FreedomWorks Media Roundup: March 22nd – April 4th, 2013

FreedomWork’s Kibbe: GOP Needs to Realize ‘It’s OK to Be Different’

The Republican Party still appears to be in a phase of self-examination following its disappointing results in last November’s elections, releasing a scathing internal task force report this week acknowledging that public perception of the party is at record lows and inroads must be made with young and minority voters.

FreedomWorks President and CEO Matt Kibbe says the party needs some new blood and should seek guidance in the conservative movement’s young, savvy activists who are ready and able to succeed in today’s decentralized political landscape. – Christopher Santarelli, March 22, 2013, Read More

President Obama’s EPA Pick Threatens Market Stability

President Obama has made it clear, both in word and action, that climate-change regulation is a top priority for his second term. Putting aside the legitimate questions about the science behind climate-change alarmism, the nomination of Gina McCarthy as EPA administrator is just the latest sign that the president is determined to push a market-subverting, economy-handcuffing energy agenda on the American people.

Obama wasted no time in selecting climate change as a top priority. During his inauguration speech, he played to our emotions with the liberal talking point that failing to address climate change “would betray our children and future generations.” – Tom Borelli, March 26, 2013, Read More

 FreedomWorks hits Obama on Medicare Advantage cuts

FreedomWorks, the prominent Tea Party group, is hitting the Obama administration for looming cuts to Medicare Advantage.

The group released an online ad Wednesday charging that the cuts will force between 2 and 5 million seniors to lose their private Medicare coverage, placing them back in the traditional program. The ad blames “ObamaCare,” which made billions in cuts to Medicare Advantage by changing the program’s payment formulas. – Elise Viebeck, March 27, 2013, Read More

Rick Sanchez: Rand Paul is “El Hombre!”

Rand Paul isn’t rehearsed. He’s plainspoken. He rarely reads his speeches and sounds a lot like that unassuming guy we meet at the local supermarket who’s carrying a clipboard. You know the type — the guy who wants you to sign a petition to support a law, repeal a law or save an animal of some kind. The senator from Kentucky is by all outward appearances very un-senatorial and unsensational.

But you can never judge a book by its cover. And despite outward appearances, Rand Paul may be the most powerful voice in the Senate today. Why? Because he can do what no other Republican can do: he can unify. At a time when Republicans seem as splintered as the Democrats did in the ‘80s, Paul seems more capable of bridging the divide on big issues than almost anyone else.

Matt Kibbe, the CEO of Freedom Works, another visible Tea Party group, agrees. Rand Paul has done what the 2012 Republican nominee for president failed to do: take a stance on immigration that makes sense, appeals to Latinos and doesn’t alienate the Tea Party base. If Romney had pulled this off, he’d be president today. – Rick Sanchez, March 27, 2013, Read More

Why FreedomWorks Stood With Rand on Drones

When Senator Rand Paul took to the floor of the senate to demand answers regarding President Obama’s drone program, FreedomWorks broke from our traditions, stood with him, and declared our open support of civil liberties and the Constitution. It was a risky move for the institution considering our sole mission is furthering free market economics. But when life, our most precious liberty is in danger, it becomes time to take a stand.

Although the main focus of this grassroots group is steeped deeply in free markets, the brew that Matt Kibbe is boiling at FreedomWorks has a distinct liberty flavor to it. But it’s not tea in these cauldrons. It’s boiling oil we are going to throw over the gates of The Establishment as we continue our Hostile Takeover. – Austin Petersen, March 28, 2013, Read More

Tax filers make 2.7 million mistakes in 2011 — and that’s an improvement

The Internal Revenue Service says filers made 2.7 million mistakes on their 2011 returns — but bad as that sounds, it’s actually an improvement over prior years. On 2010 returns, the IRS says, filers made 6.6 million math mistakes, CNN reported.

