Yesterday, Tim Walz got into a heated debate with Randy Demmer over Walz’s cap and tax vote. This morning, the Strib’s Hot Dish Politics blog has posted an interview they did with Walz. Based on his answers, Walz would’ve been better off not doing the interview:

In an interview after the event, Walz said it is “debatable” whether a cap-and-trade system is superior to other methods of clean energy legislation, such as tax credits or imposing a carbon tax.

“That’s the debate that I think should be asked on this,” Walz said. “I think many of us, Collin included, [are] not altogether comfortable with the cap-and-trade mechanism, but there were so many other things in [the bill] that went the right way.”

He was comfortable supporting the legislation, he said, because he knew it would change substantially before it came back for a final vote, after it had been sent through the Senate and conference committee.

“You’ve got to start somewhere,” Walz said. “I never thought that the final version I would vote on would look anything like it, but it’s to move it forward.”

What Rep. Walz wants us to believe is that he just voted for the largest tax increase in United States history to move the bill along the process. Rep. Walz wants us to think that the tax increases in the final cap and tax legislation wouldn’t cripple farms or raise gas prices or affect the prices at the local grocery store.

The whole idea behind Cap and Tax was to raise taxes so people wouldn’t use fossil fuels. PERIOD.

Here’s an exchange between Rep. Walz and Randy Demmer:

Cap and trade should give farmers a boost, Walz said, by discouraging buying fossil fuels from other countries, often countries that do not like the United States. “They will hate us for free.”

Demmer, a Republican in his second run for Walz’s job, said he thinks cap and trade could cost agriculture $5 billion. “Cap and trade is not an energy policy, it is a tax,” Demmer said. “It is tough on agriculture. We need to grow agriculture, not shrink it.”

Steven Wilson, an Independence Party candidate for Walz’s seat, agreed with Demmer that cap and trade is more of a tax. “We don’t have to sacrifice our small businesses,” he said.

Walz is right that “Cap and Trade” would discourage us from “buying fossil fuels from other countries.” Unfortunately, it would discourage us from buying fossil fuels.

This shot from Demmer is the right strategy:

One of Demmer’s biggest criticisms of Walz is that he votes for San Francisco liberal Nancy Pelosi to be speaker of the House. Demmer said Walz talks like a moderate back home, then votes liberal in Washington.

But when asked after the forum why he supports liberal leaders, Walz said he may seek a leadership job next year if Democrats maintain House control. “Maybe I will be one of them,” he said. Walz rattled off a list of groups that have praised him for work on veterans and education issues, and hinted he could be in line to lead one of those areas.

Rep. Walz, we don’t care which caucus you join. During the last 2 years, we’ve seen supposedly conservative Blue Dog Democrats cave on Cap and Tax and staunchly pro-life Democrats cave on Obamacare. The notion that there’s such a thing as a moderate Democrat is myth.

Your statement that “voting for health care was the easiest vote I’ve ever taken” speaks volumes about whether you’re a moderate or whether you’re actually a hard left leftie.

After voting for the trifecta, aka the failed stimulus bill, Obamacare and the job-killing Cap and Tax legislation, there’s little doubt but that Tim Walz votes the way Speaker Pelosi wants him to whenever she wants him to.

It’s time to vote for someone who represents southern Minnesota, not San Fransisco.

Technorati: Tim Walz, Speaker Pelosi, Cap And Tax, Obamacare, Stimulus, Tax Increases, Environmentalists, Fossil Fuels, Democrats, Randy Demmer, Agriculture, MNGOP, Election 2010

In 2004, South Dakota bloggers took Sen. Daschle to task for talking up his nonexistent conservative credentials when he was in South Dakota while voting like a hardline liberal in DC. Since then, other politicians have been exposed as having that same problem, leading to the creation of the term Daschle-itis.

Here in Minnesota, Rep. Tim Walz seems to be afflicted with Daschle-itis:

In a recent opinion piece published by several local newspapers, Congressman Tim Walz bemoaned the lack of fiscal discipline that he and his colleagues in Congress have displayed. He mentions the high costs of debt service and the dampening effect that deficits have on the economy and on job creation, and rightfully reminds the readers of the responsibility we have to our children and future generations.

He makes a strong case for the need for fiscal discipline, and I agree wholeheartedly with his message. We must take swift action to reduce the deficit and restore common-sense budgeting priorities to Washington in order to avoid a fiscal meltdown.

There is a problem, however. The concerns expressed by Congressman Walz when he’s at home in the district and on the campaign trail in an election year just don’t mesh with the positions and votes he takes in Washington. As a member of the majority and someone who votes the party line 97 percent of the time, he is calling attention to a problem that he himself helped to create.

