Senate Democrats on Tuesday are due to hold a vote that’s in keeping with their election-year strategy to use the Senate not to solve problems but to produce campaign material. Rather than prevent an increase in student loan rates, they want to check a political box.
Few groups today are struggling more under the Obama economy than recent college graduates. More than half either can’t find work or can’t find work to match their skills, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Close to half, or 42 percent, of recent college graduates, a Pew Research Center study found, are back living with their parents.
The real solution, of course, is a pro-growth policy that makes it likelier businesses will hire.
But in the short-term, Republicans are ready to offer temporary relief — just as we did for millions of working Americans earlier this year through an extension of the payroll tax holiday. We don’t think Americans young or old should suffer any more than they already are as a result of President Barack Obama’s failure to turn the economy around.
Unfortunately, Democrats are more interested in helping the president win reelection than in solving the problem.
The president has been trying for weeks to convince college students that their struggles have less to do with him than with “some in Congress” who stand in his way. And for weeks, Senate Democrats have echoed his taxpayer-funded distraction and misinformation tour.
They’ll likely keep it up Tuesday by creating yet another conflict where there is none.
Fearful that young people might start to realize the reason they need relief right now is because of the Obama economy, Democrats have turned the college loan issue into yet another fake election-year fight. The goal is to distract young people from the fact that they’re suffering disproportionately under this president’s policies.
After all, the reason young people need relief right now from an interest rate spike that Democrat leaders approved five years ago is because most of them can’t find good jobs in the first place.
Simply put, the Democratic-controlled Senate is working with the White House to portray the president as a champion of those who his economic policies have hurt the most.
The record on this point is clear.
Unemployment among 20-to-24-year-olds is 13.2 percent. A fact that’s even more depressing given the debt burden so many of these students already bear.
Republicans stand ready to help alleviate that burden and Democrats know it. Which is why they’ve proposed a fix that’s designed not to solve the problem but to draw our opposition.
Here’s how. To cover the cost of a temporary rate freeze both parties want, Democrats propose to divert $6 billion from Medicare and raise taxes on small business — damaging the very companies we’re counting on to hire young workers. Republicans have been crystal clear that this fix is no fix at all if it weakens entitlements or harms small business in the process.
Yet that’s not the point for Democrats. What they’re really after on the Senate floor Tuesday is a Republican vote “against” young people — a classic election-year gimmick that Democrats appear to have every intention of using again and again until Election Day.
A fix to this problem is easy. Getting Democrats to go along with it in an election year isn’t.
For our part, Republicans propose to cover the cost of the interest rate freeze by ending an “Obamacare” slush fund that Democrats and the president himself have already drawn from to cover expenses unrelated to health care.
This is a reasonable solution to a problem both parties want to address. It passed the House with bipartisan support.
If Democrats want to solve this problem, they’ll embrace it, too.
The real enemy of recent college graduates is this president’s economic policy. That’s why Tuesday’s vote should be about easing the painful consequences of the Obama economy for young people. Not promoting the easily refutable political myth that Republicans would rather protect “the rich” than help college students.
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This piece originally appeared in Politico - Click Here to read the original article.
Leader McConnell joined the Hoover Institute to discuss his work in the Senate combating the Obama agenda. This wide-ranging conversation gives an inside look into the Senate GOP's actions to curb and roll back the Democratic agenda. Watch the full interview below:
If you were listening to the radio in Louisville, Lexington, or Bowling Green this week chances are you heard a radio advertisement called “London Bridge.” The ad was made by a group called Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) and urges the passage of the Highway Bill. Contrary to the assertion in the ads, Senator McConnell has been working to pass the highway bill in the U.S. Senate, which is currently slated for a vote on final passage next week.
NATIONAL JOURNAL: Reid, McConnell Agree on Transportation
(“Reid, McConnell Agree on Transportation,” National Journal, 03/08/12)
“The long-stalled transportation bill is showing some movement. The measure would keep money flowing to the nations highways, bridges and other infrastructure and has been closely watched around the country. Senators reached a deal on amendments to a two-year highway reauthorization bill, Senate leaders announced Thursday morning. The agreement puts the bill on course for passage on Tuesday.” (“Reid, McConnell Agree on Transportation,” National Journal, 03/08/12)
LIUNA is a liberal labor organization that has most recently partnered with the radical “Occupy” protests. The group has contributed over $4 million to elect liberal Democrats to office in the last two election cycles despite the projected insolvency of a pension plan for LIUNA workers.
