Corrupt SEIU in Charge of Voting Machines in Nevada: Senior Citizens to Blame for Nevada Corruption

In Clark County, Nevada the corrupt Service Employees International Union (SEIU) are in charge of voting machines that have been popping-out ballots with Senator Harry Reid's name already checked. Officials say the computer screen is "sensitive," and senior citizens are at fault. See a video below.

Senior citizens are apparently to blame:

Lomax advised voters to be aware that touch-screens on the screens are sensitive. For that reason, a person may not want to have their fingers linger too long on the screen after they make a selection at any time.

"Especially in a community with elderly citizens (they have) difficulty in (casting their) ballot," Lomax said. "Team leaders said there were complaints (and the) race filled in."

Hillbuzz suggests those using touch screens voting machines take a cell phone and take a photo of your marked ballot. There's something very wrong about not marking a ballot with your own pen-in-hand. Note that the official says the ballots cannot be tampered with, yet just a single "lingering finger" can find the Democrats and vote them in your name.

Gateway Pundit on SEIU corruption at the polls:

Yesterday, the Yuma Sun reported that two organizations Mi Familia Vota and One Vote Arizona submitted more than 3,000 voter registrations in Yuma County right before the deadline for registering voters. The groups submitted over 20,000 registrations statewide.

What the Yuma Sun did not tell you is that over 65% of these last minute registrations were invalid due to the registrant not being a citizen, a wrong/invalid address, or a false signature.

So far, there have been no reports of "fingers lingering" and ballots checked for Republicans spitting out.

Nevada Voter Fraud (video)

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Content Scrapers: Until I can figure out what to do about your confiscation of my work for your own website, please be sure to give a link back as shown above.

Harry Reid has Special Names for Angle Voters - and His Polls are Just Fine - Thank You Very Much!

Two counties making up 86% of the Nevada vote had Republicans coming out in droves - maybe a death knell for Harry Reid's Senate career. Washoe and Clark County, the first in Reno and Clark in Las Vegas, say Republican voting is "disproportionately high." Reid, though, says it's all fine...everything is fine, and says those voting for Sharron Angle are both rude and obnoxious.

Harry Reid - Special Words Just for Angle Voters

According to Democrat propagandist Politico:

Some 47 percent of early voters in the bellwether Washoe County so far have been Republicans, while 40 percent have been Democrats, according to the Washoe County Registrar. Nearly 11,000 people had voted in Washoe over the first three days of early voting, which began Saturday.

Here's the good news:

Out of the nearly 47,000 votes cast in Clark County, 46 percent were Democrats, 39 percent Republicans, according to the Clark County Election Department. But while Democrats make up 46 percent of the county's registered voters, Republicans constitute just 33 percent.

Washoe County is home to Angle, a former Reno state legislator, whereas Reid's hometown of Searchlight is in Clark County.

Maybe a glimpse into election day? Democrats stay home? Well, we don't know, and we should not "assume" anything. Every vote counts.

Red State points out that Angle led in 7 of 9 polls published in October. The lead is small, but nevertheless it is a lead she has maintained.

Reid, with his 50% unapproval rating in Nevada, told CNN just 6 days ago, "everything is fine." "Everything is going well in Nevada." He also said his poll numbers are "fine." We'll see about that. I'm feeling a little cocky - but only a little. By election day it will be a healthy does of fear and even the flu couldn't keep me away from the polls. Sometimes fear is a good thing.

So are you one of the "rude and obnoxious" Angle voters? Another question: how do you feel about early voting? Join the conversation at The Lonely Conservative, who has more.

Posted by Maggie @ Maggie's Notebook

Sharron Angle New Ad 'Faces' Harry Reid Soundboard Video

After the video, take a look at Angle's Harry Reid Soundboard. Just click on a dialog box and hear Harry's own words.

Sharron Angle New Ad - Faces (video)
Linked by John Carey at The Current - Thank you!

Harry Reid Missouri Voters Lack Healthcare Understanding

Missouri's Prop C measure to block the government mandate to purchase health care passed by a 71-29 margin. Missouri refuses to be told what to buy and what they cannot buy. Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) believes Missourians only need to know more about the health care legislation to "like" it.

“It’s very obvious that people have a lack of understanding of our health care reform bill,” Reid said. “The more people learn about this bill, the more they like it.” He noted that the health insurance “exchanges,” or marketplaces, will take three years to kick in...

 "The trend is turning all over america today," Reid said. "Once you explain what's in the bill, the American people of course like it."

Note to Democrats: Remember November? Just keep calling us ignorant. We're going to slap the shizey out of you in November.

Sharron Angle on Government gods and The Second Amendment

ABC News hopes to show that Sharron Angle's reliance on the Ten Commandments and the Second Amendment is odd.

Sharron Angle

Angle, the Republican conservative in Nevada has said the entitlement programs pushed by Obama, Pelosi and Harry Reid are designed to make Government our god, and she is exactly right, although ABC thinks that position is "odd."

"These programs that you mentioned -- that Obama has going with Reid and Pelosi pushing them forward -- are all entitlement programs built to make government our God. And that’s really what’s happening in this country is a violation of the First Commandment. We have become a country entrenched in idolatry, and that idolatry is the dependency upon our government. We’re supposed to depend upon God for our protection and our provision and for our daily bread, not for our government," US Senate candidate Sharron Angle (R-NV) said.

Listen to the audio here.