Last November, I wrote that Rep. Walz voted for the trifecta of the Stimulus, Pelosicare and Cap And Trade:

By voting for Cap and Tax and Pelosicare, Tim Walz has voted for bills that, when fully implemented, will spend north of $3,500,000,000,000, that will increase taxes by $2,400,000,000,000 on small businesses, middle class families, fossil fuel-powered power plants and medical device makers. In other words, liberal Democrat Tim Walz voted to destroy the American economy.

If Pelosicare and Cap and Tax are enacted, gas prices will skyrocket, home heating bills will jump dramatically, the quality of health care will drop, health insurance premiums will continue going up at unsustainable rates and medical innovation will slow to a trickle. If that isn’t bad enough, taxes will have to be raised to keep paying for the affordability credits.

Anyone that can say he’s a fiscal conservative after voting to spend trillions of dollars and increase taxes by trillions more isn’t squaring with his constituents. Based on this information, it’s apparent that Rep. Walz has contracted a severe case of Daschle-itis.

Put differently, Rep. Walz’s credibility is tattered at best. You can’t say that voting for spending that’s contributed to the several trillion dollars worth of deficits in less than 2 years is being fiscally responsible. That’s what Rep. Walz did.

I’ve been thinking about the right metaphor to emphasize Rep. Walz’s hypocrisy. Now I’ve found it. It’s like the kids that killed their parents then begged for the mercy of the court because they were now orphans.

Rep. Walz can’t vote to spend trillions of dollars, exponentially increase the deficits, then decry the deficits he’s created. That slippery talk might work in DC’s echochamber but it won’t work here in Minnesota.

Hopefully, Randy Demmer will cure Rep. Walz of his Daschle-itis by defeating him this November. That will happen if MN-1’s voters decide they don’t want their representative voting to raise home heating bills and gas prices after voting for a government takeover of the health care industry.

Technorati: Tim Walz, Cap And Trade, Health Care, Tax Increases, Stimulus, Deficit Spending, President Obama, Speaker Pelosi, Tom Daschle, Progressivism, Democrats, Randy Demmer, MNGOP, Election 2010

A year after President Obama signed the stimulus bill, there’s little proof that it was worth the money spent on it. Despite the Obama administration’s protestations, few people think that the stimulus bill has created jobs:

When it comes to job creation, just 6% say the stimulus package has created jobs, but another 41% expect it will do so. 48% think it won’t.

In Minnesota, Tim Walz hasn’t expressed any regrets in voting for what I’ve called “the trifecta of infamy“, the stimulus, Cap and Trade and Pelosicare:

The myth that Tim Walz is an independent-thinking voice for southeastern Minnesota was laid to rest Saturday night when Tim Walz voted for the biggest expansion of government since LBJ’s Great Society. In voting for the Pelosicare tax- and spend-fest, liberal Democrat Tim Walz scored a ‘trifecta of infamy’, voting for the failed stimulus bill, the job-killing Cap and Tax bill and now the government takeover of the American health care system.

Adding another mountain of debt on us is also part of Rep. Walz’s plan:

Asked Monday if he expected any Republicans to cross the aisle and vote for a new jobs-focused stimulus package, regardless of what was in it, Walz replied: “I don’t expect to have any. If we voted to say today was Monday, I don’t think we’d get many [Republican] votes.”

House Republicans stood united against the first stimulus bill in January, a disciplined opposition that has largely continued to hold the line on major issues like health care reform, when all but one Republican voted against the Democrats’ bill.

Walz said he’s looking for the new bill to be “more focused on transportation,” to the point that it’s “the core of the jobs bill.” If I had my way, I would have had more transportation funding the first time,” Walz said.

Rep. Walz hasn’t tired of spending other people’s money. It isn’t likely that he’ll tire anytime soon so it’s best that we got rid of him. Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton thinks so, too:

St. Paul- Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton today issued the following statement on the one year anniversary of President Barack Obama’s signing of the stimulus bill.

“One year after Tim Walz voted for the $787 billion ‘stimulus’ which he called a ‘life preserver,’ it’s clear this pork laden bill has done nothing to get Americans back to work. In addition to his votes for job-killing cap and tax legislation and government run health care, Walz’s irresponsible vote for the ’stimulus’ demonstrates that he is a rubber stamp for the failed Pelosi agenda of bigger government, bigger taxes and bigger deficits. To get our economy moving, it’s time southern Minnesota gave Walz a pink slip.”

I couldn’t agree more. Tim Walz isn’t “an independent vote for Minnesota.” He’s been a reliable puppet for Speaker Pelosi’s radical agenda.

Technorati: Tim Walz, Speaker Pelosi, Stimulus, Stim II, Pelosicare, Cap And Trade, Pork, Unemployment, Deficits, Democrats, Tony Sutton, MNGOP, Election 2010

A year ago, Democrats were jubilant after watching President Obama’s inauguration. A year, and many failures later, the Democrats’ attitude has changed dramatically. The Democrats’ unity vanished with Scott Brown’s campaign and improbable victory. Saying that Minnesota’s congressional delegation isn’t united in direction is understatement. The man left most vulnerable by his votes is Tim Walz. Despite what his spokesperson says, he’s in trouble:

Sara Severs, a spokeswoman for Walz, said he has championed pay-for-value provisions in the health care bill that would help the Mayo Clinic in Rochester and make health care more affordable in the region. “Rep. Walz has been focused on stabilizing our economy and making it work for middle-class Americans since first taking office,” she said.

