Joey’s Take: Beholden to …

Last time I checked, it was the voters who elected people to Congress and the White House. It was not Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, Harry Reid or even Michael Steele. Our senators, representatives and president are not elected by a party, an agenda or special interest groups. They are elected by the people to represent the people and do the will of the people.

Yet, the POR Trio would have you believe the prime directive for a Democratic rep or senator is to blindly and unquestioningly fall in line with the trio’s agenda. Afterall, that’s what they were elected to do. Right?

Anyone who’s surprised by this tune wasn’t listening closely during the 2008 campaign. Obama summed up his view of a politician’s role in a speech that played to rave reviews in Iowa and helped him clinch the Iowa caucuses. “That’s why telling the American people what we think they want to hear instead of telling the American people what they need to hear just won’t do,” he said. While his words rang with rhythm and rhetoric, their true meaning was lost in the thunderous applause. No one questioned who would be the arbiter of what the American people NEED to hear.

Other fact-check failures from the campaign trail are coming back to bite the nation. As Game Change reminds us, the basic principles that shaped Obama’s campaign were a.) Americans were tired of divisiveness – they wanted a unifier; b.) they wanted an end to partisanship; and c.) they wanted leaders who would say no to special interests. Obama the candidate rode this rhetoric of change all the way to the White House. And yet, according to Washington Post vote tallies for the last Congress, his record in the Senate showed he was one of the most partisan, divisive voices there – coming in right behind Joe Biden. And his links to special interests ran deep.

Since the election, all we’ve heard from the POR Trio is strident partisanship as they demand that all reps and senators ignore the wishes of their constituents, who are too ignorant to know what’s good for them, and bow to the bidding of the all-knowing Democratic leadership and the special interests that fund their message.

This November, we need to show the POR Trio what change is all about. And in the meantime, remind your senators and representatives who they really answer to.

I’m Joey, and I want to bring real change to Washington.

Joey’s Take: A New Contract

You may remember 1994’s Contract With America with its sweeping reforms to shrink government, cut taxes and revive entrepreneurship. Well, it’s time to put out a new contract – a Contract on Congress that goes after the representatives and senators who are holding our nation’s prosperity hostage to their own political agenda.

This contract would:

1. Require a balanced budget constitutional amendment that would be strictly enforced. No more “pay it forward a few generations” or “pay as you go when you feel like it.”

2. Limit ALL bills to one item and 5,000 words. If it can’t be expressed in 20 pages, it’s not ready for a vote. Bills must be written in plain English, and they can’t be amended or stuffed with unrelated business.

We all heard Nancy bragging yesterday about the new inclusion of student loans in the deformed health care bill. How many more trees are the greenies going to cut down just to print this massive abortion of legislation?!

The sad thing is that some parts of the health care bill would have easily passed a year ago had they not been bundled into this colossal mess, and many Americans would have already benefited from the changes.

3. Practice zero tolerance on congressional misconduct and ethical breaches. No more cover-ups, slaps on the wrist, looking the other way, or saying “but he did it too.” Violators, and their offices, would be subject to the same laws as the rest of us, and the cases against them should be heard in a court of law – not a select committee of partisans and cronies.

4. Limit Congress to two 60-day sessions a year, and adjust congressional pay accordingly. Think of the money we would save.

5. Ban all taxpayer-funded political travel – for the president, his staff and Congress.

6. Make Congress live by the rules it imposes on others. For instance, if other government employees can’t fly first class or by private plane on the taxpayer’s note, then a senator or representative can’t either. (Reps and senators need to be reminded that they are government employees.)

7. Enforce the constitutional separation of powers.

I may be a dog, but even I know it’s way past time for us to make Congress an offer it can't refuse.

I’m Joey. And I endorse this Contract on Congress.

Joey's Take: Health Care in America

Please pardon my absence from the blog. I have been battling hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE). Not to worry though – it looks like I’m winning that battle. My stay at the Alpha Animal Hospital wasn’t all downtime from the campaign as it gave me some new insight into health care in America.

Like most dogs and many other Americans, I’m not covered by health insurance, and Dad does not have steady work yet (the down side of political appointments), which means cost was a concern. Now, I don’t think you should be taxed so I can be covered, but I noticed some cost-saving steps that could be incorporated into people medicine:

· After listening to the folks describe my symptoms and the onset of my illness, Dr. Segl gave them a detailed price estimate of the lab work, radiograms, IVs and care she thought I would need – before she did anything. The folks mentioned that my hips have been stiff lately, so she said she would make sure she got the hips in the picture when she shot the radiograms. An upfront estimate, two diagnoses for the price of one and no unnecessary referrals to specialists.

