It’s a matter of record that Senator Claire McCaskill has been “a staunch Obama ally” in Washington, rubber-stamping Obama’s liberal economic agenda at every turn. But to hear McCaskill’s transparent political posturing in advance of her tough re-election battle, it’s as if she has absolutely nothing to do with the eruption of tax hikes, deficit spending, crushing debt and over-regulation Washington has foisted on Missouri families and job creators over the last several years.
In fact, PoliticMO reports that McCaskill now claims that – after providing the 60th and deciding vote to pass the regulatory nightmare of ObamaCare – “she hopes to consider reducing” regulatory burdens on Missouri’s job-creators and families, telling the publication “I think we have to really look at the regulations, and make sure that they make sense, that they’re absolutely essential.”
Perhaps McCaskill should have thought of these cost-raising, job-killing regulations before giving President Obama the deciding vote for ObamaCare – which “has already added over 6,500 pages of regulations to the Federal Register,” many of which are “so complex it’s unworkable.”
But McCaskill’s revisionist history doesn’t stop there. Despite her previous declaration that she is “supportive of a cap-and-trade system” and her vote to move forward with left-wing California Senator Barbara Boxer’s cap-and-trade proposal, McCaskill now tells PoliticMO that she is concerned over the Obama Administration’s efforts to impose government regulations that would raise energy costs for Missouri families and businesses:
Another concern, McCaskill says, is the costs of utilities for businesses. She warns government regulation to limit carbon emissions right now would be unhelpful to the economy. People are very worried,” she said. “We’re 85 percent coal dependent in Missouri, and it just reaffirms my commitment that ‘Cap and Trade’ is not the answer right now.”
Maybe Senator McCaskill can explain… what exactly has changed – besides the fact that she is facing an uphill re-election battle after rubber-stamping President Obama’s failed economic agenda and being exposed as a tax cheat – that she now has so many complaints about the same Obama policies she just spent the last several years supporting in Washington…
“Whether she’s supporting tax hikes on Missourians while failing to pay more than $300,000 in taxes on her own private jet, or pretending she opposes the very same job-killing policies she helped President Obama ram into law, Missourians deserve better than McCaskill’s hypocrisy and revisionist rhetoric,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond.
Background Information:
“The Obama Administration Has Championed Historic Expansions Of Financial And Health Care Regulation, And It Has Toughened A Wide Range Of Other Rules.” (Binyamin Appelbaum & Edward Wyatt, “Obama Is Latest To Hunt For Elusive ‘Dumb’ Rules,” The New York Times, 1/21/10)
“ObamaCare Has Already Added Over 6,500 Pages Of Regulations To The Federal Register.” (Brian Blase, “ObamaCare: The One Year Checkup,” The Heritage Foundation, 3/17/11)
ObamaCare Leaves Bureaucrats With “Substantial Responsibility And Authority To ‘Fill In The Details’ Of The Legislation Through Subsequent Regulations.” (Curtis W. Copeland, “Regulations Pursuant To The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,” Congressional Research Service, 4/13/10)
- “Although Some Regulations Are Required In 2010, It Seems Likely That Other Regulations Will Be Issued For Years, Or Even Decades To Come.” (Curtis W. Copeland, “Regulations Pursuant To The Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act,” Congressional Research Service, 4/13/10)
Just Six Pages Of ObamaCare Spawned 429 Pages Of HHS-Issued Regulations. (Paul Beddard, “6 Pages Of Obamacare Equals 429 Pages Of Regulations,” US News & World Report, 4/7/11)
And All The New Regulations Are Hampering Businesses And Devastating Job Creation:
Michael C. Gibbons, Chairman Of The National Restaurant Association: “The Cost Of Health Care Reform Will Be Devastating To Our Industry.” (Robert Pear, “Study Points to Health Law’s Penalties,” The New York Times, 5/23/10)
“The Lack Of Clarity About The Cost Implications Of” ObamaCare Is An Impediment For Companies To Begin Hiring. “In addition to slow and uncertain revenue growth, contacts in this recovery are frequently citing a number of other factors that are impeding hiring. Prominent among these is the lack of clarity about the cost implications of the recent health care legislation.” (Dennis Lockhart, “Business Feedback On Today’s Labor Market,” Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, 11/11/10)
Home Depot Co-Founder Bernie Marcus: “As [Obama] speaks about cutting regulations, they are now producing thousands of pages of new ones. With just ObamaCare by itself, you have a 2,000 page bill that’s probably going end up being 150,000 pages of regulations.” (John Merline, “Home Depot Co-Founder: Obama Is Choking Recovery,” Investors Business Daily, 7/20/11)
CBO: Penalizing Businesses Who Do Not Provide Full-Time Employees Insurance Will Encourage Businesses To Cut Hours And Salaried Positions. “Alternatively, because firms are penalized only if their full-time employees receive subsidies from exchanges, some firms may instead hire more part-time or seasonal employees.” (“The Budget and Economic Outlook: An Update,” Congressional Budget Office, 8/19/10)
“CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf Told The House Budget Committee On Thursday That The Health Care Law Will Reduce Employment By 0.5 Percent By 2021 Because Some People Will No Longer Have To Work Just To Afford Health Insurance.” (J. Lester Feder & Kate Nocera, “CHO: Health Law To Shrink Workforce By 800,000,” Politico, 2/10/11)
A “Little Noticed Provision Of The Law” Could Force “One-Third Of Employers” To Pay Penalties For Offering Insurance That The Government Deems “Unaffordable To Some Employees. (Robert Pear, “Study Points To Health Law’s Penalties,” The New York Times, 5/23/10)
New Regulations Of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) Are “So Complex It’s Unworkable”:
“President Barack Obama’s Main Idea For Getting Quality Health Care At Less Cost Was In Jeopardy … After Key Medical Providers Called His Administration’s Initial Blueprint So Complex It’s Unworkable.” (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, “Obama Plan For Health Care Quality Dealt A Setback,” The Associated Press, 5/11/11)
The New ACO’s Were Supposed To Be ObamCare’s “Crown Jewel Of Cost-Saving Reform,” But The Regulations Are “So Awful That Even The Models For It Say They Won’t Participate.” (Editorial, “The Accountable Care Fiasco,” The Wall Street Journal, 6/20/11)
The Program Is “Overly Prescriptive, Operationally Burdensome, And The Incentives Are Too Difficult To Achieve To Make This Voluntary Program Attractive.” (Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, “Obama Plan For Health Care Quality Dealt A Setback,” The Associated Press, 5/11/11)
McCaskill Said She Was “Supportive Of A Cap-And-Trade System,” And Voted To Move Forward With Barbara Boxer’s Cap-And-Trade Amendment:
2008: “‘I Am Supportive Of A Cap-And-Trade System To Help Address The World’s Climate Change Problems, But I Still Have Serious Concerns About How It Might Affect Lower-Income Americans,’ She Said In A Statement Released Tuesday. ‘Any Policies We Put In Place Must Limit The Financial Impact On Low-Income Households.’” (Ken Newton, “Environmental Advocates Seek McCaskill’s Vote,” St. Joseph News-Press, 4/30/08)
McCaskill Voted To Move Forward With The Boxer Amendment That Would “Cap Greenhouse Gas Emissions Nationwide.” “Motion to invoke cloture (thus limiting debate) on the Boxer, D-Calif., substitute amendment no. 4825 that would cap greenhouse gas emissions nationwide and set up a trading system for companies to buy and sell emissions allowances.” (S. 3036, CQ Vote #145: Rejected 48-36: R 7-32; D 39-4; I 2-0, 6/6/08, McCaskill Voted Yea)