Ms. Severs, was Rep. Walz working for middle class families when he voted for the failed stimulus bill? Was Rep. Walz working for middle class families when he voted for the Waxman-Markey legislation that would’ve increased their energy bills and gas prices? Was Rep. Walz working for middle class families when he voted for the middle class tax increases contained in the Pelosicare legislation.

The other Minnesota legislator hurt by this past year’s votes is Sen. Klobuchar. She voted for the failed stimulus bill and the Obamacare bill. Had it passed, Obamacare would’ve penalized people who did the right thing. That isn’t conjecture. That’s fact. It’s fact because the bill Sen. Klobuchar voted for contained a penalty for people who didn’t purchase an insurance policy that met the federal government’s dictates. People who have HSAs would’ve gotten fined because HSAs didn’t meet the federal government’s dictates.

Check out Sen. Klobuchar’s statement:

Klobuchar, citing the new political reality of a weakened Democratic majority, called Tuesday for a scaled-down health care bill that would focus on Medicare cost reforms, insurance regulations and prescription drug coverage.

Then compare it with Sen. Franken’s statement:

By contrast, Sen. Al Franken wants to “go full bore” with legislation similar to the Senate bill passed on Christmas Eve. Fiscal changes would be worked out in a budget “reconciliation” process that needs only a simple majority. “I’m not interested in scaling back the health care agenda,” Franken said.

I’d be surprised if Sen. Franken showed any moderation. That would’ve been totally out of character for him.

What’s most disturbing is Sen. Klobuchar’s lack of understanding of what’s happening outside Washington:

That’s largely what Democrats expect to hear. But somewhere in the mix, they also will be looking for some sign to a bridge that will cross the gap in health care, which many see as an economic initiative as well. “It’s not just Washington that’s so divided,” Klobuchar said. “It’s the country that’s divided, and it’s looking for some common ground on how to move the country forward.”

I’d agree with Sen. Klobuchar that the nation is divided if her definition of divided is that there isn’t unanimous agreement on what they want. If, however, she means that there isn’t a solid consensus against Obamacare, then I’m forced to disagree with Sen. Klobuchar.

I’d also disagree with Sen. Klobuchar if she meant that people living in the Heartland don’t want the federal government to stay within the Constitution’s boundaries, especially as it pertains to the Tenth Amendment.

Thanks to the TEA Party movement, there’s alot of uniting going on out here in the Heartland. These principles are uniting independents to the tune of independents voting 2:1 for Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie in Virginia and New Jersey respectively. It’s led Massachusetts independents to vote for Scott Brown by a 3:1 margin.

The TEA Parties have helped unify Republicans, too. These events have reminded some Republican lawmakers what principles they’ve stood for in the past.

There’s no such clarion call on the left. That’s why they’re as disorganized as they are. How’s that Hopey Changey thing working now?

Technorati: Al Franken, Amy Klobuchar, Obamacare, Tim Walz, Pelosicare, Cap And Trade, Stimulus, President Obama, DFL

When it comes to voting for huge chunks of pork, no Minnesota congressman can outdo Tim Walz. Thus far, he’s voted for the failed stimulus bill plus he’s voted for both omnibus spending bills. The Omnibus Bill for FY2009 increased spending by 11%. The FY2010 Omnibus Bill increased federal spending by 12%. Now Tim Walz wants to spend $175,000,000,000 on Stim II:

Asked Monday if he expected any Republicans to cross the aisle and vote for a new jobs-focused stimulus package, regardless of what was in it, Walz replied: “I don’t expect to have any. If we voted to say today was Monday, I don’t think we’d get many [Republican] votes.”

House Republicans stood united against the first stimulus bill in January, a disciplined opposition that has largely continued to hold the line on major issues like health care reform, when all but one Republican voted against the Democrats’ bill.

Walz said he’s looking for the new bill to be “more focused on transportation,” to the point that it’s “the core of the jobs bill.” If I had my way, I would have had more transportation funding the first time,” Walz said.

Rep. Walz doesn’t get it. Transportation spending won’t get the economy humming again. Getting out of the way of entrepreneurs will get the economy humming. Rep. Walz refuses to get out of the way of small businesses. What’s worse is that he won’t stop spending money we don’t have.

Transportation projects take time. You don’t just sign a transportation bill one day and the next day, there’s jobs being created. First, you need to get a list of transportation projects, then prioritize which projects are most important. After that, the projects must be bid on and the winning bid determined. Only after all that can a project get started.