Terry O'Sullivan, General President of LIUNA: “The only way to turn back the assault is to strengthen unions and build movements, such as Occupy Wall Street. The workers who build America - the half-million men and women of LIUNA - are united behind the fight against corporate tyranny and for economic prosperity for all and stand with the Occupy Wall Street movement in New York City and across the United States.” (LiUNA, Press Release, 9/30/11)
“The AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union and the Laborers’ International Union of North America will partner with Occupy Wall Street for ‘We are the 99 percent’ rallies on Thursday.” (“Labor Unions, Occupy Wall Street Plan ‘Day Of Action’ Urging Lawmakers To Invest,” The Hill, 11/12/11)
“Over the past 10 years, LIUNA’s political fund has been among the top 10 political action committees in the country, totaling $2.5 million in each election cycle to elect federal candidates who will work for LIUNA members.” (LIUNA, Politico Mobilization Tool Kit Book)
Among The Top 20 PAC Contributors To Democratic Candidates in 2008 and 2010:
2010 Contributions To Senate Candidates:
2012 Contributions To Senate Candidates Thus Far:
The Laborers National (Industrial) Pension Fund, affiliated with the Laborers International Union of North America, was forced almost two years ago to institute a rehabilitation plan when projections showed that the pension s funding level would drop below thresholds set by federal law. The federal Pension Protection Act of 2006 considers pension funds endangered when the money set aside to pay benefits is less than 80 percent of the benefits already earned by workers and retirees. When that drops below 65 percent, the fund is considered critical. Both levels require plans to fix the problem, with critical funds requiring a more aggressive approach. The unions rehabilitation plan includes reducing benefits 25 percent to 50 percent, depending on contribution levels, for benefits earned after 2007, and raising the retirement age from 62 to 65 for workers joining the plan after 2007. As of Jan. 1, 2010, the latest numbers available, the Laborers pension fund had 72.8 percent of the money it needed, but that was projected to drop by 2013, moving the fund into critical status.” (“Underfunded Union Plan In Rehabilitation,” Providence Journal, 11/3/11)
On Monday, March 5, Mitch McConnell addressed the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference on the importance of strong ties between America and Israel, as well as the growing threat of a nuclear Iran.
If you missed the speech on Monday, you can watch the full remarks here, and read them below.
“Thank you Tim and thank you all for having me. I’m delighted to be here to affirm the strong and, indeed, unbreakable, bond that exists between Israel and the United States. And also to express my own personal commitment to the promotion and defense of that bond, in and out of season. These are sentiments I look forward to sharing with Prime Minister Netanyahu tomorrow as well."
“But before I get to the substance of my remarks, I’d like to acknowledge a few people in the audience. One of the best friends I ever had was the late, great Bubba Mitchell. Bubba and I saw eye to eye on just about everything. We shared a deep love of public service, college football, and our families. So I’m glad to see that Bubba’s wife, Arlene, and his daughters Melinda and Joy, and their husbands, Steve and Jimmy, are here carrying on the family tradition."
“I’d also like to recognize AIPAC President Michael Kassen, AIPAC’s immediate past president and current chairman, Lee Rosenberg; and Howard Kohr. Thank you for your service to this vital organization, which has helped me and my staff immensely over the years."
“Finally, I want to acknowledge all the Kentuckians who are here. We may not have a large Jewish population in the Bluegrass State, but I like to think we make up for it in heart."
“Now, as we all know, the U.S. and Israel have a lot in common. In addition to the strategic interests that bind us, both were born of conflict and built up by immigrants and pioneers, and both have always been firmly committed to the democratic ideals that have enabled their peoples to flourish."
