| October 17, 2013 | Permalink
The New Deal
For 16 days, Republicans
were trying to build a bridge to reform. Instead, they built a dam -- a
$3 billion one. The last-minute add-on proved costly for the country and
the Senate GOP, who will have to explain why they not only lost this
fight, but added a significant bundle to the bill. Unfortunately, even
the reinforced Olmsted Dam won't be able to hold back the flood of
disappointment over last night's votes. By 81-18 and 285-144 ,
the House and Senate closed the chapter on Washington's first
government shutdown in 20 years, leaving a trail of disillusionment in
their wake.
With one stroke of his
pen, President Obama had the satisfaction of blocking any meaningful
dents to his signature health care law and setting into motion the
office homecoming for a half-million furloughed
government employees. Hours later, traffic was back to a screeching
halt, the Smithsonian had unlocked its doors, even the National Zoo's
panda cam returned to charm viewers. But for all the buzz in D.C.
offices, most conservative members couldn't help but feel defeated. "I
don't think anyone wanted to be in the spot we're in right now," said
Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.). Least of all voters, who for weeks had held
out hope that Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) may just be able to talk our
nation out of this mess. Instead, what they got was another four months
of more of the same: crippling debt, excessive spending, socialized
medicine, taxpayer-funded abortion, and oppressive, freedom-crushing
mandates.
Under the agreement struck
by Sens. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), this latest
truce is a temporary one. Congress may avoid the tough budget sledding
over Christmas, but by mid-January, the House and Senate will be back to
the drawing board on another patchwork deal to keep Washington's lights
on and its bills paid. The current measure funds the government through
January 15 and gives the Treasury Department enough credit to keep the
country afloat through February 7, if not longer.
Until then, the "lousy deal," as Sen. Cruz calls it, does absolutely
nothing to protect the American people -- not their health, their
finances, their beliefs, and, certainly not their freedom. Despite the
heroic stand by so many House and Senate conservatives, the Left's
attacks on conscience, the unborn, financial freedom, and religious
liberty will not only continue, but intensify, under this "deal." And
ObamaCare, perhaps the greatest threat to our nation in modern history,
still escaped unscathed. At least for now. As Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah),
one of the unwavering voices for repeal, reminded us last night, "...[T]his is really just the end of the beginning. This is a fight that's going to continue."These leaders aren't giving up, and neither should we. And as frustrated as everyone is, nothing can be gained by conservatives throwing in the towel now. If anyone's going to #MakeDCListen, it's voters. Together, we must stop this sinister attempt to contain religious freedom within the four walls of the church. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.), who literally stood up for conscience protections in a meeting with House Republicans, told me this morning that he's committed to finding ways to infuse conscience rights into ObamaCare. "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it," the late Margaret Thatcher said. So persevere. Even in challenging times, it's always too soon to quit! Duggar Bus Drives Home Importance of State Race
Whether it's playing the
violins, singing, or speaking, the Duggars are doing what they can to
highlight the race's social conservatives -- and attracting plenty of
attention doing it. Media outlets from the Washington Post
to "The Huckabee Show" have tracked the bus's progress in features and
interviews. To the families and homeschoolers who turned out to see the
TLC stars, mom Michelle Duggar said, "I tell [my kids], we are going to
be involved. We are going to make a difference for the cause of Christ,"
she told the crowds in Lynchburg. "And that is to stand for the values
that God holds dear... And we need to get behind those candidates who
believe those values and help them win." Ken Cuccinelli and his wife
both joined the Duggars along the route, encouraging the family's fans
to help them turn out the vote.
Also, to understand why
the Duggars and other conservatives are investing so much time and
energy into the Virginia races, just read Ken Blackwell's new piece on
Townhall, " Terry McAuliffe's Extreme Agenda ."
Breaking News...
On this evening's
"Washington Watch," Fox News's Todd Starnes joined me to discuss new
details in the Army's outrageous training briefing that identified the
American Family Association as a hate group at Camp Shelby. After the
initial story broke, the Army quickly backtracked, insisting it was an
isolated incident. But, as I pointed out the Update yesterday, there
have been too many of these "isolated incidents" not to see a
problematic pattern of religious hostility. Today, Todd broke the news
on "Washington Watch" that another source within the Army has verified
our suspicions that Army officials have identified the anti-Christian
left group, Southern Poverty Law Center, as an approved source for EEOC
trainings within the Army. "[The Pentagon] said that the material used
in this training briefing was not sanctioned or endorsed by the Army --
that this was something the instructor found on the Internet," Todd
explained. "But Tony, we have some information that is contrary to what
the military is telling us. As a matter of fact, one of the individuals
whose responsibility it is to teach these diversity classes reached out
to me and actually gave me a copy of the training manual that the Army
uses. And Tony, we have hard evidence that the military not only
endorses the Southern Poverty Law Center as a resource, but it's listed
right there in their training materials!" Look for more on this story
next week.
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