Free Republic

Officials: Anita Dunn may be leaving with her little red book, but her husband enters as the next White House counsel, bringing experience in suppressing dissent, assaulting the First Amendment and limiting speech. Dunn, whose favorite philosophers include mass murderer Mao Zedong, was expected to leave after a short stint. She rose to fame as chief strategist for former Senate majority leader, now national health care guru, Tom Daschle. While serving as White House communications director, she was the commanding general of the administration "war" on Fox News. Like her philosophical mentor, Mao, and her colleague, FCC diversity czar Mark...

A personal report. Last night (Wednesday, 11/4/2009) I attended a discussion with former senator Tom Daschle, now advisor on health care to President Obama. The event was held at the Reagan Library in California. What was unique about this event was that the audience was largely comprised of insurance agents who market and service health insurance in California. Also represented at the event were the major insurance companies selling health insurance to Californians, Anthem Blue Cross, Aetna, Kaiser Permanente, Humana, Health Net and others. I am sure that a transcript of the event will be made public, but in general...

Lobbyists are quitting the business at a record pace, according to a study released Monday. Over 1,400 lobbyists "deregistered" with Congress in the second quarter of 2009, according to a study conducted jointly by the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and OMB Watch. Typically, only a few hundred lobbyists quit each quarter. The giant spike in resignations came just after the Obama administration instituted strict new rules on lobbyist activity. The White House banned employees from receiving gifts from lobbyists and announced that any lobbyist hired by the executive branch could not work on the same issues on which he...

A piggy-back race with dwarfs dressed as jockeys has been slammed by critics as offensive and derogatory. Thousands watched the race at a Cranbourne racetrack in Victoria, dubbed the "midgets' cup", as part of Sunday's Cranbourne Cup meeting, Adelaide Now reports. What do you think of the race — was it harmless fun or just plain ridicule? Share your thoughts below. Three men raced down a 50m stretch with a short statured person on each of their backs. The race ended with one "jockey" falling and crashing headfirst into the dirt but he was uninjured. Victorian racing minister Rob Hulls...

Harry Reid (D-NV), current Senate Majority Leader, is concerned that the RNC may actually try to dethrone him in 2010. In a recent Las Vegas Review Journal article, Reid noted he is trying to raise a paltry $50,000 by midnight,December 31 – he currently has $2,750,000 in elections funds, most of the money coming from the gaming industry. This amount of cash on hand is a small sum to wage a “war” should the RNC launch a serious attack. Compared to John Kerry (D-MA), who recently won re-election, and is in “safe” state for Democrats - he has a decent...

Politics: The senator who called the president a liar and never apologized may have worn out his welcome in his home state. Harry Reid may be riding the liberal agenda into political oblivion.In 2004, Republicans defeated Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle largely on the theme that he neglected his home state in favor of national party interests. The GOP is hoping that in 2010 lightning will strike a second time, and Nevada polls indicate it may be more than wishful thinking. In 1998, Reid beat John Ensign by a hair-thin 428 votes. Ensign would go on to win Nevada's other...

Liberal Democrats like to say that if our government took all the money spent on the Iraq war it could pay for health insurance for all of the uinsured. Well, that may be, however, the Iraq war was a matter of national security. Regardless of what one believes, the purpose of the war was to prevent another terrorist attack. However, there is something liberal Democrats can do to help the government pay for the uninsured. This won't require changing the insurance status of the 90% of Americans who are very satisfied with the current system. Liberal Democrats just need to...

Former U.S. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., is playing a key role in shaping a healthcare reform compromise measure, analysts say. Daschle, who withdrew his nomination to be President Barack Obama's "health reform czar" in February after coming under fire for not paying certain taxes, has been ubiquitous in behind-the-scenes moves to forge an agreement establishing non-profit insurance cooperatives as an alternative to a government-run "public option" plan, The New York Times reported Sunday.

Six months have passed since the morning when Tom Daschle, the former Senate Democratic leader, under fire for not paying certain taxes, called President Obama in his study off the Oval Office to withdraw his nomination as health secretary and reform czar. But these days it often seems as if Mr. Daschle never left the picture. With unrivaled ties on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, he talks constantly with top White House advisers, many of whom previously worked for him. He still speaks frequently to the president, who met with him as recently as Friday morning in the Oval Office....

Six months have passed since the morning when Tom Daschle, a former Senate Democratic leader, under fire for not paying certain taxes, called President Obama in his study off the Oval Office to withdraw his nomination as health secretary and reform czar. But these days it often seems as if Mr. Daschle never left the picture. With unrivaled ties on both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue, he talks constantly with top White House advisers, many of whom previously worked for him. He still speaks frequently to the president, who met with him as recently as Friday morning in the Oval Office....

