-By Warner Todd Huston
Over the weekend many of the leaders in the Republican Party responded to this criminal action perpetrated against a fellow member of Congress on Saturday. It is important that their words be heard because of the din of the Old Media and the Democrats is so loud as to have drowned out the sorrow that the GOP leaders exhibited over this incident.
For instance, from his home base in Shelbyville, Kentucky Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had these words to say about the crime in Arizona:
“We are all still shaken by the shooting that took place in Tucson on Saturday, and we are thinking especially today about the six people whose lives were taken so senselessly. So I would again like to extend my heartfelt sympathy to all the families of those who died.
“Congresswoman Giffords is in critical condition but doctors are optimistic. Many others are out of critical condition and are recovering. I hope everyone will join me in praying for their recovery.
GOP Leaders Respond to Arizona Crime”
An extreme, left-wing Democrat group calling itself
Democrat Speaker of the House Michael Madigan adjourned the lame duck session in Springfield today without coming to a final floor vote on Governor Pat Quinn’s 75% raise in the State’s income tax. Obviously he didn’t have the votes to pass it.
Think of this scenario: Your party has been swept into office with the biggest majority in generations. The majority of Americans think the country is on the verge of emergency and want things fixed pronto. And you are poised to become the next Speaker of the House. So what do you do? A). Steel your party for the hard and fast work to come, or B). Announce you are handing power over to the losing side, the one responsible for most of the recent destruction of the country the voters are upset about?
Outgoing Republican Representative from South Carolina Bob Inglis is not going off into forced retirement quietly. No, Ol’
My friend George Scoville, who works for the CATO Institute, asked a question that really does go to show the left’s hypocrisy. This time the question reveals a “feature” of Obamacare that tends to expose hypocrisy so large that an ambulance could drive through it. (See how I said “ambulance” there to keep with the whole medical theme?)
Jesse Jackson, Jr., was at one time one of those politicians that was on TV and radio as much as humanly possible. Like his father, it wasn’t a good idea for one’s personal safety to get between either Jackson and a TV camera or microphone. But since the end of 2008 Junior’s media appearances have been relatively scarce. So what happened? At least two scandals can be identified to have worked to force Junior into hiding.
Someone sent me the text of an info packet being given to GOP staffers in a series of training sessions on how they are to comply with a requirement to cite exactly where in the Constitution is the justification for the legislation they and their member are writing during the upcoming 112th Congress.
President of Americans for Tax Reform (
Four new Republicans went to Washington as a result of the 2010 midterm elections. Joe Walsh of the 8th District, Bob Dold of the 10th District, Adam Kinzinger of the 11h District, and Bobby Schilling of the 17th were all triumphant over Democrat incumbents. Due to reapportionment, these new congressmen may be threatened with elimination if Illinois Democrats have their way.
Veteran fiscal conservative Congressman Peter Roskam (R, IL) has announced the names of the 10 Republicans that are joining him on the House Ways and Means Committee, the powerful committee that has jurisdiction over taxes, trade, and programs such as Social Security and Medicare.
Pork, pork, pork. It’s enough pork to make a Southside Chicago BBQ joint greasy with envy. Yes, it’s a bacchanalia of pork spending and earmarks in the Omnibus spending bill, for sure, and we now have the database to prove it.
On Dec. 11, 2010, I attended a townhall meeting held in the 14th Congressional District featuring Congressman-elect Randy Hultgren and newly minted Senator Mark Kirk. The event was held in the theater of a local high school in Saint Charles, Illinois.
Kirk spoke for a strong defense, he spoke for fiscal responsibility and he spoke against the DREAM Act. For his part, Mr. Hultgren didn’t have much to say past his recently successful campaign talking points. But that is to be expected since he has not yet been to Washington to be involved in the issues in our nation’s capitol. Hultgren won’t take office until Jan. 5. Both men strongly spoke in favor of repealing Obamacare.