I polled the readers on my Facebook, and here are the rules we came up with. Every time you see or hear one of these things, DRINK!

• Every time Obama says “let me be clear”
• Every time Obama says “make no mistake”
• Every time Obama says “for too long”
• Every time the camera zooms into Michelle
• Every time Nancy Pelosi pops out of her seat cheering wildly
• Every time Obama says “unprecedented”
• Every time Obama says “the previous administration”
• Every time Obama mentions inheriting something
• Every time Obama mentions an investment
• Every time Obama says “historic”
• Every time Obama talks about civility, rhetoric, or the new tone
• Every time the speech gets interrupted by wild applause
• Mandatory double shot if Boehner cries
• Every time Joe Biden nods his head; double shot if Biden falls asleep
• Every time you hear the word “bipartisan”

Now, for the really daring among you, here are the hard core rules:

• Every time Obama says “uh”, “um”, or stammers, drink.
• Every time Obama says “I”, “me”, or “my”, drink.

Careful with those last two though, that could potentially lead to food poisoning!

UPDATE: So, against what was undoubtedly better judgement, I’ve decided to watch the SOTU address, and even better — I’ll be liveblogging it here. Well, I’ll be liveblogging in Twitter, which you can tune in to here. Make sure to join the conversation and have your bottle of whiskey handy!

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday said she supports an investigation into groups opposing the building of a mosque near ground zero in New York.

Pelosi told San Francisco’s KCBS radio that “there is no question there is a concerted effort to make this a political issue by some.”

“I join those who have called for looking into how is this opposition to the mosque being funded,” she said. “How is this being ginned up?”

Here’s the audio:

Harry Reid recently spoke out against the Ground Zero mosque. Does he need to be investigated, too? Or is it just those dangerous, wackjob families of 9-11 victims?

Let’s consider this. We’re currently fighting a war against Al Qaeda and the Taliban. Muslims are trying to build a mosque at Ground Zero that will cost around $100 million. Shouldn’t we be investigating the funding for this mosque as a matter of national security? They’d especially need to do that, considering the State Department is footing part of the bill.

Well, hang on there, you bitter clinger! As Stacy McCain pointed out, Mayor Bloomberg denounced that idea as un-American.

But investigating Americans for a political view they hold is perfectly American, huh, Speaker Pelosi? Or is Nancy Pelosi perfectly fine with using the government as some kind of thought police any time Americans decide to protest against something that she doesn’t like? Obviously she is, and that’s a scary, scary thought.

By the way, thank you, San Francisco, for forcing this wretched woman onto the rest of the country. She’s a real winner!

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It basically guts Obamacare.

Voters in Missouri overwhelmingly opposed requiring people to buy health insurance, in a largely symbolic slap at the Obama administration’s health overhaul.

The referendum was the first chance for voters to express a view on the overhaul, although turnout in the state was low and Republican voters significantly outnumbered Democrats.

With all precincts reporting, 71% of voters supported Proposition C, establishing a state law that says Missouri cannot compel people to pay a penalty or fine if they fail to carry health coverage. Twenty-nine percent voted against the proposition.

The state law runs counter to the federal health law President Barack Obama signed in March, which calls on most Americans to carry coverage or pay a fine.

Some state attorneys general have challenged the insurance mandate as unconstitutional. Defenders of the law say the mandate falls within Congress’s power to regulate interstate commerce and levy taxes.

The Missouri vote is likely to have little immediate practical effect because the mandate doesn’t take effect until 2014. If federal courts uphold the federal law as constitutional, it would take precedence over any state law that contradicts it.

So, basically, as long as Obamacare is upheld in federal courts — and honestly, how likely is it that it won’t be? — then this state law is meaningless. It does, however, send a strong slap in the face to the Obama administration. But really, they should have expected it. Democrats in Congress passed Obamacare against the will of the American people, who overwhelmingly opposed it. Did they really think that we would just roll over and accept it?

The problem is that Democrats, as is so common with politicians, counted on voters being stupid and forgetful. They never expect to be held accountable for their actions. But they reached too far, and like it or not, they’re going to have to pay for what they’ve done. Missouri voters just showed Congress that they haven’t forgotten about Obamacare and they’re just as angry about it as they were the day it passed.

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Then the summary of the article came through. In essence

one must ask how much of this is Mr Obama’s fault….In the end Congress – not the president – makes these decisions. Congress – not the president – is the main cause of the delays and uncertainties. In domestic policy, Mr Obama can advocate but he cannot decree. Judge him against what he can do.

Yup – it’s those darn unenlisted men that he didn’t draft who are the problem – you know, Pelosi, Reid, etc.

Analogy time: there is good news and bad news. According to the 2008 news media, as a Democrat you are now in the finest company in the entire US of A – with some of the best potential and training to ensure you can survive almost anything. You should be looking at a super majority for oh, 20 years or so.

