GOP about to go online with 'Commitment to America'

Washington (News Today) - Remember the 1994 "Contract with America" that propelled Republicans back into the majority of the House of Representatives with its author Newt Gingrich as their speaker?

Well, 16 years later, it's back to the future -- the GOP is again drafting a blueprint designed to take back control of Congress. But this time, it is looking for authors everywhere, and if you want help write the 2010 GOP "Commitment to America," you can take out your iPhone or BlackBerry and point your browser to a new GOP website coming soon.

House Republicans are teaming up with what they call a "major U.S. software giant" to hold an interactive discussion with people wherever and whenever they want to talk, blog or tweet.

While many details of the GOP effort to develop its midterm platform are still under wraps, here's the way it's supposed to work:

The House GOP will roll out a new website in coming weeks that will allow the public to post ideas, send e-mail and hold video conferences to tell Republicans what policies they should be pushing.

The online portal will allow anyone to log on and create a personal "profile," similar to Facebook. Users will be able to vote up or down on other people's submissions -- similar to the "like it" thumbs-up feature on Facebook. Proposals can be sorted by how popular they are, or how many "votes" they receive.

Visitors to the site will be anonymous and those setting up profiles can choose their own names, but the site's managers will verify e-mail addresses and postal codes. There will be a filter to weed out offensive language.

California Rep. Kevin McCarthy is leading the effort and he said if Republicans want to connect with voters, they have to prove that their policy proposals aren't cooked up by a group of insiders in Washington.

House GOP Leader John Boehner of Ohio tapped McCarthy, 45, to craft the 2010 equivalent of the 1994 "Contract with America." But McCarthy said he doesn't want his effort to be compared with Gingrich's '94 playbook and said he's using the "Commitment to America" as a temporary name that's likely to change after the public weighs in.

That's where the new technology comes into play. To connect to other popular social media sites, the GOP's website will also have Twitter and Facebook components. Like those sites, users can participate in the ongoing political debate from their laptops or from mobile devices like iPhones and BlackBerrys.

To encourage people to come back and be part of an online community, users will accumulate "points" every time they submit an idea or engage in a debate. McCarthy compared this to getting frequent flyer miles or points with an airline.

But users won't get prizes or free flights, just the bragging rights that they are helping the GOP write its agenda.

The site will include a few major topics like "jobs," and "the economy," but won't have any specific proposals laid out by GOP lawmakers. McCarthy said the goal is for "the public to take ownership."

The site will allow a continuing debate about the merits of the party's policy priorities. Once it goes live, Republican House members will have a widget posted on their Congressional web pages that will link to the main GOP "commitment" site on a real-time basis.

Although the software to do all these things is already available to the public -- NASA uses a similar web portal -- Republicans pointed out that no other political organization has yet used it this way.

McCarthy described the effort to come up with the party's policy priorities as a three-phase project.

First, the new interactive site will solicit input and be coupled with a series of GOP town hall meetings around the country over the upcoming Congressional breaks. Then leaders will evaluate which issues the public ranked at the top. Finally, the GOP will roll out its list of "solutions" as the official new Republican platform heading into the midterm elections.

The first phase of the project, according to McCarthy, is proof that that the GOP is responding to what it sees as a growing sentiment among voters: that Washington isn't listening to them. Collecting policy ideas directly from voters will allow the GOP to argue its 2010 midterm agenda came from a direct conversation with the American people -- Republicans, independents and even Democrats.

McCarthy said this transparent process brings home the point that Democrats have ignored the public's priorities and should be tossed out.

"We have to add this to the mix because this breaks all barriers. You are guaranteed your idea gets in and gets included," he said.

McCarthy contrasted this process with what he views as the closed process that congressional Democrats used to draft health care reform, and he noted complaints that there's no chance for real open discussion.

"They do not allow that debate to happen," he said.

Democrats said the GOP's effort to recast the Republican Party to show that it's listening won't work because, they argue, Republicans are still closely allied with powerful Washington business groups.

Doug Thornell, spokesman for Maryland Democratic Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who runs the House Democrats' campaign arm, said, "It's hard to stomach lectures on transparency from Republicans, who have spent years scheming behind closed doors with powerful corporate special interests on how to game the system and protect the status quo instead of the middle class. This isn't Hollywood, you can't reinvent yourself -- they have a long record of abusing the public's trust and we won't let anyone forget about it."

Although he's a relative newcomer on the Hill, first elected in 2006, McCarthy's profile rose when House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia named him his top deputy in 2008. Boehner asked McCarthy to write the Republican Party's platform for the 2008 national convention. As with this 2010 effort, McCarthy solicited public comments online.

Even McCarthy admitted it will be tough to please everyone when the GOP unveils its agenda in the fall.

As they work on their policy blueprint, Republicans are torn between showing they are heeding anti-government appeals from the conservative Tea Party movement and acknowledging the opinions of independents who aren't enamored with either political party right now.

McCarthy wouldn't answer questions about whether the final midterm platform will take a position on hot-button issues like immigration or social issues like same-sex marriage. He maintained nothing is in or out of the "commitment" until the public weighs in, but said the document will likely have a heavy focus on job creation.

