After 4 Years Senate Democrats Finally Passed A Budget Complete with a $1 Trillion Tax Hike

AFTER 4 YEARS SENATE DEMOCRATS PASS A BUDGET WITH $1 TRILLION IN TAX HIKES …

For the first time in four years the Democrat controlled US Senate has passed a budget. From the looks of it they shouldn’t have bothered. The budget plan was passed by a 50-49 vote in the Democratic-controlled chamber, with 4 Democratic senators facing tough re-election campaigns in 2014 joined all the Senate Republicans in opposing the measure. Max Baucus (D-MT), Mark Begich (D-AK), Kay Hagan (D-NC) and  Mark Pryor (D-AR) all voted against the Democrat budget. It is just a coincidence that all four Democrats are up for reelection in 2014 “Red” states. Vulnerable Senate Democrats like Mary Landrieu (LA), Mark Warner (VA) and Tim Johnson (SD) should be made to pay a price in the 2014 elections for supporting the budget. Simply incredible, after four years of not doing their job, the budget that Democrats pass is chock full of new spending, taxes and a vote against actually  balancing it. Oh wait, did we mention it just taxes, taxes and taxes?

The Senate Democrat passed budget bill contains $1 trillion in new tax hikes. The following is a list of all Senators up for reelection in 2014.

From The Hill:

Centrist Sens. Kay Hagan (D-N.C.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Mark Pryor (D-Ark.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) and Max Baucus (D-Mont.) were all non-committal up until the end.

Baucus, Begich, Hagan and Pryor joined the entire GOP caucus in voting against the budget resolution. Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), who was ill,  missed the vote. His office said he would have been available to vote if needed.

All the Democratic senators who voted “no” are up for reelection in 2014 in states that voted for GOP nominee Mitt Romney.

Democrats had been dogged by criticism for failing to approve a budget resolution since 2009 and the vote removes that GOP talking point from the political scene.

Yea’s On the Resolution (S. Con. Res. 8 ):

 No wonder Senate Democrats had not passed a previous budget prior to Obama’s reelection. The Senate budget has a 0% chance of passing The House.

Geraldo Rivera Says He is Considering a Senate Run in 2014 as a Republican?

Geraldo Rivera a Republican?

Fox News host Geraldo Rivera says that he is contemplating running for US Senate in New Jersey in 2014. Rivera would either be running against incumbent 89 year old  Sen. Frank Lautenberg or Newark Mayor Cory Booker. However, Geraldo is no shoe in to be the GOP candidate for US Senate as there will be other challenges from GOP candidates like include state Assembly Minority Leader Jon Bramnick of Westfield, state Sen. Joe Kyrillos of Monmouth County and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno. Nothing has been finalized yet. If Geraldo does run for Senate he will have to give up his day job at Fox News.

Geraldo Rivera, the host of a Fox News show, said Thursday that he is “seriously contemplating running” for the U.S. Senate in his home state of New Jersey.

Rivera would be running for the seat that Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who is 89 and a Democrat, now occupies. Lautenberg is up for reelection in 2014 and has not confirmed whether he will run again.

Rivera said he would run as a Republican.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a Democrat, has made it known that he is considering running for the seat.

“I mention this only briefly, fasten your seatbelt,” Rivera said on his radio show. “I mentioned this only briefly to my wife … but I am and I’ve been in touch with some people in the Republican Party in New Jersey. I am truly contemplating running for Senate against Frank Lautenberg or Cory Booker.”

73 Year Old Iowa Democrat Senator Tom Harkin Won’t Seek Re-election in 2014 … A Possible Opening for the GOP

RUR-ROH, there will be one less incumbent “sure thing” Democrat Senator running for reelection in 2014.

73 year old Iowa US Senator Tom Harkin as stated that he will not run for reelection in 2014. In a some what surprise move by the liberal Harkin, the Democrats will now have to defend an open seat in 2014. Tom Harkin has served in the US Senate since 1985  and has served in the Senate longer than any Democrat in Iowa’s history. Harkin also served 5 terms in the US House of Representatives and was an early frontrunner for the Democrat presidential nomination in 1992 because of the Iowa Caucuses, but dropped out along the way to the eventual winner Bill Clinton. As reported at the Des Moines Register, saying “it’s somebody else’s turn”.

