Van Hollen: Democrats Are On Offense

Political Players: House Campaign Chair Says His Party Will Win in '08

(CBS)  Political Players is a weekly conversation with the leaders, consultants, and activists who are shaping American politics. This week, CBS News' Brian Goldsmith talked with Rep. Chris Van Hollen, who chairs the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the fundraising and political arm of House Democrats. He discussed last Tuesday's off-year elections and the Democrats' prospects in next year's elections.

CBSNews.com: In this week's elections, your party got some good news. You took back the governorship in Kentucky and you won control of the Virginia State Senate. But another way of looking at it, perhaps, is that voters rejected a lot of unpopular incumbents. And with a 27 percent Congressional approval rating, does that give you pause at all?

Chris Van Hollen: We see the recent elections as a continuation of the political momentum we had in the midterm Congressional elections. Because people continue to vote and support the Democrats’ message of change. We saw that in Virginia. We saw it in Kentucky.

We saw it in individual races. For example, the mayor's race in Canton, Ohio, where we have a very contested congressional seat, that mayor’s seat switched from Republican to Democrat. So this is a pro-Democratic trend.

CBSNews.com: If you look at what the Democrats promised a year ago, some of those promises have been passed and a number have been signed into law -- from the 9/11 Commission recommendations to ethics reform to increases in veteran and student aid, as well as a minimum wage increase. Yet as a whole, Congress is unpopular. Do you think that's a communications failure on your part?

Chris Van Hollen: No, I don't think it's a failure. As you point out, we followed through on the promises we made on domestic policy in the last election. I think what it reflects is a frustration with the fact that we haven't been able to change direction in a significant way in Iraq.

And I should hasten to add that we share that frustration. We very much hope that the Republicans would get the message from the last election that the Iraq policy has been a failed policy. And it's time to redeploy our forces in a safe and responsible manner, in accordance with the recommendations of the bipartisan Baker-Hamilton commission report.

That's the proposal we sent to the president last summer. He vetoed that. On children's health, we passed a bipartisan bill in the Congress. We sent it to the president's desk. He vetoed that. Are we frustrated with the fact that he is standing in the way of change on those big issues? Yes.

But the American people clearly understand that it is President Bush and his Republican allies on Capitol Hill who continue to stand in the way of change.

CBSNews.com: But do they really understand that? Is there a chance that voters are, in effect, putting a pox on both branches of government?

Chris Van Hollen: Every poll since the election has shown that the American people continue to have much greater confidence in Democratic leadership in Congress than in Republican leadership. And the same holds true with respect to specific issues of great concern to the American people.

Like health care. Like energy policy. Like education. Like the economy. And like the conduct of the war in Iraq. So I think the American people do understand who is standing in the way of change. They see clearly that the president has vetoed important legislation on Iraq, on children's health, on stem cell research to try to provide cures and treatments for diseases that plague millions of American families.

And so, I really think that the Republicans have failed to listen to the clear message in the last election. And we have followed through on the commitments that we made. And in some of those areas, the president has blocked us. But the voters are on our side.

CBSNews.com: What about the criticism coming from a lot of Democratic activists that the Congress hasn't sufficiently focused on getting out of Iraq. And that you're not just sending the president another bill every time he vetoes one, and keeping relentless attention on that issue?

Chris Van Hollen: Well, we have sent the president a bill over the summer that would have dramatically changed direction in Iraq. He vetoed it. In the House, we've also passed a number of other measures that would have changed direction in Iraq. And in the Senate, they've made every effort to do so.

They in the Senate, of course, have been blocked because the Republicans have used the filibuster to prevent some of those bills from getting to the president's desk. But this fight is not over. It will go on.

In the next weeks, we will see a continuation of that fight. The president has asked for 200 billion dollars this year for the war in Iraq--money that is being put on our national credit card at the same time that he says that we can't afford to provide ten million American children with health care coverage. The cost of the coverage for children's health represents about two months of the cost of the war in Iraq. So I think people clearly see that the president has misplaced priorities. And he's out of touch. On Iraq, the battle will continue.