“Because of these things, Israel has always enjoyed strong bipartisan support in Washington. But saying we support Israel doesn’t necessarily ensure it. And that’s why I wanted to come here tonight to share not just my good wishes, but to offer a concrete plan that would put our shared interests to the test."
“Because let’s face it, in the four years since I last spoke at this conference, very little if anything has changed in terms of America’s stated commitments with respect to Israel. And yet I think we’d all have to admit that when it comes to the threat of a nuclear-armed Iran, we have now reached a point where the current administration’s policies, however well-intentioned, simply aren’t enough. Four years later, Iran’s actions and several other objective facts suggest that it has made significant progress in its quest to develop the capability to build a nuclear weapon."
“Let’s review. Iran is now believed to have produced at least five years’ worth of medium-enriched uranium for its medical reactors. According to the experts, such quantities raise serious suspicions about a military intent."
“In the fall of 2009, the U.S., U.K., and France presented detailed evidence to the International Atomic Energy Agency that Iran had for several years been busy building a covert enrichment facility near Qom [ pronounced: Gome]. The implication of the report was clear: Not only does Iran have the ability to conceal enrichment from the IAEA and the rest of the world, but also the intent."
“Since I last spoke to this conference, Iran has also rejected an offer by the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany, the P5+1, to exchange its stockpile of low-enriched uranium to be reprocessed and returned in sufficient quantities for medical use."
“Further, the IAEA report of November, 2011 raised serious concerns about the military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program, stating that “Iran has carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear device.”
“And Iran recently denied the IAEA access to the Parchin facility where it may have conducted a test in association with nuclear materials. What’s more, it refuses to explain the purposes of its activities at Parchin."
“Finally, and perhaps most ominously, Iran has acknowledged and the IAEA has confirmed that it is enriching uranium at the underground facility at Fordo near Qom [Gome], enabling it to accelerate enrichment, in an apparent attempt to shield it from a military strike."
“Taken together, these things present not only a compelling case against Iran, but also, regretfully, against the current administration’s efforts to halt the regime’s nuclear weapons program. Four years after expressing grave concerns about the Iranian threat, I regret to conclude that those concerns have only become more acute."
“Now, some people might raise a question at this point. Why exactly is a nuclear-armed Iran so dangerous? My answer to them is this: if Iran behaves the way it does without a nuclear weapon, then how would it behave with one."
“Leave aside for a moment the way it’s treated weapons inspectors and the U.N. Just look at the rest of its record."
“Iran is a state-sponsor of terrorism which provides material support to Hezbollah and Hamas."
“It’s an avowed ally of Syria and continues to provide it with material support even now."
“It recently attempted to assassinate the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, in the United States, flagrantly flouting U.S. and international law."
“It has provided weapons and training to Shiite militias within Iraq, and shipped weapons from inside Iran that were later used against U.S. military personnel in Iraq."
“It recently threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz."
“It continues to develop ballistic missiles, raising legitimate suspicions about the intended use of those missiles as vehicles for a nuclear weapon."
“And it provides sanctuary for financial backers of Al Qaeda."
“Ladies and gentlemen: these are not the actions of a state that’s comfortable with its place in the world. They are the actions of a self-described revolutionary state that is determined to shift the balance of power in the Middle East."
“A nuclear armed Iran would pose a threat to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain. It would threaten sea lines of communication and commerce. And it would be further emboldened in its support for terrorist groups and arms proliferators, as President Obama conceded yesterday."
“Make no mistake: Iran has a goal in mind, one that it has pursued for years through terrorism, covert actions, and, I believe, through the active pursuit of a nuclear weapons program that would only bring its broader goals within closer reach."
“As the great theorist of international relations, Hans Morgenthau once put it, “The principal means … by which a nation endeavors with the power at its disposal to maintain or reestablish the balance of power are armaments.” This is what we’re witnessing in Iran. And it must be stopped."
“In the weeks and months ahead, Israel and the United States face a day of reckoning. We either do what it takes to preserve the balance of power within the broader Middle East, or risk a nuclear arms race across the region that’s almost certain to upend it."
