Pat Toomey and Bart Stupak now share something in common

In 2010, the Obamacare debacle was crammed down the throats of the American people but not before an alleged 'pro-life' Democratic congressman named Bart Stupack (D-MI) sold out. If you remember, the House version of the bill had a provisions in it that prohibited funding for abortion. That provision did not pass in the Senate's version.

The final vote was extremely contentious and arm-twisting was in no short supply. Even then, the Stupak dozen was the only thing that stood in the way of passage. Then, Stupak caved and settled for a meaningless Executive Order from Barack Obama that guaranteed no funding for abortion in the bill. In short, Stupak sold out to Obama.

Pro-life Democrats had been "Stupaked" and Obamacare became law.

In 2010, Stupak resigned; he did not seek reelection; The Tea Party helped get a Republican to replace him. Something else happened in 2010. The Tea Party got behind Pat Toomey to replace RINO Senator Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania. By all accounts, Toomey was a true conservative and had an "A" rating from the NRA. The Tea Party wave swept Toomey into office after Specter was so far behind in the polls that he switched over to the Democratic Party, where he thought he had a better chance of winning.

In 2012, Stupak expressed regret for what honest people would say was a betrayal.

Toomey apparently didn't learn the right lesson from Stupak because he has betrayed the gun rights crowd. Period.

Here in 2013, less than six months after the Sandy Hook shootings, several conservative Republican Senators had threatened to filibuster any bill that came to the floor. It would be Rand Paul times ten. Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Mike Lee (R-UT), and others pledged to join in. For once, it appeared that Republicans were going to stand united and go to the mat with the Democrats on something important.

All they had to do was stick to their principles and stand united. In fact, during such a filibuster, one of the Senators would likely stumble upon the contrast between how the Obama administration handled operation Fast and Furious and how it is exploiting Sandy Hook. It would be a tremendous opportunity to expose the administration. Perhaps that is why a filibuster would be so undesired by the Obama.

This is where Toomey appears to have channeled Bart Stupak. He came to a deal with Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV), a supposed pro-second amendment Democrat, on expanding background checks. A consequence of this deal is that the filibuster may be prevented. That Manchin caved to pressure is not surprising. That Toomey did very much is. He's not only a Republican. He was supposed to be a conservative Tea Party Republican who took a lot of money from the NRA in 2010 to get elected, in much the same way that Stupak accepted the support of pro-life Democrats

How do we know Toomey caved? Very simple.

Obama congratulated him and so did Michael Bloomberg.

The NRA is also not satisfied with the Toomey / Manchin bill.

Larry Pratt, the Executive Director at Gun Owners of America (GOA) says Toomey has "betrayed" (Stupaked) his constituents. Pratt is now calling for Toomey to be primaried:



By the way, for those who don't see expanded background checks as a big step toward confiscation, check out this firsthand account about what happened in Canada:

'Duh' Video of the day: Bart Stupak wakes up over two years too late

Further proof that former Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI) - a supposed 'pro-life' Democrat - knew he was wrong when he caved to Obama by accepting an Executive Order that was supposed to prevent abortions being covered by Obamacare. Every clear-thinking American knew that Stupak chose to save face over standing on principle.

Now, thanks to Red State, Stupak is captured on video at the Democratic National Convention, essentially conceding that the Executive Order is useless. While he doesn't go so far as saying so, it's clearly the consequence of his actions when the 'Stupak 12' agreed to vote yes on Obamacare as a direct result of that Executive Order, which Stupak says now that Obama isn't honoring.

Well, duh! That WAS the common refrain from the Tea Party at the time.

More than two years later, Stupak is no longer in Congress and he's a step closer to admitting he was wrong. Once he goes all the way, maybe he'll switch parties but don't hold your breath.

Via Red State:



For more background on what Stupak did to get Obamacare over the hump, go here, here, and here.

This is for you, Mr. Stupak:

VIDEO: TEA PARTY AD SLAMS BART STUPAK

Bart Stupak, a man who has won the trifecta with comparisons to Benedict Arnold, Woodrow Wilson, and Neville Chamberlain could go down in history as one of the most disgraced congressmen in U.S. history. Time will tell but the degree to which any such designation sticks could be determined, in part, by how the health care monstrosity saga ultimately plays out.

That doesn't even factor in the absurdity of Stupak's putting faith in an Executive Order trumping a legal statute.

Stupak was obviously hoping he and his gaggle of "pro-life" Democrats didn't have to vote yes but when it became apparent it was the only way to pass Obamacare, he caved and brought his fellow plank-walkers with him. Stupak is not only the poster child for the man who put Obamacare over the top but he's the man who led an entire group in order to do it. That reality has only served to exacerbate and multiply any concerns he would have had about voting for the monstrosity.