Then there is ABC's thinly-veiled suggestion that Angle supports "taking out" Harry Reid with guns.
According to the ABC article, Angle suggested the Second Amendment would "avoid the need for the Second Amendment." Here's what she actually said in the interview with Jon Ralston of the NBC station in Reno, Nevada:

"You know, our Founding Fathers, they put that Second Amendment in there for a good reason, and that was for the people to protect themselves against a tyrannical government. And in fact Thomas Jefferson said, it's good for a country to have a revolution every 20 years," Angle said. "I hope that's not where we're going, but, you know, if this Congress keeps going the way it is, people are really looking toward those Second Amendment remedies and saying, my goodness, what can we do to turn this country around? I'll tell you, the first thing we need to do is take Harry Reid out."

I was speaking broadly, as you saw, about the Constitution, and that was the context of that rhetoric," Angle responded. "I admit that was a little strong to say 'take him out,' but you know what I meant. I meant take him out of office, and taking him out of office is a little different. I changed my rhetoric, to 'defeat Harry Reid.'"

Angle's point is once again, right on. The Founders provided for tyranny. It's that simple. We need to talk about it more and get comfortable with it, because whether it is this president or another, The Founders saw this need for protection, and provided the way.

Sharron Angle Sean Hannity Video: Sharron Angle: The Right Contract with America is U.S. Constitution

Nevada Republican Senate candidate, Sharron Angle, will face Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) in the November elections, or better put, Reid will face Angle. The well-spoken Angle says "we have the right contract with the American people, and that's the U.S. Constitution. Woot!  Angle was on The Sean Hannity Show tonight. See that video below.

Sharron Angle

Reid has announced that he is proud of his record, he defends his earmarks, in a time of obscene spending, and he's crazy for Barack Obama. I can't wait for Obama to trek to Las Vegas to stump for Harry. It is widely believed that Billy-Bob Clinton saved Senator Blanche Lincoln's bacon in Arkansas. Billy hasn't felt so good about himself since Monica flipped her thong in the Oval Office, but he will be on the campaign trail with Dingy Harry.

The man Democrats are calling the most powerful man in the Senate is under 50% in the polls. This from the Wall Street Journal:

...a new poll [June 12th] out by Rasmussen shows Ms. Angle jumping to an 11-point lead over the incumbent [Harry Reid]...Eighty-eight percent of Republicans support her compared to a mere 68% of Democrats who back Mr. Reid. Independents also favor her by 10 points. 

Here's the good stuff: Angle supports the Oath Keepers, a group in law enforcement who are audacious enough to pledge to protect citizens against governmental unconstitutional acts - such as subverting the second amendment, violating a state's sovereignty and, or carrying out a governmental blockade of American cities. That's the agenda of a true constitutionalists.

Angle's angle is to take us out of the U.N. Music to my ears. On the count of three...all together now, Get the U.S. out of the U.N., and the U.N. out of the U.S.

Be still my heart: She wants to privatize Social Security and dump the Departments of Energy and Education' repeal the 16th Amendment which enslaved Americans with the federal income tax and maybe, institute a Flat tax. Angle does not plan to leave us taxless. Puhleeeese! All of you constipated idiots out there opining that she would "make it impossible for the government to work," grow up. Both Fair and Flat tax experts show how it be done, and be revenue neutral.

Ms. Angle had the endorsement of many of the Tea Parties, and The Club for Growth.

Believe me, Americans are thirsty for a Sharron Angle. Harry Reid doesn't know what's coming at him, his Democrat money be damned, but HuffPo says Angle is providing a "treasure chest of goodies" for Dirty Harry. The naivete, or maybe fear, is as thick as $100 bills in a Nevada casino.

Friends, we have to send our money to Sharron Angle. She campaigned out of her house. I know she will be respectful of our money, and use it to get the job done. Nevadans will be buried in television spots for Reid. Visit her website here, donate if you can, if you can't talk about her, and we will retire Harry Reid - maybe nudge him out of his Washington, D.C. penthouse.




Sharron Angle and Sean Hannity (video)
Linked by Memeorandum - see the discussion there.

Harry Reid Just Voted Against Border Fence via Jim DeMint via Twitter

Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) tweets that Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) just voted AGAINST the border fence. DeMint proposed an ammendment to suspend a rule that governs how legislation is voted on, in order to get the fence moving. Democrats have voted down completing the border fencing over and over, and today was no different. See the list of Senators voting against Sen. DeMint's supplemental amendment here, or check the list below. How did your Senators vote?

Jim DeMint

From DeMint's website:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) today announced that he will seek a vote on his amendment to the supplemental appropriations bill to require the completion of 700 miles of double-layer physical fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border within one year. The amendment is cosponsored by U.S. Senators John McCain (R-Arizona), Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma), David Vitter (R-Louisiana) and Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska).

Democrats have already twice blocked Senator DeMint’s amendment to finish the border fence from receiving a vote. To ensure a vote on this critical issue, Senator DeMint will now move to suspend the rules of the Senate to allow passage of the border fence amendment, requiring 67 votes for passage.

“Democrats killed this amendment behind closed doors last year and they’ve blocked a simple vote for weeks, but today we’ll see who is serious about border security,” said Senator DeMint. “We have a national security emergency at our Southern border and we must act immediately. Violence and crime are rampant near the border, including drug cartels, human trafficking, gang activity, kidnapping and murder. Yesterday, we learned a terrorist group linked to Al Qaeda may have entered the U.S. through Mexico. And reports indicate that tens of thousands of people entered the U.S. illegally last year from nations around the globe, including from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan and Yemen.”

“The President’s move to send National Guard troops to the border is a temporary and insufficient solution to a long-term problem. And the virtual fence has been a virtual disaster. We need a real layered fence that has proven effective, and we need it now. A layered border fence will not solve the problems of illegal immigration and violence on the border overnight, but it is an essential step to controlling our borders and gaining Americans’ trust to finally reform our legal immigration system,” said Senator DeMint.

