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J. Scott Applewhite / AP
In this Jan. 4, 2013, photo, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, walks to a strategy session with GOP members, on Capitol Hill in Washington at the start of the first full day of business for the new 113th Congress.
Throughout the 2012 presidential campaign, President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress confidently predicted that the re-election of the president would break the partisan “fever” they claimed had enveloped Washington and the Republican Party.
But the weeks since the election have found Republicans as dogged as ever in their resistance to Obama, whose initiatives – including gun control, immigration reform and efforts to boost renewable energy – still face an uncertain path forward, particularly in an unruly House of Representatives still controlled by a Republican majority. Republicans are signaling a willingness to go to great lengths to bend coming battles in their favor, especially versus a White House whom they view as just as unflinching in its views, if not more so.
“I believe if we're successful – when we’re successful in this election – the fever may break. My hope and my expectation is that after the election, now that it turns out the goal of beating Obama doesn’t make much sense because I’m not running again,” Obama said at an event on June 1. “We can start getting some cooperation again, and we’re not going to have people raising their hands and saying – or refusing to accept a deal where there’s $10 of cuts for every dollar of tax increases, but that people will accept a balanced plan for deficit reduction.”
That was an expectation the Obama administration carried all the way through the campaign; Vice President Joe Biden said on MSNBC just days before Election Day: “I think you’re going to see the fever break.”
President Obama nominated Chuck Hagel to defense secretary on Monday, January 7, 2013. The Morning Joe panel -- including the Council on Foreign Relations' Richard Haass and Dan Senor -- discusses why several top GOP lawmakers are having a tough time with the president's nomination.
But the just-finished fight over the fiscal cliff suggested that, if anything, Republicans are more entrenched than ever before. While Obama ultimately won the income tax rate increases on the wealthy, on which the president campaigned, it wasn’t until Republicans had exhausted every feasible move that they relented to Obama’s demand. And even then, it wasn’t until the U.S. had gone over the fiscal cliff – if only for a matter of hours – that Congress agreed to act, passing the bill in the House with mostly Democratic votes.
Debt limit a 'point of leverage'
But Obama might be mistaken to assume his toughest fights with congressional Republicans are behind him. While Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s vow to make Obama a one-term president is now moot, Republicans appear as emboldened as ever to both battle with the administration and keep true to their the ideological conservatism that a large number in the party represent.
The temporary fiscal cliff deal sets up a series of potentially more contentious battles this spring over continuing government funding and authorizing more borrowing authority for the government. And top Republicans are now openly discussing options, like a government shutdown, that they had taken every pain to disavow in 2011.
"It may be necessary to partially shut down the government in order to secure the long-term fiscal well being of our country," Texas Sen. John Cornyn, Republicans' No. 2 in the Senate, wrote last week in the Houston Chronicle. "President Obama needs to take note of this reality and put forward a plan to avoid it immediately."
The government will reach its debt limit next month, and unless Congress raises the debt ceiling, the U.S. will default on 40 percent of its obligations. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., explains what will happen to the economy, if the U.S. defaults.
And House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, called the debt limit fight "one point of leverage" in an interview with the Wall Street Journal; a Politico report, also published Monday, suggested the House speaker was more circumspect about the possibility of defaulting on the national debt. In 2011, Boehner stressed at every turn that defaulting on the U.S. debt was not an option.
Senate Republicans’ budget chief was more explicit: “I think it should be a firm principle that we should not raise the debt ceiling until we have a plan on how the new borrowed money will be spent,” Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
If Obama was hoping there were more deals to be had on taxes, too, Republicans all but tried to slam the door on such an idea.
“We’ve resolved the tax issue now. It’s over. It’s behind us,” McConnell said Sunday on “Meet the Press.”
Fight over defense secretary
And those are only the spending fights; other clashes are already taking shape.
Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., whom Obama nominated to be the next secretary of defense, appears likely to face strong Republican resistance in the Senate.
Obama has also suggested that he’s willing to dive headlong – and quickly – into battles over comprehensive immigration reform and gun control, fights which could only threaten to intensify hostilities between the White House and congressional Republicans (and put some moderate Democrats in a tough spot politically in the meanwhile).
The president’s second-term initiatives could fall victim to the same fever that killed the DREAM Act, cap-and-trade legislation, the Employee Free Choice Act and the “public option” in health care reform during his first term.
