Rick Crawford Blasts House Congressional Leaders for Intimidation Tactics

Rick Crawford today called on Speaker Pelosi and other Congressional Democrats to cease employing abusive intimidation tactics against American companies that are required by law to report adverse financial conditions to pension funds, mutual funds, individual stockholders, and other investors that own company shares.

“At Speaker Pelosi’s direction, House Democratic committee chairmen are lining up public interrogation sessions for some of our nation’s leading job creators, including John Deere, Caterpillar, AT&T, and Verizon Communications,” said Crawford.  “Instead of attacking the great American companies who provide tens of thousands of jobs, Congress should be taking a hard look at the true costs of the new healthcare entitlement program.”

Friday House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman and Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Bart Stupak wrote to the heads of John Deere, Caterpillar, AT&T, and Verizon Communications requesting that the companies testify in sworn statements before Congress.  The letters request specific information about accounting methods, emails among senior company officials, and comes with the implicit threat that subpoenas would be issued for companies that refuse to comply with the Congressional request.  The information is due by April 9, 2010, and the hearings are set for April 21, 2010.

Waxman’s call for hearings came after Speaker Pelosi told Democrats to go on the “offensive” in defending and calming public doubts about the new entitlement program.

“This liberal Congress seems to be friendlier toward prisoners at Guantanamo than American job creators,” concluded Crawford.  “Especially during an once-in-a-lifetime economic recession, we should be seeking to work with businesses, not trying to cripple and intimidate them.  I believe that we would have been much better served if Congrress would have focused on creating jobs and addressing the national fiscal crisis rather than spending money we do not have on a new entitlement program for 32 million people that will only put government between us and our doctors.”

Crawford Chides State Democratic Party for Lurching to Change Subject from Healthcare

Rick Crawford today called Gabe Holmstrom’s PR stunt a blatant attempt to divert attention away from President Obama’s creation of a massive new entitlement program.  “Gabe is an incredibly clever political operative,” said Crawford.  “Changing the subject is something our politicians and their spinsters have been doing for far too long.  Instead of talking about the fact that every man, woman, and child in America each owes $184,000 as their share of the unfunded promises our politicians have made, Mr. Holmstrom wants to talk about the President’s birth certificate.”

“The sad fact is that Congressman Berry, who voted for and against this massive new entitlement program, wants to avoid addressing the long-term financial problem facing our country,” continued Crawford.  “While he talks about balancing the budget back home, he has enabled Speaker Pelosi and President Obama to push through a massive new entitlement program that will use taxpayer money to pay health insurance premiums for 32 million Americans.  We need elected officials who will stand up and say, ‘STOP!  Stop digging the hole deeper.’  We need an elected official who will stand up to say our government will not expand or create any new government programs until we restore fiscal soundness.  If we do not do this, our children and grandchildren will pay taxes that are double or triple what we pay today…and that is the best-case scenario.”

Members of Arkansas Delegation Complicit in Nationalized Healthcare

Congressmen Berry, Ross and Snyder, who all refused to support a measure to block the House of Representatives from “deeming” the Senate healthcare bill as passed, are guaranteeing passage of the healthcare bill this year.  “Even though Congressmen Berry and Ross have pledged to vote against the healthcare bill unless it has substantial changes, their refusal to block the “deeming” process will ensure its passage this year,” said Rick Crawford, candidate for the First Congressional District.

While the House will amend the Senate bill once it has been “deemed” to pass, which would require additional Senate action on the bill, if either effort fails, the President will still be able to sign the Senate bill.  In order for a bill to become law, it must pass each chamber in identical form.  Once the House “deems” the Senate bill as passed, it can be sent to President Obama for his signature.

“President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid have really pulled a quick one over on the American people,” said Crawford.  “The media has yet to pick up on the fact that Pelosi’s move to deem the Senate bill as passed will mean that the Senate bill, in its current form, can immediately become law.  I call upon all candidates in the First Congressional District to condemn this move immediately and demand that Congressman Berry offer a privileged resolution calling on the House to take an “up or down” vote on the Senate bill instead of deeming it as passed without a vote.”

“Republicans and Democrats alike throughout Eastern Arkansas are appalled when I tell them about the games these folks are playing,” continued Crawford.  “Every man, woman and child in American currently owes $184,000 each to cover all of the unfunded promises our government has made.  Now is not the time to add a new massive government entitlement program.”

Crawford Speaks Out Against “Deem and Pass”

The latest tatics considered by Nancy Pelosi and her liberal allies in the U.S. House of Representatives represent a “departure from the Constitution,” according to First District Congressional Candidate, Rick Crawford.

On a day where a Fox News poll shows only 35% of Americans favor the health care reform bill, Pelosi is attempting to use a tactic dubbed “deem and pass” to push through the Senate’s health care reform bill, without having members of Congress actually vote on the bill. FoxNews.com reports this plan is being considered because, “…many House Democrats don’t want to cast a vote in favor of the unaltered Senate bill, which they oppose for numerous reasons.”

“This represents a departure from the Constitution,” said First Congressional District Candidate, Rick Crawford, referencing Article I, Section 7 of the Constution that states for a “Bill” to “become a Law,” it “shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate.” Crawford adds, “Pelosi knows that Americans don’t want this convaluted bill passed and she is attempting to bypass what the nation wants and the Constution purely for political reasons.”

“It is exactly why the first votes I cast when I get to Washington, D.C. will be against Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House and to repeal any socialized health care plan,” Crawford added.

Crawford has publically signed The Club For Growth’s “Repeal It!” pledge, a promise stating that, should the socialized health care reform bill pass, the person will fight to repeal it once elected. Over 10,000 citizens have signed to support only candidates that have made this pledge.

“The fact that the liberals in Congress are considering bypassing the Constitution to pass such a huge reform bill should remind every Arkansan in the First District why we must elect a true conservative to put the Washington Democrats in check,” said Crawford.

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