The bad news: This guy is leading you. Yeah, Captain Sobel. He can’t read a map, gets confused when his surroundings don’t match what he thinks the map is telling him – and ultimately his own party would rather give up their stripes than follow him into a real battle.

BTW: If this anti business mood and anti business flair on legislation really isn’t Obama’s fault – he’s the Democratic party leader but somehow can’t manage to lead his other party leaders – how much of ’00-’08 was Congress’ fault and not GWB? I’m jest askin’….

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Evidently, not only are Democrats not creating or saving jobs, but it appears as if they are in cahoots to put The Onion out of business. You see, it is impossible to satirize people who are self-parodies themselves. The latest example is Alvin Greene, the current Democrat candidate for Senator in South Carolina, who recently announced in an interview with The Guardian his plan to bring jobs to my home state of South Carolina. His candidacy itself is schadenfreude-licious, but he somehow managed to make it even more so, with his grand job creation idea, as follows:

Said Greene: “Another thing we can do for jobs is make toys of me, especially for the holidays. Little dolls. Me. Like maybe little action dolls. Me in an army uniform, air force uniform, and me in my suit. They can make toys of me and my vehicle, especially for the holidays and Christmas for the kids. That’s something that would create jobs. So you see I think out of the box like that. It’s not something a typical person would bring up. That’s something that could happen, that makes sense. It’s not a joke.”

Oh, dear. Bless his heart! Do you know what the worst part is, though? The saddest part is that Alvin Greene’s job creation idea is still better than any that President Obama, or any of the current Democratic leaders, have offered.

At least toy making jobs actually exist, unlike Obama’s nebulously defined, phantom “green jobs”. And what is Obama’s plan for job recovery? To go out and talk about how super his “Recovery Act”, also known as the boondoggle stimulus package, really is.

President Barack Obama and his team are trying to sell Americans on an economic recovery this summer, but the economy is stubbornly refusing to cooperate.

Obama and his Cabinet officials will fan out across the country over the next few days to spread the message to voters about how effective their $787 billion recovery plan has been, an effort they’re calling “recovery summer.”

To be fair, at least they are creating and saving a few teleprompter operator jobs. Sure, the economy isn’t cooperating, but that’s really our own fault, explained by Dean Baker of the Center for Economic and Policy Research:

Obama and his team did not do a strong job of communicating the necessity of the steps they took, and they have not been effective in convincing the country the situation would be much worse had Obama not pressed forward with his stimulus, he said.

“People don’t understand what the stimulus is about,” said Baker, who advocated for a more robust stimulus package. “He just really lost that debate.

You see, we are just too stupid to understand that it’s actually awesome.  Jobs Shmobs. It’s nuanced! We rubes just don’t get that. Much like how we must not understand Nancy Pelosi’s brilliant grasp of economics.

Let me say that unemployment insurance… is one of the biggest stimuluses (sic) to our economy. Economists will tell you, this money is spent quickly. It injects demand into the economy, and it’s job creating. It creates jobs faster than almost any other initiative you can name.

Um. What? How on earth does she keep a straight face saying things like that? Oh, yeah. The botox thing. Which makes sense now. It’s sort of a job requirement for her. Speaker Pelosi, I’m no economics expert but I’m pretty sure that the people collecting unemployment checks are not using that money to start up small businesses and hire people. You see, Speaker Pelosi, if you want to create jobs, the people who actually create jobs need money. Hey, you know what does that? Those icky capital gains tax cuts.

Obama promised a “laser like focus on jobs”. Sure. If by laser like, he meant utterly incompetent and inept.

——-

Follow Lori  on Twitter and read more of her work at Snark and Boobs, iOwntheWorld , Right Wing News and Red State.

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the Navy’s decision to name an amphibious warship after Rep. John Murtha, but the formal announcement Friday added fuel to an already smoldering backlash online.

Murtha — “our dear Jack,” as Pelosi referred to him — deserved the honor as a tireless advocate for troops generally and Marines in particular, she said, and she recalled admiring his rapport with them.

“Whether on the battlefield, or on the bedside, he thanked them for their courage, listened to their concerns, and asked them for comment — and he answered their needs, and responded to their calls, whether it was for body armor, up-armored vehicles… radios, you name it,” Pelosi said. “In those minutes [together], he bonded with them especially because he would share his own personal military service with them, and cared for them as a father. They knew it, and they returned his respect.”

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus, who technically is the only person in the government with the power to name U.S. warships, also praised Murtha’s history of service. He unveiled an official illustration showing an amphibious transport dock marked with the hull number “26” named John P. Murtha. It will be the first in the San Antonio class not named for an American city.

