Rubio votes yes & Rand votes no on Vitter Obamacare small business subpoena

[RandallFan]

Successful congressional candidates of both parties often — perhaps usually — suffer amnesia when they get to Washington, and get a glance of the vast buffet of perks Congress votes for itself. They forget a lot of the promises they made during their successful campaigns for Congress. Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana, a Republican, has not forgotten. He’s trying to find out who certified that Congress is a “small business” so its members and their highly paid staffs could be eligible for an Obamacare subsidy for employees of businesses with fewer than 50 employees.

Mr. Vitter is fighting almost alone. Most other members of Congress are conveniently uninterested in knowing how this remarkable absurdity came about — indeed, the Senate Dining Room alone, where senators and their guests dine on cut-rate vittles, has that many employees. Nevertheless, 14 of Mr. Vitter’s colleagues on the Senate Small Business Committee, including Sen. Rand Paul, who is running for president, voted to block Mr. Vitter’s attempt to subpoena nine pages of documents from the Washington, D.C. health care exchange that might reveal what’s going on.

Five Republican senators support Mr. Vitter’s attempt to get the subpoena: Marco Rubio of Florida, Tim Scott of South Carolina, Cory Gardner of Colorado and Joni Ernst of Iowa.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...#ixzz3YAmCSWMV

[The Northbreather]

What's going on here?

Rotten to the core.

[01000110]

That's disappointing.

[LatinsforPaul]

The attacks have started from the National Review

hXXp://www.nationalreview.com/article/418004/conservative-group-hits-rand-paul-obamacare-brendan-bordelon

Conservative Group Hits Rand Paul on Obamacare

By Brendan Bordelon — May 6, 2015


Another conservative group is taking aim at GOP presidential hopeful Rand Paul, with a radio spot set to hit Iowa’s airwaves decrying the Kentucky senator’s recent vote to stymie an investigation into the congressional Obamacare exemption.

It’s the second ad to specifically target Paul from the right in a primary season that’s just beginning — and unlike previous attacks focused on his foreign policy views, it hits the Kentucky senator on the domestic turf where he’s historically garnered conservative support.

The radio spot created by the conservative nonprofit American Encore will begin running in Iowa on Thursday. The 60-second ad pushes the state’s caucus-goers to “ask Rand why” he voted against subpoenaing a fraudulent congressional application to D.C.’s health exchange during an April 23 Small Business Committee meeting.

Unlike previous attacks focused on his foreign policy views, it hits the Kentucky senator on the domestic turf where he’s historically garnered conservative support.

“Senator Rand Paul says Congress is a ‘small business’ and should get a special exemption from Obamacare,” the ad intones. “That’s crazy.”

“Rand Paul actually voted to stop Joni Ernst and other Senate Republicans from finding out who in Congress signed off on this illegal and fraudulent Obamacare scheme,” it continues, urging listeners to tweet at the senator, call his congressional office, “or just ask him about it the next time he passes through Iowa.”

Paul joined four other Republican senators in voting against the subpoena proposal, effectively blocking Small Business Committee chairman David Vitter’s attempt to investigate Congress’s application to Washington, D.C.’s health care exchange. The application fraudulently described Congress as a “small business,” allowing lawmakers and their staffs to retain thousands of dollars in employer health care contributions.

With an initial ad buy of $10,000, American Encore’s radio spot is one of the first shots against any Republican candidate in the crucial, early-voting state.

But it isn’t the only one. The Foundation for a Secure and Prosperous America launched the first multi-state ad campaign against Paul on April 7, the day he announced his candidacy. Those ads ran on TV, radio and the Web in early primary states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, and hit Paul on his support for the Obama administration’s nuclear negotiations with Iran.

A Quinnipiac poll released Wednesday shows Paul with 13 percent support in Iowa, tied for second place with Florida senator Marco Rubio and behind Wisconsin governor Scott Walker’s 23 percent. Unlike Rubio and Texas senator Ted Cruz, who have seen nine- and seven-point bumps in their respective Iowa numbers since February, Paul’s support has held steady in the past three months.

— Brendan Bordelon is a political reporter for National Review.

[Brett85]

Someone on Facebook is claiming that the group behind the attack is associated with Ted Cruz. I'm not sure if that's true or not.