In real terms, Stim II won’t pass before late spring. It might not pass until mid-summer. By the time the bids are accepted and the projects scheduled, John Boehner will be the new Speaker and Tim Walz will be a distant memory.

The question that Tim Walz should be forced to answer is why he’s refused to stand up for small businesses. He’s voted against them when he voted for the Cap and Tax bill. He’s voted against them when he voted for the tax increases included in the Pelosicare legislation.

Standing up for small businesses is the way to get the economy creating jobs. Spreading the pork around didn’t work last time. It won’t work this time. The only things we got from the Democrats’ first stimulus bill were massive deficits, big payoffs to the public employees’ unions and a disfunctional website that theoretically tracked stimulus spending but that hasn’t been updated in months.

Maybe it’s just me but that doesn’t sound like we got our money’s worth.

When Tim Walz was sworn in, unemployment was 4.6 percent. Today, it’s 10 percent. We’re in a deep recession. The deficit for Walz’s first year in office, FY2007, was roughly $160,000,000,000. The deficit for FY2009 was $1,420,000,000,000.

Are CD-1 voters better off today than they were 4 years ago? I wouldn’t bet on it.

Technorati: Tim Walz, Stimulus, Cap And Trade, Pelosicare, Tax Increases, Pork, Recession, Unemployment, Democrats, Election 2010

Many an article has been written about how the people want to “throw the bums out” in DC. According to this CQ article, Stuart Rothenberg isn’t buying that notion:

Surveys over the past couple of weeks have shown Republican former Rep. Mike Sodrel ahead of Democratic Rep. Baron P. Hill in Indiana by 8 points; in Maryland, Republican Andy Harris leads freshman Democrat Frank M. Kratovil Jr. by 13 points; GOP former Rep. Tim Walberg leads Democrat Mark Schauer in Michigan by 10 points; and Republican former Rep. Steve Chabot leading Democratic Rep. Steve Driehaus by a whopping 17 points.

In addition, Rep. Timothy Bishop (D-NY) leads unknown challenger Randy Altschuler (R) by only 2 points, while controversial Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) is drawing 55 percent in an early ballot test against state Sen. Tarryl Clark (D).

I’m not surprised by these numbers with the exception of Tarryl trailing by that big a margin. Most analysts predicted Michele winning but I’m certain that they expected a tighter race, at least this early.

Most Minnesota pundits thought that the Michele-Tarryl fight would be the best fight of this election cycle. After seeing those polling numbers, and after seeing the results from Massachusetts’ special election, those pundits might revisit that.

It wouldn’t surprise me if Tim Walz’s seat got additional scrutiny. I wrote here that Rep. Walz voted for “the failed stimulus bill, the job-killing Cap and Tax bill and now the government takeover of the American health care system.”

If casting those three votes aren’t enough to put Walz’s seat at risk, then his telling EdMinn that voting for Pelosicare “was the easiest vote I ever cast” should put him at risk.

Just like Walz’s wounds are self-inflicted, so are Baron Hill’s. Hill’s defeat was essentially sealed after this incident:

I titled that post “Congressman, You Work For US…For Now.” It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that insulting one’s constituents isn’t part of the traditional path to re-election. That type of arrogance is the path to an early retirement.

Chris Cillizza is reporting that another Democrat will announce his retirement sometime this morning:

Arkansas Rep. Marion Berry is expected to announce his retirement tomorrow morning, according to three sources briefed on the decision. Berry will become the sixth Democrat in a competitive seat to leave in the last two months but the first to announce his retirement since the party’s special election loss in Massachusetts last Tuesday.

“The message coming out of the Massachusetts special election is clear: No Democrat is safe,” said National Republican Congressional Committee communications director Ken Spain.

Berry, first elected in 1996, had been noncommittal about his re-election bid for months although, privately, his allies insisted he was planning to run for re-election.

It isn’t that people are convinced that Republicans will be the party of fiscal responsibility. It’s more that they’re certain that Democrats are the party of fiscal irresponsibility.

The first step in restoring fiscal sanity is getting rid of the most flagrant violators. Some of that will happen in GOP primaries. (Think Utah’s Robert Bennett.) That ‘cleansing’ might include Mike Pence, the third-ranking member of the House GOP, defeating Evan Bayh.

The bottom line is this: With Democrats controlling both ends of Pennsylvania Ave., Democrats will be the bums getting thrown out if this is a ‘throw-the-bums-out’ election. HINT: That’s why we’ll see alot more retirements over the next 2-3 weeks.