Despite the encomia from Pelosi and Mabus, thousands of Web users remembered a different Murtha — the one who opposed the Iraq war and accused Marines in 2005 of killing Iraqis “in cold blood” — when reacting to the announcement about the ship named in his honor. A Facebook group called “People Against Naming A Navy Ship USS Murtha” had 1,336 members as of Monday morning, and it was becoming a clearinghouse for angry comments and homemade cartoons criticizing Murtha.

Posters on the Facebook page said Murtha, who served in the Marine Corps during the Korean and Vietnam eras, “betrayed the brotherhood,” that naming a ship for him was a “slap in the face” and that if the Navy wanted to name a ship for him, it should have chosen “a nice, stinky garbage scow.”

The Navy was getting angry responses even on its own official website, where visitors used the same page where the announcement appeared to criticize it. Visitors called the decision to name a ship for Murtha “an absolute disgrace,” “inappropriate” and said it was just as bad as naming a warship for Benedict Arnold.

“The naming of LPD 26 after John Murtha is inappropriate,” wrote David Martin. “There many men and women with greater records of valor and service to the country who deserve the honor of having a warship named in their memory before John Murtha has a warship [named] in his honor. He made sure there was an airport named after himself. What more does there need to be?”

A lot of people wondered if Mabus’ decision to name the ship after Murtha was politically motivated. Now we know it’s true. It’s not surprising, I guess, considering the meager amount of time he actually spent in the military.

I’m just curious, though, where Nancy Pelosi gets off saying that Murtha was a tireless advocate of the Marines. Does she live in some kind of alternate reality?! John Murtha was a constant critic of our military throughout the Iraq war, and deliberately lied and slandered Marines in the Haditha incident. Before the Marine Corps report was even released (not that Murtha read it), or the official investigation even concluded, he went out of his way on numerous media outlets accusing honorable Marines of murdering civilians in cold blood. He repeated this slander over and over again, causing the arrest of eight Marines. All charges were dropped against six, and the seventh was found not guilty. Yet Murtha never recanted his statements, he never apologized for his slander, and was unapologetic about the havoc he wreaked up until the day he died.

It’s a rather odd way of showing how much you care for and respect Marines, isn’t it? I can tell you right now that they certainly didn’t “return his respect”, no matter what Nancy Pelosi may bleat. John Murtha is one of the few people to earn the title of ex-Marine. It’s a pretty difficult thing to do, as Marines take the motto “Semper Fidelis” very seriously. It’s a serious mark of dishonor if you’ve earned the title of ex-Marine, and Murtha did. Heck, I think he’s actually the only person to ever earn that dishonor. He’s also earned the nickname “Fat Little Bastard”.

Haditha wasn’t the only way that Murtha decided to exploit and slander Marines, of course. He also partnered with CODEPINK in their mission to demoralize soldiers when they’re at their lowest: wounded at Walter Reed.

Is this the kind of tireless advocacy for our military that Nancy Pelosi wants? (Wait, don’t answer that.) There’s nothing about Murtha’s service record to honor here. He never had the respect of the Marine Corps, and he was one of the most dishonorable, corrupt, dishonest, slanderous people to ever serve in Congress. Ray Mabus has decided to partner with Nancy Pelosi, and not with the sailors and Marines he’s supposed to represent.

Frankly, it makes me sick to my stomach. I think we need a new Secretary of the Navy. Quick.

UPDATE: Welcome, Blackfive readers!

Cross-posted at The Green Room, Stop the ACLU, and Liberty Pundits.

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Democrats have the 216 votes needed to pass health care reform legislation in the House on Sunday, the chairman of the House Democratic Caucus told CNN.

“This is a historic day and we are happy warriors,” Rep. John Larson, D- Connecticut, told CNN’s “State of the Union.” He added, “We’ve got the votes.”

But the chief deputy whip in the House, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, cautioned, “We don’t have a hard 216 right now.” Schultz made the statement to “Fox News Sunday” just as Larson was speaking to CNN.

Wasserman Schultz added, “I firmly believe we will have 216.”

But will they? Liberal California Democrat Loretta Sanchez has switched her vote to a no… and then gone MIA. Gene Taylor, a Democrat from Mississippi, is advising other Democrats to vote no — and then run like hell. On the other hand, Bart Stupak (who looked like a man of principles) is reporting that he’s close to working out a deal for himself and his gang of six to vote yes. Boehner says that they still don’t have the votes.

There’s going to be no predicting what will happen today. Remember, folks: House Democrats who are unsure about which way to vote are being pulled in all directions. Pelosi is using all of the political power she has to try to strong-arm them into voting her way, whether it’s constitutional or not. Republicans are reminding them that the American people are ardently against this bill, and that voting for it will lose them their seat. Americans are showing up by the thousands in DC this weekend to make sure they understand just how much they hate this bill. Who will they be more afraid of? Some of them are going to honestly be more afraid of Pelosi than they are of the people, which is sad and pathetic. But it’s true and unfortunate.

