Democrats Attempt To Blur Line Between Tea Party And GOP

By Brandon Kosters - Talk Radio News Service

As November’s midterm elections approach, the Democratic Party is moving to link the GOP with the extreme elements of the Tea Party movement.

Speaking alongside a handful of Congressional Democrats at a press conference in the Democratic National Committee’s headquarters Wednesday, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said that in terms of policy, the GOP and the Tea Party are “one and the same.”

“Essentially, you don’t know where the Republican Party ends and the Tea Party begins,” Wasserman Shultz claimed.

While the Tea Party movement, essentially made up of a collection of conservative activists, has proven to be popular in some circles, it has at times walked a political tight rope. Tea Party favorites Sharron Angle (R) in Nevada and Rand Paul (R) in Kentucky both won their party’s Senatorial primaries due in part to their strict conservative platforms, but have taken a more moderate tone in recent months to garner centrist support.

The House Democrats who spoke at Wednesday’s conference criticized the Tea Party for their opposition to health care reform, Wall Street reform, the Environmental Protection Agency and the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, which gives citizens to directly elect their Senators.

“The Tea Party Republicans offer a retrograde, reactionary program for the American people that is extreme… [and] way out of the mainstream,” Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) said.

Struggling Economy Will Take Center Stage In November Say Experts

Sarah Mamula - Talk Radio News Service

Former Commerce Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Robert Shapiro expressed confidence Thursday that the Democratic Party will continue to hold the majority in Congress after the midterm elections.

According to the NDN, a progressive think tank and advocacy organization, the focus for the midterm elections in November is the struggling economy. President of NDN Simon Rosenberg said issues such as the clean energy and comprehensive immigration reform will creep just below the public’s radar.

Rosenberg believes that if the GOP were to gain seats in Congress, Republicans would need to adjust their current economic policy of “do nothing” and come up with alternatives.

“I don’t think this set of leaders, Boehner and McConnell, have the intellectual capacity [for] a real economic strategy because they have utterly failed to do so in the entire time they’ve been in office,” Rosenberg said.

Polls indicated that people voted for Obama and Democrats in 2008 due to the policies he planned to implement to revive the economy, but Shapiro said that economic progress made by the government will aid Democrats come September.

“The economy is certainly in much better shape than when the president took office,” said Shapiro. 

Pelosi Celebrates Small Business Vote, Slams GOP On Variety Of Issues

By Miles Wolf Tamboli
Talk Radio News

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) appeared giddy during her weekly press conference on Thursday over the fact that her chamber passed an important bill aimed at providing relief to small businesses.

Earlier in the day, the House passed the Small Business Lending Fund Act of 2010, legislation that will provide small businesses with credit from a $30 billion trust, by a vote of 241-182.

"Small businesses are the creators of jobs in our country, they're the creators of capital...but they need credit," said Pelosi.

The Speaker then went to work on responding to criticism waged by Republicans over aspects of a financial regulatory reform bill making its way through conference.

"For too long now, Republicans in Congress have favored Wall Street over Main Street," she said.

Pelosi also blasted Republicans over a statement made by Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas) earlier in the day, in which he apologized to BP CEO Tony Hayward during a hearing in the House for what he referred to as a "shakedown" by the White House on BP's earnings.

"I think that Mr. Barton's comments fit comfortably among the leadership of the Republicans in the House of Representatives...He is not alone in his association with sympathy for the oil companies," said Pelosi.

The Speaker also condemned the GOP for voting against a defense authorization bill that passed the House last month.

"Their mantra: 'defense, defense defense; it's our first responsibility. We all care about it.' Nine Republicans voted for it, because it had 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' in it. Over 160 Republicans did not vote for it," Pelosi said.

Bennett's Loss Shows That The GOP Base Is Growing More Hostile, Says Hoyer

By Sofia Sanchez-Talk Radio News Service/University of New Mexico

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) told reporters Tuesday that the decision from Utah Republicans to drop incumbent Senator Bob Bennett (R-Utah) shows that the GOP is moving toward a smaller and more stubborn base.

"I think that the Republican party now has the narrowest base that I have seen … since I have been involved with politics, which has been for over four decades,” Hoyer said. “Their base does not want them to compromise, their base does not want them to sit down with people and discuss alternatives that are possible."

Republicans in Utah cited Bennett's vote in favor of the Troubled Assets Relief Program and his attempt to craft a health care reform compromise with Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) as the grounds for their vote. Mike Lee and Tim Bridgewater garnered more support than Bennett and will face a primary vote this June.

Hoyer said that this new direction among conservatives will likely alienate more moderate voters.

"I think, ultimately, [this] will not be something the Independents believe is a good thing for our country."

Boehner Criticizes Administration For Lack Of Job Creation

By Justine Rellosa- Talk Radio News Service

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) once again criticized the Obama administration Wednesday for failing to improve the employment situation in the U.S. through the use of the Recovery Act.

“It’s time to get serious about job creation in America because all we’ve gotten out of the [Recovery Act] is a big pile of debt on the backs of our kids and grandkids,” Boehner told reporters.

Boehner added that the President promised that the unemployment rate would not raise past 8 percent if the legislation aimed at stimulating the U.S. economy was passed. Boehner pointed out that unemployment is currently hovering around 10 percent a year after the Recovery Act was signed.

"[The President] said that the stimulus bill would create jobs immediately, and yet over 3 million Americans have lost their jobs since this bill has been signed into law,” Boehner noted.

Boehner also praised police officials for their efforts in capturing Faisal Shahzad, the suspect apprehended for Saturday's New York Times Square scare.

“I want to thank our law enforcement officials in New York and around the country ... [the attempted attack] is another reminder of the vigilance that the American people need to have and the fact that this threat is a continuing threat to our nation,” said Boehner.