“There will be plenty of time to take a look at their recommendations once they come forward,” McConnell said Sunday of Obama’s hope for quick action on curbing gun violence. “What’s going to dominate Washington for the next three months here is going to be spending and debt.”
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Narcissism or egocentrism...take your pick....
The Republicans know all you have to do is hang around and eventually all the lies and double dealing of this administration will come tumbling down.
Obama and Biden are just a pair of snakes,put in office by the crooked big city political machines,and the lap dog corporate media.
Yeah John and the previous president got into office because his last name was Bush and he rode Daddy's coattails all the way! Cry me a river.
The Republidum party of today cannot be trusted. They will bankrupt you, your grand kids, the country and not care one hoot. The Republidum party as it exists right now will never get a candidate into the White House- there are just too many people who are still suffering as a result of the devastating Bush years. And there are still too many people who remember the rich, white, racist, extremely sexist Republidum presidential candidates of the last two very unsuccessful tries.
I never said Bush was any good,but Obama is no better.
Republican Fever, FEVER!! Goes to show how they misconstrew everything, I'm flat hot under the collar. There is a big difference in deffinition on that point. Boehner, look closer, am I holding up 1 finger or 2?
Apparently no one remembers the past.
This is no different than what the dems. did in 2007 to january of 2009 [in which obama was part of] Butting heads with bush and setting up the big fall in the economy in 2009, again obama was part of that too. Especially Palosi.
During that time esspecialy in 2008 they had complete control, set up and passed the budgets for 2009, and acted just like the GOP are acting today.
Its all public info. LOOK IT UP MORONS!
Very true Snake but when is either or both parties going to strap on their big boy/girl pants and actually come up with a joint approach that begins to solve the problems. As long as party dogmatism and scoring points over the other side are more important than a functioning government that puts the interests of the People first over their own self interests, nothing will happen.
The 99% continue to debate political whatever while the country is being held hostage to insanity that functions as a distraction. The rich get richer. The poor get poorer. The middle is almost gone. Our country is really in trouble. It breaks my heart to witness the foolishness that's occuring. Race, class, politics, region, etc. is the distraction.
RE-3430894 - good to see you using your highest level of 6th grade so well. Nothing more than rantings of a child.
When will the GOP learn that we dont want this stupid person holding the chair. He has his own agenda on what he wants, he even stated that to the house. So why did we put him back in, Ill tell you, so the GOP has a scapegoat come election time. He'll be blamed for for everyone voting democrate and lossing the house. What a bunch of bull, get rid of them all.. vote them out of office so we can get this country back on track. The old ways are over.
obama got what he wanted by the House and guess what....it was not enough, now liberals want more taxes, imagine that. Did obama keep even one of his promises from 08? What a joke.
How could it be enough? Obama offers to cut 600 BILLION.. what did the GOP offer to cut? Oh wait, corporations are people, so we should pay higher taxes so they can keep more of their profits.
Obama kept MANY campaign promises.. but at least he didn't SIGN a pledge to not work with the republicans on anything.
Yeah, GOP - What a joke
ItsAbout Common sense, duh. When obama spends over a trillion a year and wants to cut 600 billion and that's good?? Do the math Einstein. What promises did obama keep, other than to Rev. Wright to destroy America????
VLGil - Who controls spending in the federal government?
The buck stops with obama's pen, correct?
You do the math.. .WHen has the GOP offered to cut their spending on corporations and military welfare? Oh wait Only real people are subject to cuts.. not the GOP Party and their cronies.
P.S. Read ARTICLE 1 Section 8 of the US Constitution. Who is responsible for spending?? It's called CONGRESS
VLGil = Fail, try again. Oh wait- please don't.
VLGil - Please educate yourself, the house decides on all spending. The only thing Obama can do is either sign the bill or veto it.
It's about time ---
You may want to do some research before posting. There were offers to cut military spending and raise corporate taxes - provided there were other spending cuts offered as well. There was never an agreement reached.
Both parties need to be overhauled. Both parties (and many citizens) are acting like 6 year olds with the name calling, finger pointing and tantrums. In these dire times, we need an elevated level of maturity.
People of this country need to start finding out facts and make educated conclusions - not relying upon websites. Anyone who would suggest either party is doing what is best for the citizens of this country are just fooling themselves.
