All Blog Posts from Political Hotsheet

Members of the Republican National Committee are pushing a resolution built on "conservative principles and public policies" and opposition to "Obama's socialist agenda" that Republican candidates would have to largely accept and adopt if they want the party's support.

The New York Times reports that ten RNC members have signed onto the resolution, which was circulated today. It contains ten principles, among them support for the Defense of Marriage Act, gun rights and "military-recommended troop surges" in Iraq and Afghanistan; opposition to President Obama's health care reform efforts, cap and trade legislation, a card check bill and amnesty for illegal immigrants; and support for "smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes."

Any Republican who breaks with more than two of the ten principles, the resolution says, would be denied

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With the 2009 elections proving to be fruitful for the Republican party but less so for its conservative wing, Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) is once again in the spotlight as a representative of the GOP's moderate branch.

Snowe has earned considerable attention over the course of the year for her willingness to work with Democrats on health care reform -- something that has made her an exception in her party. As the GOP considers how it will define itself in the coming years, prominent Republicans like Republican National Committee Chair Michael Steele and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty are debating whether or not Snowe represents the right direction for their party.

On MSNBC this morning, Steele said Snowe was welcome in the GOP.

"Each member of this party has a unique footprint," he said. "And it's different from region to region. I can't win in the Northeast with a candidate best suited for the South and vice-versa."

As Politico points out Steele's comments diverge from an earlier statement he made indicating he would be open to supporting challengers to moderates like Snowe.

Earlier in the week, Pawlenty, a potential presidential hopeful for the Republicans, suggested Snowe may not be conservative enough for the Republican party.

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Election wins in the New Jersey and Virginia gubernatorial races show the GOP has "found its voice again," the Republican party's chairman said Wednesday.

During an appearance on CBS' "The Early Show", Michael Steele touted the victories of New Jersey's Chris Christie and Virginia's Bob McDonell as a "bellwether for the party."

Steele said the wins, in two states carried by President Barack Obama last fall, recast the GOP as a "transcendent party."

"The conservative message resonated, but it was translated in a way that people felt embraced by it at the polls," Steele said.

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In the Republican response to President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on health care reform, Rep. Charles Boustany said "it's time to start over" on his health reform proposals.

"It's clear the American people want health care reform, but they want their elected leaders to get it right," he said following the president's address. "Most Americans wanted to hear the president tell Speaker Pelosi, Majority Leader Reid and the rest of Congress that it's time to start over on a common-sense, bipartisan plan focused on lowering the cost of health care while improving quality. That's what I heard over the past several months in talking to thousands of my constituents."

The Louisiana Republican, a heart surgeon, also addressed areas where he agreed with the Democrats on health care reform, and where he disagreed.

Boustany said that Republicans and Democrats agree that everyone should have access to coverage including those with preexisting conditions, that individuals and small business should be able to band together to get insurance, that assistance should be provided to those who cannot access a doctor and that there should be incentives for wellness and prevention.

Boustany also praised the president for coming out in favor of some medical liability reform in his speech tonight, something Mr. Obama has not done through much of the debate this year.

"We're grateful the president mentioned medical liability reform, and we hope he's serious," he said. "We need to establish tough liability reform standards, encourage speedy resolution of claims, and deter junk lawsuits that drive up the cost of care. Real reform must do this."

But he came out against the government-run component of the plan, otherwise known as the public option.

"The president had a chance tonight to take government-run health care off the table," Boustany said. "Unfortunately, he didn't do it."

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As President Obama readies an address to Congress Wednesday night to save his stalled health care agenda, Republican opposition to the public option – a government-run insurance program designed to compete with private insurers – remained stiff.

The reason? It's socialist. At least that's what Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele told "Early Show" co-host Harry Smith" Wednesday, echoing a familiar criticism leveled at the public option by conservatives.

"And quite frankly I think a lot more people believing that there's more to this than meets the eye. And the reality of it is, you know, I just don't understand this idea that somehow people think that the federal government can enter into a marketplace and compete with private industry. That goes counter to everything that we know about how markets work and the role that the government plays in those markets."

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The head of the Republican National Committee today unveiled a "Seniors' Health Care Bill of Rights," claiming that the GOP's first priority in health care reform is protecting seniors.

"The Democrats' plan will hurt American families, small businesses and health-care providers by raising care costs, increasing the deficit, and not allowing patients to keep a doctor or insurance plan of their choice," RNC Chairman Michael Steele wrote today in the Washington Post. "Furthermore, under the Democrats' plan, senior citizens will pay a steeper price and will have their treatment options reduced or rationed."

While Democrats have proposed making cuts to Medicare, President Obama has insisted that the cuts will come from waste in the system -- and that benefits for seniors will not be reduced.

Steele attacks the president's proposal to have a commission of experts evaluate Medicare payment rates, as well as his proposal to eliminate subsidies to insurance companies participating in Medicare Advantage.

