Maryland Governor Larry Hogan: "I Work For You"

We need more governors in states across the country sending out similar eblasts and messages to their constituents.

All of them.

Maryland is a blue state, 2-to-1 Democratic, yet the Old Line State has a Republican Governor, and following Election 2014, Republicans controlled five of the nine county boards.

That's a commendable record for a state government where the people got tired of being pushed around and taxed to death. People got angry enough, and Larry Hogan provided an engine of change through his non-partisan organization "Change Maryland" to make a difference.

What do you want him to know?

Arthur, When people ask me about the secret to our success, I have one answer: I listen. Since Day One, I promised to put Maryland on a new path and create a brighter future for our citizens. I’ve worked to unite communities from all across Maryland to let them know they have a voice in our government — and I want to be sure I’m always listening — I want to hear what you think. Please take my “Working for the People Survey” to be sure your insight, ideas, and opinions are brought straight to my desk. I didn’t look to Washington to tell me how to fix our economy. I talked to veteran small business owners, the entrepreneurs who were just getting started, and the workers who power our state to see what they needed to succeed. I didn’t learn about frustrations and fear experienced by Baltimoreans during the riots by staring at my TV. I immediately moved my entire office to Baltimore where I walked the streets talking to people to ensure that peace and order were brought to our largest city. To Washington, this might be unheard of. But to me, it’s common sense. And that right there is our recipe for success. Throughout the three and a half years after taking the oath of office, I have led by those same principles. Now I need your help to continue to change Maryland for the better. Please take my “Working for the People Survey” to be sure your insight, ideas, and opinions are at the center of our governorship. Thank you, Larry Hogan

Trump Supporter Meets with Me in West Valley

I have to say, things are getting rougher for LA County for Trump members.

Even if Congress has stalled on enacting key reforms, President Trump has continued to power through with clear-cut executive orders to reduce the regulatory burdens of the Obama Administration on the American People.

Not only that, but his crackdown on illegal immigration is gratifying concerned citizens across the country.

In Los Angeles County in particular, and throughout the state of California, Trump has millions of supporters, yet the rabid Democratic dominance in this state will stop at nothing to stop him. His most ardent supporters in elected office and on the street have become more hostile, more violent, and they hope to intimidate Trump supporters to disappear or go underground.

I am glad for the brave examples set by Latinos for Trump Marco Gutierrez, Raul Rodriguez, and many others. I have also decided that no matter where I go, I am going to wear my pride for my President without reserve.

West Valley, Los Angeles is not exactly the safest of safe spaces for Trump supporters, but I did not care. I went to Reseda early before the Xavier Becerra town hall because I knew that getting there early would help me avoid terrible traffic.

At a local McDonald's I walked in ready to sit and write, fully Trumped Up!

A guy named Anthony saw me, and he was glad to meet me. "Wow! That's cool! May I take a photo? My friend would love this."

Here's the photo he took:

I then learned from Anthony that he had been a Democrat for a long time, but a conservative friend of his worked with him and talked with him, and he supported Trump afterwards.

This is great news all around.

Check out the photo I took with him afterwards:

Final Reflection

This was an incredible meeting.

I have to say that I walk into some sections of Los Angeles with a little bit of trepidation. Even my own home city of Torrance, I have had people say some bad things to me. Over all, though, people have become much more positive about President Trump.

How can anyone complain? After all, his roll-back of government overreach and intervention has allowed the economy to boom like never before. Even in California, jobs are coming back and small business owners know that they have a business champion in the White House. Let's not forget that illegal and even legal immigration is down, which ensures that American workers have a better chance at not only getting a job but also enjoying higher wages across the board.

In the West Valley region, I have actually met Democrats who voted for Donald Trump! They are older, of Jewish descent, and they wanted a strong Commander in Chief who would protect their rights.

Moreover, they wanted a leader who would crack down on--you guess it--illegal immigration. This sore subject has become a particularly keen point of dissension in the West Valley section of Los Angeles.

Once again, I am really glad that I went into this local McDonald's wearing everything Trump, because it inspired Anthony to know that he is not along in Los Angeles!

The Notorious 20 House GOP Who Voted Against AHCA

Republicans did vote against the latest American Health Care Act.

EEK!

Who were these people?!

