Americans for Prosperity: National feed

Conservative Groups Applaud Passage of Pro-Growth Budgeting Act

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:33:33 +0000

This afternoon, the House of Representatives passed a bill to fill a long-time gap in the Congressional Budget Office's analysis of major legislative proposals: estimating the impact that new policies would have on the American economy in addition to estimating the impact on the federal budget. The bill passed by a vote of 242-179.

Three free-market organizations -- Americans for Prosperity, the American Family Business Institute, and Heritage Action for America -- released the statement below responding to the good news.

AFP’s Tim Phillips tells CNN: Obama "has not lived up to its own lofty rhetoric"

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:35:08 +0000

CNN has taken notice of AFP's ads exposing the Obama Administration's cronyism and disturbing backdoor dealings of the Solyndra gamble. Read more below...

Campaign analysis: GOP outside groups try to anchor Obama in D.C. 'swamp'

Washington (CNN) -- As Republican candidates attack one another on the campaign trail, Republican outside spending groups are taking aim at President Barack Obama over failed energy company Solyndra.

Indiana Embraces Worker Freedom

Adam Nicholson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:27:43 +0000

Today, Indiana’s state Senate stood up for Hoosier workers by passing legislation to make Indiana the 23rd Right to Work state. The bill has already passed the Indiana House and now heads to Governor Mitch Daniels, who will sign it later today.

Obama by the Numbers

Adam Nicholson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:13:47 +0000

On Monday night President Obama held an online “Hangout,” where he again repeated the same two statistics being held out as proof of his Administration’s success. Although the president keeps repeating favorable statistics, the full picture is quite different.

White House Memos Highlight Basic Flaw in Central Planning

Sam Dorman — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:12:48 +0000

Recently, the New Yorker’s Ryan Lizza released White House memos showing President Obama’s advisers contemplated multiple options for the original so-called stimulus package. The President’s advisers, including economists Larry Summers and Christina Romer, argued that multiple areas of the economy needed federal stimulus.
Despite the advisers’ agreement that the President should engage in some type of big government intervention, the economists and the President differed greatly in their approach to dealing with the economic crisis. The memos reveal that the centralized planning inherent in big government stimulus is not quite the rational process that the Left would like us to believe, but rather a messy amalgam of competing political interests from individual planners.

Conservative Coalition Comes Together to Stop NAT GAS

James Valvo — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:46:22 +0000

Today AFP joined a group of 16 conservative coalition partners in renewing their strong opposition to the NAT GAS Act and urging Members of Congress to reject the legislation in 2012.

H.R. 1380, introduced by Representative John Sullivan (R-OK), and S. 1863, introduced by Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), would create new and expand existing special tax treatments for the production, conversion, and sale of of natural gas-powered vehicles -- all at a time when Congress should be simplifying the tax code instead of adding more special handouts for favored interests.

Oklahoma Leads on Income-Tax Repeal

Phil Kerpen — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:17:43 +0000

The state has proposed a radically pro-growth agenda.
By Phil Kerpen & Stuart Jolly

When Ron Paul talks about repealing the income tax and replacing it with nothing, most people think it can’t be done. But at least on the state level, it can. In fact, there are nine states, including Paul’s home state of Texas, that don’t levy income taxes. Those states have far outperformed high-income-tax states on every measure of economic success. Now Oklahoma is poised to fully repeal its income tax and join the ranks of non-income-tax states. While Oklahoma is already a relatively business-friendly, low-tax state, income-tax repeal would launch it into the top tier of the most economically competitive states and the best places to live and work.

Read the rest at National Review Online.

Another Obama-Backed Energy Company Goes Bankrupt

Phil Kerpen — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 21:51:28 +0000

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/politics/2012/January/Parent-of-Obama-Backed-Battery-Maker-Bankrupt/

Gov. Perdue's Decision to Retire Reflects Bad Policies, Has Implications Beyond the Governor’s Office

Adam Nicholson — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:20:32 +0000

North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue announced yesterday that she will not seek re-election this fall. Given that North Carolina is a swing state and host to the 2012 Democratic National Convention, Perdue’s retirement has policy implications beyond her personal future.

The announcement came just one week after her ill-timed proposal to raise $800 million in taxes and after a year of having her vetoes overrode by the state legislature. Residents in North Carolina have signaled that they favor economic freedom, low taxes, and limited government over heavy regulation and out-of-control spending.

Americans for Prosperity Hosts Watch Parties, Responds to State of the Union Address

JenniferRidgley — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:09:34 +0000

Americans for Prosperity Hosts Watch Parties, Responds to State of the Union Address

Arlington, VA - Last night hundreds of activists gathered at a dozen different State of the Union Watch Parties around the country. Remarks from Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips and special guests such as Virginia Governor McDonnell were broadcast live online, and drew a stark contrast between the principles of economic freedom and the big-government policies President Obama would go on to defend.

A message from AFP President Tim Phillips

JenniferRidgley — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:37:25 +0000

Today hundreds of citizens attended AFP State of the Union watch parties all across America, gathering together to contrast the policies of economic freedom with the President's philosophy of big-government spending, cronyism, and the other issues President Obama tends to "conveniently forget" when he's giving speeches. We joined together to send the message that while our President may forget, we still remember that his policies have led to high unemployment and skyrocketing national debt. Some of our watch parties featured a live broadcast with special guests including our kickoff in Tampa, Florida, as well as a very special appearance by Virginia Governor McDonnell in Richmond!