· Dr. Segl did everything in-house – no lab techs, radiologists, etc. That meant we got the results of my blood work within minutes, and treatment could begin immediately. And when the first radiogram suggested torsion, the vet talked to Dad and then did a few more radiograms to make sure that was not the problem. My health care wasn’t at the mercy of a lab tech’s or radiologist’s busy workload, and the folks approved any costs above the original estimate. Meanwhile, I was already starting to feel better. In-house, immediate, no third parties.

· To help keep costs down, Dr. Segl suggested the folks take me home for the night and then bring me back for observation the next day. That way, they wouldn’t have to pay for overnight care, and they rested better knowing I wasn’t alone in a strange place. Family care.

· Since vets aren’t sure what causes HGE – the best guess is that it’s viral – we discussed some lifestyle changes to try to prevent future episodes. That means no more eating snow or tracking deer. And for my arthritic hips, I have to get more exercise and take glucosamine. This is my responsibility – not the government’s. Lifestyle changes.

· Central to my health care was having a doctor who knew what she was doing and who would discuss options so we – not an HMO, insurance company or a government agency – could make an informed decision. Obviously, we needed to be able to trust our vet. Rhetoric may sound nice, but when it comes to my health care (or my government), I want people who know what they’re talking about. Record, not rhetoric.

I’m Joey, and I’m glad to be alive. And, yes, I’m still running for Congress.

Joey’s Take: Weathering the Storm

There’s nothing like bad weather to bring neighbors together. The elements have a way of reminding us that we’re all in this, so we smile as we break out the winter gear and join forces to push vehicles out of the ditch, shovel out the drives and pool resources to pay for a plow. When bad weather strikes, neighbors band together to come up with practical solutions that work for everyone.

Given the economic and security storms we’re weathering as a nation, our government officials could take a few pointers from the nieghborhood:

1. Be prepared. You can’t wait for the storm to hit before you even start thinking about how you’re going to handle it. That includes having a “rainy day” fund – not a deficit – so you can handle the unexpected expenses.

2. Don’t make your neighbors your enemies. I know, the president said pretty much the same thing last week when he met with congressional Republicans. But that’s not the advice he gave his fellow Democrats later in the week.

3. Work together – not at cross purposes. In other words, don’t pile your snow in your neighbor’s cleared drive. The sign of a true leader isn’t always being right – it’s being able to recognize and choose the right course when it’s presented. It’s also being able to change courses and admit you’re wrong when you see that what you’ve been doing is only making matters worse.

4. Experience helps, but everyone has something to offer – even the freshman members of the minority party. At least let them introduce their bills; they may have some ideas worth considering. I know our young neighbor kid is an asset to his family and the neighborhood. If it weren’t for his hard work and energy, our car would still be encased hood high in snow.

5. Sound bites don’t get the job done. And speaking of sound bites, the president got a lot of airplay when he told Republicans they need to be concerned about Americans’ jobs rather than their own jobs. My response? If ALL the people on Capitol Hill and the White House were doing their jobs instead of spending our money, the rest of us Americans wouldn’t have to worry about our jobs.

I’m Joey. I’m a dog. And I’m running for Congress.

Joey's Take: Rebuttal

I know, I know. By now you are probably sick and tired of all things having to do with the State of the Union speech, but I have a few points that have, for the most part, eluded the pundits and critics.

1. No speech -- regardless of how "magical" it is -- can create jobs, cut the deficit, put money in our pocket, expand health care coverage, halt climate change, increase national security, punish the bad guys and establish world peace. Anyone who thinks it can needs a hefty dose of reality. All of that takes action -- not slick-sounding words.

2. President Obama once again resorted to the blame game. In trying to justify his unprecedented deficit spending, the president pointed to a $1 trillion deficit he said President Bush created in 2008.

Fact Check: For much of Bush's term before 2007, Congress was so evenly split between the Democrats and Republicans that nothing could get passed without some Democrat support. And since the 2006 election -- yes, the one that sent Obama to the Senate -- both the House and the Senate have been controlled by the Democrats. Thus, any deficit created in 2007 and 2008 was blessed by, endorsed by, passed by and often created by the Democratic Congress.