Congressional members have been pushing for changes to simplify the tax code for years. The nonprofit Freedom Works says in its “Top Ten Reasons to Scrap the Code” that “no single person knows or understands the entire code — not even IRS employees,” and that tax experts cannot even reach agreement on how many pages or words of regulations comprise the code. Some estimates put it at more than 9 million words — while the Bible, by comparison, has 774,746 words. The directions alone for some tax forms are more than 100 pages long, Freedom Works says. – Cheryl Chumley, March 28, 2013, Read More

Republican Party Doesn’t Get How to Reach Young Voters

The Republican Party desperately needs to attract young people if it wants to survive. Yet, the recently released Republican National Committee’s Growth and Opportunity Project report signals that the party doesn’t understand how to reach young voters. One has to wonder if the RNC even consulted young people before putting the stamp of approval on its election “autopsy” report.

The RNC deserves props for acknowledging that the Republican Party has trouble connecting with young people, and for dedicating a section of the report to fixing this problem. The RNC hasn’t always been concerned with winning the youth vote, as evidenced by the mistreatment of Ron Paul delegates at the convention in Tampa last year. – Julie Borowski, March 29, 2013, Read More

Fight Over Internet Sales Tax Intensifies

As the owner of PFI Western Wear in Springfield, Mo., Randy Little gets irked when customers come into his store, find the perfect pair of boots, then buy them online, so they don’t have to pay sales tax. “We fit them, we give them customer service, and then they go online and buy it from somebody else cheaper,” Little said, adding that some shoppers even start searching the Web on their smartphones before leaving his store.

But Little also benefits from the flip side of this tax-free equation, racking up thousands of dollars in online sales from customers outside Missouri looking to shave a few bucks off their shopping bills. – Deirdre Shesgreen, March 31, 2013, Read More

The human face of Obamacare’s broken promises

Before this week, virtually all of the costs of the so-called Affordable Care Act — Obamacare — have been invisible. But that is beginning to change.

As the controversial law passes its third anniversary, and as the Obama administration struggles to get a whole new national health care system up and running by next January, a visible sign of the law’s economic costs is seen in the 12,000 pages of regulations to implement the law’s 2,801 pages of legalese. Printed out and stacked, that tower of paper stands seven feet tall. Laid end to end, it stretches for two and a half miles.

Even more troubling than the economic costs are the human costs. – Dean Clancy, April 1, 2013, Read More

Anger Rises Over Secret ‘Monsanto Protection Act’

Dean Clancy, vice president for public policy with FreedomWorks, told Newsmax that the move is another example of special interests becoming involved in a must-pass bill without public review or a chance to comment. He said that Congress needs to get back to the regular legislative order of holding hearings, allowing for debate and voting on amendments before they go before the full House and Senate.

FreedomWorks will rank the continuing resolution on its legislative scorecard that holds members accountable for their votes on limited government and economic freedom. “We need to get back to regular order and allow people to read and review the bill so this kind of corporate welfare can’t happen,” Clancy said. – David Yonkman, April 1, 2013, Read More

Libertarian America: A conversation with Julie Borowski

Julie Borowski, best known for her work as a video blogger and writer, is a young, up-and-coming force in the libertarian world. At this year’s CPAC, Ms. Borowski won the “Best Video Blogger of the Year” for her work as “Token Libertarian Girl.” Of her experience this year at CPAC, she said, “This was my fourth CPAC. In the past, I felt that [libertarians] were really separated. This CPAC, everybody liked or at least respected Rand Paul and his supporters, so I felt more welcome than in previous years.” – Joseph Diedrich, April 1, 2013, Read More

Wisc. Student exposes political bullying by teachers

A Wisconsin high school freshman recently published an eye-opening article chronicling an ongoing campaign of bullying — not by fellow students but by teachers — for not toeing the progressive line.

