Posted on 07/22/2009 9:49:47 PM PDT by Maelstorm
Democrats are preventing Republican House Members from sending their constituents a mailing that is critical of the majority’s health care reform plan, blocking the mailing by alleging that it is inaccurate.
House Republicans are crying foul and claiming that the Democrats are using their majority to prevent GOP Members from communicating with their constituents.
The dispute centers on a chart created by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas) and Republican staff of the Joint Economic Committee to illustrate the organization of the Democratic health care plan.
At first glance, Brady’s chart resembles a board game: a colorful collection of shapes and images with a web of lines connecting them.
But a closer look at the image reveals a complicated menagerie of government offices and programs that Republicans say will be created if the leading Democratic health care plan becomes law.
In a memo sent Monday to Republicans on the House franking commission, Democrats argue that sending the chart to constituents as official mail would violate House rules because the information is misleading.
In their eight-point memo, which was obtained by Roll Call, Democrats identify a litany of areas where they believe the chart is incorrect.
For example, Democrats argue that the chart depicts a “Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund” that is “simply a recipient of IRS funds, with no outflow. ... This is false.”
The chart’s illustration of low-income subsidies is also “misleading and false,” Democrats argue.
Congressional rules for franked mail bar Members from using taxpayer-funded mail for newsletters that use “partisan, politicized or personalized” comments to criticize legislation or policy.
The dispute over Brady’s chart is being reviewed by the franking commission, which must approve any mail before it can be sent. No decision had been made on the matter by press time.
Brady adamantly denied that the chart was misleading and said Democrats are simply threatened by the content of the graphic.
“I think their review was laughable,” Brady said. “It’s ... downright false in most of the cases. The chart depicts their health care plan as their committees developed it.”
“The chart reveals how their health care bureaucracy works, and people are frightened by it,” he added. “So this is their effort to try and discredit” the chart.
Republican Members have made 20 requests to mail a version of the chart to their constituents and have been told that the requests are being delayed while the commission reviews allegations that the chart is misleading.
“Hiding the truth about wildly unpopular policies is a Democrat specialty,” said one GOP aide. “I’d like to see the flow chart on how Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi plans on implementing the open and transparent government she keeps promising everyone.”
“We have initiated discussions with the minority to try and resolve current differences and are operating in good faith to achieve that goal,” said Kyle Anderson, a spokesman for House Administration Chairman Robert Brady (D-Pa.). The committee has oversight of the commission.
Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.), ranking member of the committee and a member of the franking commission, said through a spokeswoman that he is also aware of the situation and is working with the members of the franking commission to resolve the differences, but he added that he believed Democrats on the commission were overreaching.
“He strongly believes that the franking commission does not have the authority to deny Member communications based on partisan differences of pending legislation,” said Salley Collins, a spokeswoman for Lungren.
The franking commission is made up of three Democrats and three Republicans.
Republicans quickly embraced Brady’s chart, and over the past week about 50 Members have posted it on their Congressional Web sites or used it in a floor speech. It has also been posted on the home page of the Republican National Committee.
“The dispute over Brady’s chart is being reviewed by the franking commission, which must approve any mail before it can be sent. No decision had been made on the matter by press time. “
They’ll approve it for mailing some time next spring.
The GOP should run prime-time TV ads that simply scroll the Twitter posts from that thread that picked apart the bill page by page. With voice-over for those who aren’t watching the screen during commercials... in synthesized Ronald Regan voice... or Sarah Palin voice...
Better yet, just run the ads during American Idol. That’s the demographic who drank the Koolaid.
Don’t worry they are getting hurt because they can’t run and hide and blame the GOP for everything. They have no excuses and they are crashing and burning. We just need to keep pouring on the gasoline.
Don’t worry they are getting hurt because they can’t run and hide and blame the GOP for everything. They have no excuses and they are crashing and burning. We just need to keep pouring on the gasoline.
I see, you still have missed the point. THEY DON"T REALLY CARE IF THEY MAIL IT. THE STORY ABOUT THE DEMS STOPPING THEM FROM MAILING IT WILL REACH 20 TIMES MORE PEOPLE THEN IF THEY MAILED IT!
The Chart will become more famous because it wasn't allowed to be mailed.
It will be on Rush, Hannity, Beck, O'Reilly, and all the Conservative Blog Sites. It will also be distributed via Email and Retweeted tens of thousands of times on Twitter.
The Democrats walked into this one face first!
This is criminal as it goes against the 'First Admendent', 'freedom of expression'.
When the majority prevents the minority from getting their message out, there is tyranny. Wh
Thanks for the clearer chart. That is really mind dumbing.
They say it is inaccurate; kind of like “intentionally false testimony” which was OK in their book when Clinton acted.
Interesting that I got my chart last week—as soon as bill was released. My Congressperson emailed it. I would highly recommend that all citizens check their representatives’ websites to be put on email lists—then information dissemination cannot be delayed by such nonsense. Email your friends and family members and encourage them as well. I think I have received 3 emails regaarding Health care in past week—a record I think.
Being shared/disclosed to thousands from over 70 countries
http://noiri.blogspot.com/2009/07/health-care-chart-showing-huge.html
Need to do our part to bypass Democrat tyrrany.
Looks like some “souped up” Monopoly game.
I’m getting a headache trying to follow the arrows.
http://noiri.blogspot.com/2009/07/health-care-chart-showing-huge.html"
Q.E.D.
You are missing a very important aspect. This issue has gone "Viral".
It will circle the information net literally millions of times now because of the issue of Censorship. Not because Rush or Hannity or Beck etc. It will be emailed and passed around by their listeners, then it will be sent to listeners families and friends who will then pass it along to their families and friends via Tweets and emails and text messages and so on.
Snail Mail is Dead!
Just wait till some blogger gets some video of The Censorship issue. If a reported gets a mic in one of the Democrat Franking Committee's members face then we will have a new wave only this time it will be Viral Video.
So if the Pubbies really believe in what they’re saying, they could just pay for the mailing themselves, right?
Right?
They will be mailing that is for certain, they have already been sending out the mail. The Democrats have been using tax payer money to promote this boondoggle and they are just doing this as insult to injury. Both parties are allotted funds for mailings.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.