The Leader Board
Five Supreme Court Myths Democrats Know To Be False
MYTH #1: 'In 1988 … President Reagan Put Forward The Nomination Of Anthony Kennedy To Be A Supreme Court Justice ' SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): "In 1988, in the last year of his Presidency, President Reagan put forward the nomination of Anthony Kennedy to be a Supreme Court Justice. That was in the last year of his term." (Sen. Reid, Congressional Record, S.927, 2/23/16) FACT: Kennedy Was Nominated In 1987, After The Democrat-Led Senate Defeated Robert Bork's Nomination, To Fill A Vacancy Th… Continue Reading
02.29.16
Combating Opioid Addiction
'Bipartisan Legislation … Designed To Fight Prescription Opioid Abuse And Heroin Use' SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "[T]here are steps we can take today to help families impacted by drug abuse - and keep more families from ever going through it to begin with. . . [The Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA)] has garnered a great deal of support from both sides because of its provisions to expand prevention and educational efforts, strengthen prescription-drug monitoring progra… Continue Reading
02.24.16
The Senate: ‘A Real Check, Not A Rubberstamp’
SEN. SCHUMER: 'The Founding Fathers… Wanted The Senate, In Its Infinite Wisdom, To Be A Check-A Real Check, Not A Rubberstamp' SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): 'The Founding Fathers… wanted the Senate, in its infinite wisdom, to be a check-a real check, not a rubberstamp' "…the longer I am around, the more I respect the wisdom of our Founding Fathers. In their infinite wisdom, they wanted judges to interpret law, not make it; they wanted the Senate, in its infinite wisdom, to … Continue Reading
02.24.16
‘Last-Ditch Gitmo Plan Falls Flat’
'Plan Leaves Everyone Unhappy', 'Virtually No One Is Impressed' Lacking In Specifics, 'The Plan Was A Nonstarter' "Virtually no one is impressed with President Barack Obama's latest plan to close Guantanamo Bay" ("Obama's Gitmo Plan Leaves Everyone Unhappy," Politico, 2/23/16) "The administration struggled on Tuesday to explain why it had ignored Congress's demand for specifics . . ." ("Obama's Gitmo Plan Leaves Everyone Unhappy," Politico, 2/23/16) "President Obama's plan to shutte… Continue Reading
02.23.16
‘There Are People In Gitmo Who Are So Dangerous That We Cannot Transfer Them’
SEC DEF: 'We're Not Going To Be Able To Close Gitmo By Magically Making Safe Everybody Who's In There' SEC DEF: 'There Are People In Gitmo Who Are So Dangerous That We Cannot Transfer Them' SEC. OF DEFENSE ASH CARTER: "[T]here are people in Gitmo who are so dangerous that we cannot transfer them to the custody of another government no matter how much we trust that government. I can't assure the president that it would be safe to do that. ... We're not going to be able to close Gitmo by magi… Continue Reading
02.22.16
The Biden Standard
SEN. JOE BIDEN: 'Action On A Supreme Court Nomination Must Be Put Off Until After The Election Campaign Is Over' SEN. JOE BIDEN (D-DE), Then-Judiciary Committee Chairman: "…it is my view that if a Supreme Court Justice resigns tomorrow, or within the next several weeks, or resigns at the end of the summer, President Bush should consider following the practice of a majority of his predecessors and not - and not - name a nominee until after the November election is completed." (Sen. Bid… Continue Reading
02.19.16
The Reid Standard
'Nowhere In [The Constitution] Does It Say The Senate Has A Duty To Give Presidential Nominees A Vote' REID: 'The Senate Is Not A Rubber Stamp For The Executive Branch' SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): "The duties of the Senate are set forth in the U.S. Constitution. Nowhere in that document does it say the Senate has a duty to give Presidential nominees a vote. It says appointments shall be made with the advice and consent of the Senate. That is very different than saying every nominee receives a vo… Continue Reading
02.16.16
The Schumer Standard
'I Will Do Everything In My Power To Prevent' More Bush Nominees From Joining The Supreme Court SCHUMER: 'We Should Reverse The Presumption Of Confirmation' SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY), JULY 2007: "[F]or the rest of this President's term and if there is another Republican elected with the same selection criteria let me say this: We should reverse the presumption of confirmation. The Supreme Court is dangerously out of balance. We cannot afford to see Justice Stevens replaced by another Ro… Continue Reading
02.12.16
‘A Great Day For American Consumers’
Ending Years Of Temporary Extensions, 'Mark[ing] An Enormous Win For Taxpayers And Consumers' SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "The Internet is a resource used daily by Americans of all ages, across our country. Students use it to research school projects and papers. Entrepreneurs use it to help run their businesses and come up with new ideas. Families use it to manage their busy schedules and stay in touch with relatives. It's important that they be able to do all of this without the worry of t… Continue Reading
02.11.16
‘Prolific Senate’ Notches Another Win For Hard-Working Americans
The 'Internet Tax Freedom Forever Act' Added To The Stack Of Significant Legislation Passed By Congress Solving 'Big, Entrenched Problems' SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "I think many Americans would agree with this statement: The Internet should remain open and free - politicians should certainly not try to tax it. Congress passed a temporary ban on Internet taxes in 1998. It was an important, bipartisan win for the American people. Congress has since voted eight times to reauthorize that tem… Continue Reading