“Now, President Obama knows all this as well as I do. That’s why he has said repeatedly, and as recently as yesterday, that he’s determined to prevent a nuclear Iran, and I appreciate this reaffirmation of our common goal. It is in service of this goal that the President has also insisted since taking office that, quote, ‘all options are on the table.’"
“The question isn’t whether we have the same goal. We do. The question is why the administration’s efforts haven’t succeeded in halting Iran’s nuclear weapons program. So let me suggest an answer to that question. The reason the administration hasn’t succeeded, in halting Iran’s nuclear program is that its policy contains a critical flaw."
“Here’s the problem. You’ll recall that upon taking office, President Obama took several steps to pursue negotiations with Iran. He famously suggested that if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they’ll find an extended hand from us. He recorded a YouTube message to the Iranian people. He also reportedly wrote a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader inviting him to talk without preconditions on the basis of mutual respect. This was the engagement phase."
“It was during this phase that the President presented Iran with two deadlines by which they could demonstrate progress, one in September 2009 and one in December 2009. But instead of using this period to demonstrate progress, Iran used it to continue enriching uranium and to divide the international community. And by the following year, one of the administration’s own former advisors on Iran would have to admit that the administration had, in his words, discounted the extent to which ‘the Iranian theocracy views engagement with the U.S. as a threat to its ideological identity.’"
“Meanwhile, Congress was growing impatient. And that’s why, as the administration was trying and failing to negotiate away Iran’s nuclear program, members of both parties in the House and Senate came together and began to put in place a sanctions strategy directed at Iran’s petroleum sector."
“Many in this room strongly supported this effort and made it quite clear that you did, despite the administration’s reluctance to embrace it. But at Congress’s urging, and yours, the President did reluctantly sign the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act into law on July 1, 2010. But make no mistake: with this legislation, Congress handed the President a tool that he did not seek."
“Last year, I worked to strengthen this sanctions strategy with an amendment to the Defense Authorization Act which sanctioned foreign banks for doing business with the Central Bank of Iran. This amendment became the basis for a negotiation with the Obama Administration on how best to sanction Iran without causing a shock to global oil markets."
“Senator Mark Kirk, who is unfortunately not able to be with us tonight, but thankfully is recovering well, was the primary author of this legislation, and I know he’ll remain vigilant in ensuring that the administration does not lightly issue waivers to those who’d like to evade these sanctions."
“But the bottom line is this: because of the failure of negotiations by the administration, Congress was forced to act. And the President, who initially opposed a strong sanctions strategy, was ultimately forced to accept it against his original wishes. And now the administration is making another mistake."
“Just as it initially sought to rely predominantly on negotiations, it’s now relying too heavily on sanctions, whether by the U.S. or by the EU, through its welcome decision to cease Iranian oil purchases starting in July."
“Now, the administration has attempted to rely on the ambiguity of its military policy by claiming at every stage that it continues to keep ‘all options on the table.’ But this is not a policy. It’s a talking point. And, as we’ve seen, a talking point will not deter Iran. What is needed when it comes to Iran is the one thing the administration hasn’t provided, and that’s a clear, declaratory policy that states what we will do and why."
“Here’s the administration’s mistake: in attempting to preserve all options, it has inadvertently blurred the most important one, and that’s a determined military campaign to end Iran’s nuclear program."
“The administration has used this same language about preserving all options in developing its policy toward Libya, Iran, and, now, Syria. Clearly, the threat has lost its intended purpose. And the markers this administration has identified, whether they be a program to enrich uranium to weapons grade levels, or a decision to construct a weapon, are only truly red lines if crossing them brings about painful consequences."
Another way to put it is that the administration’s mistake has been to pursue negotiations, and sanctions consecutively rather than simultaneously, without articulating a clear military consequence for the crossing of red lines."
“But in my view, the only way — the only way — the Iranian regime can be expected to negotiate to preserve its own survival rather than to simply delay as a means of pursuing nuclear weapons is if the administration imposes the strictest sanctions while at the same time enforcing a firm declaratory policy that reflects a commitment to the use of force."
“This is so crucial a step, I believe, that tonight I am prepared to propose such a policy — that is, a policy which has the clarity and the specificity that the situation demands. And that policy is this: if Iran, at any time, begins to enrich uranium to weapons grade levels, or decides to go forward with a weapons program, then the United States will use overwhelming force to end that program."