Now we learn, according to MSNBC that he actually may be pondering retirement, h/t to Hot Air.

Stupak to call it quits? With just a few days to go before the end of this recess, House Democrats are cautiously optimistic that they could get through it without a single retirement announcement. That said, there is still a concern that some important incumbents in districts that they are uniquely suited could call it quits. At the top of the concern list this week: Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak.

When push came to shove in the run-up to this vote, those who switched from "no" votes to "yes" votes during the arm-twisting process likely did so because they feared the administration more than they feared accountability from their constituents. If that is true for Stupak, perhaps he mis-calculated as the Tea Party ad below seems to indicate. If he retires, that reality will likely be cemented.



h/t to Hot Air

VIDEO: ROBERT GIBBS LOOKS FOOLISH........AGAIN

This time, Gibbs is tasked with explaining why it was necessary for Barack Obama to sign an Executive Order reaffirming one law while being in opposition to another law just signed. At some point, maybe we'll start feeling some sympathy for Gibbs who is increasingly being put in the position of defending increasingly absurd positions.

The only one who looks more foolish during this is somone who isn't even present - Bart Stupak, the man who sold his vote for that Executive Order.



h/t to Hot Air

VIDEO: MORE EVIDENCE STUPAK WAS LYING ALL ALONG

Courtesy of Barack Obama's own words.... When Bart Stupak was voicing opposition to the Slaughter Solution, he was quoted as saying "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." The Slaughter Solution allowed the bill to be "deemed passed" but Stupak pointed to the countless House Bills still wallowing in the Senate - over 200 - as more than 200 reasons he didn't trust the Senate to take up the House fixes after Obama signed the Bill.

Yet, Stupak settled on relying on the signature / word of Barack Obama in the form of an Executive Order that we are led to believe supersedes the law being sent to Obama's desk. That makes Stupak either incredibly naive while also claiming to understand a very easy-to-understand cliche or complicit.

Based on this montage of Obama via Naked Emperor News, it should be more than apparent that Stupak is quite complicit in perpetrating this evil on the American people.



The American people are nowhere near as gullible as Stupak wants us to believe HE is.

h/t to Hot Air

VIDEO: BART STUPAK DOUBLES DOWN ON BETRAYAL

The name Stupak is very quickly becoming synonymous with the worst kinds of attributes associated with man. It is becoming apparent that Bart Stupak has at best been a coward and at worst calculatingly deceptive for a very long time. He touts himself as a pro-life Democrat but sold his vote for an Executive Order signed by Barack Obama that does not supersede legislation signed by the President. In fact, Stupak has given Obama a way not to intervene when it comes to taxpayer funded abortions while maintaining that he's following the Constitution.

Here's where it gets beyond appalling. After Stupak pledged his support for the Bill, the Republicans filed a Motion to Recommit, which would essentially put Supak's abortion language in the Bill. It would serve to reinforce Obama's Executive Order. Not only does Stupak reject the Motion but he comes across as trashing his own Amendment.

Via The Hill:

Right now the best defense House leaders have against such a prospect is a colloquy that Stupak will hold on the House floor to publicly reaffirm that the executive order upholds the ban on federal funding of abortion.

“One of the reasons for the colloquy is to get it out there that, look, this is what it's doing,” Stupak said. “Not only do we have the President's order, the legislative body understands the same thing. We want to make it very clear.”

Now for Stupak's speech on the House Floor. Pay close attention after David Obey attempts to bring order and you can hear someone in the crowd shout, "Baby Killer". It may not be apparent right now how much Bart Stupak has sealed his fate in history as the worst kind of lying hypocrite, using abortion as his means, but he has done so in a very big way.



The day may be coming when calling someone a "Stupak" might be the worst kind of insult.

h/t to Gateway Pundit

STUPAK'S OPPONENT BEING FLOODED WITH DONATIONS

If people thought Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson had it bad back home with his constituents after the "Cornhusker Kickback", just wait until Bart Stupak's constituents are heard. Actually, they're already being heard via a flood of donations going to Stupak's opponent, Daniel Benishek, who is a pro-life surgeon.

Via the Cypress Times:

Daniel Benishek is running for Congress against Bart Stupak. Since Stupak announced that he cut a deal with Barack Obama and will now support Health Care Reform, Benishek’s Facebook page has been on fire with well-wishes, and commitments of donations.

Be sure to check out Benishek's Facebook page, which is seeing quite a bit more visitors lately.