School is not just a place for learning a curriculum of study, but also — perhaps more importantly — to learn how to think. From the recently published essay of 15-year-old Appleton resident Benji Backer, we now know that some instructors are no longer teaching how to think — but rather what to think. – Michael Dorstewitz, April 1, 2013, Read More

Deneen Borelli: America’s New Rosa Parks

If America were a bus, Deneen Borelli would be the new Rosa Parks. Borelli is the very model of a human being, an African American and a woman who is just plain tired up to here at all of the back of the bus treatment dished by liberals — black and white alike — to conservatives who happen to be black. 

Ms. Borelli has in a figurative sense, as Rosa Parks did in the original and literal sense, sat down in a seat reserved for liberals at the front of the American bus. She won’t get up, she isn’t moving and she most assuredly doesn’t care that liberals don’t like the fact. – Jeffery Lord, April 2, 2013, Read More

‘Aaron’s Law’ rewrite backfires, reformers now on defensive

For years, criminal defense attorneys, academics, and civil libertarians have warned that an anti-hacking law, originally designed to protect NORAD’s computers, needs to be reformed. Federal prosecutors have used the law to prosecute the late Aaron Swartz and a Missouri woman accused of lying on her MySpace profile.

Now a key U.S. House of Representatives committee finally is rewriting the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. But instead of fixing the law’s vagueness problems, or reducing its penalties, draft legislation backed by the Justice Department would make it even more Draconian.

The letter, signed by representatives of the ACLU, Americans for Tax Reform, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, FreedomWorks, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, among others, warns that the draft bill “would make it a felony to lie about your age on an online dating profile if you intend to contact someone online.” – Declan McCullagh, April 2, 2013, Read More

Rubio’s Immigration Dilemma

To understand why passing immigration reform is going to be tough sledding for the Republican Party, look no further than the news that Tea Party-types like the Club for Growth and FreedomWorks have made it official that they won’t take sides in the matter. Both highly influential advocacy groups have a reputation for backing the ideals of the free-market and limited government. But their move to the sidelines on this one suggests division within the ranks, much like the deep and seemingly irreconcilable divisions inside the GOP. – Mary O’Grady, April 4, 2013, Read More

DeneenBorelli.com: It did not take long for one of the MSNBC race card commentators to attack Dr. Ben Carson and the GOP.  Following a front page NY Times story on conservative support of Carson, Toure used his cable TV platform to call Carson the Republican Party’s “Black Friend” and also said “…he’s got intellectual tumors in his mind like a flat tax.” Read More

DeneenBorelli.com: Fresh off his defeat to regulate the size of sugar sweetened beverages; self-appointed Nanny-in-chief New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is funding a $12 million ad campaign promoting gun control legislation.

The New York Times reported, “Determined to persuade Congress to act in response to that shooting, Mr. Bloomberg on Monday will begin bankrolling a $12 million national advertising campaign that focuses on senators who he believes might be persuaded to support a pending package of federal regulations to curb gun violence. The ads, in a dozen states, will blanket those senators’ districts during an Easter Congressional recess that is to be followed by debate over the legislation.” Read More

AMAC.us: AMAC was invited to participate in a panel discussion sponsored by FreedomWorks regarding the third anniversary of the passing of Obamacare in Washington, DC on Wednesday, March 20. AMAC associate Connor Martin joined other panelists including Representative Phil Gingrey (GA-11) to discuss Obamacare’s impact on Medicaid, Medicare and patient centered healthcare. The discussion was hosted by Dean Clancy who is the Legislative Affairs Manager at FreedomWorks. Read More

Sip-Trunking.TMCNet.com: FreedomWorks formally announced the launch of the “New Fair Deal,” a grassroots effort to work with legislative entrepreneurs in the House who are serious about getting the debt under control and ending big government’s collusion with big business.