02.10.16
‘A Major Setback’ For Pres. Obama’s Anti-Coal Regs
Supreme Court Order Shows Obama EPA's Anti-Coal Regulations 'Could Be In Legal Jeopardy' SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "Last year I called on governors to hold off submitting plans mandated under the President's regressive federal energy regulations until courts could determine whether the regulations were even legal. Today's Supreme Court order to halt those regulations-regulations that attack the middle class and won't even have a meaningful impact on global carbon emissions-is just the latest… Continue Reading
02.09.16
President Obama’s North Korea Policy ‘Has Failed’
'As The Kim Regime Builds Its Arsenal,' 'Renewed Concerns About The [Obama] Administration's Policy Of 'Strategic Patience'' SENATE FOREIGN RELATIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR BOB CORKER (R-TN): "This week the U.S. Senate will join the U.S. House of Representatives in passing legislation that sends a strong bipartisan message: North Korea is a serious threat to U.S. national security and our current approach is a failure... The Senate bill represents the best of our bipartisan foreign policy tradition a… Continue Reading
02.05.16
President Obama’s Energy Tax
Latest Democrat Scheme Could 'Could Add As Much As 25 Cents A Gallon To The Cost Of Gasoline' "President Barack Obama will propose a $10 per barrel tax on oil in his fiscal 2017 budget plan…" ("Obama $10-Per-Barrel Oil Tax Lands With Thud in Congress," Bloomberg News, 2/04/2016) If Enacted, 'Consumers Will … Pay The Price' For 'Trickle Down' Tax On Gas "Obama's $10 oil tax proposal would cost motorists" ("Obama's $10 Oil Tax Proposal Would Cost Motorists," USA Today, 2/05/201… Continue Reading
02.04.16
Dems: ‘Bipartisan Energy Bill’ ‘Critical’ To Their States, Nation
Dem Senator: 'I Truly Believe That This Bipartisan Bill Will Bring Us One Step Closer To Achieving U.S. Energy Independence' DEMS: 'This Bipartisan Package Includes Common-Sense Provisions,' 'Integral To Growing And Sustaining Our Energy Economy,' 'A Milestone' SEN. HARRY REID (D-NV): "Today the Senate will begin consideration of a bipartisan bill that makes progress doable on this important goal. We have long sought to pass a number of priorities included in this bill. ... When Democrats w… Continue Reading
02.02.16
Obamacare Repeal Fight Continues
`Serious Concerns' About Obamacare Sustainability Continue To Pile Up "Tuesday's vote [in the House]… will be the first attempt to override President Obama's veto of a measure to overturn his signature legislative accomplishment." ("This Week: Congress Takes Up Obamacare Repeal, Energy Fight," The Hill, 2/1/16) 'GOP Congressional Leaders Fulfilled A Longtime Pledge To Voters And Rank-And-File Members' SEN. MITCH McCONNELL (R-KY): "Americans are intimately familiar with the painful r… Continue Reading
02.02.16
‘Against The Law’ – Bringing Gitmo Terrorists To U.S.
Obama Cabinet Officials Agree: 'The Law Currently Does Not Allow' Transfers Of Guantanamo Detainees To The U.S. 'Audacious Executive Action' Threatened On GITMO WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF DENIS McDONOUGH: "We'll do audacious executive action throughout the course of the year - I'm confident about that." ("President Obama May Require Federal Contractors To List Campaign Gifts," The New York Times, 1/19/16) McDONOUGH: "We will close Gitmo ... That's what the president will do." (Fox News' … Continue Reading
01.28.16
Time to Modernize Our Nation’s Energy Policies
Broad Bipartisan Bill Cuts Red Tape And Promotes LNG Exports, Innovation, And Efficiency SEN. MURKOWSKI (R-AK): "Our energy renaissance has taken us from a position of energy scarcity to one of energy abundance, but current law rarely reflects that fact. After months of working together, the bipartisan legislation we introduced today marks a critical step toward the modernization of our federal energy policies. By focusing on areas where agreement was possible, we have assembled a robust bill… Continue Reading
01.20.16
‘Audacious Executive Action’
White House Looking to Force Political Test for Federal Contracts In Spite Of Explicit Ban On Such Action By Congress WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF DENIS McDONOUGH: "We'll do audacious executive action throughout the course of the year - I'm confident about that." ("President Obama May Require Federal Contractors to List Campaign Gifts," The New York Times, 1/19/2016) SEN. McCONNELL: "Apparently, President Obama is again considering imposing his Enemies List regulation by executive order - jus… Continue Reading
01.20.16
‘Strengthens Our Defense’
Dems: 'We Must Take Every Step To Keep Our Country Safe From Terrorism' SEN. McCONNELL: "Passing the American SAFE Act, which the House has already done by a bipartisan veto-proof margin, would show Americans that their concerns are being heard in Washington." (Sen. McConnell, Press Release, 1/19/2016) SEN. GRASSLEY: "President Obama needs to listen to the concerns voiced by more than half of the nation's governors, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, on both sides of Capitol Hill, and … Continue Reading
01.20.16
Obama’s Regulatory ‘Nightmare’
Farmers, Small Businesses, States Object to White House Waters of the U.S. 'Powergrab' "President Obama on Tuesday rejected an attempt by congressional Republicans to overturn his landmark regulation asserting federal power over small bodies of water." ("Obama Vetoes GOP Attempt To Block Water Rule," The Hill, 1/19/2016) SEN. McCONNELL: "WOTUS isn't really a clean-water measure, it's an unprecedented federal power grab clumsily masquerading as one. In passing a bipartisan measure to overtur… Continue Reading