Former Senate majority leader Thomas A. Daschle's visit to the Oval Office on Friday, at the invitation of President Obama, was more than just a meeting between two loyal friends and political allies. It also served as a reminder of what might have been. As Obama's health-care agenda teeters in Congress, the White House listed the private meeting on the president's public schedule, sending a signal that Obama is still consulting Daschle on his top domestic policy priority. An assiduous student of health policy and an adept creature of the Senate, Daschle was Obama's first pick to oversee his reforms,...

Oval Office Visit Hints at Daschle's Role President Consulting Man He Once Wanted as Czar on the Issue By Philip Rucker and Anne E. Kornblut Washington Post Staff Writers Saturday, August 22, 2009 Former Senate majority leader Thomas A. Daschle's visit to the Oval Office on Friday, at the invitation of President Obama, was more than just a meeting between two loyal friends and political allies. It also served as a reminder of what might have been. As Obama's health-care agenda teeters in Congress, the White House listed the private meeting on the president's public schedule, sending a signal that...

Per Fox, Obama is huddling with former senator Daschle, who was dropped as HHS secretary when it was discovered that Daschle is a tax cheat. According to Fox, Obamacare is hung-up on a House that insists upon the "public option" (i.e. destroying all private insurance companies) and the Senate's failure to have enough Dems supporting the "public option." Reportedly, Obama and Daschle have been in daily contact on passing Obamacare.

Tax Tips: what's good for the goose...By Jeff Quinn Special to the Bonanza Wednesday, July 22, 2009 INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — The people presently in charge of the government are very good at taking shots at the practices employed by privately-managed businesses. But we guess there must be different rules applicable to those in control. So will somebody kindly enlighten the citizenry as to some of the recent shenanigans employed by the Social Security Administration, whose “motivational management conference” held recently at a high class Arizona resort managed to consume some $700,000 of taxpayer funds? Phoenix local TV (ABC-15) raised...

Sen. Tom Daschle, Rep. Jason Altmire, Healthcare Experts Tout Homecare As Cost-Effective Solution In The Healthcare Reform ProcessArticle Date: 26 Jul 2009 - 0:00 PDT During a roundtable discussion on Capitol Hill on Tuesday, former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle and Blue Dog Democrat Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.) stressed the cost-effective role that homecare can play in the reform of the U.S. healthcare system. The roundtable also addressed the controversial competitive bidding program for home medical equipment and services. The American Association for Homecare hosted the event, which was attended by congressional staff and media. Senator Daschle and Representative Altmire...

"I’ve got to own up to my mistake. Ultimately, it's important for this administration to send a message that there aren't two sets of rules — you know, one for prominent people and one for ordinary folks who have to pay their taxes," Obama said on NBC’s "Nightly News with Brian Williams." "I'm frustrated with myself, with our team. ... I'm here on television saying I screwed up," Obama said on NBC. He repeated virtually the same words in interviews with other TV anchors. Worried about 'a distraction' Daschle said in a brief letter to Obama that he refused to...

“Health-care reform will not be pain free. Seniors should be more accepting of the conditions that come with age instead of treating them.” – Former Senator Tom Daschle, on Obama’s plan to ration health care

Tom Daschle, the man originally tapped to lead President Obama's health care push, is now urging him to drop the idea of offering a government-run plan. According to ABC, the former Democratic Senate Majority leader had this to say: "While I feel very strongly that consumers should have the choice of a national, Medicare-like plan, my colleagues do not. . . But we were concerned that the ongoing health reform debate is beginning to show signs of fracture on the public plan issue, so in order to advance the process of developing bipartisan legislation and to move it forward, it's...

So the president appoints Daschle originally, finds out he's a tax cheat, reinforces his support, accepts withdrawal, admits mistake, then appoints him to another position that will receive less public scrutiny? Does Daschle need a job that badly?

CBS Evening News: Educational Nonprofit Under Fire For Transporting Politicians With Money That Could Have Gone To Students ### Educap is a multibillion-dollar student loan charity run by CEO Catherine Reynolds. As CBS News Investigative Correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reported Monday night, Educap is under investigation by the IRS and Congress for alleged abuse of its tax-exempt status because it charges high interest on charitable student loans, and provides lavish perks with millions in compensation for Reynolds and her husband. CBS News has obtained exclusive details of what may have been the biggest charity perk: use of Educap's $31 million luxury...