We’ve done everything we can to stop this from passing. And there’s still hope yet. But unfortunately, the time has come where there is nothing more we can do (except to continue to melt down their phones) except watch and wait.

UPDATE: Steny Hoyer is saying that the Dems still don’t have the votes:

UPDATE: Rep. Nye is voting no:

Citing potential problems for TRICARE recipients, the cost of the bill, and cuts to children’s hospitals, Congressman Glenn Nye announced this evening that he will vote against adopting the health care proposal under consideration in the House of Representatives.

“Over the past year, I have spoken with countless small business owners, families, medical professionals, and average citizens across Virginia’s 2nd District, and it became very clear that this bill was not the right solution for Virginia’s health care challenges,” said Congressman Nye. “There were many strong points in this bill that I would have been happy to support individually, but the package as a whole had serious problems.”

The original version of legislation in the House had specifically exempted TRICARE from being affected. However, when the final bill language was released on Thursday afternoon, it was revealed that neither the Senate bill nor the reconciliation package contained an exemption for TRICARE.

“Our military families need to be able to count on their health care benefits, and I am not willing to risk negative consequences for our military personnel and their families, particularly at a time when our troops are serving overseas in harm’s way,” said Nye.

UPDATE: Marcy Kaptur will be voting yes.

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As top Democrats cast about for a way to get health care reform back on track, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi took one option off the table Thursday, saying her caucus doesn’t have the stomach to pass the Senate bill unless changes are made.

“In its present form, without any change, I don’t think it’s possible to pass the Senate bill in the House,” Pelosi said. “I don’t see the votes for it at this time.”

The White House and Senate Democrats had hoped the House could simply approve the Senate’s bill and send it to President Barack Obama’s desk, easily the quickest option available to the Democrats. But Pelosi’s remarks remove that option from the mix of strategy and policy solutions party brass has considered to move forward in the health care fight.

“‘Unease’ would be a gentle word in terms of the attitude of my colleagues toward certain provisions of the Senate bill,” Pelosi told reporters Thursday morning.

… Also Thursday, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that congressional Democrats are weighing a quick pathway to passage because “I don’t think we want to do health care the next three months.”

“Obviously, you cannot just proceed as if nothing happened, because something very significant happened,” Schumer said referring to the party’s defeat in the Massachusetts Senate special election. “There is a strong view in both caucuses that we want to do some good things in health care and the question is how — how much and how quickly.”

Brown’s win in Massachusetts sent a strong message to Democrats. Their arrogance is finally starting to crack a little, because now they’re realizing that there are indeed consequences to ignoring the will of your constituents. When someone like Scott Brown, who has promised to vote against the health care bill, was able to win Ted Kennedy’s old seat, Ted Kennedy who fought for universal health care for so long… well, it speaks pretty loudly. Democrats have ignored the anger of voters for months at town hall meetings across the country, and they’re finally getting the fact that they can’t ignore them anymore. They’re realizing that voters didn’t really consider universal health care to be that much of a priority anyways. Trying to ram this down our throats will have disastrous consequences, as Scott Brown’s election in Massachusetts has proven.

This is a huge loss for Obama, Pelosi, and Reid.

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This is assuming, of course, that all of the Democrats and Republicans who voted against the bill previously continue to vote against it. That’s why we want to turn more than just three Democrats to our side. 39 Democrats voted against this bill, and Eric Cantor was able to identify 37 more Democrats who might be vulnerable or hesitant about Obamacare. These 37 are the ones we need to be targeting. We need to write them, call them, and fax them. We need to send a strong, clear message: that Americans do not want this bill, and if it is passed anyways, that there will be repercussions.

The 37 Democrats Cantor identified are listed below, with all of their contact information. Cantor was able to find what you might call “weak spots” for each of these Democrats. Use them. For some its abortion. For others, it might be Medicare. Still others are concerned about the budget. So, if you contact a Democrat who is unsure about Obamacare due to, say, Medicare Advantage, then hammer them on that point. Be polite and courteous, of course, but drive the message home about how Obamacare will cut funding for Medicare Advantage. If they’re concerned about the budget, then emphasize the effect this will have on the budget. You get the point. Cantor separated the 37 vulnerable Democrats into three groups (abortion, Medicare Advantage, and budget), and so they are divided below. Contact as many of them as you can and use each one’s weak point to make them understand how devastating this will be to the country.

It’s not too late to stop this. The time to take action is now.

