corzine’s campaign team, and has urged the governor to shake up his staff.  But his designs on the governor’s mansion remain unknown.

Neither Menendez nor Pallone are talking about their future plans.  Their offices did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

Personally, I doubt Corzine will be dumped unless he himself decides to go. However, the fact that Corzine has pushed to move back the debates to later in October makes me wonder if this is to allow wiggle room for another candidate to jump in.

What do you think? Is Corzine in this for the long haul or do the Democrats push him out?

Cross-posted at Red County and Conservatives with Attitude!

Sexist. Homophobe. Racist.

These are always the default arguments for Leftists bereft of any logical thought and an inability to put forth a coherent counterpoint to conservative views.

However, I have to admit. The one attack that irks me most is being called racist, for nothing could be further from the truth. Nothing. Nor is it true of most people I have conversed with in my life who share similar views. Conservatism, as it were, is a color-blind ideology.

Thus, when someone like Alicia Menendez, daughter of our fair Senator Bob Menendez, pens an article baselessly accusing Republicans of not caring about Latinos I can’t help but be angered. Not just as a conservative, but as an American who wants nothing but prosperity for all citizens.

You see, the real race-baiters are people like Alicia Menendez who do not treat people as individuals. Rather, Menendez prefers to segment us into groups and then pit us against one another; all, of course, with one aim - gaining political power.

For demogogues like Miss Menendez, pointing to the widespread appointments of Hispanics throughout the Bush Administration will not matter. Pointing to the appointment of Alberto Gonzales as the first ever Attorney General, fruitless.

You see, to Miss Menendez, GOPers are anti-Latino if they do not send a representative to a meeting held by the controversial group La Raza; a group that favors open borders and amnesty and consists of Mexicans who believe that the Southwest territory rightfully belongs to Mexico. And, of course, no such current attack is complete without a mention of Sonia Sotomayor.

This inability (or unwillingness) to connect with Latino voters brings back sweet, sweet memories of 2008, when right-wing extremists alienated Hispanics by pulling the GOP rhetoric to the right on immigration. Last fall, the contenders for the Republican Presidential nomination, save John McCain, all declined invitations to a Univision-sponsored presidential debate. Here we are, a year later, and the GOP is still turning down invites.

I’m a progressive Latina—I should be throwing a fiesta, right? Democrats have an opportunity to lock-down the fastest-growing, most brand-loyal group in the country and Republicans aren’t even trying to compete. On paper, it’s great.

But regardless of which party Latino voters show up for on election day, our community needs Democratic and Republican lawmakers to care about our issues the other 364 days of the year. And if the GOP cannot get it together enough to send a high-profile representative to one of the largest gatherings of Latino leaders in the country, what should we expect when comprehensive immigration reform hits the House floor? More of the same rhetoric? Another no-show?

Just as the story of Sonia Sotomayor, a Puerto Rican, overlaps with the story of so many Americans, the concerns of Hispanic-Americans are shared by much of the country. When a community who voted for health care reform, economic revival and comprehensive immigration reform is ignored, we are all ignored.

That’s bad for Latinos, it’s bad for immigrants, and it’s bad for America.

Somehow, I’m sure, Democrat opposition to Miguel Estrada was not ‘anti-Latino’ in Miss Menendez’ mind. Another fact to be ignored in the quest for political power.

All of this would be of little consequence if this tactic were not effective. Unfortunately, all too many Leftists seem to buy into it hook, line and sinker. Ergo, you see vicious comments from her readers such as…

The problem is not that the Republicans don’t care about Latinos. The problem is they consider Latinos to be sub-human law breakers and either dislike or actively hate them.

Its not just Latinos that the GOP hates, they also hate blacks, gays, Arabs, Muslims, Canadians, Europeans (especially the French), Asians, and liberals. Did I leave anyone out? That’s basically the whole world and 70% of America that they hate. GOPers are one sad pathetic, bigoted, racist hate filled group of people.

The republicans and especially those like buchanan, limbaugh, hannity, coulter, and beck firmly believe that white people are superior to people of color – any color. They are terrified of losing their presumed preeminent position and therefore spew anger, hate, and racism. They have not yet come to grips with the declining demographics of the GOP base.

…to name a few.

Miss Menendez, let me tell you this. What is bad for America is not that the GOP doesn’t address La Raza. It’s not that Republicans or conservatives oppose your socialist agenda. What is bad for America is when you accuse fellow Americans of not caring a whit for their brethren, without possibly knowing what is in their hearts. What is bad for America – truly bad for America – is when people like you attempt to stoke the fires of race in order to promote your agenda.  For so doing, you ought to be utterly and unabashedly ashamed of yourself.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!

In the audio clip below (starting at around the 70 minute mark), the caller describes what took place at a LARASA (or “La Raza”) meeting which Menendez attended.

This information is critical because ultimately what this means is illegals will be getting back-door amnesty. From there, it’s only a few short leaps to giving them voting rights. And these people certainly won’t be voting (R) that is for certain.

Mark Levin Show

(h/t, Rich Zuendt, Conservatives with Attitude!)

Cross-posted at Red County.

Resolved, That the Senate–

Aww, isn’t that nice? You see if it weren’t for resolutions like this children wouldn’t engage in activities with other kids, talk to their grandparents and learn from others. For this, we have Senator Menendez to thank.

Of course, for bankrupting this next generation of children by voting for the Porkulous Bill we also have Senator Menendez to thank.

Funny or just pathetic? I’ll let you decide.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude! and Red County.

Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) today said another round of federal stimulus funding may be necessary to boost New Jersey and other states struggling against the recession, but that the need won’t be clear until the billions already authorized seep into the economy.

New Jersey is slated to receive about $17.5 billion over three years — including $7.5 billion in tax relief — from the $787 billion stimulus bill President Barack Obama signed on Feb. 17. Officials say the money will create or save 100,000 jobs in the state. But some experts are worried that the money will not be enough to turn the economy around, and are advocating for a second shot of funding.

Menendez said Congress will watch indicators like unemployment, tax revenue and consumer confidence before deciding whether to embark on another round of spending next year.

Even more amazingly, our Junior Senator actually claimed that we didn’t do enough during the great Depression and that our response at the time was “meek.”

“The one thing that we learned from Depression-era economics and the responses to that era was that being meek ultimately created a longer depression,” Menendez said. “Being bold is what was necessary. There’s already a discussion right now, even as the stimulus package unfolds, as to whether or not we will need another stimulus package.”

In saying this, Senator Menendez either is ignorant of history or is purposefully ignoring it. In fact, I posted in detail about this not too long ago. A lack of spending certainly did not lengthen the Great Depression; rather, it contributed to it. And in Japan, continual stimulus spending led to a lost decade (12 years to be exact), where its economy grew at a truly “meek” annual rate of 1.1% a year from 1991-2003.

If we follow Menendez’ lead on this, we could very well be looking at the same kind of long term malaise here in the U.S.

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude! and Red County.