According to a release, the legislation will stem from four main pillars, each addressing major concerns of grassroots activists across the country, including: ending corporate handouts, crafting a flatter tax code, passing real spending reform, and empowering individuals with the choice to opt out of government-run entitlement programs. Read More

Spectator.org: I have a confession to make. I’m a fan of Conor Friedersdorf. I respect his opinion, even when I disagree with it. I find him articulate, insightful, and shrewd. He speaks comfortably to a generation of liberty-minded Americans who don’t get their news on the AM dial. I suspect we both trust “Republicans” in Congress less than “Democrats” because the latter are frank with their unapologetic progressivism, while the former scream “constitutional conservatism!” while feeding the beast on political pork. Read More

TheHill.com: Ashley Judd’s exit from the Kentucky Senate race may have dimmed the spotlight on Sen. Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) reelection efforts, but a handful of wildcards there are still drawing attention. Tea Party and grassroots groups — including FreedomWorks, Tea Party Patriots and Club for Growth — have been critical of McConnell before, and could pour millions into the race if a viable challenger emerges. Read More

TheHill.com: Over a dozen officials from cyber liberties and conservative advocacy groups on Tuesday voiced opposition to a draft cybersecurity bill that would stiffen the penalties for the anti-hacking law used to charge Internet activist Aaron Swartz.

Top representatives from the Center for Democracy and Technology, Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform Digital Liberty arm and the Tea Party-affiliated FreedomWorks, among others, urged leaders of the House Judiciary Committee in a letter to reject the language proposed in the draft bill, which may be considered for markup as early as this month. The officials said the draft bill would dangerously expand the scope of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) so it would give prosecutors “a free hand” to go after ordinary Internet users for violating a website’s terms of service or employer’s computer policy. Read More

Law360.com: A coalition of civil liberty and small government groups including the ACLU and FreedomWorks on Tuesday blasted draft legislation that would amend the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act by increasing penalties and expanding the scope of conduct punishable under the statute. Read More

Watch FreedomWorks President & CEO Matt Kibbe at The Leadership Institute on March 23^rd, Kibbe discussed the Tea Party movement and where we stand today! Watch Here!

Watch FreedomWorks Director of Outreach Deneen Borelli as she joins Fox News on March 26^th, Deneen discussed the left’s intolerance of black conservatives and the recent attacks against Dr. Ben Carson. Watch Here!

Watch a FreedomWorks video “Obamacare’s Broken Promises” from March 27^th, Watch Here!

FreedomWorks President & CEO Matt Kibbe joined The Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia on March 28^th, Kibbe discussed the critical issues of the day.

Watch this week’s episode of FreedomWorks On Tap “The Game of Drones” on March 28^th, this week’s episode featured former Ohio Congressman Dennis Kucinich! Watch Here!

Watch a FreedomWorks video “The New Fair Deal” from March 29^th, Watch Here!

FreedomWorks Director of Outreach Deneen Borelli joined The Wayne Bradley Show on March 23^rd, Deneen talked about the recent Senate Budgets and black conservatives in the movement!

FreedomWorks Senior Fellow Tom Borelli & FreedomWorks Director of Outreach Deneen Borelli joined The Rick Jensen Radio Show on March 25^th, Both Tom and Deneen discussed the ongoing nanny state approach by current New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg!

FreedomWorks Senior Fellow Tom Borelli joined One News Now Radio on March 25^th, Borelli discussed the issue of solar power companies failing in the marketplace!

FreedomWorks Director of Communications Jackie Bodnar joined The Steve Deace Radio Show on March 26^th, Bodnar discussed the ongoing debate centered around how the GOP can win elections in the future, and was it a classic case of the Tea Party vs. the Establishment.

FreedomWorks Director of Outreach Deneen Borelli hosted FoxNews Hannity Radio Show on March 28^th, Deneen interviewed FreedomWorks President & CEO Matt Kibbe and Former Florida Congressman Allen West. Listen Here!

FreedomWorks President & CEO Matt Kibbe joined FoxNews Hannity Radio Show on March 28^th, Kibbe discussed FreedomWorks and what is in store for 2013 & 2014!

FreedomWorks Policy Analyst Patrick Hedger appeared on Doc Holliday Radio Show on March 29^th, Hedger discussed the Cyprus confiscations!