From the Chairman:

Week of June 13, 2011


We’ve Hit One Million Petitions!

In January we hand delivered more than half a million petitions to House of Representative leaders in a press conference outside the Capitol. The next day the House voted in veto-proof numbers to repeal the ObamaCare legislation that was never approved by the American people in the first place.

Since then our TV ads, Facebook site and phone outreach program have all been put into high gear to begin again—gathering so many petitions that Democratic Senators will “feel the heat” and then “see the light”. We have waited to begin delivering both print and voice petitions to the Senate until we have big numbers—including sufficient petitions from each state where votes are needed.

We think a million petitions is a good number to start delivery but how do we actually make sure they are seen and heard by Senate offices resisting the will of the people to repeal ObamaCare? We’ve decided that “hand delivery” may be old-fashioned but effective--still the best method to make sure that we’re heard.

Starting in early July I will personally visit each and every Senate Democrat’s office, armed with petitions from every corner of the nation. We’ll be starting where we have the very best hope of progress—the Senators who face the voters again next year. We’ll start with both Nelson’s—Bill from Florida and Ben from Nebraska. We’ll take the voice of the American people demanding repeal to Missouri’s Claire McCaskill’s office and then onto the office of Joe Manchin of West Virginia. Each remaining Democratic Senate office will also get visits and petitions.

We need four more votes. Four more won’t be “veto-proof” but will equal 51 votes in the Senate (together with 47 Republican Senators who have already voted for repeal). We’ve said it before but once again, here’s our reasoning—once both Houses of Congress have voted for repeal along with two federal courts ruling it unconstitutional, 26 states suing to get out and a determined majority of citizens who still favor repeal, the White House will have a toxic choice.

If Mr. Obama decides that his “signature issue” is more important than the will of the people and both Houses of Congress he will veto the repeal legislation. By doing so he will be making the strongest possible argument to voters that he does not deserve to be re-elected in 2012.

Ken Hoagland, Chairman
RepealItNow.org


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New Study Predicts that Three of Ten Employers Will Drop Healthcare Coverage

A disturbing new study reveals that of more than a thousand businesses surveyed, 30-50% will drop coverage, choosing instead to pay federal penalties rather than adopt new, higher cost coverage required by ObamaCare.

This new study by the McKinsey Group foretells a national healthcare disaster by 2014 when the law is fully implemented. The study also proves again that Mr. Obama’s repeated and exasperated statements that every American could keep the health insurance they like were nothing more than sound and fury signifying nothing truthful.

Another recent study revealed that family healthcare coverage will go up more than $2,100 a year because of ObamaCare. Others show that many doctors will quit and many more will stop taking Medicare patients.


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We Have Three Paths to Repeal

There are three primary paths to repeal of ObamaCare before even more damage is done to the healthcare system, the national economy and family budgets.

1. Put so much pressure on Democratic Senators that we win over just four more votes. Once the House and Senate are both on record as repealing ObamaCare only a Presidential veto will stop the bad law from being erased from the books.
2. Lawsuits by states and others result in more federal court rulings that ObamaCare is unconstitutional. These lawsuits are expected to make their way to the Supreme Court by summer, 2012. (The now infamous Rep. Anthony Weiner was leading a charge to see Clarence Thomas recuse himself from this case as Mrs. Thomas once worked for the Heritage Foundation which has been critical of ObamaCare.)
3. Those 22 Democratic Senator up for re-election next year are defeated and newly elected Senators take office in January 2013 and vote to repeal. There may also be a new President in the White House who supports repeal.

We favor “option one” for this reason: The legislative branch of our government ignored the “consent of the governed” when they voted for passage of ObamaCare. Every poll demonstrated then—and still do—that a majority of citizens were against passage. We didn’t like the intrusion into our lives with the universal mandate, we didn’t like the side deals made with Senators to buy votes and we didn’t like the cost or the very idea of a federal government takeover of healthcare.

It seems only fitting that the people of the United States now force the legislative branch to vote the will of the people. The House of Representatives has—good for them. Nearly half of the Senate has—good for them. Now we must open the ears of Democratic Senators like Bill Nelson of Florida and Clair McCaskill of Missouri who deliberately ignored and then voted against majority will of their bosses—the people of each state.


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ObamaCare at the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals

This last week 26 states were heard by a three judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta. Two of the randomly selected judges are Clinton appointees and one was appointed by George W. Bush.

Appearing for the Administration was Neal Katyal, the Acting Solicitor General who previously got the go-ahead from now Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan to “crush them” (the states and other ObamaCare plaintiffs).

Two of the judges seemed very critical of the government’s argument that the Constitution’s “Commerce Clause” allows Congress to require purchases by every citizen. “If they could compel this, what purchase could they not compel?” one judge asked. The states lawyer responded, ““It boils down to the question of whether the federal government can compel people into commerce to better regulate the individual.”

Mr. Katyal frighteningly responded that courts must provide wide leeway whenever Congress regulates any economic activity. In another argument he seemed to suggest that Americans could simply, “earn less” if they wanted to escape the mandatory coverage payments.

The court gave no indication of when it might rule.