Liberal Democrat Kingmaker Senator Chuck Schumer is glowing about the possibility that Barack Obama’s handpicked candidate Richard Carmona will fulfill his dream of having a tax-and-spend Senator from the Grand Canyon State.

While Carmona likes to fancy himself as an “independent,” Schumer knows better because like himself he’s a card-carrying member of the Democrat Party and a strong supporter of the President’s job-killing healthcare law.   

“Top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer is abuzz about liberal Democrat Richard Carmona’s candidacy because he knows that Carmona will follow suit and be a rubberstamp for Barack Obama’s job-killing agenda of higher taxes and more spending,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox. 

Notably, six years ago Schumer was boasting that millionaire Democrat Jim Pederson would get elected in Arizona, but he was soundly defeated in what was a strong year for his party.

BACKGROUND …

CARMONA IS A STRONG SUPPORTER OF OBAMACARE

In March 2010, Carmona Announced Support For ObamaCare, Stating “We Need To Move Toward A Health Care System, Not The Sick Care System That We Have Today. This Legislation Moves Us Closer To That. This Bill Is Not Perfect. But These Are Complex Issues And We Must Move Forward.” “Carmona served as the 17th surgeon general of the United States under President George W. Bush. Last year, he participated in series of health care town halls that the congresswoman held in Tucson, Sierra Vista and Green Valley. ‘The issue facing our country is how do we get the best care for the most people at the least cost,’ Carmona said. ‘We spend more for health care than any other nation on Earth, but the metrics of our results don’t reflect that. We need to move toward a health care system, not the sick care system that we have today. This legislation moves us closer to that. This bill is not perfect. But these are complex issues and we must move forward. And then I hope we can sit down with level heads and make it even better for the benefit of the American people.’” (“U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords Announces Support For Historic Health Insurance Reform Legislation,” Congresswoman Giffords Press Release, 3/20/10)

Meanwhile Carmona’s Liberal Ally Received A “F “Rating From The Gun Owners Of America & From The National Taxpayers Union

Schumer Received A “F” From The Gun Owners Of America. (Gun Owners Of America Website, www.gunowners.org, Accessed 2/8/12)

In 2010, Schumer Received A “F” From The National Taxpayers Union. (National Taxpayers Union Website, www.ntu.org, Accessed 2/8/12)

The post Chuck Schumer’s Dream Is To See Arizona Elect Liberal Democrat Richard Carmona appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Richard Carmona (D-AZ) likes to preach his independence on the campaign in Arizona, but an inside look at his fundraising apparatus tells a far different story.  Tonight, Carmona’s political patron liberal U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) will host a fundraiser for Carmona at the posh Grace Hotel in New York City.

Schumer is an unabashed supporter of Barack Obama’s tax-and-spend agenda, supporting key initiatives like Obama’s failed $825 billion stimulus and $2.5 trillion healthcare law.  Additionally, Schumer is a strong opponent of the Second Amendment and has consistently voted to raise taxes on families and small business owners in Arizona.   On every major issue, Schumer has been in lockstep with President Obama, who personally recruited Carmona to run last year.

“If Arizonans want to see who Richard Carmona will stand with in Washington, they don’t need to look any further than to see who he is hobnobbing with in New York City today,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Jahan Wilcox.  “It’s clear liberal Democrats like President Obama and Chuck Schumer know that Richard Carmona will be a loyal vote for their big government agenda of higher taxes, reckless spending and job-killing healthcare takeovers.” 