Sen. Tom Harkin won’t seek re-election in 2014, the Iowa Democrat said Saturday.

It’s just time to step aside,” the 73-year-old Mr. Harkin told the Associated Press, noting that by the time he would finish a sixth term, he would be 81. He said his decision would allow a new generation of Democrats to seek higher office.

The announcement comes as a surprise, considering the senator has $2.7 million in his campaign war chest and was planning a gala fundraiser in Washington next month. Mr. Harkin is a leading liberal in the Senate, serving as chairman of the health, education, labor and pensions committee and having served as a key salesman of President Barack Obama’s 2010 health-care bill to the wary left.

Tom Harkin is presently serving in his fifth term and is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. He is ranked as the most senior junior senator, as well as the 8th most senior Senator overall. Sorry, this is just a perfect example and cry for term limits, nothing more.

Hmm, one has to wonder whether Republican House Rep. Steve King might run for the seat in 2014?

David Plouffe States Obama Is Going to Push His Ban on Assault Weapons Through Congress, While Sen. Barrasso Claims Senate Vote on Obama’s Gun Control Measures Unlikely Because of Vulnerable 2014 Democrats

A Tale of Two Claims on Assault Weapons bans …

This morning of Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace, Obama senior adviser David Plouffe told Wallace that the president is going to push Congress to pass his assault weapons ban. What is most telling is the admission that no set of laws is going to end violence, but Obama and his mouth pieces are trying to highjack the Sandy Hook shootings and playing on the knew-jerk reaction sympathies and ignorance of the American people. Plouffe was also making the rounds on CNN as well with his attack on US liberties and the 2nd Amendment. I would say one thing to “We the People”, be very careful of the liberties you give away that will affect little to no change. I would ask, why do it if we know in advance the change would be minimal.

“Everyone’s trying to divert from the core issue which is there is a huge consensus in the country including a vast majority of Republicans that things like the assault weapons, high capacity magazines, universal background checks, making progress on mental health. These are things we should and can do to help reduce gun violence. No set of laws is going to end violence, obviously or these episodes. But, if we can save one life we should take it. And we think there is consensus on Capitol Hill for this. We think we can get 60 votes in the senate and 218. It’s going to be hard … Look the president put together a variety of things. We think there is support for a lot of these things and are going to push forward as hard as we can.”

In contrast, as Plouffe was saying there was 60 votes in the US Senate to pass an assault-style gun ban, during a CNN “State of the Union” interview, Sen. John Barrasso (R-WY) claimed that he does not believe Harry Reid will bring Obama’s gun-control proposals to the Senate floor.  Barrasso stated that Reid fears bringing up this vote because he has six Democrats up for election in two years in states where the president received fewer than 42 percent of the votes.”

As reported at The Hill:

Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said Sunday that he does not believe President Obama’s gun-control proposals will be brought to the Senate floor for a vote.

Speaking on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Barrasso said election worries among Democrats will sideline legislation that could restrict gun ownership.

Obama has called on Congress to institute universal background checks for all gun sales as well as bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, among other items.

“I don’t think Sen. Harry Reid [D-Nev.] even brings it to the Senate floor because he has six Democrats up for election in two years in states where the president received fewer than 42 percent of the votes,” Barrasso said. “He doesn’t want his Democrats to have to choose between their own constituents and the president’s positions.”

The White House has recognized that passing gun-control legislation will be tough, though they are confident, anger over a mass shooting at an elementary school last month has shifted the public debate. Earlier on the same show, David Plouffe, senior adviser to President Obama, acknowledged it was “going be a very hard battle.”

The key to remember in all of this is that we must address the real issues of the Newtown shooting, not pass laws quickly that do nothing to combat violence, mental illness or the culture of violence, just to provide window dressing to make it appear Obama is doing something about it.