Here are their names (from Heavy.com):

• Andy Biggs (Arizona) – Congressman Andy Biggs of Arizona felt that the American Health Care Act does not go far enough in repealing Obamacare. “I have opposed the AHCA from the very beginning because it is not a clean repeal of Obamacare,” he said in a statement. “While I applaud all the hard work of the House Freedom Caucus, which has made every effort in recent weeks to improve this legislation, the final bill unfortunately does not meet the promises I made to my constituents.”

OK. It's not perfect. Neither was the reconciliation bill from 2015.

Biggs is one of the Freedom Caucus members, I believe. He wanted something better than nothing. His steps are pretty well-known, and Republicans in Arizona have had to deal with a diverse and undermining coalition of liberal-leaning Republicans who combine with Democrats to get more moderate-liberal leaning speakers in the past.

There's always more work to be done, though, no doubt.

• Mike Coffman (Colorado) – Congressman Coffman said he opposed the bill because it does not do enough to protect those with pre-existing conditions. “I worry that, under the current language, a small percentage of those with preexisting conditions may not be adequately protected,” he said in a statement. “If House Leadership will work to tighten protections for those with preexisting conditions, I’m a yes on sending this bill to the Senate for further consideration. If not, I’m a no, and we’ll go back to the drawing board to clean up the mess created by the Affordable Care Act.” Clearly, he did not feel the House ended up doing enough to protect people with pre-existing conditions.

Coffman is in a swing district in Colorado, where the Democratic registration exceeds Republican registration by about two-three points. Rocky Mountain Republicans need to work harder and get their act together. Colorado was a reliable Republican strong holder until eight years ago. Get it together!

• Barbara Comstock (Virginia) – Congresswoman Barbara Comstock of Virginia says that Obamacare is in a death spiral, but she’s not convinced that the American Health Care Act will actually lower costs. “While this bill addressed important principles like covering pre-existing conditions and not having lifetime limits imposed on the sick, and reducing costs and increasing choices for many working families, the uncertainties in the current version of the bill caused me not to be able to support it today,” she said in a statement.

She's in a swing district, too, actually, and she is still getting targeted.

• Ryan A. Costello (Pennsylvania) – Congressman Ryan Costello of Pennsylvania said that the AHCA doesn’t do enough to protect people with pre-existing conditions. “Protections for those with pre-existing conditions without contingency and affordable access to coverage for every American remain my priorities for advancing healthcare reform, and this bill does not satisfy those benchmarks for me,” he said in a statement. “I do believe substantial reforms need to be made to our healthcare system. I will review any future modifications or legislation with these principles in mind, but I remain a no vote on this bill in its current form.”

• Charlie Dent (Pennsylvania) – Congressman Charlie Deny of Pennsylvania said that the AHCA will leave too many people uninsured. “Too many people are going to be losing coverage,” he told CNN. “…Those are my underlying concerns. The new revised version does not address those concerns and that’s why I’m opposed to the bill.”

• Dan Donovan (New York) – Congressman Dan Donovan of New York was not a fan of the fact that the bill exempts New York State counties from contributing to the state’s Medicaid coffers but does not include New York City in that exemption. “The provision excludes New York City, putting an unfair and disproportionate burden on City residents to cover the state’s exorbitant Medicaid expenses,” he said in a statement. “We need healthcare reform – including promised Medicaid reform in New York where we spend more than Texas, Florida and Pennsylvania combined – but it shouldn’t be done on the backs of already overburdened City residents who will undoubtedly have a tax increase forced on them to pay for this eminently unfair policy.”

I am scratching my head as I look at this.

1. He represents a part of New York City. That's a miracal in itself.

2. He wants to make nice with liberal New Yorkers. UGH!

• Brian Fitzpatrick (Pennsylvania) – Congressman Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania said that the bill does not adequately address the opioid epidemic. “I have many concerns with this bill, and first among them is the impact on the single most important issue plaguing Bucks and Montgomery Counties, and the issue that I have made my priority in Congress: opioid abuse prevention, treatment and recovery,” he said in a statement.

• Jaime Herrera Beutler (Washington) – Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler of Washington said that the bill does not provide an adequate safety net for kids who depend on Medicaid. “While I appreciate this week’s effort by Speaker Ryan and his leadership team to better protect older Americans from health care cost increases, the difficulties this bill would create for millions of children were left unaddressed,” she said in a statement. “I’m disappointed that it appears my amendment to strengthen the Medicaid safety net for the kids who depend on it for their health care will not be considered. Protecting vulnerable children is a core purpose of the Medicaid program and when the program fails to do so, it fails entirely. I will not vote to let those kids fall through the cracks.”

