NJ Common Sense

By Lon (Alonzo) Hosford

Citizen political activists hit the streets in Westfield NJ at Leonard Lance’s office to voice concerns over moderate voting occurring by Republicans. Pointing to the vote on Cap and Trade last June, protesters, also constituents, voiced a strong concern about the potential deals and offers that Republicans like Leonard Lance would get for a vote on government run health care.

Energetic ObamaCare Protester Braves Busy Road at Leonard Lance Westfield Office

Leonard Lance is the US Congressional House of Representative for the Seventh District covering a large portion of Central New Jersey from its Eastern to Western borders.

Lance A No Vote On Health Care
Lance’s Deputy Chief of Staff Amanda Woloshen, assured protesters that the Lance would vote no on current health care legislation. She made the statement both publicly to the group outside his office as well as to individuals that accepted her offer to meet and discuss the issues inside where they were told the legislation is a single payer plot.

Lance Using Cost for No Vote Worries Constituents
Lance has expressed the importance of CBO (Congressional Budget Office) scoring being a key factor in any vote he makes. Woloshen provided a stack of local paper articles covering Lance’s statements on health care legislation spanning July to September where Lance opposes the health care legislation flatly on cost. However it is clear in these papers he has an interest in health care reforms via the Congress and thus the Federal Government. The most recent statement is dated 9/15/2009. Much has changed in Washington on health care that constituents are following closely.

Leonard Lance US House of Representative District 7 Westfield NJ Office

Washington Hidden Gamesmanship
Protesters voiced serious concern that Lance may be swayed based on unpredictable cost estimates to allow another failed Democrat Party program like Medicare to be foisted on the American people and particularly on the producers. They pointed out their keen awareness of the gamesmanship occurring in Congress to split up the bills to hide the deficit increasing cost. They cited the many taxes and subterfuge fees and gimmicks to show revenue increases all disguised as tax increases and cuts they often blame as Republican motives. Linda Gerisi outlined the tax increases and cost cuts.

“But its only because they are tax increasing in order to raise the money and then they are cutting … Medicare. This is their rationale for getting it to be revenue neutral.”

Linda points to a recent example of the subterfuge.

“Plus what a lot of people don’t realize is that they took $300 billion dollars in cuts from the doctors out of Medicare … which was going to cost to bill more and all they did was sliced it out of the bill and put it into another bill.”

Protester Billy Baer clearly wants Lance to oppose ObamaCare on more than just cost issues.

“The idea that Lance’s vote is primarily based on the cost of it we think is going to create a real problem. Because if that is all its based on and not a philosophical opposition to the health care bill and the politics of the government taking  essentially what is going to amount to the government at some point taking over health care … he can be rolled very easy on this and he might even … use anything as cover to go along voting yes on this and that is our concern and that is why we are here today because we do not feel he is a solid vote on it.”

“If it is only based on cost, that could change. They’ll come out with a report, they’ll juggle the numbers, they’ll come in with some projections, they’ll … increase taxes on something and say it will not cost anything which is absolutely ridiculous. He needs to be standing up… against this bill on grounds other than the cost of it and that’s our concern.”

Republicans as Moderates Failing
A general theme was the lack of distinction the Republican party is making from the Democratic Party. Protesters made clear statements that there are no distinctions when Republicans act like moderates. Sarah Palin was mentioned as a key element in Senator John McCain receiving an uplift in polls during the 2008 presidential election. Based on declining Republican counts in both the US Senate and the US House of Representatives, this message may need careful attention by the RNC (Republican National Committee) for 2010 elections.

Probably this one theme has Republican constituents paying attention outside of elections rather than sitting home. They have lost trust in their party to protect them and their country from an onslaught by liberal controls. They are finding their own party capitulating to liberal programs under the assumption they will appeal to more voters when the reality is such voters are less inclined to vote for them for moderate views.