Senator DeMint's amendment was already approved last year by the Senate in a bipartisan 54-44 vote, with 21 Democrats joining 33 Republicans in support of the measure. However, Democrat leaders gutted the amendment behind closed doors after “the Obama administration had opposed rapid expansion of the fence.”

Senator DeMint's amendment follows through on the four-year-old promise made by Congress to secure the border under the Secure Fence Act of 2006. According to staff at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), just a fraction of double-layer fencing has been completed to date, with only 34.3 miles of double layer fencing in total (11.8 in California, 9.1 in Arizona, and 13.4 in Texas). Areas where layered fencing has been completed in Arizona and California have shown significant drops in the level of border crossings.

If Senator DeMint’s amendment is signed into law, DHS Secretary Napolitano will be required to submit a report to Congress within six months (or 180 days) after enactment of the law on the progress made and her plans for completing the fence within twelve months.

Alphabetical by Senator Name

Akaka (D-HI), Nay Alexander (R-TN), Yea Barrasso (R-WY), Yea Baucus (D-MT), Yea Bayh (D-IN), Yea Begich (D-AK), Nay Bennet (D-CO), Nay Bennett (R-UT), Yea Bingaman (D-NM), Nay Bond (R-MO), Yea Boxer (D-CA), Nay Brown (D-OH), Nay Brown (R-MA), Yea Brownback (R-KS), Yea Bunning (R-KY), Yea Burr (R-NC), Yea Burris (D-IL), Nay Byrd (D-WV), Nay Cantwell (D-WA), Nay Cardin (D-MD), Nay Carper (D-DE), Nay Casey (D-PA), Nay Chambliss (R-GA), Not Voting Coburn (R-OK), Yea Cochran (R-MS), Yea Collins (R-ME), Yea Conrad (D-ND), Nay Corker (R-TN), Yea Cornyn (R-TX), Yea Crapo (R-ID), Yea DeMint (R-SC), Yea Dodd (D-CT), Nay Dorgan (D-ND), Nay Durbin (D-IL), Nay

Ensign (R-NV), Yea Enzi (R-WY), Yea Feingold (D-WI), Nay Feinstein (D-CA), Nay Franken (D-MN), Nay Gillibrand (D-NY), Nay Graham (R-SC), Yea Grassley (R-IA), Yea Gregg (R-NH), Yea Hagan (D-NC), Nay Harkin (D-IA), Nay Hatch (R-UT), Yea Hutchison (R-TX), Yea Inhofe (R-OK), Yea Inouye (D-HI), Nay Isakson (R-GA), Yea Johanns (R-NE), Yea Johnson (D-SD), Nay Kaufman (D-DE), Nay Kerry (D-MA), Nay Klobuchar (D-MN), Nay Kohl (D-WI), Nay Kyl (R-AZ), Yea Landrieu (D-LA), Yea Lautenberg (D-NJ), Nay Leahy (D-VT), Nay LeMieux (R-FL), Yea Levin (D-MI), Nay Lieberman (ID-CT), Nay Lincoln (D-AR), Not Voting Lugar (R-IN), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Yea McCaskill (D-MO), Not Voting McConnell (R-KY), Yea

Menendez (D-NJ), Nay Merkley (D-OR), Nay Mikulski (D-MD), Nay Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Murray (D-WA), Nay Nelson (D-FL), Nay Nelson (D-NE), Yea Pryor (D-AR), Nay Reed (D-RI), Nay Reid (D-NV), Nay Risch (R-ID), Yea Roberts (R-KS), Yea Rockefeller (D-WV), Yea Sanders (I-VT), Nay Schumer (D-NY), Nay Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shaheen (D-NH), Nay Shelby (R-AL), Yea Snowe (R-ME), Yea Specter (D-PA), Nay Stabenow (D-MI), Nay Tester (D-MT), Yea Thune (R-SD), Yea Udall (D-CO), Nay Udall (D-NM), Nay Vitter (R-LA), Yea Voinovich (R-OH), Nay Warner (D-VA), Nay Webb (D-VA), Nay Whitehouse (D-RI), Nay Wicker (R-MS), Yea Wyden (D-OR), Nay

The Lonely Conservative, up there in upper New York State says both of her Senators voted against the fence.

Harry Reid Trails Sue Lowden: Reid Needs Crossover Republicans and Independents

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) is losing his war against the America people. Not in the way he said our troops were "losing" the war, but in the way that sends him packing up from Capitol Hill in full retreat.

Sue Lowden

The Las Vegas Review-Journal says for Harry to pull this out, he "must pick up far more support from crossover Republicans and independents, if he wants to have a chance of winning. I'm thinking Reid won't find many, if any, of either.

The survey of Nevada voters commissioned by the Review-Journal shows Reid getting 37 percent of the vote compared with 47 percent for Republican Sue Lowden, who would win if the election were today, while the slate of third-party and nonpartisan candidates would get slim to no backing.

The latest Mason-Dixon poll for the first time measured Reid's and Lowden's support in a full general election test instead of in a head-to-head or three-way matchup to see how much of the vote the record number of Senate candidates on the Nov. 2 ballot would siphon off from the Democratic incumbent and the top GOP challenger, pollster Brad Coker said. 

"The bottom line is that adding all these minor candidates won't really bleed support away exclusively from the Republican," Coker said. "They're not really bleeding much support from either candidate, Reid or Lowden, and if they do siphon off votes, it'll probably be about half and half."...