Inconvenient Truth: Obama did not "inherit" the deficit. He helped create it.

3. The president tried to set the stage for a Democratic victory later this fall by casting Republicans as the obstacle to all things good, as the party of no and as political do-nothings devoid of solutions. Since the Democrats control the bully pulpit and the script going out to the mainstream media, Republicans need to go on the offensive (without being offensive) to get the word out about their legislative proposals.

My Suggestion: Republicans should set up websites -- one for the House and one for the Senate -- with links to all the legislation they have proposed this session. For each link -- grouped into categories for healthcare, taxes, deficit, economy, etc. -- there should be a brief summary of each bill along with its history. When was it introduced? What committee was it sent to? What happened to it in that committee? Who chairs that committee? The websites should include bipartisan legislation Republicans have co-sponsored and list the Democrats who have signed onto it.

Once the websites are up, the Republicans need to get out there and market them, using Twitter, Facebook, email lists, their individual congressional websites and local and national media. Then, no one -- not even the president -- will be able to get by with labeling Republicans as the party of no.

I'm Joey. I'm running for Congress. And I approved this message.

P.S. If you missed my State of the Union address, you'll find it more accurately represents the mood of the people than what you heard last night.

Joey’s Take: Tone Deaf

My breed reportedly has the largest vocal range of any dog. Yes, I can whimper like a baby, whine like a 5-year-old, sass like an adolescent, growl like a 20-year-old and grumble like an old man. While all these skills will come in useful in Congress, I have an even greater talent: I listen.

That’s a talent our current leadership really should master. But alas, the POR Trio remains tone deaf. Instead of listening to the people, Pelosi insists on playing her own shrill melody while Reid belts out a very flat bass and Obama keeps changing the words while conducting the same old song.

But rather than admit it’s not in tune with the people, the trio – like any good prima donna – and its groupies insist that the discord is not theirs. Rather, all the missed notes are the fault of the previous conductor. Or the fault of the background singers. And the lack of appreciation is definitely the fault of an ignorant audience that just can’t understand the nuances of the music being performed.

This tone deafness spoils any piece the POR Trio tries to deliver and makes the group misread its own press. Trained in arrogance, the POR Trio hears the shouts of the audience as applause while ignoring any negative reviews.

Take the Massachusetts Senate race. While the audience hears Scott Brown’s victory as a countermelody rising across the nation, the PORs will pass it off as simply a lack of talent on Martha Coakley’s part. Meanwhile, the PORs drone on – off beat and out of tune.

I’m Joey. I’m a howling rock star. And I’m running for Congress. I approved every note of this message.

Joey’s Take: The State of the Union

As the time for the president’s State of the Union address approaches, we’re going to hear more and more about what he might say. My advice: Don’t waste your time listening to all the spin. I may be just a dog, but I can tell you the state of the union in four words – unemployed, broke and angry.

Unemployed: I know, the president will probably address the unemployment issue and regale us with how he and Congress have saved and/or created thousands of jobs. Yea, and how many of them are government jobs that we a.) can’t afford and b.) don’t need? Then he’ll probably tell us about the Dem plan to create even more jobs. I can’t read, but I don’t think the Constitution gives Congress or the president the responsibility or the authority to create jobs. What the president won’t discuss are all the regulations his administration is passing that will kill more jobs than he can hope to create.

Broke: I’ll bet my ever-wagging tail this is one word the president won't use. He will run as far away from the financial, moral and leadership deficits facing our nation as he can get. And if he does manage to mumble the word, he will blame it on Bush. But every time he plays the blame game, we need to remind everyone that the Dems controlled Congress for the past few years under Bush. If Obama inherited a mess, he has himself and his colleagues on the Hill to blame.

Angry: The American people, both liberal and conservative, are biting, fighting mad – at each other, at their elected officials, at their plight in life. If you don’t believe me, read some of the comments being posted in reaction to news stories on CNN. Of course, our “leaders” feed this frenzy with their broken promises, vitriolic rhetoric and gotcha partisanship.

My solution: Instead of another speech full of spin, we need a national time out – a time out from politics as usual (hey, what happened to the change we were promised?), from all the ugly rants, from politicians who don’t understand or care that we can’t afford their big-spending habits.

I’m Joey. I’m running for Congress. And I understand the true state of the union.