Technorati: Pundits, Stuart Rothenberg, Chris Cillizza, Retirements, Marion Berry, Baron Hill, Tim Walz, Tarryl Clark, Evan Bayh, Democrats, Michele Bachmann, Mike Pence, Republicans, Election 2010

Cross-posted at California Conservative

In a stunning single day development, Sen. Byron Dorgan, Sen. Christopher Dodd and Gov. Bill Ritter announced that they won’t be seeking re-election. First, Chris Dodd’s retirement isn’t surprising because he’d been written off months ago:

Embattled Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd (D) has scheduled a press conference at his home in Connecticut Wednesday at which he is expected to announce he will not seek re-election, according to sources familiar with his plans.

Dodd’s retirement comes after months of speculation about his political future, and amid faltering polling numbers and a growing sense among the Democratic establishment that he could not win a sixth term.

Sen. Dodd didn’t stand a chance of defeating Rob Simmmons. His expected replacement, does. That’s Sen. Dodd’s retirement in a nutshell. Next is Sen. Dorgan’s retirement stunner:

Dorgan is the first Democratic senator to announce his retirement this cycle, with his decision coming one month after several House Democrats representing conservative-minded districts decided not to run for re-election.

Democratic Senate campaign officials only found out about Dorgan’s decision within the last 24 hours. Dorgan began calling Senate leaders on Tuesday afternoon to inform them of his decision to retire, according to Senate insiders.

He had previously given no sign that he wasn’t going to run for re-election or was even considering retirement and had been raising money for his 2010 campaign.

“It caught us totally by surprise,” said an aide to one top Senate Democrat. “We had no idea this was coming. Total stunner.”

I’ll be stunned if Charlie Cook doesn’t rate this seat as Leans Republican the next time his report is published. The Democrats don’t have a chance of keeping this seat, especially if Gov. Hoeven runs.

Gov. Ritter’s unexpected retirement completes the Democrats’ trifecta of trouble:

Gov. Bill Ritter is expected to announce Wednesday that he will withdraw from the race for governor, numerous sources close to Ritter confirmed Tuesday night.

Ritter began making calls to other prominent Colorado Democrats around 6 p.m. notifying them of his decision. Sources said his office contacted key legislators asking them to be available for an 11 a.m. press conference where Ritter will make his announcement.

It isn’t likely that the Democrats will retain this seat. Again, I’ll be surprised if Charlie Cook doesn’t rate this Leans Republican the next time his report is published.

There’s a common thread running through these retirements, especially in the Mid- and Mountain-West, namely that moderate Democrats don’t exist anymore. Nebraska voters now know that Ben Nelson is just as corrupt and just as liberal as Chris Dodd. Louisiana voters now know that Mary Landrieu is just as liberal as Bernie Sanders.

This is only part of a trend. It’s something that Dick Morris is picking up on in this Hill article:

The Democratic game of electing moderates in conservative districts who then vote to keep liberals in power is over. It overreached. By collapsing so completely and so publicly, it has become self-evident to even the most gullible of voters that there is no such thing as a moderate Democrat. You are either an Obama, Pelosi or Reid clone or you are a Republican. That’s the new two-party system.

This development will make it difficult for Tim Walz, John Spratt and Heath Schuler to run as moderates. Rep. Walz is particularly vulnerable after voting for the stimulus, cap and trade and Pelosicare. In fact, Rep. Walz put himself in additional trouble by recently telling the Minnesota teachers union, EdMinn, that voting for Pelosicare “was the easiest vote of my lifetime.” Even in liberal Minnesota, that’s how you spell H-I-S-T-O-R-Y.

Rep. Chris van Hollen said recently that this wouldn’t be like 1994 because they’re more prepared than 1994. He noted that there were alot of retirements in 1994 and that there wouldn’t be nearly the same amount of retirements this year. I didn’t buy into van Hollen’s theory or van Hollen’s premise. First, I’m not so certain that more Democrats don’t retire over the next month. Second, the reason why alot of Democrats retired in 1994 was because they knew they’d be defeated. Rather than tasting defeat, alot of Democrats retired in 1994 rather than being remembered as having lost their final election.

Democrat ‘moderates’ have repeatedly and quickly caved when their votes were needed to pass President Obama’s and Speaker Pelosi’s radical agenda. The Democrats captured a majority in 2006 because Rahm Emanuel recruited enough moderate-sounding candidates for swing districts. Since then, these politicians have accumulated voting records that they have to defend this cycle.

The Republicans that are left in the House are strong conservatives in strong conservative districts. In a year that’s already favoring Republicans, that makes the Democrats’ opportunities for picking off a couple Republicans difficult at best.

The best way I know how to summarize this is to say that the Democrats’ rough year just got worse.

Technorati: Chris Dodd, Byron Dorgan, Bill Ritter, Retirements, Open Seats, John Spratt, Heath Schuler, Tim Walz, Ben Nelson, Mary Landrieu, Moderates, Wave Election, Speaker Pelosi, President Obama, Cap And Trade, Pelosicare, Election 2010

Cross-posted at California Conservative

We’re now officially in an election year here in Minnesota, which means that it’s a terrible time to deal with a budget deficit if you have the letters D-F-L behind your name.