It may come down to this:

According to the poll, Reid is picking up 4 percent of Republican voters and 27 percent of independents while Lowden is winning 84 percent of the GOP vote and garnering 49 percent of the swing nonpartisan voters, whom analysts said will make the difference in the 2010 race.

As for Democrats, Reid is getting support from 70 percent of his own party compared with 15 percent for Lowden, mostly because conservative Democrats in rural Nevada often vote Republican, analysts say.

Harry Reid is well-practiced in ignoring truth. Here is even more evidence than already seen in his Senate performances:

Previously, Reid and his campaign have argued that the senator would win any general election contest because the full slate of candidates would splinter the vote, allowing him to eke out a slim victory with less than half the total. But the new poll discounts that re-election scenario. 

Still, Reid spokesman Jon Summers sounded confident Thursday that Reid could win a fifth term.

According to the poll, Reid is picking up 4 percent of Republican voters and 27 percent of independents while Lowden is winning 84 percent of the GOP vote and garnering 49 percent of the swing nonpartisan voters, whom analysts said will make the difference in the 2010 race. As for Democrats, Reid is getting support from 70 percent of his own party compared with 15 percent for Lowden, mostly because conservative Democrats in rural Nevada often vote Republican, analysts say.

Watch the video and see how wrong one man can be.



Harry Reid - The War is Lost (video) Thanks to David Lemon for the tip.

Scott Ashjian Arrest Looms? Tea Party Pretender Scott Ashjian Lawsuits

Scott Ashjian, a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives from Las Vegas, may be facing arrest. Ashjian filed to run for office under the Tea Party Nevada ticket, but Tea Party members in the area, say he is definitely not one them.

Scott Ashjian

Ashjian, who says he has 27 small businesses wrote a $5,000 hot check from his now-defunct asphalt business. He is charged with a felony. The Nevada Clark Count District Attorney has filed paperwork requesting Ashjian's arrest and is awaiting a judge's signature.

Apparently Ashjian does not plan to pay the debt, even though:

A spokesperson for the DA's office tells CNN these types of cases are often dismissed without charges if the debt is paid. 

In a television interview recently, he said he he was not aware about the charges. 

Nevada Tea Parties insist Ashjian is working on behalf of Democrat Senator Harry Reid, and attempting to "siphon" votes from conservative candidates. Tea Party Express sent a videotape message to Ashjian, saying "get lost."

Tim Fasano, a candidate running on the Independent American Party platform, has filed a lawsuit against Scott Ashjian, trying to get Ashjian's name removed from the ballot.

Fasano argues Ashjian was not a member of the Tea Party when he filled out paperwork to run for office and therefore isn't legally entitled to run....

Mr. Ashjian apparently doesn't believe he needs to follow the rules

And Fasano accused Ashjian of trying "to usurp the Tea Party's good name" to "run for the Senate as a Trojan horse to bleed off conservatives votes." 

ChicagoRay has commentary on a possible Ashjian arrest, and some interesting information from Laura Ingraham's 'Need to Know."

Background on Ashjian:
Scott Ashjian Felony Theft Charge: Tea Party Pretender?

Jon Scott Ashjian is Harry Reid Mole in Tea Party Disguise?

Muslim Norman Leboon Arrested in Eric Cantor Threat

Muslim Norman Leboon, who says he is "a Shia Muslim who loves Allah," but also says in other videos "I am the Messiah," was arrested in Philadelphia for posting a YouTube video threatening Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA) and his family. The video was pulled. More as details are available.

Norman Leboon

According to The Hill, Leboon has also made threats against Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), yet donated twice to Barack Obama, totaling $505 in contributions. The DNC says they will donate any contributions made to Democrats by Leboon.

"Your punishment is coming, the swine, it will be severa, and you will beg for mercy to your god. It will be severe, you will know god's swine, god has warned you."

Over the weekend, law enforcement notified Cantor that there was a threat against his life, and was told authorities deemed the threat credible. Just a week ago, a window in Rep. Cantor's office was shot through.

Leboon says he is Prophet Norman, God's last messenger here on earth. He posts his videos under shiamuslimcantbestopped.

Some of Leboon's video titles:

For President Only (snippets):

President Obama: You have denied and defied your God and your presidency has not been going well...You will be destroyed by God. You don't know who you are...the unemployment rate will be 35% by June of next year, Mr. President of unemployment...There will be a single currency...God destroyed your Citibank...God destroyed your GM and your Chrysler...December 2, 2009 is a day of reckoning...Yes God has given me great power with the Angel Gabriel...The days of hate against Blacks, Women, Jews, it's over. God put Joe Biden as Vice President as I was at his birthday party to save his life, I was at Joe Biden's birthday party to save his life...because Satan wanted him destroyed...you know this Mr. President...you know this. You need to grow up and humble yourself to God...God is very angry with you Mr. President. You need to read the Bible because you are a Christian...stop listening to Ph.D.'s with hate in your heart. 

To Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 9-19-09 is God's Day
For Hamas Only
To the Pop of Rome
YouTube employees will ALL lose their first born
CNN will burn to the ground (he begins by saying I'm the Messiah!) See this video.

The Lonely Conservative has more from Philly.

Sarah Palin Searchlight Nevada Speech Video: Not a Time to Retreat. Time to Reload

Not a time to retreat, it's a time to reload. the first video is a snippet. The second video, is the full speech. Listen to the "teleprompter" comment in the second.(the sound in the second video gets better at about 2 minutes in.