He kept a lot of the big promises. Every president makes promises and not a one of them has kept every promise they have made and it has been that way for about 200 years. I however remove George Washington from that promise list, he was pushed into office.
when the fever breaks you can stick a fork in america. the fever is about compentency vs celebrity, addressing the fiscal problems the country faces by actually having a budget and cutting spending so that we aren't spending a trillion plus more than we take in each year, actually addressing health care cost growth, and addressing the fact that when medicare and ssn were started the avg life expectency was 10-20 years less than it is now. compentency may not get you elected/reelected because it requires straight talk. we need fewer politicians and at least a few competent statesmen/women and an informed electorate.
just maybe we need to fix/repair the citizens of this country. It is not our fight. It is the fight of who gets the big chair in the White house. Some of my best laugh's of the day come from the "comment section" I am not for either party,and glad of it now. I see a war going on right here in the USA. it is between The Libs and the GOP. Just maybe some of you should read a few history books.What we need is Jobs,education and get people off of welfare. Overhaul the SS and make it a rule if you need "SSI" you get a check-up every year or get cut off. Same with welfare set a deadline on the amount of time one can collect it,Educate them during that time or train them. This Country has become too dependent on "free" food,housing and everything elese. When people had to work for a living there was no fighting wit-in the Country,there was pride.
Good for the GOP! Half of Americans DID NOT vote for Obama and those people who are not socialist liberals who are tired of paying for you liberals and all your social programs bull crap will not bend to the will of a socialist liberal president.
He is trying to turn our country into a socialist regime with himself at the helm like some dictator.
It is the liberal Socialist who did not give one d*m inch in their pork and who is taking this country over the cliff. We are a capitalist government not a Socialist government and that is what all you liberals just don't get.
We are just an inch from the same socialist states in Europe breaking into pieces and you liberals just don't get it. We are in up over our heads with debt and to continue to run this country like the tax payers owe everyone in the world a living is breaking us.
Over half of America did vote for OBAMA, because he is NOT a socialist liberal. He is nothing like a dictator, and I would seriously doubt you even know a real socialist country is.
GOTTA LOVE THE GOP though, let's buy cheap goods, made by cheap labor, in a country that is atheist, communist, and supports abortion. LIKE CHINA. Oh and if that's not enough, we'll give our corporations a tax credit when they MOVE JOBS there.
Actually Steven only 47% of Americans did not vote for Obama. It's the 47% comment coming back to bite Romney in the backside. We are as far away from being a socialist country as possible. Get over it, you lost.
SacredFire you are wrong. We are moving more toward socialism. That can be good or bad depending on how you look at it. What would be bad is if we move from slight socialism to extreme socialism. That's the concern. It's like a gateway drug. It starts innocent enough but it can easily spiral out of control. Especially once you feed the public on too many freebies.
Ironically many European countries are dealing with the reverse issue. Their countries are near bankruptcy and many government services are being scaled back or privatized.
itsabouttime
thank your man clinton for the off shoring of jobs that the china free trade agreement set into action
Itsabouttime
You can place equal blame on your wonderfull socialist originated groups the Unions.
They are in part resposible for sending jobs overseas with their greed.
The rich will always be greedy here or there
America fell off the Moral Cliff many years ago and is declining quicker than the Roman Empire. The failure is systemic from education to the media and the absolute failure of Government and the loss of freedom. Let's agree on one thing, when a politician says he cares about the poor or the 98% run away as fast as you can. Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. Propaganda has increased exponentially as Freedom and Liberty are replaced with stupidity evidenced by these posts and the media. Soon ther will not be any safety net and Ted Turner's claim that we will become cannibals feeding off each other will be a reality. Economically it has already happened with 50% of the population living off the 50% that pay the Government's bills.
50% do not live off the government paying the bills. How funny is that. Please post a source that supports that one and stop drinking the GOP Kool-Aid
What freedom have you lost?
History - your ideas are history. Keep them there. We need financial and soicial forward-thinking people in the government. That's why most Americans voted for Obama.
It has been reported in several publications that NEARLY half of Americans receive government assistance.
Huffington Post was one.
My biggest resentment is the WASTE of the government and the FRAUDULENT payments made to crooked recipients.
Traffic,
Define government assistance. Not everyone who receives a check from the Government is on an assistance program. Or do you consider the correct number of Federal Government employees including those on active duty in the Military to be zero?
Lice, yep thats the Republicans today!!! Still can't get it through that thick skull of theirs, America is watching!!! No one can understand their way of thinking any more! Do they even concider us? Do they care about America? Americans? I think NOT!!! Its still Grover's way, or the highway!
Dogged? Why yes they are! Still loyal to their corporate masters!!! Grovelling at Grover's feet. How despicable!!!