BACKGROUND … 

Senator Chuck Schumer’s Official Invitation 

“This Wednesday, February 8, 2011 at 7:00 PM at the Grace Hotel in Times Square, Senator Chuck Schumer and I would like to introduce you to an outstanding individual who is running for United States Senator from Arizona. In fact many key national leaders are now working on behalf of Dr. Richard Carmona and we are asking for your support in helping him get elected as the next United States Senator from the state of Arizona.” (Peter Fontanes, Dr. Richard Carmona Reception, Accessed On Facebook On 02/08/12)

Schumer Received A “F “Rating From The Gun Owners Of America

• Schumer Received A “F” From The Gun Owners Of America. (Gun Owners Of America Website, www.gunowners.org, Accessed 2/8/12)

And Has A “F” Rating From The National Taxpayers Union

• In 2010, Schumer Received A “F” From The National Taxpayers Union. (National Taxpayers Union Website, www.ntu.org, Accessed 2/8/12)

The post If You Want To Know Who Richard Carmona Will Stand With In Washington, See Who He’s Standing With In New York City Tonight appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

Despite his effort to re-invent himself as a moderate Democrat in Virginia after serving as the number one cheerleader for President Obama’s big government agenda in Washington, former DNC Chairman Tim Kaine’s actions continue to tell a much different story than his campaign trail rhetoric.

Chairman Kaine will be feted this evening at a fundraiser in Washington hosted by one of K Street’s top special interest lobbyists and standing by Kaine’s side tonight helping him raise money will be none other than top Senate liberal and avowed partisan, Senator Chuck Schumer.

“If Virginians want to know whose interests Tim Kaine will serve if elected to the Senate, they don’t need to look any further than to see who he is standing with in Washington tonight and who he has stood with on every major big government issue of the last several years,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh said today.  “Whether it was the Democrats’ trillion dollar health care bill or their failed $825 billion stimulus, Kaine and Schumer have consistently spoken with one voice and it’s no surprise to see a New York liberal like Chuck Schumer doing everything possible to elect one of his most loyal allies.”

BACKGROUND….

KAINE AND SCHUMER – ONE IN THE SAME

Schumer And Kaine On Health Care Reform 

Schumer: “I Am Proud To Support The Historic Affordable Care Act – The 2010 Health Care Reform Bill That Recently Became Law . . . .” (Senator Charles Schumer Website, www.schumer.senate.gov, Accessed 12/9/11)

Schumer Said Health Care Reform Would Cut The Federal Deficit By Over A Trillion Dollars. “The new law cuts the federal deficit by $143 billion over 10 years and up to $1.3 trillion in the second decade.” (Senator Charles Schumer Website, www.schumer.senate.gov, Accessed 12/9/11) 

Schumer Said “When People Learn What’s Actually In The Bill, And All The Good It Does, It Is Going To Become More And More Popular.” Schumer: “And now, when people learn what’s actually in the bill, and all the good it does, it is going to become more and more popular.” (CNN, “The Situation Room,” 12/24/09)

• Schumer: “As People Learn About All The Good Things In The Bill, They Will Like It More And More.” (Sally Goldenberg and Andy Soltis, “Unclean Bill Of Health For NY,” The New York Post, 12/25/09)

Schumer And Kaine Both Claimed Health Care Reform Would “Strengthen Medicare”

Schumer: “The Affordable Care Act Makes Great Strides To Strengthen And Reform Medicare, the government’s health insurance system for seniors and people with disabilities.” (Senator Charles Schumer Website, www.schumer.senate.gov, Accessed 12/9/11)

Kaine: “The Senate Bill Will . . . Strengthen Medicare.” “The Senate’s bill will extend coverage to more than 30 million Americans; end abusive insurance industry practices, like denying coverage because of a pre-existing condition or canceling someone’s coverage when they get sick; strengthen Medicare and extend the life of the Medicare trust fund . . . .” (DNC Chairman Tim Kaine, “DNC Chairman Tim Kaine Calls Senate Vote Historic Step,” Press Release, 12/21/09)

Schumer And Kaine Said Health Care Reform “Made History”

Schumer: “We All Made History.” “‘We all made history,’ Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told a group of Democrats on the floor, as they celebrated the vote.” (Carrie Budoff Brown and Meredith Shiner, “Reconciliation Bill Passes Senate,” Politico, 3/25/10)

Kaine: “[A]s He Signed Health Reform Into Law, President Obama Made History.” (DNC Chairman Tim Kaine, “DNC Chairman Tim Kaine Praises Historic Signing Of Health Insurance Reform,” Press Release, 3/23/11)

