Archives for March 2010

John Gizzi predicted for months that health legislation would never become law.  Now that is has, why does he believe his prediction was wrong?  Will the reconciliation process hit any snags as Congress works on the ‘fixes’ bill?  How will this issue impact the November elections?  What does he think about the threats issued against lawmakers who supported the health care bill?  In other news…How frayed are U.S.-Israeli relations?  And which acting great and friend of Gizzi’s passed away in recent days?

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Reports suggest Democratic leaders may follow up a divisive debate on health care with an equally polarizing fight over cap and trade energy legislation.  Arizona Rep. John Shadegg says the Democratic plan is a guaranteed job-killer and cripples our ability to safely extract abundant quantities of our own energy.  Shadegg also explains how this health care ‘fixes’ bill demolishes the private sector student loan industry.

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This week, the Senate is taking up the bill of health care ‘fixes’ through the reconciliation process.  Republicans are bringing forth all sorts of proposed amendments and Democrats will do their best to make sure the bill passed by the House does not change at all.  Republicans plan to offer an amendment that would suspend the legalization of gay marriage in Washington, DC, until voters of the nation’s capital have their way.  So how will the vote likely go?  Can Democrats wiggle out of a costly political vote by claiming the issue is just designed to disrupt the health bill?  And what’s the latest on the court fight over marriage in DC?  We ask Brian Brown, executive director of the National Organization for Marriage.

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President Obama will launch an effort on Thursday to convince America that passing the health reform bill was the right thing to do – despite sustained public opposition.  So what response will the Iowa Republican Party have waiting for him?  Why do Iowans have a much different impression of Obama than they did two years ago?  How will the health care vote impact three Democratic House members in November?  We ask Iowa Republican Party Chairman Matthew Strawn.

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The passage of the Democratic health bill has triggered a huge wave of anger and frustration across the nation.  It’s also inspiring many people to jump into the political arena to change course in Washington.  Perhaps the congressional challenger aiming the highest is Dana Walsh, who is running against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.  What issues have her most fired up?  How critical is this midterm election to the future of America?  How does she hope to defeat Nancy Pelosi in the heart of San Francisco?

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President Obama signs health bill in what he calls a major historical moment, Republicans fight back in Congress and in court and President Obama meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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Christie Herrera of the American Legislative Exchange Council says the passage of the Democratic health bill is triggering a feverish effort in 39 states to pass laws protecting residents from having to comply with the bill’s requirement for all adults to purchase government-approved health insurance.  How does this work in conjunction with the efforts of 13 states today to sue the government over the mandate?  Is this debate partisan or bipartisan at the state level?  Why are many state lawmakers worried about going broke over the new laws in addition to the loss of freedom for their constituents?  How strong is the Constitutional ground for these proposed state laws?

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Today, President Obama is meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in what will likely be an intense meeting over settlements, the peace process and Iranian nuclear ambitions.  Why is Obama being so tough on Israel over settlements?  Are the new settlements even in disputed territory?  Does Obama see Israel as a bigger problem than Hamas?  What can Obama really do about the Iranian nuclear threat?  And what message is being sent when Obama will not allow any photos or video of his meeting with Netanyahu?  We ask retired U.S. Army Lt. Col. Bob Maginnis, now a senior strategist with the U.S. Army.

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Iowa Rep. Steve King leads the charge among House Republicans to repeal the health care legislation passed Sunday night without a single Republican vote.  How much support is there for repealing a bill that just passed?  How much is this effort geared towards repeal and how much is aimed at winning seats in November?  And Rep. King says the Stupak compromise on abortion is worthless.  How does he know?  He’s challenged the legality of an executive order before – and won.

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House Democrats pass the Senate health bill and their proposed  ‘fixes’, Obama and Pelosi cite historical achievements while GOP blasts flawed process and attack on freedoms, Stupak decision draws fire from pro-life groups, tea party activists accused of racist verbal assaults, GOP leaders seek to have individual mandate declared unconstitutional.

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