“In my judgment, there is broad bipartisan support for the administration’s stated goal with respect to Iran, and a strong declaratory policy like this can be expected to have the support of strong majorities of both parties in Congress, and thus the solid support of the American people."
“All that’s been lacking until now is a clear, declaratory policy. And if the administration is reluctant for some reason to articulate it, then Congress will attempt to do it for him."
“So tonight I make the following commitment in support of the policy I have proposed: if at any time the intelligence community presents the Congress with an assessment that Iran has begun to enrich uranium to weapons grade levels, or has taken a decision to develop a nuclear weapon — consistent with protecting classified sources and methods — I will consult with the President and joint congressional leadership and introduce before the Senate an authorization for the use of military force."
This authorization, if enacted, will ensure the nation and the world that our leaders are united in confronting Iran, and will undermine the perception that the U.S. is wounded or retreating from global responsibilities."
“The authority will be focused to ensure the people of Iran and the international community that our disagreement is not with the population of Iran or the Muslim world. This authorization will not prevent the administration from pursuing diplomatic measures, continued negotiations and consultation with our allies. On the contrary, it will strengthen these efforts."
“This authorization will make clear that any effort by Iran or its proxy forces to retaliate against the interests of the United States whether our personnel, our bases or freedom of the seas will be met by overwhelming force."
“For the U.S., this debate and ultimate passage of an authorization for the use of military force ensures that we have a coherent, unified policy toward Iran and that we not take on another military action without bipartisan support. A decision to take military action against Iran should not be taken lightly. It should have the bipartisan support of Congress."
“For Israel, it ensures that Iran will never enter into a zone of immunity from which it can coerce and intimidate other countries."
“For the broader Middle East, it ensures that Iran will not be a regional hegemon free to export its revolution either by terror or propaganda, especially into those countries experiencing unrest and political turmoil after the Arab Spring."
“It is in the clear national interests of the United States to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons across the Middle East, to end Iran’s support of terror and the shipment of arms to Hezbollah and Hamas, and to protect freedom of the seas in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. We share these interests with Israel. And we must face the threat to these interests together."
“Four years ago, in marking the 60th anniversary of Israel, I noted that while the bonds between the U.S. and Israel have grown stronger over the decades, it wasn’t until the events of 9/11 that most Americans fully appreciated the sacrifices that Israel has made to preserve a fragile peace."
“But as strong as those bonds have become, we cannot allow past or even current expressions of mutual respect and goodwill to obscure the urgency of the Iranian threat."
“Rather, we must build on that history of shared interests and shared respect to overcome a flawed policy and to develop the right one that the current situation demands."
“Congress has helped play that role in the past. Current events compel us to do so again. And we will not shrink from that duty. Israel’s security is not negotiable. We can’t shrink from affirming that to the world. And we certainly can’t shrink from telling a sitting President how we think it’s best achieved."
“After all, we share a common goal. And we will only achieve that goal as long as we work together, in all candor and mutual respect. And once we have, and this current threat has passed, we will celebrate many more anniversaries, and an even stronger bond of friendship yet."
“Thank you.”
Thanks to everyone who joined Team Mitch at CPAC 2012!
If you missed Senator McConnell's speech, you can watch the whole thing right here and read the full text below.
Senator Mitch McConnell's Address to CPAC 2012
Thank you
To Al Cardenas and the ACU board, to the ACU staff and volunteers - thank you for this opportunity once again to gather as a movement, to share our ideas and our talents for the great cause of liberty.
Every year at CPAC, past meets present, and both gain new energy, enthusiasm, and allies for the fight. We have a chance to honor and to learn from the conservative giants of the past, and to size up new ones. And we get to hear from those who are leading the cause in statehouses across the country and here in Washington.
For those of you haven't noticed, our ranks are growing. One of the great developments in Congress over the past few years is the emergence of so many strong, principled conservative leaders. You just heard from Senator Marco Rubio, one of the most inspiring young conservatives in America. Our numbers in Congress are expanding. And I can tell you this: I'm very happy to have the reinforcements. Now the trick is to stick together, and to keep our focus where it belongs...