"It's about the children!" No, it's about holding onto his house seat. Washingotn State is not a red state. YET.

• Will Hurd (Texas) – Congressman Hurd said in a statement, “Since the implementation of Obamacare, I’ve told my constituents that the only meaningful metric when it comes to healthcare is actual access to quality, affordable care – not just health insurance. While the goal of Obamacare was to make healthcare more accessible and more affordable, it has done just the opposite. Likewise, while the goal of the American Health Care Act was to combat the skyrocketing premiums and outrageous deductibles millions of Americans face, it too, falls short.”

But why, Will, why?

• Walter B. Jones (North Carolina) – Congressman Walter Jones of North Carolina said that the bill was rushed and highly flawed, and he added that he has heard loud and clear from his constituents that they don’t like it. “It’s time to scrap this flawed bill and start over,” he said in a statement. “Go out across the country, gather people’s input, and use an open, public process to thoughtfully craft a bill that delivers the relief the American people need.”

Do the right thing, no matter how many constituents scream of yell.

• David Joyce (Ohio) – Congressman Joyce said, “I’m eager to support legislation that doesn’t reduce funding in the Medicare trust fund and actually helps lower healthcare costs for the more than 465,000 people in my district who obtain their health insurance via their employer. Those individuals, who make up 65 percent of the district, have seen nothing but higher premiums, higher deductibles, and higher co-pays. We need to find solutions to help them and their families. The middle class cannot keep bearing the brunt of everything.”

Obamacare already reduced Medicare funding. Do we reallly want to hold onto what is already holding on for dear life? At all?!

• John Katko (New York) – Congressman John Katko said that he felt the AHCA penalizes states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare. He also said he was not convinced it will lower costs. “I’m not going to vote for a bill where I don’t know what it looks like until it’s done,” he said, according to Syracuse.com.

Very liberal Republica. Nuff said.

• Leonard Lance (New Jersey) – Congressman Leonard Lance of New Jersey said that the AHCA will not lower costs. “I do not think that it lowers premiums, and I do not think that it covers enough people,” he told NPR. “And I read the CBO report, and I think that we have to move forward in a more bipartisan capacity. For example, I would like to see legislation passed that says we can purchase policy across state lines. That of course will require support from Democratic colleagues. And I challenge Democratic colleagues to come to the table and help repair the ACA.”

Katko.

• Frank A. LoBiondo (New Jersey) – Congressman LoBiondo of New Jersey said that his constituents who rely on Medicare would be harmed under the AHCA. “Under the current proposal, many South Jersey residents would be left with financial hardship or without the coverage they now receive,” he said in a statement. “Our seniors on Medicare already struggle to make each dollar stretch. Three South Jersey counties have more than 30 percent of their residents receiving Medicaid assistance. Medical professionals – our hospitals, doctors, nurses – are opposed.”

See Katko.

• Thomas Massie (Kentucky) – Congressman Massie of Kentucky was very much opposed to the American Health Care Act to the point that he actually said in an interview that it’s worse than Obamacare. According to Politico, he said that the bill relies on “replacing mandates, subsidies and penalties with mandates, subsidies and penalties.” In late March, he jokingly tweeted that he was changing his vote from “No” to “Hell No.”

Very principled freedom fighter. I respect his decision to reject AHCA. Interestingly enough, though, Justin Amash supported it.

• Patrick Meehan (Pennsylvania) – Congressman Meehan of Pennsylvania said in a statement that the AHCA “threatens to send premiums skyrocketing for people with pre-existing conditions,” adding that it will “make coverage more expensive for for older Americans as they near retirement.”

What is it with Pennsylvania? Three of the PA delegation rejected the latest AHCA interation. Hmm...

• Dave Reichert (Washington) – Congressman Reichert just recently announced that he would be voting against the AHCA. “This bill although a good attempt falls short,” he told a reporter on Thursday.

• Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (Florida) – Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen said in a statement, “I will not support a bill that has the potential to severely harm the health and lives of people in South Florida and therefore I remain steadfast in my commitment to vote NO on the AHCA. The recent addition of further funds to high risk pools continues to be inadequate and fails to cover those who need it most. If enacted, the older and poorer South Floridians will be worse off and will find it more difficult to obtain quality healthcare. My constituents should not have to take a step backward in their ability to obtain treatment for any illness and thus, I will vote NO.”