[LatinsforPaul]

Someone on Facebook is claiming that the group behind the attack is associated with Ted Cruz. I'm not sure if that's true or not.

http://www.factcheck.org/2014/04/american-encore/

Political leanings: Conservative/Republican

Spending target: At least $10 million


American Encore, formerly known as the Center to Protect Patient Rights, is an Arizona-based 501(c)(4) “social welfare” organization that has ties to billionaire businessmen David and Charles Koch. CPPR was formed in April 2009 in opposition to the Affordable Care Act. Its stated mission was to “protect the rights of patients to choose and use medical care providers, promote the relationship between patients and their medical care providers, [and] advocate the rights of patients to independence and autonomy.” In February 2014, it changed its name to American Encore, stating more broadly that it “advocates limited government and free enterprise and is committed to protecting individual liberty, including the rights of patients to choose and use their desired medical care providers.”

[angelatc]

Paul is smart to let this just get no traction. If he signs on, the left will destroy him for "trying to take subsidies away" from the cafeteria workers. There are already articles about the poor underpaid food workers on the Hill being posted on the left's sites.

[Origanalist]

Paul is smart to let this just get no traction. If he signs on, the left will destroy him for "trying to take subsidies away" from the cafeteria workers. There are already articles about the poor underpaid food workers on the Hill being posted on the left's sites.

So the voter base Rand is looking to secure is now the left?

[William Tell]

Mike Lee did not support this, neither did Cruz? Is there something we are missing here? Is there some catch to this?

I know sometimes bills look good on the surface, but have some technically unconstitutional clause that forces no votes from guys like Paul and Lee. Not saying that's necessarily the case here, but I would like to hear their reasoning.

[Origanalist]

Mike Lee did not support this, neither did Cruz? Is there something we are missing here? Is there some catch to this?

I know sometimes bills look good on the surface, but have some technically unconstitutional clause that forces no votes from guys like Paul and Lee. Not saying that's necessarily the case here, but I would like to hear their reasoning.

It most likely is the case, politics is a murky, sneaky, underhanded business.

[AuH20]

What?

[adelina]

Sen. David Vitter’s crusade against government contributions to congressional health care plans continues this week with a vote to subpoena documents from the D.C. government, but he may have some dissenters in the Republican ranks.
The Louisiana Republican is the chairman of the Senate Small Business Committee, and he has used his perch to investigate congressional enrollment in the District of Columbia’s small-business exchange, which allowed for a government contribution to congressional health care plans. But his investigation has some members questioning whether this is an issue for his committee.
“I’m not even confident it’s within the jurisdiction of the committee, so I still have serious questions about it,” Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., told CQ Roll Call Wednesday. “I have two concerns: whether we have jurisdiction and whether that’s the proper role of this committee”...

Vitter issued a statement Tuesday that included a line noting “most committee Republicans” would support the subpoena. But none of the seven GOP committee members approached by CQ Roll Call Wednesday said they would vote in favor of the resolution, though they did not say they would vote against it. The lawmakers either did not want to divulge their vote ahead of time, or were still examining the issue.
“I don’t know yet,” said Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., when asked how she would vote. Asked if there was anything giving her pause, she said, “I certainly enjoy being on the Small Business Committee because of the emphasis that we’ve had on innovation and entrepreneurship and helping people grow their business. And I hope that that will continue to be the emphasis of the committee.”

http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-blotter/vitter-obamacare-probe-continues-with-subpoena-vote/

Though Republicans did not necessarily disagree with the Louisiana Republican’s questions regarding Congress’ classification as a small business, they disagreed that this was an issue for the Small Business Committee. “I think you’ve got compelling evidence that wrongdoing has been committed here,” said Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho. “My objection is, I joined this committee because I want to do things for small business. … This isn’t the jurisdiction of this committee. For that reason I’m going to vote ‘no.’”

http://blogs.rollcall.com/hill-blott...care-subpoena/

[Crashland]

I guess that makes sense? Which committee then should it go under and why is no one pursuing it there?

[hells_unicorn]

The fact that Rubio supported this and Rand, Cruz and Lee did not makes me suspicious of something hidden in the bill, so I'm going to withhold chastising Rand on this one until more information about the bill comes out. I have no reservations about going after Rand if he starts needlessly compromising his free market principles in order to appeal to the political left. However, given that Cruz would probably be caught dead before attempting to reach out to big government interests, there is probably something else going on here.

[William Tell]

The fact that Rubio supported this and Rand, Cruz and Lee did not makes me suspicious of something hidden in the bill, so I'm going to withhold chastising Rand on this one until more information about the bill comes out. I have no reservations about going after Rand if he starts needlessly compromising his free market principles in order to appeal to the political left. However, given that Cruz would probably be caught dead before attempting to reach out to big government interests, there is probably something else going on here.

Lee especially for me, he has no presidential ambitions at this point.

[adelina]

This was not a bill up for vote on the senate floor. It was a vote within the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee on whether or not to subpoena the DC Health Benefit and Exchange Authority. Lee and Cruz are not on the Comm. There are 10 Republicans on the Comm. 5 voted yes, 5 voted no. All 9 Democrats voted no.