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The Democratic National Committee released a web video yesterday entitled "Enough of the Mob," which suggests that Republicans and their allies are "organizing angry mobs" to "destroy President Obama and stop the change Americans voted for."

The video concludes by asking supporters to call the Republican Party and "tell them you've had enough of the mob." The phone number of the Republican National Committee then appears onscreen.

Those who call the number are told to press one if they are calling in regard to the DNC video. When they do, they are told to call a different phone number "to give us your feedback on the Democratic National Committee's advertisement." Concludes the recording: "Thanks so much and have a great day."

The phone number that callers are given, however, is the main number of the DNC. Callers are not informed of this fact. At no point does the RNC allow callers to register their complaints. (The situation was first flagged by the satire site Wonkette.)

I asked RNC chairman Michael Steele, who held a conference call this afternoon, why the RNC is redirecting the callers, noting that Republicans believe Americans should have the right to complain to Democrats at town hall meetings and elsewhere.

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The Republican National Committee launched an offensive against President Obama's government-run health insurance option, with a television ad that will be broadcasted in select markets in Arkansas, Nevada and North Dakota.

Titled "The Grand Experiment," the 30-second ad labels Mr. Obama's proposed reform as a “risky experiment with our health care,” saying that such a program will drive up the nation’s debt while unemployment rates remain at historic highs.

Dubbing the stimulus package as the "the biggest spending spree in our nation's history," the ad claims that the next generation will be forced to pay for new health care spending.

Children are seen in the background of the video with a voice-over stating, " they’ve loaned Barack Obama their future, without even knowing it. Trillions for rushed government bailouts and takeovers, banks, the auto industry.”

In addition to the ad launch, RNC Chairman Michael Steele strongly criticized the president's health care plan at the National Press Club this morning today, calling Mr. Obama's plan "socialism."

"Obama-Pelosi want to start building a colossal, closed health care system where Washington decides. Republicans want and support an open health care system where patients and doctors make the decisions," Steele said.

The video is accompanied by a RNC Web site, the Barack Obama Experiment website, aimed at raising opposition to Mr. Obama's health care reform. On the Web site, Steele describes the president's plan as proposing "more debt, more risk, and more experimentation."

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Politics Today is CBSNews.com's inside look at the key stories driving the day in Politics, written by CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris:

**President Obama tackles health care as Congress inches forward on legislation...

**Sotomayor readies for day 3 of hearing; explains "wise Latina" comment...

**Hillary Clinton to deliver major foreign policy speech...

**GOP's Steele addresses NAACP...

PRESIDENT OBAMA TODAY: As Congress continues hammering out its health care reform legislation, President Obama will be in the Rose Garden at 1:05 p.m. ET to deliver remarks on health care. He'll likely urge the House and Senate to pass bills before leaving for their August recess, a goal that may be out of reach.

Following his speech, the president sits down with CBS News Medical Correspondent Dr. Jon Lapook as part of a series of network interviews on health care.

Meantime, Mr. Obama's political organization, "Organizing for America" (which is run by the Democratic National Committee) is up with a new TV ad airing in Washington, D.C. and eight states, urging Senators to back health care reform.

The 30-second ad "features five Americans who have been affected by America's broken health care system, and are now calling for reform," reads a press release.

The ad ends with "It's time for health care reform. Call your Senators: (202) 224-3121" on the screen.

The ads will run in Arkansas, Indiana, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, North Dakota, Nebraska and Ohio.

As for Congress, "Democrats in the House of Representatives unveiled a 1,000-page-plus health care-overhaul bill Tuesday that would levy a surtax on the wealthy in a bid to pay for the program without adding to the national debt," reports McClatchy Newspapers' William Douglas.

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It was clear that Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele was facing a skeptical crowd even before he stepped onstage to address the NAACP's 100th anniversary convention Tuesday.

Steele, the first African-American chair of the GOP, was introduced by a woman who told the assembled delegates she wanted to say a few words "before you start cheering for" Steele. At that, the delegates at the Hilton hotel in New York City broke out in laughter.

When Steele did step onstage, however, he garnered polite applause – and quickly quipped that he understands "that I'm here to protect the tax-exempt status of the NAACP." He then reached out to a constituency that often seems all but lost to Republicans in the age of Obama.

"The Republican Party, which has shared an inextricable link to the African-American community, has a way forward" in the "struggle for economic and educational opportunity," Steele said.

"Certainly my visit here does not represent some miraculous breakthrough in GOP-NAACP relations," he said. "This is the first baby step in many more baby steps to come. After all, we know that old loyalties and attitudes die hard. But the question is, if the GOP is willing to take those steps, will the NAACP be willing to do the same?"

After the speech, Steele, a longtime member of the NAACP, told CBSNews.com he felt welcome at the conference. Standing on the first floor of the Hilton, he asked those who are skeptical to give his party "a chance."

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