Abortion:

Jerry Costello (IL):
2408 Rayburn HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone : (202) 225-5661
Fax: (202) 225-0285

144 Lincoln Place Court, Suite 4
Belleville, IL 62221
Phone: (618) 233-8026
Fax: (618) 233-8765

250 W. Cherry Street
Carbondale, IL 62901
Phone: (618) 529-3791
Fax: (618) 549-3768

1330 Swanwick Street
Chester, IL 62233
Phone: (618) 826-3043
Fax: (618) 826-1923

8787 State Street, Suite 102
East Saint Louis, IL 62203
Phone: (618) 397-8833
Fax: (618) 397-7065

2060 Delmar Avenue, Suite B
Granite City, IL 62040
Phone: (618) 451-7065
Fax: (618) 451-2126

201 East Nolen Street
West Frankfort, IL 62896
Phone: (618) 937-6402
Fax: (618) 937-3307

Kathy Dahlkemper (PA):
Erie Office
208 E. Bayfront Parkway Suite 102
Erie, PA 16507
Phone: (814) 456-2038
Fax: (814) 454-0163

Washington D. C. Office
516 Cannon HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5406
Fax: (202) 225-3103

Butler Township Municipal Building
290 South Duffy Road
Butler, PA 16001
Phone: (724) 285-3595

Hermitage Municipal Building
800 N. Hermitage Road, Suite 417
Hermitage, PA 16148
Phone: (724) 342-2685

Joe Donnelly (IN):
1530 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3915
Fax: (202) 225-6798

207 West Colfax Avenue
South Bend, IN 46601
Phone: 574-288-2780
Fax: 574-288-2825

300 East Broadway Suite #102
Logansport, IN 46947
Phone: 574-753-2671
Fax: 574-753-7615

813 Lincolnway Suite 100
La Porte, IN 46350
Phone: 219-326-6808 ext. 2414

100 East Michigan Boulevard
Michigan City, IN 46360
Phone: 219-873-1408 ext. 354

Steve Driehaus (OH):
441 Vine Street, Suite 3003
Cincinnati, OH 45202
Phone: (513) 684-2723
Fax: (513) 421-8722

408 Cannon HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2216
Fax: (202) 225-3012

Brad Ellsworth (IN):
101 NW Martin Luther King Jr Blvd,
Room 124
Evansville, Indiana 47708
ph: (812) 465-6484
fx: (812) 422-4761

901 Wabash Avenue
Suite 140
Terre Haute, Indiana 47807
ph: (812) 232-0523
fx: (812) 232-0526

513 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
ph: (202) 225-4636
Toll Free: (866) 567-0227
fx: (202) 225-3284

Marcy Kaptur (OH):
One Maritime Plaza – Sixth Floor
Toledo, Ohio 43604
Toll Free: (800)964-4699
Tel: (419) 259-7500
Fax: (419) 255-9623

2186 Rayburn Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515
Tel: (202) 225-4146
Fax: (202) 225-7711

Dale Kildee (MI):
2107 Rayburn Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-2209
Phone: (202) 225-3611
Fax: (202) 225-6393

432 N. Saginaw Street Suite 410
Flint, MI 48502-2018
Phone: (810) 239-1437
Fax: (810) 239-1439

515 N. Washington Avenue Suite 401
Saginaw, Mi 48607-1370
Phone: (989) 755-8904
Fax: (989) 755-8908

916 Washington Avenue Suite 205
Bay City. MI 48708-5721
Phone: (989) 891-0990
Fax: (989) 891-0994

Daniel Lipinski (IL):
1717 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5701
Fax: (202) 225-1012
Toll free from IL (866) 822-5701

6245 South Archer Avenue
Chicago, IL 60638
Phone: (312) 886-0481
Fax: (773) 767-9395

19 West Hillgrove
LaGrange, IL 60525
Phone: (708) 352-0524
Fax: (708) 352-0927

5309 West 95th Street
Oak Lawn, IL 60453
Phone: (708) 424-0853
Fax: (708) 424-1855

James Oberstar (MN):
Duluth Federal Building
Room 231
Duluth, Minnesota 55802
(218) 727-7474
TDD: (218) 727-7474
FAX: (218) 727-8270

Chisholm City Hall
316 Lake Street
Chisholm, Minnesota 55719
(218) 254-5761
FAX: (218) 254-5132

Brainerd City Hall
501 Laurel Street
Brainerd, Minnesota 56401
(218) 828-4400
FAX: (218) 828-1412

38625 14th Avenue, Suite 300B
North Branch, Minnesota 55056
(651) 277-1234
FAX: (651) 277-1235

2365 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6211
FAX: (202) 225-0699

Bart Stupak (MI):
2268 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225 4735
(202) 225 4744 – Fax

111 E. Chisholm
Alpena, MI 49707
(989) 356 0690
(989) 356 0923 – Fax

Iron County Courthouse
2 South 6th St., Suite #3
Crystal Falls, MI 49920-1413
(906) 875 3751
(906) 875 3889 – Fax