It would not surprise me in the least if Bart Stupak was Obama's ace in the hole all along. Perhaps he was hoping the he and his posse could stay on the sidelines and watch as 216 other Democrats made the difference. Maybe he even told Obama only to count on him as a last resort, that he didn't want to have to face his constituents as the man responsible for passing this health care monstrosity.

Based on the video of him at that town hall back in October, it's quite likely. Being the "ace in the hole" may just turn out to be worse for Stupak because as the leader of the alleged "pro-life" Democrats, he's not only the face of that bloc of House members but he's also the face of the deciding vote. Regardless of how wide the margin of victory will be for the House vote, it may as well be 216-215 with Stupak casting the final vote. He's cast himself as the person he so desperately wanted to avoid being.

The name Stupak could one day very soon become synonymous with the likes of Benedict Arnold, Woodrow Wilson, and Neville Chamberlain. Sleep well Bart, though you may need some medicinal help doing it. Don't worry, as a congressman, you'll have access to anything you need.

h/t to Free Republic

BART STUPAK HAVING HIS WOODROW WILSON MOMENT?

Look for Las Vegas to be taking bets on when Democrat Bart Stupak (D-MI) is going to have his Woodrow Wilson moment - the latter realizing what he had done to his country by convincing a then Democratic congress to pass the Federal Reserve Act. He reportedly told his closest friends and family, on his death bed that he had "betrayed his country". He is reported to have said this after realizing how much damage he had done. One look at the U.S. Dollar / Federal Reserve and it's quite clear that Wilson didn't know the half of it.

As it stands now, Bart Stupak could end up being the man responsible for thrusting his country into bankruptcy via government-run health care / takeover. As head of the pro-life Democrats and apparently the only obstacle standing in the way of Obama and Pelosi, Stupak appears to have sold his vote for an Executive Order signed by Barack Obama.

Under the agreement, President Barack Obama would sign an executive order ensuring that no federal funding will go to pay for abortion under the health reform plans. In addition, Stupak will get to state his concerns about abortion funding in the bill during a colloquy on the House floor during the debate.

And then, Stupak and several other Democratic holdouts over abortion will sign on to the bill, the sources said. The agreement would almost certainly give House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the 216 votes she needs to secure an historic health reform vote by day’s end — capping a yearlong drive to achieve Obama’s signature legislative goal.

What's amazing here is that it is laughable for Stupak to actually think he can trust any commitment made by Barack Obama. Perhaps Representative Paul Ryan put it best:

"That is not the rule of law. That's the rule of man. One man can sign an executive order and one man can repeal that again, the president of the United States," said Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. "So for those of us in the pro-life movement and the -- and my Democrat friends who are pro-life, that doesn't cut it. A executive order is not something that is permanent law."

The irony here is that this deal Stupak made will trump all of the other special deals - Cornhusker Kickback, Louisiana Purchase, et. al. - in its significance yet its intrinsic value, unlike all those special deals is less than $0 when you consider whose signature he's relying on. Something tells me that Stupak very well may know this EO is worth nothing. This video of him at a town hall in Cheboygan, MI this past October may indicate he's been looking for nothing more than a way to tell his constituents that he fought for pro-life, knowing full well, he did no such thing. Caught on video, admitting that he would vote for a bill that allowed taxpayer funded abortions if it came down to brass tacks.



Either Bart Stupak has deceived Americans into believing he is pro-life or he is allowing himself to be deceived in order to appease them. Regardless, his name very well could live in infamy in America's history books. Despicable is far too weak of a word to describe what he's done.

h/t to Gateway Pundit for the video.

AUDIO: PRO-LIFE DEMOCRAT OUTS HOUSE TACTICS

The biggest hurdle for the Pelosi-led House in passing the Senate version of the health care monstrosity is the pro-life Democrat contingent, led by Representative Bart Stupak (D-MI). On a radio show on March 11th, Stupak told the host that Committee chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) told him that the House wants to pass the bill with abortion funding included.

According to Stupak, the Democrats - including Obama - have been saying they want current law in the bill relative to funding abortions. That current law does not permit taxpayer-funded abortions. As you will hear, Stupak's claim is that Waxman is pushing him to relent and ALLOW taxpayer-funded abortions in the bill.

If anyone listens to Stupak, I believe he is partially and inherently making a plea for people to stand by him. In this interview, he is basically outing both Obama and Waxman as public liars - as if we didn't know about the latter already. Be sure to read about Stupak's interview with National Review, below the fold. It's actually even more damning to Waxman than what Stupak said in the radio interview.

Via Breitbart



Sometime after that radio interview, Stupak granted National Review a phone interview and seemed to indicate things had gotten much worse with respect to the motivations of House Democratic leaders:

What are Democratic leaders saying? “If you pass the Stupak amendment, more children will be born, and therefore it will cost us millions more. That’s one of the arguments I’ve been hearing,” Stupak says. “Money is their hang-up. Is this how we now value life in America? If money is the issue — come on, we can find room in the budget. This is life we’re talking about.”