US Senators Up for Reelection in 2014, More Democrats at Risk than Republicans

2014 US Senate …

It is not too early to take a look to see what US Senaotrs are up for reelection in 2014. The GOP has managed to royally screw up the take over of seats in 2012 as they literally gave away the Senate races in Indiana and Missouri. Let this be a valuable learning lesson for Republicans and their choices for solid candidates. The GOP does not need moderate, wishy-washy candidates; however, they also do not need walking nightmares the likes of Murdoch and Akin who snatched defeat from a sure win by not being able to explain their positions. A note to GOP candidates in the future, if you feel the need to say that God is for rape … shut your trap. All GOP candidates must realize the MSM is not on your side and will spin your words to make them sound even worse than they are. So if you cannot intelligently present your ideas and beliefs to the people, you need not run.

The mere numbers of states that need to be defended tell us that Democrats once again have to do the heavy lifting to defend their turf. Democrats have far more seats up for election than the GOP and most Republican seats appear to be safe. However, we have seen this story before. Republicans best get their act in gear and come up with far better candidates than 2012.

Democrat Senators up for reelection:

1. Warner, Mark R. – (D – VA) – Seems safe as VA has trended Democrat, but would it in an off year election?
2. Coons, Christopher A. – (D – DE) – Safe
3. Durbin, Richard J. – (D – IL) – Safe
4. Franken, Al – (D – MN) – Could be vulnerable, Franken won in a close, questionable election in the wave election of 2008.
5. Hagan, Kay R. – (D – NC) – North Carolina is one of the few battleground states that went to Romney in 2012, could be a vulnerable seat in 2014 for Democrats.
6. Harkin, Tom – (D – IA) – Safe
7. Johnson, Tim – (D – SD) – Safe unless he decides to retire.
8. Kerry, John F. – (D – MA) – It has been rumored that Kerry may be Obama’s next Secretary of State in his 2nd term. If this occurs there will be a special election for this seat prior to the full election.
9. Landrieu, Mary L. – (D – LA) – Louisiana is a red state; however, the Landrieu name is an institution in the Byou.
10. Lautenberg, Frank R. – (D – NJ) – It is hard to believe that Lautenberg will run for reelection as he will be 90 years old in 2014. If he does decide to run its just another case for the Senate having term limits.
11. Levin, Carl – (D – MI) – Safe
12. Merkley, Jeff – (D – OR) – Safe
13. Pryor, Mark L. – (D – AR) – Would the red state of Arkansas want to switch to a GOP Senator? It all depends on how good a candidate they run.
14. Reed, Jack – (D – RI) – Safe
15. Rockefeller, John D., IV – (D – WV) – Safe if he runs, he will be 77 but that seems to be a spring chicken these days in the Senate.
16. Shaheen, Jeanne – (D – NH) – one never knows in a swing state in an off-year election.
17. Udall, Mark – (D – CO) – Another swing state that has trended Democrat, but who knows in an off year election of a 2nd term president.
18. Udall, Tom – (D – NM) – The state has trended Democrat, most likely safe.
19. Baucus, Max – (D – MT) – hard to believe that such a red state has a Democrat Senator.
20. Begich, Mark – (D – AK) – could be a targeted seat as Begich was elected during the wave election of 2008. No reason why Alaska has a Democrat Senator.

Republican Senators up for reelection:

1. Johanns, Mike – (R – NE) – Safe
2. Chambliss, Saxby – (R – GA) – Safe
3. Cochran, Thad – (R – MS) – Safe
4. Collins, Susan M. – (R – ME) – Safe if she does not retire
5. Cornyn, John – (R – TX) – Safe
6. Enzi, Michael B. – (R – WY) – Safe
7. Graham, Lindsey – (R – SC) – Safe, unless the GOP pulls another 2012 Indiana Senate race debacle.
8. Inhofe, James M. – (R – OK) – Safe
9. Sessions, Jeff – (R – AL) – Safe
10. Roberts, Pat – (R – KS) – Safe
11. McConnell, Mitch – (R – KY) – Safe
12. Risch, James E. – (R – ID) – Safe
13. Alexander, Lamar – (R – TN) – Safe, however, would not be surprised if he is seriously challenged in the primaries.