While the liberal media continues to lecture conservatives about civility, news broke today that the FBI arrested a Pennsylvania man, Norman Leboon, for making an online death threat against House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia. Last week, Leboon posted a profanity-laced rant against the conservative Jewish congressman on YouTube. In his diatribe, Leboon, who claims to be a Muslim convert, threatened to kill Cantor and his family. It turns out that Norman Leboon also donated $505 to Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.

The man appears to be a complete loon who has made many threats, so I won’t try to make him a “poster boy” for the Left. But, if the situation were reversed – if a Tea Party member who donated to John McCain’s campaign had been arrested for threatening to assassinate a Democrat leader – it would be headline news for days. There would be calls for the conservative leaders to renounce and condemn the Tea Party. There would be much ink spent on column after column about the extremism on the Right. And, of course, all of it would be due to obvious racism.

Over the weekend, New York Times columnist Frank Rich again picked up the canard that conservative opposition to healthcare “reform” is based on some “ism” or phobia. Rich wrote:

“If Obama’s first legislative priority had been immigration or financial reform or climate change, we would have seen the same trajectory. The conjunction of a black president and a female speaker of the House — topped off by a wise Latina on the Supreme Court and a powerful gay Congressional committee chairman — would sow fears of disenfranchisement among a dwindling and threatened minority in the country no matter what policies were in play.”
In one sentence, Rich dismissed the concerns of nearly half the country (based on the latest polls) for its alleged racism, sexism, xenophobia and homophobia. Once again, the “tolerant” Left is proving just how intolerant it can be.

So, I ask Rich this simple question: If a future black president and a female future Speaker of the House and a wise Latina on the Supreme Court were pushing for lower taxes, smaller government, a strong national defense and adherence to our Constitution, does he really think that the streets would be filled with Tea Party members demonstrating in opposition? Of course not! They might be in the streets cheering, but I suspect Rich would still find something to complain about.

Yesterday House Republican leaders responded to President Obama’s call for a healthcare summit. In a letter to White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, House Republican Leader John Boehner and Republican Whip Eric Cantor laid down some ground rules and asked some very pointed questions. Here’s an excerpt:

“Assuming the President is sincere about moving forward on health care in a bipartisan way, does that mean he will agree to start over so that we can develop a bill that is truly worthy of the support and confidence of the American people? …If the starting point for this meeting is the job-killing bills the American people have already soundly rejected, Republicans would rightly be reluctant to participate.

“Assuming the President is sincere about moving forward in a bipartisan way, does that mean he has taken off the table the idea of relying solely on Democratic votes and jamming through health care reform by way of reconciliation? …

“Will the President include in this discussion congressional Democrats who have opposed the House and Senate health care bills? This bipartisan discussion should reflect the bipartisan opposition to both the House bill and the kickbacks and sweetheart deals in the Senate bill. …

“Your answers to these critical questions will help determine whether this will be a truly open, bipartisan discussion or merely an intramural exercise before Democrats attempt to jam through a job-killing health care bill that the American people can’t afford and don’t support. ‘Bipartisanship’ is not writing proposals of your own behind closed doors, then unveiling them and demanding Republican support….”

I doubt you’ll hear about this letter on the evening news, but the issue is too important to be determined by liberal demagoguery. Unfortunately, the White House quickly rejected calls to start over, which just indicates that the president is not giving up on his socialized medicine scheme and that this summit is really just for show.

Yesterday, on the steps of the Capitol, Nancy Pelosi and her liberal colleagues unveiled their healthcare plan, H.R. 3962. Here are my thoughts on what transpired at the press conference, and the content of the bill.

• Pelosi’s press conference was an hour long, and only people on her personal “RSVP list” were allowed to attend. Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) said, “The striking thing that occurred today is when the Speaker had her announcement and unveiled their public option, she did so on public grounds in the West Front of the Capitol and frankly denied access to the public.”
• The thirty Democratic members with Pelosi at the press conference did not answer a single question from the press.
• The bill has had an extra thousand pages of statist policy added, making it nearly 2,000 pages long. Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), chairman of the House Republican Study Committee, said, “So how much takeover can you cram into 2,000 pages? By comparison, the legislation that created Medicare and Medicaid in 1965, which costs us $800 billion annually was less than 300 pages long.” What is hidden in the Pelosi bill?
• Members of Congress are not required to enroll in the government plan. The bill says that members can enroll in the public option if they want. Don’t expect any of them to do this, however.
• A 2.5 percent tax on medical devices will also be passed on to Americans. Taxes on hearing aids, heart valves and wheelchairs will all increase and will hurt Americans regardless of income.
• Under this version, working-class families will face higher health care premiums. Millions of Americans will also lose their current plans and senior citizens will see Medicare cut by $500 billion.

The House will be voting on this bill soon, so I strongly encourage you to contact your representatives at 202-224-3121. Call even if you have already done so, and share your thoughts with your elected representatives. The liberals in Washington are trying to transform the United States in their Big Government image. Now is the time to make your voice heard.