The Lonely Conservative says Reid supporters threw eggs at the Tea Party Express bus - all 35 of them! A possible 10,000 Palin and Tea Party supporters may have attended the rally. At one time, Highway 95 had traffic lined up for 1 mile. Entry was shut down for lack of parking.

More from The Lonely Conservative about tweets of death treats to Sarah Palin and her family.

Sarah Palin Speech at Searchlight - Not time to retreat. Time to reload! (video)

Sarah Palin's Entire Searchlight Nevada Speech (video)

Related and Background:

Sarah Palin at Showdown in Searchlight: Tea Party Express Kicks off Patriot Woodstock as they Kick Reid Out

Linked by The Lonely Conservative - Thank You!

Sarah Palin at Showdown in Searchlight: Tea Party Express Kicks Off Patriot Woodstock as they Kick Reid Out

Sarah Palin is in Searchlight, Nevada this moment talking at a Tea Party Express event, known as a Conservative Woodstock, or as I like to call it, the Patriot Woodstock rally. Searchlight is Senator Harry Reid's (D-NV) hometown. Tea Party Express and Sarah are kicking off the next Express Bus as they try to kick Harry right out of his corrupted Senate seat. Updates and video when available.

Showdown in Searchlight - Patriot Woodstock

The Other McCain, Stacy McCain, is in Searchlight and covering the event (which is lovin' Sarah). He has photos up from last night and I'm certain, will be posting more after the event. Here's our own McCain, not to be confused with John McCain, having fun in Las Vegas, and standing on the speaker's stand last night, where Sarah is bringing down the house right now.

Stacy McCain

Follow McCain's reporting which is sure to be spicy. FOX is reporting a line of cars one-mile long an hour before the rally. Estimates are in excess of 10,000 people in Searchlight - and that's after entry was closed for lack of parking. The cameras panned and the crowd is huge. We'll see what McCain tells us.

Jon Scott Ashjian is Harry Reid Mole in Tea Party Disguise? Scott Ashjian Tea Party Pretender?

Have you heard about this? Jon Scott Ashjian is running against Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) on the Tea Party of Nevada ticket, but appears to have no backing from the movement. Tea Partiers say they've never heard of him, never seen him at a Tea Party meeting...the message to Ashjian: "Get Lost." See the video below.

Scott Ashjian

Ashjian has an IRS lien on his property due to an unpaid tax bill for $200,000+, and one of his numerous small businesses, A&A Asphalt Paving Company is defending a lawsuit claiming the company passed a bad check in October 2009 for $981. Ashjian closed the company a month later. He will be in court later this month defending his contracting license. This from the Las Vegas Sun:

In Sun interviews, Ashjian said the IRS lien and the Contractors Board were news to him, which he said is not surprising fiven his sprawling business enterprise, which he said includes 27 properties.

There are reports referring to Ashjian as a "wealthy" businessman - and apparently one who refuses to pay his tax bills.

Sue Lowden, considered to be the Republican with the best chance of unseating Reid, says it is "a little strange. I don't know who this person is. He's never been involved with anything that I'm aware of in this state."

Tea Party Express spokesman Mark Williams says Ashjian is in the race to split the ticket and hand the race to Harry Reid.  Source: The Daily Caller.

This quote is attributed to Williams, which seems to suggest that Ashjian has made some very controversial remarks, not welcome or acceptable to Tea Partiers:

"Case in point, those people who call themselves Tea Partiers while engaging in racist or homophobic behavior, Williams wrote. "Same goes for those who misrepresent themselves for the purposes of personal gain or in some misguided effort to confuse the general public."

Maybe Williams will explain the accusations of "racist or homophobic behavior." If it's true, we need to know it.

According to Reid-B-Gone (love that), a Tea Party Express event this weekend in Searchlight, Nevada, Harry Reid's hometown, won't see Scott Asjian on the speaker's stage, and his invitation didn't get lost in the mail.

But here's a twist: The Examiner's Mark Anderson looked at every campaign contribution from the last name "Ashjian" around the country, and found the contributions decidedly support Republicans. Trying to find any information on donations made to Scott Ashjian for the Nevada race yields nothing, but this says Ashjian plans to fund his own campaign. Maybe Ashjian wanted to run, had no political connections, and glommed on to a Tea Party. So what do you think? Is Ashjian a Reid mole or a Tea Partier in disguise?


Photo Credit: Sam Morris - Las Vegas Sun



Mark Williams of Tea Party Express about Scott Ashjian (video)

Public Option in House Reconciliation Bill? Single Payer Battle Cry

A Public Option is found in the House Reconciliation bill released yesterday. Section 221 on page 1167 is titled: Subtitle B -- Public Health Insurance Option - Establishment and Administration of a Public Health Insurance Option as an Exchange-Qualified Health Benefits Plan...unless that title doesn't mean what it says:

(a) Establishment. -- For years beginning with Y1, the Secretary of Health and Human Services (in this sub-title referred to as the "Secretary") shall provide for the offering of an Exhange-participating health benefits plan (in this subdivision referred to as the "public health insurance option") that ensures choice, competition, and stability of affordable, high quality coverage throughout the United States in accordance with this subtitle. In designing the option, the Secretary's primary responsibility is to create a low-cost plan without compromising quality or access to care.

In the meantime, Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) sent a letter to uber Liberal senators, Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) and Jeff Merkly (D-Ore) saying there will be an opportunity to vote on a public option in "coming months,"...but a public option is already in the House Reconciliation bill.

If I understand the process correctly, once the Senate bill is passed or "deemed" to be passed and sent to President Obama, and he signs it, we then have the Senate Health Care bill as the law of the land. Then the Senate takes up work on the reconciliation bill which will need only a 50+1 vote to pass, rather than a super-majority vote of 60.