902 Ludington St
Escanaba, MI 49829
(906) 786 4504
(906) 786 4534 – Fax

616 Sheldon Ave. Room 213
Houghton, MI 49931
(906) 482 1371
(906) 482 4855 – Fax

1229 W. Washington St.
Marquette, MI 49855
(906) 228 3700
(906) 228 2305 – Fax

Emmet County Building
200 Division St., Suite #178
Petoskey, MI 49770
(231) 348 0657
(231) 348 0653 Fax

575 Court Street
West Branch, MI 48661
(989) 345 2258
(989) 345 2285 Fax

Charlie Wilson (OH):
226 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
ph: (202) 225-5705
fx: (202) 225-5907

4137 Boardman Canfield Road
Canfield, OH 44406
ph: (330) 533-7250
fx: (330) 533-7136

258 Front Street
Marietta, OH 45750
ph: (740) 376-0868
fx: (740) 376-0886

800 Main Street
Bridgeport, OH 43912
ph: (740) 633-5705
fx: (740) 633-5727

202 Park Ave.
Suite C
Ironton, OH 45638
ph: (740) 533-9423
fx: (740) 533-9359

1200 Main Street
Wellsville, OH 43968
ph: (330) 532-3740

Medicare Advantage

Harry Mitchell (AZ):
1410 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Telephone: (202) 225-2190

7201 East Camelback Road, Suite 335
Scottsdale, Arizona 85251
Telephone: (480) 946-2411
Fax: (480) 946-2446

Gabrielle Giffords (AZ):
1661 N. Swan, Suite 112
Tucson, AZ 85712
Phone: (520) 881-3588
Fax: (520) 322-9490

77 Calle Portal, Suite B-160
Sierra Vista, AZ 85635
Phone: (520) 459-3115
Fax: (520) 459-5419

1728 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2542
Fax: (202) 225-0378

Dennis Cardoza (CA):
1224 Longworth Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-6131
Fax: 225-0819
800-356-6424

Merced County Administration Bldg.
2222 M Street, Suite 305
Merced, CA 95340
(209) 383-4455
Fax: 726-1065

1010 10th Street, Suite 5800
Modesto, CA 95354
(209) 527-1914
Fax: 527-5748

137 East Weber Ave
Stockton, CA 95202
(209) 946-0361
Fax: 946-0347

Adam Schiff (CA):
326 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Ph: 202-225-4176
Fax: 202-225-5828

Brayley Building
Suite 205
35 South Raymond Avenue
Pasadena, CA 91105
Ph: 626-304-2727

Dennis Moore (KS):
8417 Santa Fe Drive #101
Overland Park, KS 66212
Phone: (913) 383-2013
FAX: (913) 383-2088

500 State Ave. #176
Kansas City, KS 66101
Phone: (913) 621-0832
FAX: (913) 621-1533

901 Kentucky St. #205
Lawrence, KS 66044
Phone: (785) 842-9313
FAX: (785) 843-3289

1727 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-2865
FAX: (202) 225-2807

Daniel Maffei (NY):
1630 Longworth HOB
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3701
Fax: (202) 225-4042

P.O. Box 7306, 1340 Federal Building
Syracuse, NY 13261
Phone: (315) 423-5657
Fax: (315) 423-5669

1280 Titus Avenue
Rochester, NY 14617
Phone: (585) 336-7291
Fax: (585) 336-7274

100 E. Miller St Room 201
Newark, NY 14513
Phone: (315) 331-6903

Zack Space (OH):
315 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
ph: (202) 225-6265
fax: (202) 225-3394

137 East Iron Ave
Dover, Ohio 44622
TOLL FREE: 1-866-910-7577
or: (330) 364-4300
Fax: (330) 364-4330

17 North Fourth St. Suite A
Zanesville, Ohio 43701
TOLL FREE: 1-866-910-7577
or: (740) 452-6338
Fax: (740) 452-6354

14 South Paint St., Suite Six
Chillicothe, Ohio 45601
TOLL FREE: 1-866-910-7577
or: (740) 779-1636
Fax: (740) 779-2352

Kurt Schrader (OR):
Washington DC Office
1419 Longworth Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5711
Fax: (202) 225-5699

Salem District Office
494 State Street, Suite 210
Salem, OR 97301
Phone: (503) 588-9100
Fax: (503) 588-5517
Toll Free: 1-877-301-Kurt (5878)

Oregon City District Office
112 8th Street
Oregon City, OR 97045
Phone: (503) 557-1324
Fax: (503) 557-1981

Christopher Carney (PA):
416 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3731
Fax: (202) 225 9594

521 Franklin Street
Shamokin, PA 17872
Phone: (570) 644-1682
Fax: (570) 644-1684

233 Northern Boulevard Suite 4
Clarks Summit, PA 18411
Phone: (570) 585-9988
Toll free: (866) 846-8124
Fax: (570) 585-9977

