A Change Of Heart? Not Really.

When I heard Nancy Pelosi this weekend say that Washington liberals share many values with the Tea Party movement, I nearly fell out of my chair. On ABC’s “This Week,” Pelosi said, “We [Washington Democrats] share some of the views of the tea partiers in terms of the role of special interest in Washington, D.C. …And that’s why I’ve fought the special interest, whether it’s on energy, whether it’s on health insurance, whether it’s on pharmaceuticals and the rest.” She went on to suggest that conservatives were “hijacking the good intentions” of Tea Party patriots “who share some of our concerns we have.”

Are there no limits to Pelosi’s duplicity? The Left today is nothing but a loosely cobbled collection of special interest groups and grievance mongers. The only thread that binds them is their disdain for the common sense traditional values that animate the Tea Party movement, pro-family voters and pro-defense conservatives!

But what makes Pelosi’s comments even more laughable is that this is the same Nancy Pelosi who called the town hall protestors “un-American.” This is the same Nancy Pelosi who accused the Tea Party marchers of being Nazi sympathizers because some were carrying signs comparing ObamaCare to fascism. This is the same Nancy Pelosi who said the Tea Parties and town hall protests reminded her of the atmosphere in California during the 1970s that led to riots and violence. This is the same Nancy Pelosi who mocked the Tea Parties as “Astroturf,” suggesting that it was not a real grassroots movement.

But today talking about the Tea Parties makes Nancy all warm and fuzzy inside. The Speaker from San Francisco wants them to believe that she truly understands their values and shares the concerns of the Tea Party Patriots. You know liberals are nervous when they start saying nice things about conservatives. So what’s going on here?

The fact is, Pelosi is trying to co-opt the Tea Party movement. Some liberals hope that they can refocus the populist outrage against Big Government by turning it against Big Business. Watch for the assault on free enterprise to intensify in the days ahead. Radicals will escalate their class warfare rhetoric, hoping to convince good folks that the party of Government Motors, socialized medicine, record deficits and sky-high unemployment is really looking out for the little guy. Don’t let your friends and family members fall for it. Take every opportunity to point out the Left’s socialist instincts. Make sure your friends and family members are registered to vote and fully informed.

Voter Registration Sundays

It is difficult to overemphasize just how critical the upcoming elections are. So much is at stake – out-of-control spending, looming tax hikes, socialized medicine, massive energy taxes, unemployment, etc. While our budget deficit dominates the headlines, America is confronting another growing deficit that threatens our prosperity – our virtue deficit.

President Obama wants to use taxpayer dollars to fund abortions in his so-called “healthcare reform” plan. The meaning of marriage is under attack in the courts. The assault on Judeo-Christian values is real.

I know there are a lot of pastors who receive this daily report. You are in a unique position to influence the debate over our values, and I’m proud to encourage your participation in “Voter Registration Sundays.” Under the direction of Father Frank Pavone, a national coalition of leading pro-life, pro-family organizations is calling on religious leaders to designate four weekends this year – March 14th, May 23rd, July 4th and September 12th – as “Voter Registration Sundays.”

Voter registration has never been easier, yet even among men and women of faith voter participation is not what it should be. And that’s why your leadership is essential. In talking with members of your congregation, ask if they are registered to vote. Use your influence – in person and in the pulpit – to promote good citizenship and active participation in our public policy process. Each state has its own regulations and deadlines. You can learn more at our website or at www.politicalresponsbility.com.

Fighting Back!

A few weeks ago, Congress passed so-called “pay-as-you-go” rules mandating that new spending be paid for either with spending cuts in other programs or tax hikes. It was a pathetic attempt by this administration and Congress to appear fiscally responsible in the wake of record deficits and the failed stimulus bill. Last week, liberal politicians tried to sneak through another $10 billion in “emergency” spending on a variety of programs – from unemployment compensation and rural TV, Medicare payments to transportation projects. The House passed the bill on a voice vote and the Senate was supposed to do the same.

But Kentucky Sen. Jim Bunning, a staunch conservative, called the liberals’ bluff, objected to the additional spending and stopped the bill dead in its tracks, turning what was supposed to be an uneventful weekend into a nightmare for many bureaucrats. Thousands of federal workers may be furloughed because of Bunning’s action.

Media and liberal elites are mocking the senator as an “embarrassment to Washington,” but the real embarrassment is Washington’s “business as usual” mentality. Senator Bunning and other fiscal conservatives have suggested that the administration cancel the TARP program or use unspent stimulus funds to pay for these sorts of projects, rather than adding on more debt. Thankfully, Bunning isn’t backing down, saying, “If we can’t find $10 billion somewhere for a bill that everybody in this body supports, we will never pay for anything.” He added, “There are going to be other bills brought to this floor that are not going to be paid for, and I’m going to object every time they do it.” Good for him.