CBSNews.com: Congressman, most of your 2006 gains came in districts that the president won in 2000 or 2004 or both. What are your chances of retaining those seats in a presidential year in which the entire environment is more partisan--and you'd have to get voters to split their tickets to support the Republican presidential nominee as well as their Democratic incumbent in Congress?

Chris Van Hollen: I think they're good because our members of Congress have worked very hard to cement their relationship with the voters. We have many veteran members who have been battle tested in earlier presidential elections.

I think it's important to point out that about 30 of the 60 Democrats who represent congressional district that Bush carried in the last election have already been through that particular battle. People like Chet Edwards of Texas, Dennis Moore of Kansas, Jim Matheson of Utah.

And they are examples to others of how you can be strong, independent representatives for the people in your district and make sure that you survive in a presidential election year, even when the voters in your district might support the Republican nominee for president.

[trueprophet]

RON PAUL WILL RESTORE U.S. SOVEREIGNTY
All of the trade deals and world government organizations, which all of the presidential candidates support (except Ron Paul), such as the ICC, NAFTA, GATT, WTO, and CAFTA, are all a major threat to our nation''s sovereignty. They transfer power from our government to unelected foreign elites. The ICC wants to try our soldiers as war criminals. Both the WTO and CAFTA could force Americans to get a prescription to take herbs and vitamins. The WTO has forced Congress to change our laws to meet their needs, and not our own. If anything, the WTO makes trade relations worse by giving foreign competitors a new way to attack U.S. jobs. The NAFTA superhighway, being built by a Spanish company, is just one part of a plan to erase our borders and create the North American Union, a single nation State like the EU, out of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, with a new, unelected bureaucracy and money system. Forget about controlling immigration under the NAU scheme. There won''t be any borders anymore, or a free America. Our limited, constitutional government will be gone forever. Let''s not forget the UN either. It wants to impose a direct Carbon Tax on us. Ron Paul successfully fought this move in Congress last year, but if we are going to stop ongoing attempts of this world government body to rule over us, we need someone in the White House who knows how to say "No." We must withdraw from any organizations or treaty that infringes upon our nation''s sovereignty.

[trueprophet]

RON PAUL IS THE TAXPAYER''S BEST FRIEND
If he is elected President, Ron Paul will work to abolish the Federal Reserve System as well as the IRS, returning our country to the Gold Standard. He believes, as I do, that our current Income Tax System is unconstitutional, because it is a direct tax that is not equally apportioned as The Constitution requires. Whenever taxes are raised by the federal government, it should be done as The Constitution does require--in an indirect way, which is equally apportioned. This system would benefit all of us, creating more individual wealth, and allowing us to make more decisions for ourselves about our lives. As President, Ron Paul will also work to abolish the Federal Reserve, a group of private banks, run by unelected officials, which loans our government unbacked money which they are allowed to essentially print out of thin air, making each dollar in your pocket worth less all the time, and increasing our national debt to these banks. Worse still. Most of our debt is owned by China (25%) and Saudi Arabia who finance our runaway military spending overseas. This is a threat to our nation. We need to bring our troops home from overseas, and use the trillions we would save thereby to reduce our debt, and to re-invigorate our currency. We can use this money to ensure that Social Security and other essential programs will still be solvent in the future. Vote for Ron Paul. He''s published three books on the topic of sound economics. ronpaullibrary.org

[trueprophet]

RON PAUL TAKES ON FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIRMAN
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke appeared before the Congressional Joint Economic Committee Member, Congressman Ron Paul on November 8th, and had to face some tough criticism from Paul concerning the fact that the Fed has been increasing the money supply while at the same time refusing to raise the Prime Interest Rate in order to curb deflation. Paul accused the Federal Reserve of "robbery," telling Bernanke, "There''s a dollar crisis out there and people''s money is being stolen," Paul said. "People who have saved, they''re being robbed. I mean, if you have a devaluation of the dollar at 10 percent, people have been robbed of 10 percent." Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke attempted to dispel that notion by explaining, "If somebody has their wealth in dollars and they''re going to buy consumer goods in dollars, then the only effect it has on their buying power is that it makes imported goods more expensive." Paul disagreed, reminding Bernanke, "Yeah, but not if you''re elderly and you have your wealth in CDs. Their cost of living is going-up no matter what your CPI says," adding finally, "Their cost of living is going up, and they''re hurting. And that''s why the people of this country are very upset."