If a Koch-backed group is behind the attack, then they're probably doing it on behalf of Walker.

[AuH20]

http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...endan-bordelon

[AuH20]

The fact that Rubio supported this and Rand, Cruz and Lee did not makes me suspicious of something hidden in the bill, so I'm going to withhold chastising Rand on this one until more information about the bill comes out. I have no reservations about going after Rand if he starts needlessly compromising his free market principles in order to appeal to the political left. However, given that Cruz would probably be caught dead before attempting to reach out to big government interests, there is probably something else going on here.

Rand voted poorly on the so-called Medicare fix. Why would this be any different?

[AuH20]

Not good......................ugh.

http://www.nationalreview.com/articl...sidies-brendan

“For whatever reason, leadership decided they wanted that vote to be 5-5, all Republicans, to give Senator Paul cover,” one high-ranking committee staffer tells National Review. “So they worked at a member level to change the votes of otherwise supportive senators.” Four Republicans — senators Mike Enzi, James Risch, Kelly Ayotte, and Deb Fischer — had promised to support Vitter, but that would soon change.

[Brett85]

I hope that Rand comes out and explains his position on this soon. This is starting to blow up. It seems like an unforced error to me.

[Brett85]

Never mind. I guess he already explained it.

It wasn’t until after the vote that Paul shared his reasoning. “Senator Paul opposes allowing Congress to exempt themselves from any legislation,” an aide told the Conservative Review. “To that end, yesterday, he reintroduced his proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit Congress from passing any law that exempts themselves. Senator Paul prefers this option over a partisan cross-examination of Congressional staff.”

[Krugminator2]

Rand voted poorly on the so-called Medicare fix. Why would this be any different?

I agree. This vote on the Senate being a small business seems pretty questionable. I would like to hear his explanation.

As for the doc fix vote. I am strongly in favor of cutting Medicare especially for seniors now. But I am not in favor of cutting already reduced doctor's pay. The doc fix vote seemed at least reasonable. And I think it was especially reasonable for a doctor who's practice was built on Medicare reimbursements support it.

[r3volution 3.0]

Looks like a heaping pile of nothing to me...

[LatinsforPaul]

[William R]

What is he thinking??? I agree!!

[Crashland]

They are milking it for all its worth. I don't understand the way Rand voted. Wouldn't it have made more political sense to vote for it? If the other Republicans were "covering for him" like some are claiming, then if Rand truly didn't want it to proceed, then the real way to cover for him would have been to have the others vote no so that Rand could vote yes without changing the result? And if Rand did want it to proceed, then why would he vote no?

[LatinsforPaul]

Once again, it's a baseless hit piece at Rand...

"It wasn’t until after the vote that Paul shared his reasoning. “Senator Paul opposes allowing Congress to exempt themselves from any legislation,” an aide told the Conservative Review. “To that end, yesterday, he reintroduced his proposed constitutional amendment to prohibit Congress from passing any law that exempts themselves. Senator Paul prefers this option over a partisan cross-examination of Congressional staff.”

[William R]

Once again, it's a baseless hit piece at Rand...

It takes years for an amendment to the constitution to get approved. The last 2 were 100 years ago.

Rand needs to clear this up. His answer is lame at best.

If Cruz and Mike Lee were against this would someone please provide a link.

[hells_unicorn]

Rand voted poorly on the so-called Medicare fix. Why would this be any different?

This is not a logical reason to jump on the bash Rand bandwagon, which is becoming a little too popular on this thread I fear. I'm more of the opinion that I should hear the full story before reaching a conclusion, whereas you seem more like the "The Koch brothers and National Review say it's this way, and that's good enough for me" type.

This sort of knee-jerk reaction is pretty much why most of the GOP think that Paul's support base is a bit goofy. It doesn't take much for a lot of us to get riled up.

[Brian4Liberty]

Also ties to Karl Rove and American Crossroads...

In March 2014, the Wall Street Journal reported that American Encore was founded by political operative Sean Noble and financed in part by the Koch brothers.[4]

According to the CPPP's 2009 and 2010 tax filings, the group is run by Sean Noble, who Politico has described as a "Koch operative". [5] Noble was also part of a group of GOP operatives who met regularly with Karl Rove’s American Crossroads to target 120 House of Representatives races in 2010. [5] Noble was hired by the Kochs to coordinate with other conservative Super PACs to target Democratic representatives in 2010.
...
AJS not only gets funding from CPPR, but is housed in the same offices as Karl Rove's American Crossroads SuperPAC
...
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/American_Encore