Every vote cast for health care in general, and/or the reconciliation bill, is a vote for a public option as soon as Democrats can get it done - if not now, later, but single payer is the battle cry. My apologies if Public Health Insurance Option does not mean Public Health Insurance Option.

Harry Reid's Wife: Landra Reid in Hospital with Broken Back Neck Nose

Senator Harry Reid's wife, Landra and daughter, Lana, were involved in a serious automobile accident today. Mrs. Reid (69) is reportedly in-hospital in serious condition with a broken back, neck and nose.

Landra Reid

According to the Washington Post, Mrs. Reid's car was "rear-ended and crushed by a fully loaded tractor-trailer," today. The Reid's daughter, Lana Reid-Barringer (48) has been released from the hospital with facial lacerations and a neck injury, according to FOXNews.

The accident happened northbound on I-95 at about 1:10 PM. Mrs. Reid was driving a 2005 Honda Odyssey van. She was pushed into a third vehicle, and that car then hit another. Mrs. Reid's car was crushed from both ends. The driver of the tractor-trailer has been charged with reckless driving.

Obama, Clinton, Schumer, Reid on Nuclear Option and Naked Power Grab (Video)

The video below stars then-Senator Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Chuck Schumer, Joe Biden and Harry Reid. In 2005, the Senators were piling shame on Republicans for using Reconciliation, also known as the Nuclear Option. Note that Republicans DID NOT use Reconciliation. The video follows some history on Reconciliation and the Nuclear Option.

Video pull-out quote:

I pray God when the Democrats take back control we don't make the kind of naked power grab you are asking. ~ Senator Joe Biden 2005

While researching Senate Rule XXII, cloture, filibusters and Reconciliation (nuclear option), I found a long essay which says Rule XXII is not what the Founders had in mind:

Rule twenty-two lends itself to criticism just in its very nature. The idea of a supermajority being needed in order to do the business of the country upsets a lot of reformers who wish to see what the founders pictured: a majority driven legislature. 

A vital note about Reconciliation, the Nuclear Option, comes from The Snooper Report, which reminds us that the only time Reconciliation can be used  is in passage of a budget bill. The health care bill is not a part of a budget bill...yet. Here's how that will work:

Congress includes reconciliation instructions in the budget. Those instructions direct certain committees -- say, the Finance Committee and the Health, Energy, Labor, and Pensions Committee -- to produce health-reform legislation hitting certain spending targets by a certain deadline. Once finished, the legislation is tossed back to the Budget Committee, which staples it together into an omnibus bill and sends it to the floor of the Senate for 20 hours of debate followed by an up-or-down vote.    

Senator Robert Byrd has a "rule" named after him - The Byrd Rule. The question is, will the Byrd Rule rule when it comes to Obama's health care?

The Byrd rule states that legislation is unfit for reconciliation if it "produce[s] changes in outlays or revenue which are merely incidental to the non-budgetary components of the provision." I asked Jim Horney, a budget expert at the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, how you define "merely incidental." And what, exactly, is a "provision"?

He sighed. A provision, he said, is "not defined anywhere. It goes well below a title or section of a bill and even below a paragraph. But exactly what it is nobody knows." And the Senate rules offer no more clarity on the definition of "merely incidental." Asked if anyone had developed an accepted meaning, Horney seemed almost apologetic. "No," he said. "Absolutely not."

The matter is not simply academic: The Byrd rule allows senators to challenge the acceptability of any provision (undefined) of a reconciliation bill based on whether or not its effect on government revenues is "merely incidental" (undefined). Thus, if you enter reconciliation with a health-reform bill, it's not clear what's left after each and every provision -- however that is defined -- is challenged and a certain number of them are deleted altogether: the tax portions, certainly. And the government subsidies. But is regulating insurers "merely incidental" to government revenues? How about reforming hospital delivery systems? How about incentives for preventive treatment? Or the construction of a public plan? An individual mandate?  

A supermajority vote of 60 was needed until 1975, under a Republican President and a Democrat Congress holding the majority in both the House and the Senate: Source.

The liberal Senate majority, determined not to be blocked by endless argument over legislation in a period of economic crisis, last week approved a compromise that achieved the first new limitation on debate since 1959. A filibuster will be choked off if 60 Senators (three-fifths of the total membership) vote to do so. That is seven less than the number (two-thirds) that had been required under the Senate's celebrated Rule 22, assuming the entire Senate was present and voting....

The fight was led by Democratic Senators Walter Mondale of Minnesota and James Pearson of Kansas, with an invaluable assist from Vice President Nelson Rockefeller, whose partisanship as presiding officer enraged his conservative critics....

Although conservative Senators angrily assailed Rockefeller for this high-handed tactic, Rocky was technically right. The Senate rules specifically permit the presiding officer to ignore a parliamentary inquiry when he believes it is being used as a dilatory tactic.

In 2005, when Democrats threatened to filibuster Bush's judicial nominations, Senator Bill Frist suggested that a filibuster on judicial nominees was inconsistent with the constitutional grant of power, and have VP Dick Cheney rule a simple majority was all that was needed to seat the nominees. Other events intervened and what was to be known as the Nuclear Option was not used.

History of the Nuclear Option:

The Senate's rules have allowed unlimited debate, or filibusters, since 1806, when senators dropped a rule that allowed a majority of the Senate to put an end to discussion and call for a vote. For the next 111 years, there was no way to stop a filibuster once it had started. 

But in 1917, when filibusters were blocking Woodrow Wilson's plans for World War I, the Senate adopted Rule XXII, which allowed senators to end a filibuster by a two-thirds vote on a motion to cut off debate -- a procedure called "cloture." 

