Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/289434
Cartoonist's take Greg Stevens, Publisher Chip Thompson, Editor Editorial Board How to have your say: Letters must be signed and provide the writer's home street address and home phone number. Anonymous letters, open letters to others, pen names and petition-style letters will not be allowed. Letters should be typed and no more than two double-spaced pages or 500 words. When several letters address the same issue, a cross section will be published. Email: editor@red bluffdailynews.com Phone: 530-527- 2151 ext. 112 Mail to: P.O. Box 220, 545 Diamond Ave., Red Bluff, CA 96080 Facebook: Leave comments at FaCEbook.CoM/ rbdailynEwS Twitter: Follow and send tweets to @rEdbluFFnEwS President Obama might want to stock up on some extra ink for his veto pen. If the Senate turns Repub - lican this fall, as is widely ex- pected, the president will face a Congress entirely controlled by the opposing party. That means a lot more bills that today are languishing in the Democrat-controlled Senate could find their way to his desk. Some of the proposed legis - lation isn't really meant to get Obama's signature, but rather to get his attention. Bills that would dismantle Obamacare or limit his presidential powers aren't likely to do much more than put Obama on the spot. Here's a quick look at some of the bills the House passed this year and why they're likely to face resistance from Obama in 2015, plus which bills he might actually consider signing. on limiting thE prEsidEnt's powErs ENFORCE The Law Act what it would do » Allows Congress to file a civil suit against the president for not en- forcing legislation. why rEpuBliCans want it » House Republicans claim they can't trust the president to en- force immigration laws, such as deporting people who are in the country illegally. how it would affECt you » The potential for civil lawsuits between Congress and the pres- ident? Forget about any other important legislative work get- ting done. why oBama wouldn't sign it » Presidents want to expand, not limit, their powers. From a less self-interested perspective, civil lawsuits can also get messy and expensive. Remember, it was a civil lawsuit that led to Presi - dent Clinton's impeachment. Faithful Execution of the Law Act 2014 what it would do » Requires the attorney general to report to Congress every time the De- partment of Justice decides not to defend a federal policy. why rEpuBliCans want it » House Republicans were upset Attorney General Eric Holder decided not to defend the coun - try's ban on same-sex marriage. how it would affECt you » This would-be law could muddy the road to what some say is the inevitable Supreme Court hearing over the federal ban on same-sex marriages by tying in congressional hearings, too. why oBama wouldn't sign it » Again, presidents would rather avoid making regular reports to Congress if they have the choice. Also, other than gay marriage, this isn't exactly a regular oc - currence right now, so there's not a strong reason to do this. on dismantling parts of oBamaCarE SIMPLE Fairness Act what it would do » Suspend until 2015 the individual man- date that requires Americans to buy insurance or pay a fine. why rEpuBliCans want it » The individual mandate is one of the least-popular provisions in the law, so suspending it could win Republicans political points. how it would affECt you » You wouldn't have to pay a fine on next year's federal income taxes if you didn't have health insurance. why oBama wouldn't sign it » This is a central feature of the Affordable Care Act, and it isn't going anywhere soon (except for people whose health insurance plans were canceled under the law. See below.) Keep Your Health Care Plan Act of 2013 what it would do » Grandfa- ther in health care plans that are not compliant with Obamacare regulations because they don't hold up to the law's standards. why rEpuBliCans want it » This law strikes at another po- litically unpopular provision of Obamacare; a list of things that every insurance plan must cover that drives costs up. how it would affECt you » If your health care plan was can- celed this fall, you'd be able to get it back. And keep it. why oBama might sign it » Obama already announced that the administration would let Americans keep these plans for two more years, though even - tually he would like all plans to conform to the new standards. Still, he might consider this one if the Affordable Care Act is still under fire next year. Health Exchange Security and Transparency Act of 2014 what it would do » Require the Health and Human Services secretary to notify users on the health care exchanges when a security breach occurs. why rEpuBliCans want it » Key Republican leaders have raised the alarm of cyber secu- rity threats on federal and state exchanges. how it would affECt you » Every time a hacker tried to crack into your state's exchange or the federal one, you'd hear about it. why oBama might sign it » This isn't a priority or necessity for the president, but he might sign this and some other token measures to show that he's will - ing to work with Republicans, as long as the central features of Obamacare are kept in place. Exchange Information Disclosure Act what it would do » Require the Health and Human Services secretary to provide Congress with weekly reports through March 2015 on who's buying health insurance on the federal exchange website, who called federal call centers for help and who's helping people sign up for insurance. why rEpuBliCans want it » Enrollment numbers via Obam- acare have been hard to come by — we still don't know how many people have already paid their first premiums. how it would affECt you » You might get a better sense of how many people in your com- munity are buying health insur- ance — and how that might af- fect lines at your local doctor. why oBama might sign it » This isn't a priority for the pres- ident. Now that the HealthCare. gov insurance marketplace is working more smoothly, though, Obama might find this to be something that he wants to do. (Look at how the administration trumpeted hitting more than 7 million signups.) Hire More Heroes Act of 2014 what it would do » Allow com- panies to skip over veterans who already have health insurance as part of their overall head count when determining if they have to cover employees' health insurance. why rEpuBliCans want it » The employer mandate is an- other unpopular aspect of Obamacare. Companies with more than 50 full-time employ- ees must provide coverage. how it would affECt you » If you're a small business near 50 employees and you hire veter- ans, you might be able to skip providing health insurance for your full-time workers. why oBama might sign it » Though the president is sup- portive of policies that help vet- erans get jobs, this would under- amBEr phillips What would a GOP Congress look like? mine a twice-delayed provision in Obamacare. On the other hand, some think that the president might be willing to end the small employer mandate if he faces a Republican Congress. on taxEs and thE EConomy Stop Targeting of Political Beliefs by the IRS Act of 2014 what it would do » Put restric- tions on how the IRS assigns tax- exempt status after the agency admitted workers were pay- ing special scrutiny to tea party- backed groups. why rEpuBliCans want it » The IRS scandal is major political fod- der for Republicans. how it would affECt you » If you're a Republican trying to start up a nonprofit, you might get your application approved more quickly. why oBama wouldn't sign it » Outside of conservative channels, this scandal isn't really a hot topic these days, so the president prob - ably won't feel much pressure to sign a bill. Taxpayer Transparency Act what it would do » Require a federal agency to clearly denote in any educational or promotional communications that it was paid for by taxpayers. why rEpuBliCans want it » Members of Congress already have to disclose whether advertis- ing came from taxpayer or cam- paign dollars. This bill would ex- tend that rule to the executive branch. how it would affECt you » On any communications you receive from the IRS, HHS, even FBI – pick your acronym — you'd see a line at the bottom declaring this was paid for by taxpayer dollars. why oBama wouldn't sign it » This isn't a priority or neces- sity for the president. On the other hand, it wouldn't really do much either, so he might be tempted to just sign it. Deficit Reduction and Economic Growth Working Group what it would do » Establish a bicameral group of 20 members of Congress to brainstorm ways to reduce the deficit. why rEpuBliCans want it » Re- publicans have long been con- cerned about how federal spend- ing will hamper future genera- tions. how it would affECt you » De- pending on what the group finds, government services you rely on could be cut, but your grandchil- dren's taxes might not be as high. why oBama wouldn't sign it » The deficit is already drop- ping under Obama, and the pres- ident would prefer to spend more money to improve the economy. on EnErgy poliCy and ClimatE ChangE Electricity Security and Affordability Act what it would do » Put restric- tions on the Environmental Protec- tion Agency for implementing new rules under the Clean Air Act. why rEpuBliCans want it » Re- publicans often worry about how climate-change rules will hamper business. how it would affECt you » Po- tential new regulations on the gas mileage of your next car might be slowed down by Congress. why oBama wouldn't sign it » The president wants to expand, not restrict, the Clean Air Act. Amber Phillips writes for Digital First Media. WASHINGTON -- The human kindling that makes up the flam - mable Republican base may soon burst into flames, again. Por- tions of that excitable cohort are looking -- some with fawn-like eyes filled with hurt, others with sparks shooting from eyes nar - rowed like gun slits -- askance at other Republicans urging Jeb Bush to seek the 2016 presiden- tial nomination. A candidacy by Florida's for- mer governor would be desir- able. But if Republicans want to avoid intra-party carnage, they should be very careful about do- ing what The Washington Post recently reported: "Many of the Republican Party's most power- ful insiders and financiers have begun a behind-the-scenes cam- paign to draft former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush into the 2016 pres- idential race." How "behind the scenes" is an enterprise reported on the Post's front page? And what does "draft" mean? No shrinking vi - olet will be nominated. The last time there was anything like a draft was the nomination of Il- linois Gov. Adlai Stevenson in 1952, whose acceptance speech to the Democratic convention contained cringe-inducing trea - cle: "I would not seek your nom- ination for the presidency, be- cause the burdens of that of- fice stagger the imagination. ... I have asked the Merciful Father -- the Father of us all -- to let this cup pass from me, but from such dread responsibility one does not shrink in fear, in self-interest, or in false humility. So, 'If this cup may not pass from me, except I drink it, Thy will be done.'" American voters showed what they thought of the reluctant Stevenson posing as the cruci - fied Jesus, saying in effect: "You don't want to be president? We can help you with that." He lost 39 of the then 48 states. It would not be a moral failing for Bush to decide against en - during the marathon gantlet of presidential politics. He will not, however, have the nomination handed to him on a silver salver. And the nomination fight would be especially bruising because Bush has been admirably forth - right, but certainly impolitic, about two divisive issues -- immi- gration and the "Common Core" national education standards for grades K through 12. He wisely favors immigration reform responsive to the needs of the U.S. workforce and the re - alities of the 12 million who are not here legally but are neither going to "self-deport" or be de- ported. His enthusiasm for the Common Core is misplaced but conservatives, in judging it, should judge Bush with a gener - osity he has earned by his exem- plary record as an education re- former favoring school choice. Unfortunately, there are too many Republicans who, hon- ing their knives and lengthening their lists of unforgivable here- sies, seem to derive more satis- faction from burning Republi- cans at the stake than from de- feating Democrats. And there are too many other Republicans who think their task is to save the party from its base of princi - pled activists. Bush is fluent in Spanish and accomplished at courting the ap- proximately 17 percent of the Florida electorate that is His- panic: He received 61 percent of their votes in 1998 and almost that much in 2002. The time is ripe for Republicans to do as well with Hispanics as Jeb Bush's brother did in 2000. Political an- alyst Michael Barone writes in the Washington Examiner: "By my estimate, about one- third of the homeowners fore - closed on in the years just after the housing price collapse were Hispanics." And since the Obam- acare rollout, during which the Spanish-language version of the website was completely inoper- ative for weeks, "the president's job approval has declined more among Hispanics -- 23 percent- age points -- than among any other demographic group." It should be possible for Republi- cans to find a nominee who can do as well as George W. Bush did in winning 40 percent of the His- panic vote in 2004. Republicans cannot be too frequently reminded that their problem in presidential politics is the "blue wall" -- the 18 states and the District of Columbia that have voted Democratic in at least six consecutive elections, and have 242 electoral votes. So Republicans should welcome to their nomination competition any candidate who might remove from the blue wall such bricks as Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Bush, burdened by a damaged family brand, might not be the best potential nominee on the deep Republican bench. He does, however, deserve a respect - ful hearing from the Republican nominating electorate. He will not get this if he allows himself to become perceived as -- if his supporters present him as -- the choice of fastidious Republicans who think the party's base is the party's problem. George Will's email address is georgewill@washpost.com. gEorgE will Jeb Bush's challenge OPINION » redbluffdailynews.com thursday, april 3, 2014 » MORE AT FaCEbook.CoM/rbdailynEwS AND TwiTTEr.CoM/rEdbluFFnEwS a6