[trueprophet]

WHAT''S RON PAUL''S MESSAGE?
The main thing Ron Paul''s campaign has done thus far is to serve as a clearinghouse for voters like me who feel unrepresented by the Fascisct (globalist Republicans) and their Socialist comrades in crime (globalist Democrats). They''re actually one and the same. It''s all a phony, poorly staged left-right paradigm. Most people, though, are too distracted, dumbed-down, or outright brainwashed by mainstream media, which endlessly regurgitates scientifically-crafted streams of information aimed at keeping their eyes closed to the realities of the world around them, that they fail to recognize this. Those currently in power, and those being groomed to take [major] political power, are preselected by the "global elite," and whomever is eventually elected, will ultimately, serve their will, and not ours. People on the right and those on the left have many differences. Maybe irreconcilable ones. But they have a lot of common beliefs too, and their numbers and anger are of a considerable magnitude. No matter what happens in 2008, I personally believe Ron Paul will influence the national conversation about what the role of the federal government is, how much power the government should have over our lives and how much liberty we should give up for security. These are issues that, frankly, no one else is talking about as seriously and sincerely as Ron Paul. What''s for sure is that his growing army of supporters like me will be a force to be reckoned with in 2008.

[trueprophet]

HOPE FOR AMERICA: PRESIDENT RON PAUL

-- No more meddling in other country''s political affairs
-- No more aggressive military actions overseas
-- No more torture prisons
-- No more pseudo-wars like the "War on Drugs"
-- No more IRS and unconstitutional income taxes
-- No more Federal Reserve (the group of private banks which owns our government)
-- No more U.N. (one world government) participation
-- No more NAFTA, CAFTA, WTO or GATT
-- No more North American Union
-- No more federal gun control laws
-- No more illegal aliens pouring-in over our country''s borders
-- No more illegal aliens allowed to roam freely in our streets
-- No more federal Laws which are not authorized by The Constitution
-- No more federal erosion of State sovereignty
-- No more unlimited federal government

They don''t call him "Dr. No" for no reason. The Doctor is in! Join us in this 21st Century political revolution at ronpaul2008.com

"Liberty, when it takes root, is a plant of rapid growth."
- George Washington

"Those who expect to reap the blessing of freedom must...undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine

"Ron Paul doesn''t represent your Father''s school of political thought. He represents your Founding Fathers."
- Me

[trueprophet]

GLOBAL WARMING IS A GLOBALIST LIE When I consider the claim that we should give-up our civil liberties in order to protect ourselves from terrorism, or that we should pay a global Carbon Tax administered and enforced by the U.N. (one world government), because mankind is to blame for global warming, two quotes come to mind:

"If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it. The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political, economic and/or military consequences of the lie. It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all of its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth is the greatest enemy of the State."
- Joseph Goebbels, Nazi Propagandist

"We have nothing to fear but fear itself, and those who would exploit our fear for power and their own personal, selfish, cynical gain."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Earth is heating up lately, but so are other planets in our solar system. It''s scientific fact. The sun''s increased activity is the common thread which links all of these warming events. Fluctuations in solar activity affects the climate on Earth and other planets, and always will. No reputable scientist could deny that increased Sun activity causes an uptick in Earth''s temperatures. Man''s impact on the planet is exaggerated. All 6 billion people on Earth would fit into an area no bigger than New England.

