WASHINGTON UPDATE 02/02/2015

| February 02, 2015 | link ObamaCare's Crash and Byrne While Pennsylvania's groundhog is seeing shadows, Republicans are hoping to cast one on the future of ObamaCare. After four years of grinding out votes against the President's health care failure, spring has finally come for Republican leaders. Four times the chamber has tried to sink ObamaCare (seven, if you count the appropriations process), but tomorrow's repeal vote will be the first under total GOP control. "We will begin the month renewing our commitment to individual freedom and opportunity," House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told conservatives. And for once, they'll be able to renew that commitment without the brick wall known as Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on the other side of the Capitol. With public support for ObamaCare slipping to the low 40s in most surveys, Americans are more anxious than ever to dispose of this "medical waste!" And the season of tax filing will only make matters worse. People inside the Obama administration are already nervously trying to deflect some of the outrage the IRS's forms are sure to generate "as uninsured consumers learn that that they must pay tax penalties." Others are struggling "with complex forms needed to justify tax credits they received in 2014 to pay for health insurance." The White House has already granted some exemptions and is considering more to avoid a political firestorm," the New York Times points out. For Republicans, who have taken plenty of bites at the ObamaCare apple, the movement is ripe for real reform. Under Rep. Brad Byrne's (R-Ala.) bill, ObamaCare would be completely repealed and committees would be under orders to come up with a replacement that adheres to a dozen or so key principles on job growth, cost, taxpayer-funded abortion, taxes, if-you-like-your-plan-you-can-keep it, and other non-negotiables. Unlike past health care plans, this one would be constructed completely out in the open. Already, three of the GOP's powerhouses are said to be working in the legislative lab on an alternative as part of a health care task force that would guide the discussion: Reps. Paul Ryan (Wisc.), Fred Upton (Mich.) and John Kline (Minn.). The thorn for Republicans hasn't been the motivation for toppling ObamaCare, but finding the consensus about what to replace it with. Byrne's office thinks the chambers -- and the country -- would benefit from a more transparent process. "We need to have some sort of idea on an alternative solution. This is a way to have that without picking one without the input of all members," said a spokesman. "This gives all members the chance to weigh in on a way to move forward." In the meantime, the House is already taking cracks at the law in the new Congress, passing the No Taxpayer Funding of Abortion Act and another that would guarantee insurance to employees who work 30 hours a week (which had the support of a dozen Democrats). Help them take the next step by contacting your congressman and encouraging him or her to vote for the meaningful change Americans asked for last November! Exposing the Plot behind Actors' Push Hollywood has definitely played a supporting role in the effort to redefine marriage. And we aren't the only ones who have noticed. First Lady Michelle Obama, whose husband's biggest supporters work in Tinseltown, lavished praise on the entertainment industry for its part in boosting the far-Left agenda on marriage and homosexuality. "Every day, through the movies and TV shows and ads you all create, you have the power to shape our understanding of the world around us. You challenge our most strongly held beliefs… Just take an issue like gay rights. It wasn't all that long ago that this was a third-rail kind of issue… It was considered sensitive, even controversial," she told a group of Hollywood screenwriters on Friday. Listing off shows like "Will & Grace," "Modern Family," and a slew of movies with gay themes, the First Lady credited Hollywood with normalizing this radical redefinition of marriage in society too. And surveys suggest that what she says has some truth to it. The entertainment industry has single-handedly nudged the needle on society's acceptance of radical sexuality. In 2012, 27% of Americans admitted that television directly impacted their decision to support same-sex "marriage." "As my husband said, we've seen gay marriage go from a wedge issue into a civil right in states all across the country." Maybe the First Family has spent too much time in the entertainment bubble, but marriage is still very much a wedge issue -- everywhere. State leaders continue to push back against unelected judges and the Obama administration -- who are trampling religious liberty and the freedom of speech in their efforts to fundamentally transform America. Unfortunately, those are the stories Hollywood isn't telling. Open Mike Night on CNN... Next week isn't just Valentine's Day -- it's National Marriage Week too! Check out all of the ways you can celebrate at our Watchmen on the Wall page and share the kits with your church leaders and friends. In the meantime, at least one pastor we know is talking about the importance of marriage, no matter what week it is: former Governor Mike Huckabee. To the cheers of social conservatives, Huckabee never shies away from the importance of marriage -- or the perils of redefining it. Over the weekend, the presidential hopeful was candid about his objections to the movement that poses such incredible risks to religious freedom, the stability of the family, and the future of America. Taking aim at the out-of-control courts, Mike echoed most Americans frustrations when he said, "We don't change law because some people in a black robe decide they don't like the fact that 70% -- and in some cases, 80% -- of a state's population have affirmed natural law marriage." But just because the Arkansas native doesn't believe in a radical makeover of our most fundamental institution doesn't mean he doesn't treat all people with respect. "People can be my friends who have lifestyles that are not necessarily my lifestyle. I don't chuck people out of my circle, my life because they have a different point of view… I'd like to think there's room in America for people who have different points of views without screaming, shouting, wanting to shut their businesses down." What worries him (and us) is not "that someone might disagree. It's that they don't want to argue with me or take a different point of view -- they want to close someone's business down, put them really in an economic position of disenfranchisement… We're so sensitive to make sure we don't offend certain religions, but then we act like Christians can't have the convictions that they've had for over 2,000 years." We continue to appreciate conservative, political, and business leaders like Governor Huckabee, who refuse to be silenced by those who trumpet tolerance -- but never practice it. ** The question of marriage should be an easy one for believers. Find out why in Rob Schwarzwalder's new column for the Christian Post "The Truth about Human Sexuality: It All Comes Down to the Bible." Tony Perkins' Washington Update is written with the aid of FRC senior writers.