2014 will not come soon enough to stop these idiots from carrying out their evil agenda. Shut down this government one more time, and see where that gets you? Lice, yep, thats saying alot for them!!!
There are NO CUTS.........$10 in cuts for every $1 raised.............are you friggin' nuts? Obama and Bite-me carried the belief through the election that this was "acceptable", yes it would have been, IF IT WAS TRUE.
You idiots out there ask yourselves one simple question....."if the Government was actually CUTTING SPENDING......then why the up-coming "debt ceiling" debate?
There was no MANDATE from the "re-election" of Obama. Obama and the Democrats bought the election with TAXPAYER funded entitlements. And now Obama expects "since the money has already been spent", that the Republicans are suppose to bail his azz out, and pay his "credit card" overdraft?
Bull-pukey, sometimes when you OVER-SPEND, your only option is BANKRUPTCY.........so be it.
Bankruptcy sometimes is a hard learned lesson, but some of life's lessons are harder than others....but still you LEARN A LESSON,................. don't spend more than you have.
Oh....you mean the entitlements that people PAID for?! I know I pay for S.S, Medicare, and will use Medicaid if I need it. People are entitled to these benefits (hence the name) because they paid for them their whole life.
Actually you did not pay enough for them, You will take out all you have paid in to SS within the first 8-10 years and for many people even sooner, The rates for SS and MC/MA needed to be adjusted upward not downward and the corresponding rates of retirement age needed to be adjusted upward also, These programs were never designed to be used for what they are being used for, Since the inception of these programs people have saved less for their retirement and become more dependent upon government These programs have done nothing but make more people dependent upon government and that means these programs are a failure.
And they have not paid for them their whole life, Many people in these programs have actually paid very little to anything towards these programs.
mr
with the ties to acorn obama has, their plan to bankrupt america to restart as a socialist country seems to be right on track
There are NO CUTS.........$10 in cuts for every $1 raised.............are you friggin' nuts? Obama and Bite-me carried the belief through the election that this was "acceptable", yes it would have been, IF IT WAS TRUE.
That was a question put to the Republican Candates in the preliminaries of the election. What is it about you Republicans that want to take something from the past and flip it to point it at where it didn't come from? You need to work for that properganda machine FOX.
DoctorLogic, I have read all of your comments in this
thread, and up to this point you have maintained a spirited debate with lots of
great points to consider….but, everyone does not pay for their entitlements (if
they did then cities and states could afford their bills)…and if people believe
they do they are using fuzzy math to make that claim. If by they “paid” for that entitlement you
mean a 22 year old who paid into the system for 4 years claims SS/SSI payments
from that age on for an injury or inability to work then their 4 year
contribution equals say 50 years of payments? Why have the SSI claims jumped up
so much in the last few years? Part of the problem is our media and politician
have abused the word entitlements and rolled too many programs under that word.
You are not “entitled” to free or subsidized housing, food, college education,
phones, medical and blah blah blah…those are programs that were designed to
help on a limited time basis until an individual got back on their feet, but
since it’s so easy now many (not all) don’t want off the assistance (not
entitlement) and all of the programs that were temporary (i.e. unemployment)
keep getting extended (there are many workers who have long used up the amount
they paid in unemployment while they worked). People get PO’d when the systems
are abused (like EBT cards being used at bars and strip clubs) because the
programs were designed to help people truly in need…but now obviously there are
individuals who feel that card is their entitlement and theirs to do what they
want with it…and so goes the problem of unearned money…it’s easy to spend when
you don’t have to put in the effort to earn.
the republicans have no vision.. just screw the middle class and help the rich... they are all washed up.. Jon boner and eric clapper are the perfect couple.... duh.. get a life
Talk about selfish... Taxes were raised... but not on you.... Bush cut your taxes... (If you ever paid any).. Those stayed in effect....
If your messiah has a vision,he sure is keeping it a secret.
What is it,golf and a nice Hawaiian vacation?
Your taxes just went up under Obama, his raiding of Social Security via the 2% cut he "gave" us 4 years ago just expired.
Your paycheck will now drop, a tax increase under Obama after 4 years of robbing Social Security under the guise of helping the middle class.
since the social security tax went back up where it should be, hopefully they don't screw with that or medicare, if they want to cut the defense that would be stupid as they also are trying to try and do something with our right to carry, cut defense but leave the right alone so we can protect ourselves.. all idiots. better stand your guns on the debt ceiling, we have a runaway train on spending and has to stop. cut payroll in washington by 3% for the next 4 years since none of you are not truely doing your jobs.