[trueprophet]

CLINTON CAMP ADMITS TO PLANTING QUESTIONS
The Clinton campaign has admitted to planting questions in Iowa. They have confirmed that a campaign staffer approached a student to ask Sen. Clinton a question about global warming during a campaign stop at a biodiesel plant in Newton, Iowa, on Nov. 6. The story was first reported by Patrick Caldwell, a junior at Grinnell College and the features editor of The Scarlet and Black college newspaper. He reported that student Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff was approached by the campaign to ask a question. She told the reporter that "they wanted a question from a college student." She also said that she "noted that staffers prompted Clinton to call on her and another who had been approached before the event, although Clinton used her discretion to select questions and called on people who had not been prepped beforehand. Some of the questions asked were confusing and clearly off-message." Clinton Campaign spokesperson Mo Elleithee tells ABC News that "on this occasion a member of our staff did discuss a possible question about Sen. Clinton''s energy plan at a forum. This is not standard policy and will not be repeated again." The staffer still remains with the Clinton campaign and they would not reveal his or her name. The campaign did not comment on whether this is the only time they have planted questions among audience members.

[terrorislam5]

DEMONIC-RATS NEVER LEARN AS THEY REWARD THE GRASSHOPPER AND TAX THE ANT

The Ant and the Grasshopper

In a field one summer''''s day a Grasshopper was hopping about, chirping and singing to its heart''''s content. An Ant passed by, bearing along with great toil an ear of corn he was taking to the nest.

"Why not come and chat with me," said the Grasshopper, "instead of toiling and moiling in that way?"

"I am helping to lay up food for the winter," said the Ant, "and recommend you to do the same."

"Why bother about winter?" said the Grasshopper; we have got plenty of food at present." But the Ant went on its way and continued its toil. When the winter came the Grasshopper had no food and found itself dying of hunger, while it saw the ants distributing every day corn and grain from the stores they had collected in the summer. Then the Grasshopper knew:

It is best to prepare for the days of necessity.
http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Aesop/Aesops_Fables/The_Ant_and_the_Grasshopper_p1.html

[trueprophet]

YOU''RE A FROG IN A POT
My fellow Americans need to open their eyes to the fact that our republic, along with The Constitution upon which it was founded, is being flushed-down the toilet by our nations'' bought and paid for politicians and media. While the Oligarchs warn and incite fear in the sheeple about the prospect of terrorism, they at the same time leave our borders wide open, and then conduct illegal wars overseas that do nothing but incite the terrorism which their Orwellian Laws like the Patriot Act and the John Warner Defense Authorization Act pretend to protect us from. Wake up America! It''s not about protecting you from terrorism, or Global Warming, or any of that other fear-mongering garbage the sold-out, mainstream media feeds you 24/7. It''s about feeding the bankers and the military industrial complex, and facilitating the global elite''s ability to ratchet-down control over the American people, placing us into a total control grid where they can surveille, track and control everywhere we go and everything we do. It''s the groundwork for tyranny. It''s the New World Order plan of Bush, Clinton, Edwards, McCain, Giuliani, et.al., being executed quite beautifully. You''re a frog in a pot. In order to cook a frog, you don''t throw him into a pot of boiling water. If you do, he''ll resist and jump-out. What you do instead is, you turn the heat-up REAL SLOW, and by the time the water is boiling he won''t be able to jump out anymore, because it''s too late--he''s already doomed.

[trueprophet]

CLINTON GIVES PRESIDENT DICTATOR POWERS
With the full support of Senators Clinton, Obama and McCain, President Bush recently signed into Law the John Warner Defense Authorization Act, which, according to Senator Leahy (VT), will actually "encourage the President to declare Martial Law." It does so by revising the Insurrection Act, a Laws which limits the President''s ability to deploy troops within the United States. The Insurrection Act has historically, along with the Posse Comitatus Act, helped to enforce strict prohibitions on military involvement in domestic Law enforcement. With one cloaked swipe of his pen, Bush has now undone all of those prohibitions. The John Warner Defense Authorization Act, which was signed by the President in an unpublicized ceremony, allows the President to declare a "public emergency," suspend Congress; The Constitution; and to take control of state-based National Guard units without the consent of your Governor or local authorities, in order to "suppress public disorder." President Bush seized this unprecedented power on the very same day that he signed the equally odious Military Commissions Act. The two Laws compliment one another. One allows for torture and detention abroad of those who dissent and are stripped of their citizenship, while the other seeks to enforce acquiescence at home by allowing the President to order the military onto our streets in a domestic Law enforcement role, which is already being done. Vote for Liberty. Vote for Ron Paul.