Obama Forgets: State of the Union Pictures

rmyslinski — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 03:26:05 +0000

Pictures from our Obama Forgets State of the Union Watch Parties happening across the country:

President Obama Forgets – Policy Reminder #7

rmyslinski — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 14:14:35 +0000

President Obama Forgets that the Constitution Doesn’t Give Him Unlimited Power. But AFP activists want to remind the President that he can’t side-step checks and balances at every turn and impose his own polices at will.

Obama frequently attacked President George W. Bush for executive power grabs while on the campaign trail in 2008, but now that he holds the reins Obama has regularly ignored the Constitution to relentlessly pursue his big-government agenda.

AFP Leads Conservative Coalition in Support of CBO Budget "Scoring" Reform

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 18:59:31 +0000

Today AFP led a coalition of eight free-market organizations in sending to Capitol Hill a letter supporting the Pro-Growth Budgeting Act, H.R. 3582, introduced last month by Representative Tom Price (R-GA). AFP also endorses the Senate version of the bill, S. 1996, introduced by Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH).

“The Pro-Growth Budgeting Act is an important step in the long-overdue task of reforming the Congressional Budget Office,” AFP’s Vice President for Policy Phil Kerpen said. “For years their ‘static’ scoring model has rigged the game against tax cuts and pro-growth tax reform, while overstating the revenue raised from every proposed tax hike. The American people deserve a more complete and accurate analysis, and Congress has a responsibility to use credible scoring models when they make fiscal policy.”

President Obama Forgets – Policy Reminder #6

rmyslinski — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:38:55 +0000

President Obama Forgets he said that his $800 billion stimulus boondoggle would “save or create 3.5 million jobs”[i] and keep unemployment below 8%.[ii] But AFP activists want to remind President Obama that the unemployment rate has never been below 8% during his Presidency and the country has lost 1.7 million jobs on his watch.[iii]

President Obama Forgets – Policy Reminder #5

rmyslinski — Sun, 22 Jan 2012 19:30:00 +0000

President Obama Forgets that he said under his new health care law that “if you like your plan you can keep it” and that health care costs would go down. But AFP activists want to remind the President that Americans will be unable to keep their health care plan and that costs continue to skyrocket.
During the debate over his health care reform package, President Obama assured that “nothing in our plans requires you to change what you have” and “if you like your health care plan, you can keep it.” However, under a regulation issued by President Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services in 2010, insurance policies are only “grandfathered” into compliance if they meet specific criteria. Plans are not able to raise co-insurance rates, increase co-payments by more than $5, change employer-paid portions, or drop coverage for specific diseases; restrictions that are not present within the language of the bill.

President Obama Forgets – Policy Reminder #4

rmyslinski — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 20:17:49 +0000

President Obama Forgets he said he would never raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year. But AFP activists want to remind him that he has already signed several bills that include tax hikes on middle-income Americans.

On the campaign trail, candidate Obama stated “if you are a family making less than $250,000 a year, you will not see your taxes go up.” As president, however, Obama proposed and passed at least 21 tax hikes. These included a 156 percent increase in the federal cigarette tax, within only 16 days of his administration, a tax that disproportionately affects middle-income Americans.

Fact Checking President Obama: Unprecedented Cronyism AFP Releases Solyndra Documentation

Adam Nicholson — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:00:36 +0000

Yesterday President Obama released his first campaign ad of 2012, titled “Unprecedented,” in which he renewed old attacks on Americans for Prosperity, and attempted to defend his record on energy and jobs. But fact checkers at Politifact labeled his ad ‘Half True,’ while the Washington Post gave his claims ‘Three Pinocchios.’

Politifact even states, "The ad accurately quoted one of our promise checks in saying that Obama 'kept a campaign promise to toughen ethics rules.' However, it ignored at least 10 other ethics-related promise checks that showed a more mixed record..."
Washington Post reports, "Instead, it turns out [Obama's ad] cherry-picked one ruling while ignoring the other negative one. That’s pretty slippery."

President Obama Forgets – Policy Reminder #3

rmyslinski — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:42:56 +0000

President Obama Forgets that his latest budget proposal added trillions to the national debt. But AFP activists want to remind Obama that the nation faces an unprecedented fiscal crisis and he hasn’t done anything to fix it.

In February 2011, President Obama proposed a totally unserious budget for the federal government. Instead of tightening Washington’s belt, the President proposed to continue growing federal spending faster than the economy (with spending rising to 24.2 percent of GDP by 2021, far above the 40-year historical average of 20.8 percent) and to add $9.5 trillion to the national debt. This is on top of the $15 trillion in existing debt, which already costs over $200 billion per year just in interest payments! And that doesn’t even include the looming insolvency of Social Security, Medicare, and other entitlements when the baby boom generation starts to retire – which the President didn’t bother to address in his proposal.

Obama Forgets...But We Remember!

rmyslinski — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 22:38:46 +0000

In just one week, President Obama will deliver his State of the Union speech to a joint session of Congress and the nation.

The President always seems to conveniently forget in his speeches that he has been president for the past three years. We can expect him to refuse to take responsibility for how his big spending policies have contributed to our economic woes. Instead, the President will promote class warfare to gain support for his tax increases and bigger government.

So in advance of the State of the Union speech, Americans for Prosperity is launching “Obama Forgets,” a 7-day effort that will highlight some of the Obama Administration’s worst offenses to the principles of limited government and free market enterprise.