I always love coming to CPAC.
Conservatives are just so much more fun than liberals.
There's a reason for that, by the way ... it's because we're right.
The reason liberals are wringing their hands all the time is that they know we've got better arguments than they do.
So they spend half their time thinking of how to convince people that what's wrong is right - and the other half looking for conservatives to tear down - or CPAC conferences to disrupt.
You all know the liberal playbook: pick a target, freeze it, personalize it, and then polarize it. But rarely have we seen those tactics employed with the kind of zeal we see today.
This White House and its lieutenants have made an art form out of the orchestrated attack. They've shown they'll go after anybody or any organization they think is standing in their way.
We saw it last week, when one of the top Democrats in the Senate announced a plan to haul law-abiding citizens before a congressional panel just because they happen to support causes he doesn't.
You know the drill: expose these folks to public view, release the liberal thugs on them, and then hope the public pressure or the unwanted attention scares them from supporting similar causes down the road.
For a President who spends so much time talking about fairness, there's a serious shortage of it in the White House and among many of its closest allies these days.
Again and again this administration and its allies have used the resources of government to intimidate or silence those who question or oppose it, and to reward their friends and punish their enemies.
This is why an administration that claims to support private sector job creation ended up killing a pipeline project that promised to create tens of thousands of private-sector jobs.
And this is why a President who claims to value diversity is telling the men and women who run religious schools, hospitals, and charities in this country that they now face a choice that no one in the United States of America should ever have to make: violate your conscience, pay a penalty, or close yours doors.
We saw it during the health care debate when the Department of Health and Human Services issued a gag order on a private health insurer for the supposed offense of telling seniors what the President's health care bill would mean for them.
And as Americans continue to struggle as a result of this President's economic policies, we see it in the personal attacks on private citizens or industries that provide the administration with a convenient foil.
These things demean the office of the President. They corrode our democracy. And they need to stop.
If Democrats can't convince people of the wisdom of their policies, they should change them.
But attacking private citizens or groups for the supposed crime of turning a profit or expressing an opinion that the administration doesn't happen to share is not in the President's job description.
The President's job is to unite the country, not divide it ... his job is to bridge differences, not aggravate them ... to encourage success, not to condemn it ... to encourage debate, not to suppress it. And to honor and embrace the free exercise of religion - enshrined in the First Amendment - not to suppress it.
This President seems to have forgotten that he was elected to lead all Americans - that he was elected to be president of the United States, not the Occupy Wall Street fan club.
I mean, I don't know about you, but I think that the leader of the free world and his advisors have better things to do than to dig through other peoples' tax returns.
At a time when nearly 13 million Americans are looking for a job and can't find one, I think the President of the United States has higher priorities than picking on Fox News.
At a moment when the national debt makes us look more like a third world country than the last best hope on earth, I think our highest elected official should be looking for solutions instead of scapegoats.
But that's what passes for leadership in the White House these days.
Here's a President who spent two years reconfiguring the U.S. economy, who put the government in charge of banks, the auto industry, the insurance industry, the student loan business, and health care. Now we're seeing the results, and he acts like he didn't have anything to do with it.
Look: Every new President faces challenges in office. Just ask Ronald Reagan. But once the oath of office has been taken, Americans expects their president to forge ahead and take responsibility for the policies they put in place.
Not this President. He wants to change the topic.
Well here's my message to CPAC: We're not going to let him get away with it.
Republicans are going to push hard to reform the tax code ... we're going to keep up the fight against a regulatory regime that's suffocating free enterprise ... we'll keep pushing the White House to allow Americans to use American energy ... and we will not let a single day pass from now until November without reminding the American people of what this President has done.
We're going to remind folks that we're not in this mess because of a tsunami in Japan, or a debt crisis in Europe. We're in it because this President got nearly everything he wanted for two years. And I assure you this: when November rolls around, the American people will know who was in charge when the Stimulus was passed, they'll know who was in charge when Obamacare became law; they'll know who was in charge when America's credit rating was downgraded for the first time ever.