He also conceded some of his Republican colleagues are leery of a totally open process where anyone, left-wing blogger or Tea Party activist, can post policy proposals or criticisms online.

"It's not going to be an easy job," McCarthy said. "You should have seen the blowback that I got when I opened up the [Republican] platform."

Source : CNN

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More moderate vs. conservative GOP battles ahead

Washington (News Terupdate) - Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's expected announcement Thursday that he is giving up his bid for the Republican Party's Senate nomination and instead running as an independent is just one chapter in a wider war for the heart and soul of the GOP.

Next week, the spotlight will move to Indiana, where former Sen. Dan Coats is hoping to win his old seat. The former Republican lawmaker, who is the establishment candidate in the race, is facing off against a number of opponents in Tuesday's primary, including former Rep. John Hostettler and state Sen. Marlin Stutzman.

Conservative Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina has endorsed Stutzman, who is also the favorite of local Tea Party groups in Indiana. On Wednesday, a political action committee that DeMint chairs announced that it has raised more than $200,000 in campaign donations for Stutzman, who was once a long shot in the primary contest.

The winner of the primary will take on Democratic Rep. Brad Ellsworth in the general election. The race is to fill the seat being vacated by Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh.

Bitter Republican primary fights are also being waged in half a dozen states nationwide.

In Utah, Republican Sen. Bob Bennett, whom no one would call a moderate, is fighting for his political life because he may not be conservative enough. Bennett upset many on the right with his 2008 vote in favor of the federal bailout of banks and financial institutions. The fiscally conservative Club for Growth has been working to defeat Bennett, as have some Tea Party organizations.

Bennett, who is fighting for a third term in the Senate, may not even make it to his party's primary. He needs to win the votes of at least 40 percent of the 3,500 delegates attending the Utah GOP convention May 8 to advance to a June primary. Two recent polls suggest that may be a tough task.

Kentucky holds its primary 10 days after the convention in Utah, and the Republican race there is shaping up as another battle between the party favorite and the conservative outsider.

Trey Grayson, the Kentucky secretary of state and establishment candidate in the race, was the early favorite. But Rand Paul, a physician and the son of former GOP presidential candidate and Texas Rep. Ron Paul, now leads in the battle for the nomination, according to some recent polls.

Paul has the backing of some Tea Party groups and has been endorsed by former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a darling of conservatives. Both Paul and Grayson are fighting to succeed Sen. Jim Bunning, a fellow Republican who is not running for re-election this year.

The conservative vs. moderate and insider vs. outsider dynamics are also playing out in Republican Senate primary contests in California, Colorado and Arizona.

But Sen. John Cornyn of Texas says party primaries "are good for culling the weak from the strong."

The chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, which assists incumbent GOP senators running for re-election and Republican candidates seeking office, was an early backer of Crist in the Florida contest.

Cornyn said Wednesday that his early endorsement of Crist last year was a bad idea in hindsight. He says he has realized that "it's not necessarily helpful" for the senatorial committee to endorse statewide candidates in light of the anti-establishment and anti-incumbent mood in the country.

The mood helps Republicans over Democrats in November's contests, since the Democrats control Congress and the White House and since there are more Democratic than Republican incumbents up for re-election this year.

But victories by conservative candidates over more moderate Republicans in the spring and summer primaries could hurt the GOP as it bids for moderate and independent voters in November's general elections.

Source : CNN

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Dems say go, GOP says not yet to finance reform debate

Washington (News Terupdate) - Senate Majority leader Harry Reid has scheduled a late afternoon vote Monday to move ahead with a Senate financial reform bill, but Republicans warn they are not prepared to launch debate on the measure.

Leading lawmakers from both parties making the rounds of Sunday political talk shows said a deal is close on a reform bill, but top-ranking Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was among those saying he didn't expect debate to proceed on Monday.

"We don't have a bipartisan compromise yet," McConnell said on "FOX News Sunday." "But I think there's a good chance that we're going to get it."

Democratic Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Republican Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama told NBC's "Meet the Press" that they would continue working during the day Sunday to reach a deal on financial reform, one of President Obama's top legislative priorities.

But Shelby said, "If nothing happens between now and (Monday), the Democrats will not get" any Republican support to open debate on the measure.

Republicans have enough seats in the Senate to block the start of debate; without at least one Republican vote, debate won't be able to begin.

The House has passed its version of a financial regulation reform bill intended to prevent another Wall Street meltdown like the one in 2008 that led to the U.S. recession.

Dodd and Shelby have been negotiating a Senate bill for months, though their talks broke down when Dodd recently held a vote on the proposal by the Senate Banking Committee he chairs. The committee's Democrats approved the measure without any Republican support.

Last week, the Senate Agriculture Committee also passed a measure to tighten regulations on the complex system of trade known as derivatives.

One Republican, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, joined Democrats on the committee in supporting the measure. Negotiations involving Dodd, Shelby and other senators now are focused on merging the two Senate proposals into a single bill.

Reid's strategy is to force Republicans to either allow debate to proceed or go on record opposing Wall Street reforms that are strongly supported by the American public.