Schumer And Kaine Said Health Care Would Benefit The Middle Class

Schumer: “Well, It Really Does Deliver For The Middle Class . . . .” (NBC’s “Meet The Press,” 3/28/10)

Kaine: “Reform Will Control Costs And Lower Costs For Middle Class Families Who Are Struggling Under The Skyrocketing Cost Of Health Insurance.” (Andrew Malcolm, “What Each Said About The Healthcare Vote: Obama, John Boehner, Tim Kaine, Michael Steele,” Los Angeles Times’ Top Of The Ticket Blog, www.latimes.com, Posted 3/22/10)

Senator Chuck Schumer: The Democrats’ Message Man

“Sen. Chuck Schumer, The New York Democrat Who Is The Majority’s Message Man . . . .” (Glenn Thrush, “No Deal Yet, But ‘Relief,’ Schumer Says,” Politico’s Politico Live Blog, www.politico.com, Posted 7/31/11)

Schumer Was Described As The Senate Democrats’ Message Man. “Dean’s comments came after a misstep by the Senate Democrats’ message man Chuck Schumer.” (Jonathan Karl and Matthew Jaffe, “Prominent Democrat Says Government Shutdown ‘Best Thing In The World’ For Democrats,” ABC News, 3/29/11)

“The Senate Democrats Top Message Man, Chuck Schumer . . . .” (Libby Leist, “Schumer: Turn ‘Buffett Rule’ Into Legislation,” MSNBC’s First Read Blog, www.msnbc.com,  Posted 9/19/11)

The post If Virginians Want To See Who Tim Kaine Will Stand With In The Senate, See Who He Is Standing With Tonight appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

After spending years shaking down Wall Street banks and bankers for millions of dollars in campaign contributions, particularly during his four years leading the DSCC, New York’s senior Senator Chuck Schumer said today that not only is he now encouraging Senate Democrats to campaign against the New York financial industry, but that “income inequality” is a “winning issue” for his party moving into next year’s election.

In an interview today with liberal Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent, the Democrats’ anointed “message guru” said that “Occupy Wall Street has resonance far beyond the protests,” and vowed that inequality would be a central issue in the campaign that Democrats would focus on “like a laser.”

“It’s a remarkable admission from New York’s senior Senator that he believes vilifying the New York City financial community, which is responsible for creating tens of thousands of New York jobs, constitutes a winning campaign issue for his party,” NRSC Communications Director Brian Walsh said today.  “We can only hope that all New Yorkers, and particularly those who have donated millions of dollars to Schumer’s campaigns over the years, take note of their Senator’s true colors.  Chuck Schumer is a professional politician who will literally say or do anything to preserve power in Washington, even if it means throwing his own constituents right under the bus.”

Notably, Schumer’s anti-Wall Street rhetoric hasn’t stopped him from benefitting greatly from their financial largesse over the years, raising the question of if Schumer intends to keep the almost $10 million in campaign cash that he has personally accepted from the New York financial community – to say nothing of the millions more Schumer raised as Chairman of the DSCC.   As Politico reported two years ago:

• Wall Street has showered nearly $11 million on the Senate since the beginning of the year, and more than 15 percent of it has gone to a single senator: Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York.  Schumer’s $1.65 million take from the financial services industry is nearly twice that of any other senator’s — and more than five times what the industry gave to any single Republican senator.

Schumer’s comments also come just days after the New York Post pointed out in an editorial appropriately titled – Kirsten the Chameleon – that despite her own recent support for the Occupy movement, no U.S. Senator facing re-election next year has taken more money from Wall Street than New York’s junior Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.

“If Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand believe the pathway to preserving a Senate Democrat majority starts with vilifying the New York financial community then they should do the honorable thing and return the millions of dollars they’ve accepted from them over the years.  If they choose not to, then voters should chalk it up to yet another chapter in a long history of shameless hypocrisy from their two U.S. Senators,” Walsh concluded.