They'll know this President's record.
And after that, he'll be able to golf as much as he wants.
Let's face it: the only reason we're getting any positive economic news at all more than three years after this Presidency began is because the American people put a restraining order on him and Pelosi last November. Last week's jobs report happened in spite of the President's policies, not because of them.
It's the Obama economy now. And we're not going to let people forget it.
We'll start with his promises.
It's a long list, so I'll just mention a couple.
Three years ago this month President Obama signed a trillion dollar Stimulus bill that we were told would keep unemployment below 8 percent and drop-kick us out of the recession.
How'd that work out?
Well, unemployment has now stood above eight percent for 36 months. Three years straight.
If you lose a job in the Obama economy, you can now expect to spend 40 weeks looking for a new one.
Fewer people have jobs today than when the Stimulus was signed.
And more than three years into this presidency, there are still 5.6 million fewer jobs in this country than when the Great Recession began.
Among African Americans, unemployment is nearly 14 percent.
Among Hispanics, it's 10.5 percent
Among recent college grads, it's more than 13 percent.
For those who need help the most, this President's economic policies have done the least.
So if I were President Obama, I'd keep the champagne on ice.
This is not an economy to be proud of.
Shortly after the Stimulus bill was signed, President Obama made another promise - he said he'd cut the deficit in half by the end of his first term.
How'd that one turn out?
Well, last week the Congressional Budget Office said that the federal deficit for the coming year - Obama's fourth in office - would be over a trillion dollars for the fourth consecutive year.
He hasn't even come close.
On this issue - the debt - this President has been completely AWOL.
Republicans have had to fight tooth and nail for every dime in savings we've secured.
President Obama has ignored the advice of his own deficit commission.
He has ignored the dire warnings that come to us every single day from across the Atlantic.
And he has failed the American people who entrusted him with the stewardship of this country.
More spending, more debt, fewer jobs - that's the sad legacy of this administration's policies
That's how historians will remember the Obama economy
That's how they'll remember this President's three-year experiment in big government ... as a colossal failure ... that managed to bring about one good thing: a resurgence of common sense conservatism.
Thanks to the liberal overreach of the Obama Administration, countless Americans have rediscovered the constitutional principles that bind us. They have new appreciation for the fact that in this country, the government serves the people, not the other way around.
And that's why, when the American people read that the compensation gap between federal and private workers has doubled over the past 10 years, and that the benefits for federal workers are about 60% higher than the taxpayers who pay for them, they have every reason to demand a federal pay freeze.
Right now, there are 2.2 million people in the federal workforce.
Yet, at a time when the federal government in Washington is routinely spending upwards of a trillion dollars a year more than it's taking in, layoffs of federal workers have dropped to fewer than 300 a year. According to one analysis I read, that means that federal workers are 13 times more likely to die of natural causes than to be laid off. And this President has added nearly 150,000 more of them.
Now you tell me, what about the performance of the federal government over the past few years makes you believe that everyone who works for it is absolutely necessary? Look: the government is doing too much already. It's time to stop hiring people to fill jobs in Washington that don't need to be done.
It's time to impose some balance between the public and the private sector.
Under this President, government spending has gone up more than 20%.
This is one of the reasons I never tire of telling people that the problem with our nation's finances isn't that government taxes too little, but that it spends too much.
And I don't know about you, but the way I see it, until Washington proves it can spend money more wisely than it does right now, the taxpayers have no good reason to hand over another dime in higher taxes.
Until Washington puts a higher priority on using the money it gets on the things we need, instead of blowing it on solar panel companies, the American people should tell Congress it doesn't need another cent.
And that leads to another thing that the American people have been reminded of over the past few years - that people should be rewarded for what they know rather than who they know.
Throughout the debate over health care, Americans saw the White House cut deals with special interests and lawmakers we later learned were in exchange for votes. Then, in the months that followed, they watched as it granted waivers to the very groups that lobbied for it most.
Well, most Americans don't think that one group of Americans should be entitled to special treatment just because of their political sympathies. And that's just one of the reasons we're going to keep fighting to repeal this bill - so that everybody gets a waiver - not just the politically connected few.