Replace all of Congress with liberal female representatives if you want to solve all of this nation's major problems in short order.
Please explain how that would solve our spending problem, Let me guess, You would raise taxes on the wealthy and give more to those who you consider the needy .
It has not and will not work.
It is pretty incredible when a sitting Senator such as Sessions makes a statement that is wrong on its face. "Decide how the new money borrowed is to be spent" he says. He already decided how it would be spent, he and every other member of Congress decided that with each spending bill they passed. He already spent the money, he already charged the card. Now he is being asked to approve paying the bill he rang up. Mr. Sessions is either incredibly stupid or simply wishes to mislead his constituents. In either case some folks elected one messed up person to be Senator.
i think people dont realize that the congress is dems and the house is rep; i did not count how many have said in this 98 comments that i read; but most r saying rep have the seats in congress and or senate; or do i have a wrong picture; but what i see is dem in congress and w.h. and reps in the house; to me it looks like the dems r in charge here not the reps; so i wonder who really is playing the mind game or the class war fare in Washington; and taxes going up; it looks to me like gietner and obama and pilosi; they talked about the taxes going up all year; and still talking that taxes did not get raised enough; they wanted 1.2 trillion in taxes; but they only got 450. million; so they say in march to expect no spending cuts; but expect the taxes to go up more then half;
Typically the house is described as the congress. obviously the GOP has a majority there, but in the senate due to the ready access to the filibuster, which can't be stopped without 60 votes, which the majority doesn't have, there's still a big effect the GOP can have on the ability of the legislative branch to actually pass bills.
The Congress is both the House and Senate. The Senate is referred to as the Upper Chamber of Congress and the House as the Lower Chamber of Congress. It was patterned after the House of Lords and House of Commons in England except that the Senators were elected and not born or elevated to the position.
The fever pitched idiocy that pervades the GOP - especially in the House - may not have broken, but the love for the Tea Party has. Polls show far fewer people will to consider themselves Tea Partyers or to be associated with the Tea Party. And widespread disapproval of the Tea Party in general. Oh, just let them trash the U.S. credit worthiness again through their stupid antics and brinksmanship - if they do, 2014 could not come fast enough for most level-headed mainstream voters!
Dear Mr President.
You are often quick to point out you won YOUR election. And that means something.
Well, look over here. We won our election. And that also means something. You don't get anything you want without compromising. And before you say you are, please tell the American people how your $800 billion tax increase during the election later became a $1.6 trillion increase only to be reduced to above what you campaigned on.
That isn't compromise. That is bait and switch. And if you don't already know that, then that explains why you aren't very good at Constitutional law either.
As one-third of the non-judicial government, you can't ignore us. You don't govern us. You don't rule us. You are not a dictator even though your government does resemble a banana republic. And you may not like our view of the Constitution, it is no less significant than yours. You are nothing without being able to advance legislation and you aren't going anywhere now.
You have your tax increase.
Now we want to reduce your outrageous spending and to do that we aren't going for $1 trillion in cuts over 10 years.
No, sir. We want $1 trillion per year.
Afterall, that is what you are overspending. We'll give you a chance to lead and to come up with your budget cuts and we won't permit you to have most of it from defense. We will demand that you remove the freebies you give you the fools who voted you in. We will demand that the unions get nothing in projects. And we demand that baby killing clinic receive zero taxpayer dollars.
And you won't get a single gun control law passed through.
And so that you know that we are serious, we won't increase the debt ceiling until your Senate passes an annual budget - something they have failed to do for the last four years. You see, that is their Constitutional job and Harry Reid should be impeached for failing to do his job. So, Mr President, we suggest you lecture your party members on what their jobs are before you lecture us again. No budget and you get to deal with a default. We are tired of your games.
Yes, elections have consequences. Now deal with the fact that we won ours and you are now required to deal with that. Ignore us, and you get NOTHING.
Signed,
Republicans with Gonads
laser = loser. After the next round of elections you can sign your rant "Republicans with No Votes"
Yep - the name calling continues and will one day solve the mess we are in.
Nice contributions.
Laser,
Do you have any clue what cutting $1 trillion in Government spending in a single year would do the the US Economy? Can it deal with 20 million + unemployed? Even the much lower spending cuts in the sequester are predicted to generate 3-4 million more unemployed from all sectors of the economy. Is your job safe if the $1 Trillion in cuts were made?