In 1975 the Senate amended Rule XXII so that cloture required, in most cases, the vote of not two-thirds but rather three-fifths of the senators. In today's 50-state, 100-member Senate, that means it takes 60 rather than 67 senators to put an end to most filibusters. 

The Founders did not "found" the filibuster.

There, however, is no constitutional framework that says that senators should not have the right to unlimited debate. But, the filibuster which permits a small minority and even one Senator to stop a piece of legislation, was not intended by the framers at all. In fact, it has been argued by some that because the Constitution does lay down the times when a supermajority is needed, (e.g. 2/3 vote for convicting an impeached president and for signing treaties), therefore, only a majority should be needed to pass any legislation. This is further backed up by the Supreme Court Decision in United States v. Ballin, 1892. 

In this case, Justice David Brewer, speaking for the majority says, “the general rule of all parliamentary bodies is that when a majority is present, the act of the majority of the quorum is the act of the body. This has been the rule for all time, except so far as in any given case, the terms of the organic act under which the body is assembled have prescribed specific limitations. ”

About Cloture:

What is cloture? In simple terms, it is the ability of a supermajority to shut off debate thus ending a filibuster. Any senator may file a motion of cloture providing that sixteen senators have signed it. Two days after a cloture motion is presented to the presiding officer, it is available for a vote one hour after the senate convenes. After cloture has been invoked, the Senators have thirty hours to debate, add amendments, and raise points of order . Once the thirty hours are completed, a vote on the pending legislation will be taken. Also it is important to note that once cloture is invoked, senators are only allowed to introduce germane amendments.

Cloture has not always been like this. When rule twenty-two was adopted in 1917, it took 2/3 of the Senate who was present to vote for cloture providing there was a quorum. In 1949, rule 22 was amended to state that 2/3 of the entire senate, or 67 members were required to vote to end debate. In 1959, rule 22 was amended again lowering the required number of senators to 2/3 of those who were present and voting. In 1975, cloture was lowered to 3/5 of membership or 60 members to vote for it. Since the drop in the number of members needed to invoke cloture, cloture votes were twice as successful then in the period from 1959.

The other major reform that took place in cloture was the time allotted to debate after cloture was invoked. Originally rule 22 never specified the amount of time that was permitted for debate after cloture was invoked, senators began to exploit the rule in the late 1970s. They started what became known as the post-cloture filibuster, where after debate had been supposedly ended, they would continue to tie up the floor with more debate, amendments, and points of order. For example, Senator X would have control over the floor and ask for every amendment to be read, despite relevance or necessity. This post-cloture filibuster would eat up a large amount of time. 

Thus, in 1979, the Senate amended rule 22 to state that post-cloture debate would be limited to one hundred hours or one hour per Senator. The only problem with this reform was that the one hundred hours did not include points of order or readings of amendments, so the post-cloture filibuster still worked in delaying the passage of a bill. Again in 1986, the senate voted to amend rule 22 to limit post-cloture debate to 30 hours including all points of order. This recent amendment has pretty much eliminated the post-cloture filibuster. 

This is what happens when we fool around with the original intent of the Founders.




Democrats Rail Over Nuclear Option 2005 (video)

Barbara Boxer Senate Seat Vulnerable: Rassmussen Poll Shows Babs Stagnant

A new Rassmussen poll shows Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) may face some fierce competition for her U.S. Senate seat, and to-date, has not been able to climb her poll numbers to 50%

 

Senator Barbara Boxer

From a Rassmussen telephone poll of 500 likely voters taken February 11th:

Republican Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, and a John McCain adviser in his 2008 presidential bid, Fiorina shows at 47% to Democrat Boxer's 46%, 7% would vote for "other," and 5% are "not sure." The polling is "virtually unchanged from January." In November 2008, Boxer led Fiorina by 9 points and 10 points in September 2008.

In the same poll, when Boxer is polled against Republican Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, Boxer gains 1%, and stands at 47% to DeVore's 42%, 6% would vote for "other," and 5% are "not sure." In January 2010 , Boxer led DeVore by 6% and in November by 10%.

When the polls pits Boxer against Republican former Congressman Tom Campbell, Boxer gets 45% to Campbell's 41%. In this matchup, 4% would vote for "other," and 10% are "not sure."  Boxer has had the same lead against Campbell since he entered the race in January.

From Rasmussen:

Most troubling for Boxer...is her continuing inability to cross the 50% threshold against any GOP hopefuls. Incumbents who capture less than 50% of the vote at this state of the campaign are considered vulnerable.

The fact that Boxer’s support has been stuck in the mid-40s for several surveys no matter which Republican she is matched against continues to suggest that the race for now is about her rather than about those who are running against her. 

This from the LA Times which refers to Babs as "brittle." Love it! And, they muse the chances of her becoming "embattled at home," and becoming the next Harry Reid.

For a Democrat in a Democrat state that gave Barack Obama 61% of its votes in 2008 (and still likes him more than many other places) to be mired in the mid-40's is a sign of real trouble. This is especially so given the fact that disgruntled voters gave Democrats control of the House, Senate and White House in 2008, expecting something to....

The LATimes says Californians are disappointment at the lack of stimulus in the stimulus bill, and drop this little gem: Brittle Babs has Al Gore fundraising for her.

The poll shows that a large majority of California women favor Boxer, but not so with California men. Overall, 26% of Californians have a favorable opinion of Barbara Boxer, and 33% view her unfavorably.