On the NBC show, Dodd said he hoped the continuing talks with Shelby would yield an agreement to allow the debate to begin on Monday. Any further changes necessary could take place in the amendment process during debate, Dodd argued.

"This doesn't end the debate tomorrow. This begins debate," Dodd said of moving forward on the legislation in the Senate. "Tomorrow if another crisis occurs in this county, we're no better off than we were in 2008."

Shelby said the two sides were "very, very close" in concept, but still had to iron out differences over "two or three" provisions. "It's very tedious," he said, adding that a deal by Monday was doubtful.

Another top Republican negotiator, Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, told ABC's "This Week" that talks are focused on the major elements that must be in the bill, which he identified as stronger regulations of derivatives, increased consumer protections and ensuring the orderly liquidation of failing companies.

Source : CNN

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GOP lawmakers seek to halt immigration reform push

Washington (News Terupdate) - Two key Republican lawmakers joined a growing GOP effort Sunday to halt the push for immigration reform, arguing the time is not right to take on the massive and complex issue.

"I'm not sure how you can really justify" trying to tackle immigration or energy reform this year, Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Georgia, told CNN's "State of the Union."

"We've got a lot of work left on our plate between now and the end of the summer. And we're starting on financial regulatory reform. ... I'm not sure where you find the time to deal with these other major issues," Chambliss said, adding that "until you secure the border, trying to really have an overall reform package on immigration just simply can't be done."

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nevada, said last week he will make passing a comprehensive immigration bill a priority once the Senate completes its work on a Wall Street reform bill. He cited a controversial new law in Arizona, requiring police to determine whether a person is in the United States legally, as indicating the need for reform on a national level.

Reid's decision followed remarks by President Obama calling on both parties to pass immigration reform. The president has rejected the Arizona law, saying that "if we continue to fail to act at the federal level, we will continue to see misguided efforts opening up around the country."

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, took to "FOX News Sunday" to reject the push for immigration reform.

"I just don't think this is the right time to take up this issue, with the border security problems, the drug wars going on across the border, 10 percent unemployment. It just strikes me that our time would be better spent at the federal level on other issues," he said.

One fellow Republican did not reject the possibility of an immigration battle in the Senate sometime soon.

When asked by NBC's "Meet the Press" whether comprehensive immigration reform might pass this year, Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Alabama, replied "maybe." Asked if it would be a good idea, he replied, "I think we have to look at the details." He added, "First thing we'd better do is enforce our borders and know who is here and who comes and who leaves. That's No.1, and then go into the rest."

The remarks Sunday followed a stunning move by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-South Carolina, who declared Saturday that he was walking out of talks on climate change legislation because of Democratic efforts to bring up an immigration reform package.

"Moving forward on immigration -- in this hurried, panicked manner -- is nothing more than a cynical political ploy," Graham wrote in a sharply worded letter sent to business, religious and conservation leaders with whom he has been working on the climate change legislation.

Graham had worked with Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, and Sen. Joe Lieberman, independent from Connecticut, on drafting a climate change bill that was scheduled to be unveiled at a news conference Monday. After Graham's announcement, Kerry and Lieberman postponed the news conference. They pledged to continue working on the issue and expressed hope Graham would again join them.

Democrats backed up Reid on the Sunday political talk shows. Sen. Robert Menendez, D-New Jersey, head of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, told CNN he believes it is possible for Congress to take on both climate change and immigration after financial reform.

Menendez slammed the Arizona law, saying, "it is fundamentally wrong to be a second-class citizen just because you have a certain accent or you look a certain way. That's what Arizona is pursuing. That's why we need comprehensive immigration reform to secure our borders."

Such reform "is about economic interests, it's about security interests," he added.

Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Connecticut, echoed that on "Meet the Press." Calling the Arizona law "outrageous," he noted that states across the country are developing their own separate rules. "It's demanding a national answer to immigration policy. So before this even gets further out of hand, we've got to step up and do the job."

Supporters of the Arizona measure have called it a step in the right direction, taking action to deal with the challenge of millions of illegal immigrants in the country. "We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act," Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said Sunday. "Decades of federal inaction and misguided policy have created a dangerous and unacceptable situation."

McConnell declined to weigh in on the bill Sunday, saying, "I haven't studied it. I know it's quite controversial. But studying a state law is not something I normally do."

Chambliss said, "If that's what the people of Arizona want to do, then certainly they have that right."

With midterm elections set for November, Republicans and Democrats are charging each other with taking positions based more on politics than policy.

Democrats have privately charged that Graham is trying to put the brakes on an immigration bill in order to protect his longtime friend, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona. A spokesman for Graham called that charge "nonsense." McCain has previously supported immigration reform, and now faces a re-election battle against former Rep. J.D. Hayworth, a GOP primary opponent who has made his tough stance on border security and immigration one of his signature issues.

Reid is facing a re-election battle as well and trailing likely GOP opponents in the polls. Shepherding a comprehensive immigration reform bill through the Senate would likely help him in Nevada, a state with a growing demographic of Latino voters.

Source : CNN

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