She's worried about the senior citizens rising up against her, especially the liberal ones from New England who migrate and retire in the Sunshine State.

• Christopher H. Smith (New Jersey) – Congressman Smith said that he opposed the bill because of its cuts to Medicaid. “The overriding concern I have is the Medicaid expansion being significantly altered,” Smith told the Asbury Park Press. “It affects so many of our disabled individuals and families, and the working poor.”

Katko Part III.

• Michael R. Turner (Ohio) – Congressman Turner of Ohio simply said in a statement that the AHCA would cause many of his constituents to lose coverage. “After numerous discussions with the White House and the Speaker’s office, in an attempt to improve this bill, including discussions today, I could not support the bill in its current form,” he said in a statement. “This legislation will result in people in my community losing health care coverage. Therefore, I could not support it.”

Sell-out. Who needs him. Get rid of him.

HIRA Demands Answers on Next Hawaii GOP Chair: "How Will You Lead?"

HIRA VOTER GUIDE: HIRA's Official2017 QUESTIONNAIRE for State GOP Chair Candidates  (19 Questions)  Aloha Republicans:   As you probably know, there are currently three announced and/or presumptive candidates for state chair of the Hawaii Republican Party (HRP):  Fritz Rohlfing, Shirlene Ostrov and Andria Tupola.   Their candidacies for state chair come at a time when there is so much at stake for the Hawaii GOP.  Our preferred opposition party to the long-ruling Democrats has been declining steadily in the islands for two decades.  Obviously, just like you, the officers and members of the Hawaii Republican Assembly (HIRA) appreciate the significance of the ongoing 2017 leadership contest in which these three individuals are central figures.   The delivery of extremely disappointing results by past party leaders are a clear sign that we need to change how we select party officers.   Far too often, the campaigns for party officer posts are completely removed and unrelated to the actual issues which vex our long-suffering party.   For this reason, the key questions about a variety of pertinent issues concerning the future of our party are left unanswered because candidates and their supporters are merely playing a numbers game; running single-issue campaigns which hope to collect enough delegates from their peer groups rather than transparently presenting a comprehensive vision for the Hawaii GOP . . . a vision for which they can be held accountable throughout and at the completion of their 2-year term in office. THE BIG LESSON  :    Winning candidates for State Chair have not necessarily delivered winning results for our troubled party.   HIRA believes that you deserve to know all the answers to the most basic and pressing questions about how each of these candidates would approach the job of state chair, what kinds of policies they would pursue, and what kind of people they would surround themselves with.   That's why, after reviewing a slew of reader mail from across the state, HIRA has developed a 19-question survey.  Our questionnaire (below) asks all of the most compelling questions for which anybody who wants to lead the Hawaii GOP should already have clear answers.   Earlier today, HIRA sent this very questionnaire to Mr. Rohlfing, Ms. Ostrov and Ms. Tupola requesting their responses by 5pm, this Friday, April 7th.   It is HIRA's intent to help all Republicans in Hawaii by making the views of these three candidates known on a variety of important topics of great interest of card-carrying Republicans statewide.   The responses received from these candidates will then be published by HIRA's digital media team so that island Republicans from Hilo to Hanalei can make informed decisions.   Moreover, based on these results (plus extensive research conducted by HIRA), you can expect preliminary recommendations for consideration by all Republicans in deciding which candidate should lead our party between May 2017 and May 2019.   Thanks in advance to all three candidates for participating in HIRA's survey of candidates for state chair of the Hawaii Republican Party.  And thank you to HIRA members and readers across the state for your kokua in developing this questionnaire. Finally, due to the importance of this party election, HIRA is seriously contemplating a second survey which focuses on specific public policy issues.  Until then, we look forward to reviewing their thoughtful responses to this first survey.   Mahalo, ERIC RYAN President, Hawaii Republican Assembly (HIRA) Chairman, HIRA Action SuperPAC  HIRA'S OFFICIAL 2017 QUESTIONNAIRE FOR STATE GOP CHAIR CANDIDATES  (19 Questions)   Presently, HRP does not engage in issues advocacy either at the county, state or federal level.  If elected state chair, will you continue refraining from allowing the party and its membership to pursue GOP advocacy, or will you unleash the potential of tens of thousands of members to affect change in Hawaii? Presently, HRP has a platform (LLIFE) which is officially neutral on the many specific issues affecting the residents and taxpayers of Hawaii.  If elected state chair, will you use your influence to retain the neutral platform?  If so, why?  If not, what changes will you seek?  