One of the things I’ll specifically be paying attention to is how much the health care debate negatively affects DFL candidates and incumbents. I’ll be watching to see whether people have finally figured out that a moderate Democrat is someone who votes like Al Franken but sounds like Joe Lieberman or if they think that moderates still exist.

I’m betting that Ben Nelson and Amy Klobuchar finished that debate when they voted for the Senate’s wildly unpopular health care bill. So-called moderates like Ben and Bill Nelson, Evan Bayh and Amy Klobuchar voted just like socialist Bernie Sanders.

The next logical question is how that’ll play in Minnesota. There’s no better race to gauge that factor than by the Michele Bachmann vs. Tarryl Clark race. Tarryl has worked hard to craft a centrist image. Unfortunately, Tarryl’s votes don’t fit that image. That race will tell us whether the public has figured out that the Democrats’ votes doesn’t match their rhetoric.

Another race that might tell us alot in that respect is the Tim Walz race. I noted here that Rep. Walz “voted for bills that…will spend north of $3,500,000,000,000, that will increase taxes by $2,400,000,000,000 on small businesses, middle class families, fossil fuel-powered power plants and medical device makers.” If gas prices spike this summer, that will be additional firepower that the GOP candidate can use against Rep. Walz.

At the state legislative level, the DFL leadership has said that they’ll pass tax increases to balance the budget. This will make them easy to paint them into a corner on being the party that’s more worried about funding a 20th Century government than they’re worried about building a 21st Century economy:

The DFL knows it’s in trouble on that part because they’ve thrown together a Jobs Task Force. Here’s some of their recommendations:

State Direct Spending Programs
1. Provide more aid to local governments to prevent layoffs of local government employees and to limit cuts made to state government to avoid adding to unemployment.
2. Establish and fund a job subsidy program similar to the MEED program that the state operated in the 1980s.
3. Provide funding directly or through loan guarantees for programs like the Minnesota Initiative Fund.
4. Create or increase funding for workforce centers for the unemployed or underemployed and provide more state resources to help workers and laid-off workers make better informed decisions that affect their status under the unemployment compensation system.
5. Promote or publicize Minnesota businesses and their products.
6. Provide state funding for Project Energize.
7. Establish a state forgivable loan program for small manufacturers to purchase capital equipment, if the purchase will expand Minnesota employment.
8. Establish a state loan guarantee program to help expand the availability and affordability of credit for “vertical construction.”
9. Continue to invest in education so the state has a skilled workforce when the recession is over and demand to hire employees rebounds.
10. Provide state support for federal SBA loan programs (e.g., help with paying fees or fund higher maximums).
11. Increase state support to Small Business Development Centers.
12. Expand state deposits of its cash to include community banks, not just the highest bidders, which tend to be exclusively money center banks.
13. Increase the size of the state bonding bill and focus as much money as possible on planned retrofitting, rehabilitation, and remodeling projects that can be undertaken very quickly.
14. Robustly fund the transportation portion of the capital bonding requests to continue construction as federal stimulus money for these types of projects begins to wind down.
15. Increase funding for the Growth Acceleration Program (GAP) that provides small business grants.
16. Expand use of recycling programs in state operations, including bonding bill projects, such as Wisconsin has adopted.
17. Expand funding for affordable housing, such as more nonprofit housing bonds and general obligation bonding for public housing.
18. Provide expanded funding for the Greater Minnesota Business Development Public Infrastructure grant program and reject proposals to merge it with other programs or to make it a statewide program.
19. Provide programs targeted to small Asian businesses to help them cope with the recession through technical assistance and loans.
20. Expand funding for early childhood education.
21. Reform K-12 education system through meaningful testing (GRAD standard), alternative teacher certification, and more results-driven charter schools.
22. Provide R&D funding, grants, loans, and technical assistance for green businesses and green chemistry practices.

Of these suggestions, I’d count as worthy nos. 5 and 9. Most of the rest of the DFL’s task force is a sop to their political allies, which is to be expected. Most of their suggestions would only get in the way of job creation and sustainable economic growth, meaning it’s counterproductive or worthless.

The fastest way to see the economy grow is by getting out of small businesses’ way. That means reforming the tax code and Minnesota’s regulatory regime. That means getting rid of the glut of health insurance mandates, too. It means finding new ways to providing essential services. Finally, get spending under control. Businesses know that irresponsible spending either leads to higher taxes or uncertainty in the economy.

Based on Obama’s stimulus bill, we’ve seen that spending irresponsibly is the fastest path to high deficits and higher interest rates, both of which hurt, not help, the economy.