Just forge a TRILLION DOLLAR PLATINUM COIN. Using about 50 cents worth of platinum,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,deposit into the Federal Reserve...................problem solved.
Tell all of our "debt holders" that the 50 cents worth of platinum is actually worth a trillion dollars....I'm sure that it will be no problem "selling" that.
And if the Chinese call in "their markers", give them the coin................. PROBLEM SOLVED..............
Could someone explain WHY we should give two ****s about what the GOP has to say? Let's look at the last 12 years:
GWBush economy: 8 years of the Presidency, 75% of which with complete GOP control......left office losing 800,000 jobs per month and GDP shrinking at 9% per quarter......started with a $300 billion surplus and ended with a $1.2 trillion deficit.
Obama economy: 4 years of the Presidency, 50% of which with complete Dem control.....starting his second term with 34 straight months of job growth and over 6 million in that time. GDP is growing at 3.1%......started with a $1.2 trillion deficit and 2013 is scheduled to have a $900 billion deficit (or 25% lower than what he started with).
The GOP has proven themselves to be the LAST people we should talk to about fiscal issues. The proof is in the numbers......
Simple. The democrats want to spend money we do not have and the republicans want to cut out a lot of this spending. Just raised taxes and look at the new spending, no end to it. Congress approves funding and democrats had control from 2006 to 2010 and where did the economy go during that time? Budgets are for one year so to say he was handed a $300 billion surplus and ended with a $1.2 trillion deficit proves nothing except that spending was out of control, especially the last two years. Obama keeps raising the debt limit something he called irresponsible by Bush. He has no clue what he is doing.
Republicans are so entrenched now in their gerrymandered districts it will be very, very difficult to unseat them from the House in 2014. They used their brief time in the majority to dig in, redraw their districts, and set up one party dynasties for years to and years to come.
I am glad of that. Look what happened with two years of democrat control. HC bill that will help bankrupt us. If the democrats get control again, our country is doomed.
Since Texas Sen. John Cornyn and some of his Republikook friends think that a "partial" government shut down is such a great idea, I have a suggestion for them. Since they can't seem to do the business of governing that they were "hired" to do, let's choose to shut down the Legislative branch. They are worthless anyway. Shut down the house, the senate, shutter the Capital building, lock up the office building, close all of the district offices back home, stop the paychecks and benefits for everyone from Senator on down to the lowlyest janitor, cut off the expense accounts and the credit cars, stop the pension benefits for all former members of Congress. Just kick them all out on the street, let them find their own way home! This is my suggestion for the Speaker and all his cronies, and for all the Republikook members of Congress. There is an old saying that these idiots have forgotten. "Lead, follow, or get out of the way!" Right now the Republikook party, its leadership, and its members are doing non of the above! So Speaker Boehner either "s__t or get off the pot"!!!
EXCELLENT, Keep up the good work, guys and gals.
I have never voted for a liberal and never will. I believe that what you earn is yours and not the government's or people too lazy to look for a job and are physically and mentally capable of working. I do not believe it is ok to take a free ride your entire life on assistance, unlike the democrats. I believe it is not ok for the government to take 60% of what you earn. I believe in the constitution, unlike the democrats and liberals. I believe that we do not have a tax problem and that we have a spending problem, unlike the liberals. I believe getting our economy going is the key to our success and getting it on the right track and know it is done by private business hiring, not government hiring. Someone has to pay for the government spending and sooner or later, there is no money left for this. Actually, there is no money for it now. I believe that our government has to not lie to us time after time, unlike obama and the democrats. I believe that we should have a small government and not a large one that intrudes on all of our lives. I believe in states rights and not federal government rights, which is what or forefathers wanted. I believe, like the Republicans that we need to do something now to fix SS and Medicare and not do anything about it as the "DO NOTHING" democrats are doing. They just found that SS will have a $800 billion shortfall that we did not know about and the insolvency date has been moved up by two more years and your worthless democrats still want to do nothing. I know we sent a king and his army back across the Atlantic ocean over 200 years ago and now we have a wannabe king and his kingdom of democrats. The liberals represent what our founding fathers fought against and were so petrified of happening again. It is truly sad to see what the liberals have done to our country and what they want to do. I am damn proud that the Republicans are looking out for our country, and not just for certain groups or class of citizens. We are all Americans and should be treated this way, unlike what the liberals are doing and what they want.