Ending Welfare (Reform) As We Know It

Barack Obama came to the presidency promising to be America’s first post-partisan president. It is, therefore, ironic that one of his signature achievements has been to roll back one of the great bipartisan triumphs of the last two decades, welfare reform. In a Washington Times op-ed today, I examine all of the ways in which Obama’s overspending returns the poor to dependency. You can read my piece here.

While the administration continues to search for solutions to its self-imposed problem of what to do with the GITMO detainees, one influential senator offered the White House some advice. Here’s what he said:

“My advice to the president is, with a great deal of respect, take New York Off your radar screen. Find another location. The most logical place is in some isolated military base that is completely far away from population centers and is self-contained.”

That sounds like GITMO to me, and the senator was none other than New York liberal Chuck Schumer. When a liberal like Schumer sees the light, conservatives are clearly winning the debate.

But here’s more evidence of the Left’s misplaced priorities. Remember the Department of Homeland Security report last year that suggested that conservatives, soldiers and pro-life activists were potential “domestic terrorists”? The administration took a lot of heat for that report and eventually retracted it.

But we’ve learned in recent days that it also acted on the report. The Associated Press broke a shocking story this week that the Obama Administration did in fact track pro-life activists in Wisconsin last year, conducting a threat assessment on several groups even though they clearly posed no threat to national security.

Unfortunately, this Administration is incredibly sensitive about making sure that admitted terrorists get their constitutional rights. But when it comes to American citizens, the administration tramples on the Constitution because its ideology tells it that the war against Islamic terrorism is just a misunderstanding and that conservatives pose the real threat.

As I was watching the Super Bowl and saw the opening coin toss, I was reminded that conservatives had better be careful about the White House’s offensive game. This administration is constantly on the attack. It’s very good at manipulating events to its advantage and changing the rules mid-game.

For example, President Obama talked about healthcare reform during a pre-game interview with CBS’s Katie Couric. He said, “I want to … have a large meeting — Republicans and Democrats — to go through, systematically, all the best ideas that are out there and move it forward.” Yesterday, the White House announced plans for a “healthcare summit” on February 25th. According to various reports, the president has promised that this summit will be televised live, presumably on C-Span.

Last week I wrote that the administration and congressional Democrats had totally ignored any ideas conservatives put forward during last year’s healthcare debate. In his statement to Couric, Obama essentially admitted as much. If they had been receptive to conservative ideas and input all along, then they never would have attempted a Big Government takeover of the healthcare industry and this summit would not be necessary.

But when conservatives said they were willing to work with the president, they weren’t talking about TV shows. As we saw from last week’s televised Q&A between the president and House conservatives, the entire event was staged for Obama’s benefit. Conservative members of Congress were faceless, off-camera voices, while the president stood behind the podium like a smug college professor lecturing his pupils. He wasn’t there to negotiate in good faith; he was there to score points with his leftwing base and convince the public that he was “reaching out.”

When conservatives said they wanted discussions to be televised, they didn’t mean choreographed Obama campaign rallies. They meant, as Candidate Obama promised, all key meetings in which substantive decisions were being made.

Call me skeptical, but I expect this summit is just another sham attempt to give Obama the appearance of bi-partisanship. The media will sing his praises and give him as much cover as possible. But the differences between the two parties are tremendous and can’t be glossed over in one made-for-TV “summit.” I suspect the president knows that, and all this is just for show – a play fake that allows Obama to say “I tried” and sets the stage for liberals to “go nuclear,” ramming ObamaCare through using budget reconciliation rules.

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell isn’t falling for it. In a statement this weekend, Sen. McConnell responded to the summit suggestion by saying, “If we are to reach a bipartisan consensus, the White House can start by shelving the current health spending bill, and with it their goal of slashing a half trillion dollars from Medicare and raising a half trillion in new taxes. The American people want lower costs, not Medicare cuts and tax increases. Setting these proposals aside would be a sign that the administration and Democrats in Congress are listening to the country and are truly interested in a bipartisan approach.” Stay tuned.

Think back for a moment to the prevailing wisdom in the days following the November 2008 election. Liberal elites and the media were gloating. The most leftwing candidate in history had just been elected president, and Democrats had secured super-majorities in Congress. “The GOP,” they crowed, “is dead!” “Republicans can’t compete in New England.” “It’s a washed-up, white male party that will never hold national office again.”

Other “wise men” counseled the GOP to move beyond Reagan, to abandon conservatism and to evolve in the age of Obama. Liberal elites, who did not even try to conceal their glee at Obama’s election, were offering the GOP advice on what to do to get along in their new world. Conservatives were repeatedly encouraged to reconsider our most cherished values. The Tea Party activists were mercilessly mocked by contemptuous liberals as “ignorant” and worse. What a difference a year makes!

My point is simply this: Ignore the liberal elites! Our values aren’t the problem, and we don’t need to take advice from folks who aren’t our friends.