Hot Button: Answering the call

Fired up

A Florida woman is happily answering Rep. Michele Bachmann’s call to storm the steps of Capitol Hill on Thursday to protest Democratic health care proposals.

The Minnesota Republican has been encouraging the “tea party” protesters who came to Capitol Hill on Sept. 12 to turn out again Thursday afternoon and arrange face-to-face meetings with their elected officials to talk about the health care legislation that could be put to a House vote as early as this week.

“The only way they’re going to listen is if real freedom-loving Americans come here to Washington noon on Thursday, look at the whites of the eyes of their members of Congress and say, ‘Don’t you remember, I told you don’t take away my health care,’ ” Mrs. Bachmann told Fox News Channel’s Sean Hannity on Friday evening.

That was enough to inspire Orlando resident Donna Kearfott, who is anxious about the increasing size of government, to make plans to go to Washington.

“I heard Michelle talking about it on Friday night and got up the next morning and said every American needs to be in Washington, so I told people about it and sent a link out and finally decided to take it upon myself to get a bus,” Mrs. Kearfott told The Washington Times over the phone. “Now I’m working on my second bus and have a waiting list of people to call back.

“My phone won’t quit ringing,” she said. “This is the first time I’ve ever done anything like this, but our government is trying to take over our freedoms and it’s crystal clear and it’s very scary.”

Watching Boxer

As Sen. Barbara Boxer, California Democrat, oversaw the markup of her centerpiece cap-and-trade legislation Tuesday, it was a sure bet that Carly Fiorina was taking notes.

Although Mrs. Fiorina, a Republican, has yet to announce a run for the 2010 U.S. Senate race in California, she has been drawing attention to Mrs. Boxer’s management of the legislation. Mrs. Fiorina’s Twitter account, for example, has been linking news stories from the New York Times, Politico and Gay Patriot that highlight Mrs. Boxer’s lack of success gaining support for the bill among moderate Democrats and among Republicans, often with the phrase “ineffective Boxer.”

When asked how much cap-and-trade would be a factor in any campaign, Carly for California spokeswoman Julie Soderlund was coy.

“We don’t want to spoil the surprise of what Carly has planned for later this week, but suffice it to say, if Barbara Boxer is planning to run for re-election free of scrutiny of her exceedingly thin record, her utter failure to lead, and her track record of bitter and ineffective partisanship, she’ll be sorely disappointed,” she said.

State Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, a Republican, announced his candidacy for Mrs. Boxer’s seat months ago.

Hillary detente?

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