Technorati: Elections, Deficits, Spending, Tax Increases, Speaker Kelliher, Tarryl Clark, Al Franken, Tim Walz, Ben Nelson, DFL, Economy, Michele Bachmann, Reforms, Regulations, Taxes, Health Care, Small Businesses, MNGOP, Election 2010

The myth that Tim Walz is an independent-thinking voice for southeastern Minnesota was laid to rest Saturday night when Tim Walz voted for the biggest expansion of government since LBJ’s Great Society. In voting for the Pelosicare tax- and spend-fest, liberal Democrat Tim Walz scored a ‘trifecta of infamy’, voting for the failed stimulus bill, the job-killing Cap and Tax bill and now the government takeover of the American health care system.

Republican of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton tonight issued the following statement after Tim Walz voted for a government takeover of the health care system.

“With his vote for a massive $1.2 trillion government takeover of health care that would raise taxes, slash Medicare and explode the deficit, the myth of the moderate Tim Walz is shattered forever. With national unemployment now exceeding ten percent and our economy continuing to struggle, Walz has only added insult to injury for the small businesses, families and seniors of southern Minnesota he has just saddled with billions in new taxes.

Instead of emulating the kind of world class treatment offered by the Mayo Clinic, Walz has backed an irresponsible, partisan bill which puts government bureaucrats between patients and their doctors. In 2010, the people of southern Minnesota will remember Tim Walz’s betrayal when they go to the ballot box by voting for a new leader who won’t be a rubber stamp for whatever Nancy Pelosi demands.”

Liberal Tim Walz has voted for Speaker Pelosi’s anti-small business agenda, job-killing agenda. Voters in southeastern Minnesota need to ask themselves whether they’re better off now than they were when they first elected liberal Democrat Tim Walz in 2006. It’s time that southeastern Minnesota voters admitted that they made a mistake then. It’s time that they corrected that by electing a Republican to represent them in 2010.

Southeastern Minnesota deserves someone who represents their priorities, not Speaker Pelosi’s priorities.

By voting for Cap and Tax and Pelosicare, Tim Walz has voted for bills that, when fully implemented, will spend north of $3,500,000,000,000, that will increase taxes by $2,400,000,000,000 on small businesses, middle class families, fossil fuel-powered power plants and medical device makers. In other words, liberal Democrat Tim Walz voted to destroy the American economy.

If Pelosicare and Cap and Tax are enacted, gas prices will skyrocket, home heating bills will jump dramatically, the quality of health care will drop, health insurance premiums will continue going up at unsustainable rates and medical innovation will slow to a trickle. If that isn’t bad enough, taxes will have to be raised to keep paying for the affordability credits.

In addition to voting for that trifecta, liberal Democrat Tim Walz voted for President Obama’s budget even though it’s projected to increase the debt by $9,300,000,000,000 over the next decade. Liberal Democrat Tim Walz also voted for the $410,000,000,000 omnibus bill that contributed mightily to last year’s $1,400,000,000,000 deficit.

Rep. Walz, isn’t it time you stopped this liberal madness? Rep. Walz, isn’t it time you started acting like you gave a damn about the people you theoretically represent?

Southeastern Minnesota has a choice to make, too. If Liberal Democrat Tim Walz continues to represent Speaker Pelosi’s priorities, which is likely, then they’ll have to decide whether they’ll settle for inadequate representation or whether they’ll decide to elect someone who represents their priorities first.

2010 already figured to be a difficult year for Democrats. It’s getting worse because they’ve ignored the American people’s priorities. Democrats did nothing to fix the economy. House Democrats passed a job-killing national energy sales tax.

Tim Walz voted against his district’s priorities by voting for additional restrictions on his district’s most famous private employer and while raising taxes on everyone in his district. That isn’t a recipe for re-election success in 2010; insteadm, it’s a pathway to early retirement.

(Perhaps his special interest allies will pay for his U-Haul?)

Technorati: Tim Walz, Cap And Trade, Pelosicare, Stimulus, Deficits, Great Recession, Unemployment, Bailouts, Speaker Pelosi, Pelosi’s Lapdog, Energy Prices, Democrats, Election 2010

The Cato Institute’s Michael Cannon wrote that House Democrats are intentionally gaming the CBO system in an attempt to limit the public’s outcry against the bill:

Obama budget director Peter Orszag laid the groundwork for this feat. While director of the CBO in 2007 and 2008, he fostered a more collaborative relationship between the CBO and members of Congress, which enabled the agency to provide behind-the-scenes guidance to Democrats crafting their mandate. That’s why the cost of the Democrats’ individual mandates appears nowhere in the half-dozen or more “preliminary cost estimates” the CBO has completed on various Democratic health-care bills.

In Massachusetts, which has enacted what is essentially the Democrats’ health plan, mandatory premiums account for about 60 percent of overall costs, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. On-budget government spending is just 40 percent. By my count, mandatory premiums accounted for a similar share of the Clinton health plan’s projected cost.

So while the CBO estimates that the coverage expansions in the House Democrats’ legislation would trigger about $1 trillion of new federal spending over ten years, the actual cost of those coverage expansions is more like $2.5 trillion.