The post Schumer Says Pathway To Preserving A Senate Democrat Majority Starts With Attacking The New York Financial Community appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

U.S. Senator Ben Nelson from Nebraska became the latest Senate Democrat to break with his party leaders and make clear that cutting spending, and not raising taxes, should be the focus over the debt ceiling debate.  Nelson joined fellow Democrat Senator Joe Manchin from West Virginia, who has also voiced his opposition in recent days to the hundreds of billions of dollars in proposed tax increases from Senate Democrat leaders, which would have a disproportionate effect on New York City job creators in particular. This includes targeting the so-called “carried interest” provision used by investment services partnerships which Democrats believe could raise them at least $20 billion in new government tax revenue.

Yet, while some Senate Democrats are voicing their opposition to tax increases, New York’s senior Senator Chuck Schumer is having none of it.  At a Capitol Hill press conference yesterday, Schumer made clear that he is committed to imposing new taxes hikes, and even went so far as to say that this issue “seems to be putting Republicans on their heels on the issue of revenues.”

“It’s a sad day for the New York financial community when they have to rely on Senators from Nebraska and West Virginia to protect them from more government overreach and taxation, instead of their own senior Senator Chuck Schumer.  Not only is Chuck Schumer refusing to stand up for New York job creators, he’s leading the charge against them,” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh said today.

“This debate defines the clear difference between standing before the cameras at a Sunday afternoon press conference, and actually standing up for New York when it matters in Washington,” Walsh concluded. 

The post Schumer Digs In, Vows To Hike Taxes On New York Job Creators appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

As the camera-loving Senator from New York, Chuck Schumer has become well known for his Sunday press conferences where he holds court on issues ranging from caffeinated malt beverages to new legislation prohibiting sex offenders from working at carnivals.

But as both parties continue to debate hiking the $14.3 trillion debt ceiling by an additional $2 trillion, Senate Democrat leaders, including Schumer, continue to dig in and insist on at least $400 billion in new tax increases to offset any spending cuts.  And the normally voluble Schumer is suddenly silent and circumspect in commenting on how several of these new tax hike proposals would land disproportionately on job creators in New York City.

As the Wall Street Journal reports today:

• Another administration proposal would change the tax treatment of earnings for many investment-fund managers, ending a practice critics regard as unfair. Fund managers often receive an interest in the future profits of partnerships, in return for managing the investments. Under current rules, that share is taxed at capital gains rates, usually 15%, rather than the higher rate for wages.  Supporters of the current system say fund managers’ partnership interest, known as “carried interest,” is really an investment, not wages, and ought to be taxed as such. A similar proposal failed to pass the Senate last year despite lengthy negotiations. Mr. Obama’s February budget proposal called for ending capital-gains treatment of carried interest for a range of “investment-services partnerships,” not just hedge funds. The administration’s latest proposal would raise about $20 billion.

“As the Democrats’ message guru, Senator Schumer has positioned himself at the heart of the Democrats’ fight to raise taxes.  Yet, instead of standing up for his constituents in New York, he’s helping to lead the charge in making them pay for his reckless spending record in Washington.  While we’re sure there are some in New York who may appreciate their Senator’s courageous stand on caffeinated malt beverages, why is Chuck Schumer suddenly silent when it comes increasing taxes on job creators in New York City?” National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh said today.

The post Schumer, New York Constituents, At Center Of Tax Hike Fight appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.

As additional questions surface regarding embattled Congressman Anthony Weiner’s online behavior and the Schumer protégé prepares to address the media in New York City at 4 PM today, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) released the following statement:

“Given Senator Schumer’s emphatic statement last week that he was ‘virtually certain’ his protégé ‘had nothing to do’ with the recent lewd tweet sent to a 21 year old college student, his current silence over these most recent allegations is notable.  Was this yet another instance where Chuck Schumer rushed out to the press armed with less than all the facts on an issue? Does he agree with his protégé’s assertion that a private investigation is required to determine whether or not that was him in the gray underwear?  We look forward to hearing from New York’s media-friendly senior Senator in the hours ahead.”

-       Brian Walsh, NRSC Communications Director

The post Paging Detective Schumer… appeared first on NRSC - National Republican Senatorial Committee.