At some point, someone has to start screaming this from the rooftops. All along, the Democrats have laughed off things like death panels. If Stupak is telling the truth, the logic behind death panels is not all that dissimilar from the logic that taxpayer-funded abortions are necessary because more births = greater cost.

The fact that there are still people out there who don't get this is MIND-BLOWING.

"You LIE!"



h/t to Gateway Pundit

AUDIO: WHITE HOUSE TELLS STUPAK TO BE QUIET

Pro-life Democrat Representative from Michigan, Bart Stupak has been somewhat vocal about his opposition to the language in the Senate bill that permits taxpayer funded abortions. He's also leading a contingent of other Democrats in the House who are saying they won't vote in support of the current bill unless the abortion language is changed.

With the way Democrats have been dropping like flies when it comes to standing up on principle instead of having a price, I'm not holding my breath that Stupak will stick to his guns either but it's an interesting development nonetheless.

In an interview with CNSNews, Stupak is speaking forthrightly in saying that he is being pressured by the White House directly to stop talking about the bill until "sell" him on the language. I wonder if that means bought off like Ben Nelson and Mary Landrieu.

Here is the actual quote:

“They think I shouldn’t be expressing my views on this bill until they get a chance to try to sell me the language. Well, I don’t need anyone to sell me the language. I can read it. I’ve seen it. I’ve worked with it. I know what it says. I don’t need to have a conference with the White House. I have the legislation in front of me here.”

Click HERE for the audio..

According to the CNSNews Report:

Stupak said he is not alone in being pressured from the White House and the House Democratic leadership – other pro-life Democratic colleagues apparently are, as well. But they plan to hold firm, he said.

“We’re getting a lot of pressure not to say anything, to try to compromise this principle or belief,” Stupak said. “[T]hat’s just not us. We’re not going to do that. Members who voted for the Stupak language in the House – especially the Democrats, 64 Democrats that voted for it – feel very strongly about it. It’s been part of who we are, part of our make up. It’s the principle belief that we have. We are not just going to abandon it in the name of health care."

As Landrieu and Nelson are appearing very uncomfortable thanks to an engaged public, hopefully Stupak and his gang will take note. Then again, this White House has a way of mounting pressure the likes of which we've not seen in past administrations.

Stupak needs to prepare to be Alinsky'd. But he also needs to study Alinsky's Rule #1:

Power is not only what you have, but what an opponent thinks you have. If your organization is small, hide your numbers in the dark and raise a din that will make everyone think you have many more people than you do.

A rule tailor-made for bullying.

HERE is the entire CNSNews Report.

h/t to DRUDGE

UPDATE: VIDEO: DEM REP IMPLIES OBAMA LIED

UPDATED ON 10/29: Original post from 10/28 below the dotted line. Yesterday (28th) we learned that a Democrat Representative from Michigan found it unacceptable to have taxpayer funded abortions as part of any healthcare bill. He even seemed to feign indignation over the president's inconsistencies and semantics on the matter.

Now video of Stupak on Saturday, October 24th at a town hall has surfaced. At that town hall, he says that if the bill has everything he wants except the provision that prohibits taxpayer-funded abortions, he would still vote for the bill. At worst, these two positions are hypocritical and Stupak is doing the same thing he accused Obama of doing. At best, the reaction he got from those in attendance at his town hall caused him to change his position days later.

Either way, Stupak appears to be posturing and constituent heat on the issue of abortion is exposing some inconsistency on his part.



h/t to H4A
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When Joe Wilson shouted, "You Lie" at Obama during the Joint Session of congress in September, no one realized how right he was. In addition to the statement Wilson responded to, there appears to be another one that seems to validate the same charge.

The claim made by Obama at that session in which he said "our plan" would not use taxpayer dollars to fund abortion appears to be a bald-faced lie as well. Representative Bart Stupak (D-MI) in this video explains why. Stupak does not want taxpayer dollars to fund abortion. HR 3200, the only plan available at the time Obama gave the joint session speech, consists of language that would allow taxpayer dollars to fund abortion is not going to be changed according to Stupak.

According to Stupak, Pelosi will hear no amendment calling for that change while Obama told him (Stupak) that he supports such an amendment. Uh, if Pelosi asks, "how high" when Obama tells her to jump, why is she so insistent that taxpayer dollars fund abortions?

Joe Wilson was right and probably could have shouted throughout the entire speech.



For greater detail, CNSNEWS has it.

h/t to VS