Look at that last sentence because it truly is the money line. Pelosi’s Democrats don’t want people to know the true cost of the Pelosi Abomination. Pelosi is scheduling a vote for this weekend, at least in part to prevent squishies from returning home and facing questions from angry constituents.

This deserves highlighting because it proves that Pelosi doesn’t care that the public hates her bill and its price tag. This is the Democrats’ Holy Grail achievement if it’s signed into law. They care more about it than they care about doing what the people expect them to do.

Pelosi’s Democrats don’t care that the Pelosi Abomination will heap hundreds of billions of new tax burdens on middle class people, pile new mandates on individuals, small businesses and state governments and cuts half a trillion dollars from seniors’ health care programs. There isn’t a demographic group that won’t be affected.

Pelosi’s Democrats don’t even care that this legislation will drive doctors into early retirement, which will inevitably trigger rationing of health care.

THIS ISN’T ABOUT IMPROVING HEALTH CARE!!! THIS IS ABOUT INCREASING THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT’S CONTROL OVER OUR
LIVES!!!

The Little Tyrant From San Francisco is too gutless to even let the public compare her abomination with the House Republicans’ plan. The House Republicans’ plan actually lowers insurance premiums, doesn’t add to the annual deficits, includes abusive lawsuit reform and doesn’t raise taxes. The House Republicans’ plan also increases portability and deals with the issue of insuring people with pre-existing conditions.

In other words, the House Republicans’ plan deals with the actual problems facing John Q. Public, something that Pelosi’s Abomination doesn’t attempt to do.

Democrats voting for this bill will pay a steep political price. Byron York aptly writes that the idiots following Pelosi are more afraid of her than they’re worried about their constituents. That’s why I’m calling for the next phase of the movement to be starting up highly visible PACs that pledge to defeat any Democrat that votes for this bill, starting with representatives like Tom Perriello, Tim Walz, Walt Minnick, Earl Pomeroy, Betsy Markey and Baron Hill.

Speaking of Tim Walz, his op-ed says that Pelosi’s Abomination will “will protect jobs, families”:

The House health care bill has four important pillars of reform:

The first pillar stops runaway costs and rewards quality care. A patient-centered initiative spearheaded by Mayo Clinic is at the heart of rewarding quality.The current fee-for-service payment model in Medicare perversely encourages health care providers to perform unnecessary procedures and tests.

That’s the first “pillar.” Here are the other three pillars:

The second pillar reforms the insurance industry to benefit ordinary folks.
The third pillar promotes competition and choice for people who don’t have insurance today or lose it in the future.
Finally, the fourth pillar will improve seniors’ access to quality, affordable health care and protect the doctor-patient relationship.

H.R.3962 doesn’t reform the health insurance industry. It destroys it by overregulating it out of existence. H.R.3962’s overregulation stifles competition by overmandating coverages. Finally, H.R. 3962 cuts $426,000,000,000 from Medicare, which will lead to rationing of seniors’ health care.

Does Rep. Walz expect seniors in his district to believe that cutting doctors’, hospitals’ and nursing home reimbursement rates won’t cause rationing or lead to doctors to stop treating elderly?

It’s apparent that Rep. Walz (a) is Ms. Pelosi’s lapdog, not an independent voice for southeastern Minnesota and (b) doesn’t think his constituents are bright enough to detect his spin. It’s also apparent that Rep. Walz is comfortable repeating Ms. Pelosi’s refuted talking points even though they’ve been demolished months ago (August to be precise).

BTW, Rep. Walz’s behavior is a sharp contrast between himself and Michele Bachmann. Michele’s got a spine made of titanium whereas Little Timmie has a bark that makes toy poodles sound ferocious.

Speaker Pelosi might get the bill passed this weekend. After that vote, though, Democrats will have to return home. When they do, they’ll be greeted by angry constituents demanding to know why they voted against their constituents’ wishes.

Speaker Pelosi is hanging Democrats out to dry. After this vote, the Senate will take time because Harry Reid doesn’t have the votes to pass a bill as destructive as Pelosi’s Abomination. That’s gonna leave guys like Tim Walz defending his voting for the failed stimulus bill, the omnibus spending bill that increased federal spending by double digits, for the national energy tax and for the government takeover of health care.

When Democrats return home to their districts, their constituents will put the fear of God in them. After a weekend or a week facing angry constituents, these Democrats might think that they’d rather fight Pelosi than their constituents.

Technorati: Speaker Pelosi, Tim Walz, Tom Perriello, Walt Minnick, Earl Pomeroy, Betsy Markey, Baron Hill, Pelosi’s Lapdogs, Medicare Cuts, Mandates, Individuals, Unfunded Mandates, Tax Increases, Deficits, Democrats, CBO, Gimmicks, Stimulus, Omnibus Bill, Cap And Tax, Harry Reid, Election 2010

Cross-posted at California Conservative