That's also why Republicans in Congress have joined together to fight the individual mandate in the courts, and why we'll continue to do so, until this unconstitutional burden is overturned.
And then we're going to replace it with the kind of common sense reforms that lower costs and that Americans really want.
But let me tell you what all these things have in common.
Every special favor or preference we've seen from this White House reveals the same thing: and that's a lack of faith in the ability of Americans to figure things out on their own.
The roots of liberalism have always been the same.
What liberals just can't seem to accept is the idea of free people and free institutions pursuing happiness as they see fit - with a deep respect for the rights and difference of others - without the heavy hand of government trying to direct their lives and their destinies for them.
The administration's recent assault on religious liberty is a vivid and troubling example of this. What this White House is now saying is that the federal government will impose a fine on Catholic institutions for no other reason than that the religious beliefs of Catholics happen to run counter to those of a sitting president.
This means that for a place like the University of Notre Dame, the free exercise of religion will now cost about $10 million a year. For Catholic Charities, America's largest private provider of social services to children, families, and the poor, the cost of religious freedom could now be as high as $100 million.
This is not an administration that welcomes diversity under the First Amendment. It's an administration that fears it.
The Obama administration has crossed a dangerous line.
And we will fight this attack on the fundamental right to religious freedom until the courts overturn it or we've got a President who will reverse it.
Picking winners and losers... rewarding friends ... punishing enemies...silencing critics
These things don't just strike at the heart of conservatism. They strike at the heart of what America is all about.
They drive the Obama economy, and they drive an ideological agenda that, as we've seen again and again, has little regard for those who would dissent, or for a Constitution that's meant to protect them.
So let me leave you with this: keep up the fight.
If some would use the powers of their office to curtail our freedoms or limit free enterprise, then we need to use our power as free citizens to restore them.
You know, before I became the Republican Leader in the Senate, I was best known for a very long fight I waged against campaign finance laws that, in my view, struck a serious blow to the right of free speech.
It wasn't easy, and it didn't win me a lot of friends, and that included my own party. The low-point came when I watched a Republican President sign into law a bill that I had been fighting for a decade.
Did I give up? Nope. I sued the government. I'm still fighting it to this day.
And I'll continue to fight it through the constitutional channels that are my birthright as a citizen.
This is the great power the founders gave us.
Each and every one of us has the ability, and the right, to fight back against the infringement of our freedoms by the government.
No President - from either party - is more powerful than the Constitution of the United States.
You all know that your job is to share that message with others.
The theme of this year's CPAC is a question that, for us, answers itself. "Do we still hold these truths?"
And rarely in my lifetime or yours have we had such an opportunity or an obligation to prove that we do.
So I want to thank you all for your devotion to the Constitution and to the principles that inform it.
I want to thank you for your determination and energy in supporting candidates who share our views.
It's through your devotion and your commitment to the cause of liberty that liberty is preserved.
It won't happen any other way.
As Reagan famously put it: "Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same."
You are doing that necessary work.
And the rest of us are very grateful that you are.
Join us Thursday, February 9th at 11:50 a.m. ET to watch Senator McConnell's speech at CPAC 2012.
Senator McConnell will be addressing conservative activists about the state of the U.S. Senate, and the Senate Republican plan to revitalize the economy, defend the Constitution against the Obama mandates, stop reckless spending, and shrink the size of government.
While you're watching, make sure to visit our Facebook page to leave a comment. Check back here on Thursday, February 9th to catch the full speech.
Welcome to the new-look TeamMitch.com. This new website will serve as the hub for my online conversations with you, people across Kentucky, and the country.
I’m excited to offer a range of social media options to enhance our discussions, up-to-date blog postings to update everyone on my efforts, and an array of options to take action to achieve our shared conservative goals.
While you’re here, please make sure to join TeamMitch to receive behind the scenes updates from me on our work to reduce spending, repeal big government takeovers like Obamacare, and get the economy going to create jobs for Kentuckians and all Americans looking for work.
Thank you for your time and interest in helping to build a strong conservative country, and I look forward to our continued discussions.
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