The poll shows a very low job approval for Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; 59% trust the judgment of the American people on national issues, more than that of our political leaders; and 67% believe the federal government has become a special interest group. Very interesting poll.


Related and Background:
Barbara Boxer Assaults General: Ignorant, Arrogant, Disingenuous, Undeserving to Question a General (video)

Jim Inhofe and Barbara Boxer - Cap and Trade: Boxer Breaks Written Committee Rule

Barbara Boxer Retort to Jim Inhofe: We won!

Mr. Obama goes to Nevada to Save Harry Reid

Obama will travel to Nevada next month to try to save Senator Harry Reid's political future. Does it get any better than this? Source: Roll Call.

White House Secret to Get Single Payer - Congress Abdicates Power to Executive Branch

On the heels of two articles by Jim Simpson at The Examiner detailing Universal Voter Fraud Registration to steal your vote, BigGovernment's SusanAnne Hiller explains how a single-payer health care plan will come to be. Congress will abdicate some of their power to the Executive Branch, and it can be done even if health care legislation fails.

It all has to do with stealing the authority to manipulate your social security and the path to do that is written into the health care bill. If the bill fails, nevermind, there are two pieces of legislation waiting in the wings to transfer Medicare out of Social Security and into the hands of the Executive Branch.

The deliberate setup for the White House power grab is built into the each of the health care bills and, if they fail, little-known twin bills called “MedPAC Reform of 2009” are waiting in the wings.  The bills, S.B. 1110 and H.R. 2718, craftily amend the Social Security Act and transfer the Medicare guideline and rule setting processes, from the legislative branch to the executive branch.  These bills offer cover to one another in case one doesn’t pass the House or Senate, respectively.  Remember, Democrats need to gain executive branch authority by amending the Social Security Act over Medicare regulations and physician fee schedules to transform the health care system in a single-payer, socialized system.

More importantly, Medicare’s regulations and physician fee schedules are the keystone to developing payer systems and reimbursement models across the entire health care industry.  And where Medicare goes, insurers follow.

Not wary yet?

Specifically, the language in the Reid bill intentionally places unlimited power directly in the hands of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, including the ability to designate covered services, or rationing.  The Pelosi bill creates a Health Choices Commission and its “commissioner” is empowered to make the same decisions.  More alarming, both will have to take direction from the White House–and its unconfirmed czars–due to their executive branch affiliation.

 After a thorough overview of exactly what is going on, Hiller says:

In any of these legislative scenarios–Pelosi, Reid or MedPAC bills–the White House gets the power it seeks–and needs–in order to accomplish the task at hand–a single payer, government-run health system.

Read the story at BigGovernment. Get on the phone and ask your Congressmen if they know about the provisions in the health care bill, and if they know about S.B. 1110 and H.R. 2718. Quite frankly, they probably do not. Read about Universal Voter Registration: What the Dems know that we don't, here, here and here.

Harry Reid Exempts Nevada: Senate Finance Committee Exempt Reid's Nevada from Expanded Medicaid

Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) knows his senate seat is on the line in 2010 election. His buddies on the Senate Finance Committee, specifically in Max Baucus' proposal, have exempted Nevada from paying their share of the state's new expanded Medicaid costs in the health care reform bill.

Harry Reid

Under that proposal, states will be required to cover all residents living below 133 percent of the federal poverty level, or $29,327 for a family of four. And while Washington would pick up most of the tab of that expansion, states will have to pay a percentage (between 5 percent and 23 percent depending on the relative wealth of the state).

The changes came at the expense of other states, including California, Florida and Illinois, which would see significant increases in state Medicaid spending under the new formula.”

 Other "high need states" are also exempted, but those states have not been officially revealed. Apparently, there are parameters that must be met to meet Senate Finance Chair, Max Baucus', criteria: According to this report, Michigan, Oregon and Rhode Island may quality for exemption.

This is "deal making" at its most egregious. My state will be forced to bear its share of the cost. Your state, unless it is one of the Baucus Four, will be forced to bear its share of the cost of expanded Medicaid - with taxpayer money.

States included in the Baucus Four will receive 100 percent of Medicaid government-mandated increased costs from the government - that means you and I pay more.

Rhode Island has a Republican governor who is term-limited in 2010. Perfect seat for yet another Democrat governor with this little help courtesy the U.S. Senate. Oregon and Michigan have Democrat governors, also 2010 term-limited. Each of the Baucus Four states voted Democrat in the 2008  presidential election.

The email address for the Senate Finance Committee is Health_Reform@finance-dem.senate.gov. I have sent my email. (update: the email came back as undeliverable)

The members of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee are:

Democrat Members:

MAX BAUCUS, MT   Phone: 202-224-2652
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, WV
KENT CONRAD, ND
JEFF BINGAMAN, NM
JOHN F. KERRY, MA
BLANCHE L. LINCOLN, AR
RON WYDEN, OR
CHARLES E. SCHUMER, NY
DEBBIE STABENOW, MI
MARIA CANTWELL, WA
BILL NELSON, FL
ROBERT MENENDEZ, NJ
THOMAS CARPER, DE


Republican Members:
CHUCK GRASSLEY, IA
ORRIN G. HATCH, UT
OLYMPIA J. SNOWE, ME
JON KYL, AZ
JIM BUNNING, KY
MIKE CRAPO, ID
PAT ROBERTS, KS
JOHN ENSIGN, NV
MIKE ENZI, WY
JOHN CORNYN, TX

Hot Air reports that the Committee tried to get the Baucus health care reform bill out of committee and on the floor for a vote before Congressional Budget Office (CBO) could give its assessment of the cost of the mammoth assault on American taxpayers. Read it at Hot Air.