Will you allow duly elected grassroots members of the platform committee to create a platform without undue influence by party leaders? Presently, HRP dedicates no time, money or effort to educating and persuading the public in order to make it easier for GOP candidates to win their races,  Will you continue this policy and, if so, why?  If you plan to change this policy, what specific differences will the public notice and will there be a dedicated budget? Presently, party officers from top to bottom have extremely low expectations of performance and rarely, if ever, have to provide regular reports of their progress (or lack thereof).  Will you continue this policy and, if so, why?  If not, what specific changes can party members expect? Whom do you plan to help get elected to work alongside you on the executive committee of the state party?  (i.e. Who else is on your slate?) Do you plan to retain or sell HRP's costly Kapiolani headquarters and why? Presently, HRP headquarters is extremely underutilized and ill-equipped for political campaigning.  What plans do you have for maximizing HRP's effectiveness between now and November 2018? Presently, HRP's standing committees (platform, rules, finance) are virtually nonexistent, unproductive and are not meeting year-round like standing committees would.  Do you plan to let these committees remain stagnant or will you put these committees to work year-round? Who do you plan to appoint to head each of the standing committees (platform, rules, finance) and why? The platform and rules committees have been perennially manipulated by party bosses to ensure certain outcomes.  Do you agree that such manipulation has been the case in recent years?  Will you continue allowing this manipulation or will the grassroots members of the party be allowed to exert their influence on these committees? Breaking party rules has been all too common in recent years in order to accommodate the interests of certain elements within our state party.  Do you agree that such rulebreaking has been taking place?  What plans do you have to address and prevent such rulebreaking if you are elected? In the past, the precinct, district and county committees have not been provided with any real tools with which to perform their jobs.  What concrete plans and specific tools do you plan to provide precincts, districts and counties? For years, the state committees and the county committees have been emasculated by the state executive committee and, often, the state chair himself or herself.  Do you agree or disagree with this assessment and why?  How committed are you to pushing decisionmaking throughout the year back to the state committee and the counties? The Hawaii Republican Party is at an all-time low.  Now that the Hawaii GOP is in an even more distant second place to the Democrats, should party leaders (the state committee and county committee) be meeting more frequently than just quarterly for a couple of hours in between general elections?  What are your plans for a schedule of meetings to ensure that planning, coordinating and work is getting done? Do you believe that the election process for party leadership in 2017, from the scheduling and holding of precinct caucuses, the scheduling and holding of district elections, the scheduling and holding of county conventions, and the scheduling, holding and locating of the state convention has been carried out in accordance with party rules?  If not, have any violations of rules taken place?  Has existing party leadership ensured a fair, impartial, and evenhanded process in 2017? Do you hold any positions outside the party which could conflict with representing Republicans across the state as party chair? Presently, HRP does not communicate with its members very much.  What specific plans do you have to keep party members better and more regularly informed of party news and progress being made throughout the year? What concerns do you have, if any, with the financial management of the state party and/or the transparency of the executive committee with the state committee members? What are the main reasons why the Hawaii Republican Party has been in decline for the past two decades?  What specific plans do you have to maximize the potential for Republican candidates to get elected in 2018? ***** End of Questionnaire - Please reply by Friday @ 5pm ***** Please donate to HIRA Action, the official SuperPAC for the Hawaii Republican Assembly, to support HIRA's work to educate voters about failed Democrat policies and about conservative Republican solutions for Hawaii. Your kokua will help us continue to provide a voice for conservatives.  Donate $10, $25, or $100 today to let the establishment know we're not going away. HAWAII REPUBLICAN ASSEMBLY (HIRA) The Hawaii Republican Assembly (HIRA), an affiliated chapter of  the National Federation of Republican Assemblies  is the conservative standard-bearer of the Republican Party of Hawaii  and the leading advocate for conservative solutions in the islands. We are not an official arm of the Republican Party of Hawaii (RPH).  We are the conservative base of the Republican Party.  Please visit us at www.HawaiiRepublicanAssembly.com   Hawaii Republican Assembly | P.O. Box 2567 | Ewa Beach, HI 96706  LEARN MORE