175 Pine St. Suite 103
Williamsport, PA 17701
Phone: (570) 327-1902
Fax: (570) 327-1904

Henry Cuellar (TX):
336 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
phone: 202-225-1640
fax: 202-225-1641
toll free: 1 (877) 780-0028

602 E. Calton Road, Suite 2
Laredo, Texas 78041
phone: (956) 725-0639
fax: (956) 725-2647

117 E. Tom Landry
Mission, Texas 78572
phone: (956) 424-3942
fax: (956) 424-3936

100 N. F.M. 3167
Rio Grande City, Texas 78582
phone: (956) 487-5603
fax: (956) 488-0952

615 E. Houston Street, Suite 451
San Antonio, Texas 78205
phone: (210)271-2851
fax: (210) 277-6671

100 S. Austin Street, Suite 1
Seguin, Texas 78155
phone: (830) 401-0457
fax: (830) 379-0984

Adam Smith (WA):
2402 Rayburn Office Building
Washington D.C. 20515
Phone (202) 225-8901
Fax (202) 225-5893

2209 Pacific Ave, Suite B
Tacoma, Washington 98402
Toll free: 1 (888) SMITH09
Phone (253) 593-6600
Fax (253) 593-6776

Alan Mollohan (WV):
2302 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
ph: (202) 225-4172
fax: (202) 225-7564

Room 209, Post Office Building
PO Box 1400
Clarksburg, WV 26302-1400
ph: (304) 623-4422
fax: (304) 623-0571

Marina Tower, Suite 504
48 Donley Street
Morgantown, WV 26507-0720
ph: (304) 292-3019
fax: (304) 292-3027

Room 2040, Federal Building
425 Juliana Street
Parkersburg, WV 26101
ph: (304) 428-0493
fax: (304) 428-5980

Federal Building
Chapline Street
Wheeling, WV 26003
ph: (304) 232-5390
fax: (304 )232-5722

Ron Kind (WI):
1406 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
9am to 6pm
PH: (202) 225-5506
FX: (202) 225-5739
TTY: (202) 226-1772

205 Fifth Avenue S. , Suite 400
La Crosse, WI 54601
8:30am to 5pm
PH: (608) 782-2558
FX: (608) 782-4588
TTY: (608) 782-1173

131 S. Barstow St.
Suite 301
Eau Claire, WI 54701
8:30am to 5pm
PH: (715) 831-9214
FX: (715) 831-9272

Steve Kagan (WI):
700 E. Walnut Street
Green Bay, WI 54301
(920) 437-1954
Fax: (920) 437-1978

333 West College Ave.
Appleton, WI 54911
(920) 380-0061
Fax: (920) 380-0051

1232 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-5665
Fax: (202) 225-5729

Budget:

Jim Himes (CT):
Washington DC Office
214 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-5541
Fax: (202) 225-9629

211 State Street, 2nd Floor
Bridgeport, CT 06604
Phone: (866) 453-0028
Fax: (203) 333-6655

888 Washington Boulevard, 10th Floor
Stamford, CT 06901
Phone: (866) 453-0028
Fax: (203) 333-6655

Sanford Bishop (GA):
2429 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington DC 20515-1002
Phone: (202) 225-3631
Fax: (202) 225-2203

235 Roosevelt Avenue
Albany Towers
Suite 114
Albany GA 31701
Phone: (229) 439-8067
Fax: (229) 436-2099

18 Ninth Street
Suite 201
Columbus, GA 31901
Phone: (706) 320-9477
Fax: (706) 320-9479

137 East Jackson Street
Thomasville, GA 31792
Phone: (229) 226-7789
Fax: (229) 226-7860

Melissa Bean (IL):
1701 E Woodfield Road
Suite 200
Schaumburg, IL 60173
(847) 517-2927

432 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3711

Debbie Halvorson (IL):
116 N. Chicago St, Suite 401
Joliet, IL 60432
(815) 726-4998

1541 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-3635

Leonard Boswell (IA):
1427 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-3806
Fax: (202) 225-5608

300 East Locust, Suite 320
Des Moines, IA 50309
Phone: (515) 282-1909
Fax: (515) 282-1785
Toll Free Phone: (888) 432-1984

Mike Michaud (ME):
1724 Longworth HOB
Washington, DC 20515-1902
Phone: 202-225-6306
Fax: 202-225-2943

6 State Street
Suite 101
Bangor, ME 04401
Phone: 207-942-6935
Fax: 207-942-5907

179 Lisbon Street
Ground Floor
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: 207-782-3704
Fax: 207-782-5330

445 Main Street
Presque Isle, ME 04769
Phone: 207-764-1036
Fax: 207-764-1060

16 Common Street
Waterville, ME 04901
Phone: 207-873-5713
Fax: 207-873-5717

Michael Arcuri (NY):
127 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-3665
Fax: 202-225-1891

