Connie Mack Agrees: We Should Phase Out Medicare, Social Security

At a Tea Party event in Central Florida, Connie Mack agreed with an event attendee who suggested we eliminate the corporate income tax and eventually phase out Medicare and Social Security. Wonder how this will play with Florida voters?

BRIDGE BRIEFING: Romney's Record on Issues Impacting the African American Community

Romney Administration

Romney Failed To Appoint Minorities To Top Positions In His Administration As Governor. According to the Associated Press, “A new report faults Governor Romney for failing to appoint minorities, particularly Latinos and Asian-Americans, to top positions in his administration. Of 163 top-level positions, fewer than eleven percent were held by minorities. That’s according to the report by the McCormack Graduate School’s Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at U-Mass Boston. Latino appointments made up one-point-eight percent of the total number of posts, even though Latinos make up seven percent of the state’s population. Asian-Americans make up four percent of the state population, but hold fewer than one percent of total top-level positions. A Romney spokesman defended the governor’s record -- saying approximately 52 percent of all employees in the administration are women, and 22 percent are minority.” [Associated Press, 12/6/06]

Romney Applauded Individual Mandate In 2006

Just prior to the Supreme Court's ruling on health care reform, American Bridge released video footage from 2006 in which Mitt Romney said that he was “very pleased” with the inclusion of the individual mandate in Massachusetts’ health care reform, as it was “essential for bringing health care costs down for everyone and getting everybody the health insurance they deserve and need.” The video was included in coverage of the health care decision from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal and was a fixture on cable news programs. It was also featured on this past Sunday's Meet the Press, as Romney surrogate Gov. Bobby Jindal was questioned about the footage.

Romney: "It's Not A Tax Hike. It Is A Fee."

With Romney & other Republicans attacking Obamacare as a tax increase, it's worth looking at how Romney viewed an identical policy when he was governor. Here's brand new video from the Mass. archives in which Romney says of the tax penalty for not purchasing health insurance: "It's not a tax hike. It is a fee, an assessment."

MEMO: Remember Scott Brown 41?

Now that the Supreme Court's majority has chosen legal precedent over Republican talking points, voters of Massachusetts should be reminded that despite his claims of bipartisanship, Brown took office on a promise to be the 41st vote against health care reform. Brown's efforts - to drive young adults off their parent’s health insurance coverage, to allow insurance companies to deny coverage for a pre-existing condition or to cancel your coverage after you get sick – have been frustrated. And the people of Massachusetts have learned that their Senator is more concerned about standing with his party’s leaders than taking real action to address the problems that plague our nation.

Background:

Brown Spoke Out against Health Care Bill. At a press conference at the headquarters of the Massachusetts Republican Party in Boston, Scott Brown spoke out against the health care reform bill. He said, “I could be the 41st senator that could stop the Obama proposal that’s being pushed right now through Congress. I could stop it and they could bring it back to the drawing board.” According to the Boston Globe, “Brown said this afternoon that everyone should have some form of health care coverage, but much of that should be done on a state-by-state basis. And while he supports the landmark health care proposal that Massachusetts approved in 2006, he said, he doesn’t see any benefit to the Bay State that the federal legislation would provide. ‘My primary responsibility is to ensure that the people of Massachusetts get the best value for their dollar,’ Brown said. ‘I’m not concerned about subsidizing South Dakota or North Dakota or Idaho or other states.’” The article also noted that Brown has filed a bill to ease requirements for insurance companies which, he said, would bring down costs. He believes that they should not be required to cover some medical procedures, like in vitro fertilization. [Boston Globe, 12/28/09]

MEMO: The Individual Mandate Record Tommy Thompson Hopes You Forget

Today, the Supreme Court chose to uphold the individual mandate provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  But when Tea Party-pandering GOP Senate candidate Tommy Thompson releases his statement expressing his profound disappointment with the Court’s decision, Wisconsin voters should remember that just a few short years ago it was Thompson, the former Secretary of Health and Human Services, who was touting the necessity of an individual mandate in health care reform.

Background:

Thompson’s Former State Health Secretary Said Thompson “Recognized That Government Worked” For Health Programs. “Tommy Thompson is the state’s most famous example of this tough love approach, once hailed as ‘compassionate conservatism,’ and up for discussion today is one of Thompson’s proudest achievements, greatly expanded under Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle: Wisconsin’s BadgerCare, Family Care and SeniorCare insurance plans… It is also a shift from Thompson’s approach only a decade ago. The guy who trumpeted, ‘It’s good to be a Republican!’ was proud of his Medicaid programs, too. He started BadgerCare with just a few thousand teenagers in 1999 as a way to support families kicked off welfare due to his controversial ‘workfare’ reforms. Another motivation, according to his former health secretary, Joe Leean, was to one-up Hillary Clinton, whose efforts at health reform while her husband was president were a humiliating disaster. Leean, now retired in Waupaca, recalls those days fondly and calls the BadgerCare program ‘the highlight’ of his public service career. Thompson was a governor with more heart than people gave him credit for, Leean says. (Several Democrats confided that things are so bad under Walker that they find themselves praising Thompson and wishing he were still around.) ‘When he was first elected, he was proclaimed as this awful conservative, a Dr. No kind of guy,’ Leean recalls. ‘But when I went in there and said we needed to do this health program, he needed no prodding at all. He became a compassionate conservative right from the start. He recognized that government worked.’” [Capital Times, 4/20/11]

VIDEO: Mitt Romney Applauds Supreme Court Decision

With the Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate, here is American Bridge's newest video highlighting Mitt Romney's…

Where In The World Is Connie Mack The Fourth?

Well, he jets around the country asking millionaires for money Running for the Senate to spend more time in DC Thought he represented Florida, but chills in Cali with his honey Where in the world is Connie Mack the Fourth? $1,000 luncheons when he drops by New York City Strike it rich at the Petroleum Club and everything's OK Pass the 10-gallon hat at his Dallas, Texas soiree Where in the world is Connie Mack the Fourth? Research after the jump.

MEMO: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Sarah Steelman’s Record On Taxes And Fees

After Sarah Steelman stated categorically that she “never voted for a tax increase” during a debate on June 11, 2012, her record on taxes has become a major campaign issue. American Bridge was quick to point out an obvious tax increase that John Brunner missed when leveling his attack. He even went so far as to launch a website attacking Steelman on her tax record. But none of these attacks come anywhere close to a comprehensive look at Steelman’s record of voting for taxes and fees on Missourians. After an exhaustive review of her voting record, American Bridge has compiled numerous examples of votes for taxes and fees in direct contradiction to Steelman’s ridiculous claim. A few highlights:

- Steelman voted 23 times in favor of sales taxes - Steelman voted 23 times in favor of tourism taxes - Steelman voted 8 times in favor of waste fees - Steelman voted 6 times in favor of transportation taxes - Steelman voted to authorize increasing the Senior Citizens Service Fund Tax - Steelman co-sponsored an education bill that increased the sales tax by 1%, state corporate income tax to 6.75%, and state personal income tax to 6.5% - And many more

Steelman may talk a good game on taxes, but her record tells an entirely different story.

VIDEO: Josh Mandel: Ohio’s Artful Dodger

Washington DC - Josh Mandel has been developing quite the reputation for dodging questions, refusing to take positions, and flat-out lying as he campaigns for the Senate. In addition to our previously released video highlighting Mandel’s refusal to comment on the FBI investigation into his campaign contributions, American Bridge is releasing a video of Mandel dodging yet another question: why did he start running for the Senate just after taking office as Ohio Treasurer? Spoiler alert: despite talking for a very long time, he never answers the question.