10 Broad Street, Room 330
Utica, NY 13501
Phone: 315-793-8146/8147
Fax: 315-798-4099

17 E. Genesee Street
Auburn, NY 13021
Phone: 315 252-2777/2778
Fax: 315 252-2779

16 Church Street, Carriage House Right
Cortland, NY 13045
Phone: 607-756-2470
Fax: 607 756-2472

Bob Etheridge (NC):
1533 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4531
Fax: (202) 225-5662

333 Fayetteville Street, Suite 505
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: (919) 829-9122
Toll Free: 1-888-262-6202 (BOB-NC02)
Fax: (919) 829-9883

609 North First Street
P.O. Box 1059
Lillington, NC 27546
Phone: (910) 814-0335
Toll Free: 1-866-384-3743 (ETHERIDGE)
Fax: (910) 814-2264

Paul Kanjorski (PA):
2188 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515-3811
(202) 225-6511
(202) 225-0764 (fax)

The Stegmaier Building
7 North Wilkes-Barre Boulevard
Suite 400 M
Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702-5283
(570) 825-2200
(570) 825-8685 (fax)

546 Spruce Street
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 496-1011
(570) 496-6439

102 Pocono Boulevard
Mount Pocono, PA 18344-1412
(570) 895-4176

Gerry Connolly (VA):
327 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-1492
Fax: (202) 225-3071

4115 Annandale Road
Suite 103
Annandale, VA 22003
Phone: (703) 256-3071
Fax: (703) 354-1284

4308 Ridgewood Center Dr.
Woodbridge, VA 22192
Phone: (703) 670-4989

Tom Perriello (VA):
308 Craghead St., Suite 102
Danville, VA 24541
Phone: (434) 791-2596
Fax: (434) 791-2598

515 S. Main St.
Farmville, VA 23901
Phone: (434) 392-1997
Fax: (434) 392-3254

313 2nd Street, SE, Suite 112
Charlottesville, VA 22902
Phone: (434) 293-9631
Fax: (434) 293-9632

10 East Church Street, Suite K
Martinsville, VA 24112
Phone: (276) 656-2291
Fax: (276) 656-2293

1520 Longworth House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4711
Fax: (202) 225-5681

Nick Rahall (WV):
301 Prince St.,
Beckley, WV 25801
(304) 252-5000

601 Federal St., Room 1005
Bluefield, WV 24701
(304) 325-6222

845 Fifth Ave.
Huntington, WV 25701
(304) 522-6425

220 Dingess St.
Logan, WV 25601
(304) 752-4934

2307 Rayburn HOB
Washington,DC 20515
(202) 225-3452

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Democratic leaders are looking to forgo a formal, public conference to merge the House and Senate’s health care overhaul bills, giving Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the White House free rein to hammer out the final measure behind closed doors and thwart Republican efforts to stymie it.

The maneuver gives Democratic leaders the ability to quickly work through hundreds of differences between the 2,000-page bills and to keep control over the deals they will need to make on politically touchy topics such as abortion, taxes and Medicare cuts.

… An informal conference is likely to reinforce claims that Democrats haven’t upheld Mr. Obama’s campaign pledge to keep the health care reform process transparent — complete with C-SPAN cameras.

“Harry Reid’s continued efforts to throw transparency out the window and shut out the American people on a bill that will affect one-sixth of America’s economy is an outrage,” said Brian Walsh, spokesman for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. “It’s clear his past statements about supporting transparency were nothing but lip service by a professional politician who has lost touch with the voters who sent him to Washington.”

This health care bill is a disaster for America. Voters know it and politicians know it. Taxes will skyrocket, care will start being rationed, and abortion will be taxpayer funded. It’s why Reid and Pelosi are trying to hammer this out in secret — away from voters’ eyes (and C-SPAN cameras) and away from Republicans and Blue Dog Democrats who might be against this monstrosity.

Something like this would have greatly bothered Harry Reid a few years ago, of course. Today? Not so much.

The CEO of C-SPAN, Brian Lamb, wants Pelosi & Co. to at least let the cameras in . Pelosi’s response? Nein!

But Pelosi said Congress has already been transparent throughout the process.

“There has never been a more open process for any legislation,” Pelosi said at a press conference.

Pelosi also hinted that holding informal negotiations–likely without TV cameras–might be the most practical way to push the legislation through.

To call this transparency is to insult the American public. Obama could make these negotiations open and transparent, as they are taking place in the West Wing. But that won’t happen either. This is transparency in the eyes of Democrats: votes being held in the middle of the night, political bribes and afavors being used to buy off hesitant politicians, and secret committees.

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