Libertarian calendar for March 2015

March 25
Washington DC

Libertarian Ladies Night Happy Hour
Women Only 6-8
Men Welcome 8-10

• Show Map A & D Neighborhood Bar 1314 9th St NW, Washington, District of Columbia 20001

Join your favorite libertariettes (post old and new ladies mixer) for a drink! Gentlemen friends, work husbands, significant others, boyfriends, and life partners are all welcome!

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March 25

Washington DC

Let’s Talk School Choice

6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

The Fund for American Studies

1706 New Hampshire Avenue NW

When is the last time you discussed school choice and won $500?

How much do you know about school choice? What are effective policy initiatives and viable solutions to providing better proper education choices for Americans? More importantly, howdo you communicate these ideas to your friends and family?

Join communications guru Bob Ewing, The Mercatus Center at George Mason University, and school choice expert Greg Reed, The Institute for Justice, for a crash course of the facts, communication tips, and a chance to practice your argument in a small group setting. Space is limited to 30 participants. A reception will follow the group practice.

This event is free for members, and $10.00 for the general public. Any attendee is eligible
to submit an application to compete for the $500 prize at the competition on July 15, 2015.

Let’s talk school choice.

6:00 pm Registration/ Reception

6:30 pm Lessons & Argument Practice

Reception following

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March 26
New York, NY

Can We End Poverty?

8:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.

Columbia University
Roone Arledge Auditorium
Alfred Lerner Hall, 2920 Broadway

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Featuring John Allison, President, Cato Institute; John McWhorter, Center for American Studies, Columbia University; Michael D. Tanner, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute; Ron Haskins, Co-Director, Center on Children and Families, Budgeting for National Priorities Project; Angela Glover Blackwell, Founder and CEO, PolicyLink;Christopher Wimer, Co-Director, Center on Poverty and Social Policy; Robert Doar, Morgridge Fellow in Poverty Studies, American Enterprise Institute; Jo Kwong, Director of Economic Opportunity Programs, Philanthropy Roundtable; Harriet Karr-McDonald, Executive Vice President, Doe Fund; Robert Woodson, Founder and President, Center for Neighborhood Enterprise; David Beito, Professor of American History, University of Alabama; and Ruth Rathblott, President and Chief Executive Office, Harlem Educational Activities Fund.

On January 8, 1964, President Lyndon Johnson delivered a State of the Union address to Congress in which he declared an “unconditional war on poverty in America.” Johnson’s goal was not only to “relieve the symptom of poverty, but to cure it and, above all, to prevent it.” Since then, federal and state governments have spent more than $19 trillion fighting poverty. But what has really been accomplished with all of that funding?

This special half-day conference brings together a wide range of experts from across the political spectrum to discuss whether the War on Poverty succeeded in reducing poverty in the United States, what remains to be done, and whether private charitable efforts would be a better alternative to government welfare programs.

8:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.	Registration
8:30 a.m. – 8:45 a.m.	Welcome Address John Allison President, Cato Institute
8:45 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.	Keynote AddressJohn McWhorter Center for American Studies, Columbia University
9:30 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.	PANEL 1: 50 Years of the War on Poverty: Success, Failure, Incomplete?Moderator: Ron Haskins Co-Director, Center on Children and Families and Budgeting for National Priorities Project, Brookings Institution Michael Tanner Senior Fellow, Cato Institute Angela Glover Blackwell Founder and CEO, PolicyLink Christopher Wimer Co-Director, Center on Poverty and Social Policy, School of Social Work, Columbia University Robert Doar Morgridge Fellow in Poverty Studies, American Enterprise Institute
10:45 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.	Break
11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.	PANEL 2: Private Alternatives to Government WelfareModerator: Jo Kwong Director of Economic Opportunity Programs, Philanthropy Roundtable Harriet Karr-McDonald Executive Vice President, Doe Fund Robert Woodson Founder and President, Center for Neighborhood Enterprise David Beito Professor of American History, University of Alabama Ruth Rathblott President and Chief Executive Officer, Harlem Educational Activities Fund

If you can’t make it to Columbia University, watch this event live online at www.cato.org/live and follow @CatoEvents on Twitter to get future event updates, live streams, and videos from the Cato Institute.

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March 26
Babylon, NY

Suffolk County Libertarian Convention
Lily Flanagan’s Restaurant
345 Deer Park Avenue

file:///Users/msmwizard/Downloads/b24c82d754d5634e2bdd5cb343889fcf_screen.jpg

Tickets in Advance are $20 and at the door $25 which can be paid below.  All monies that are paid will be forwarded to the SCLP.  The price includes a buffet dinner and unlimited soft drinks.  There is a cash bar.
The business portion of the meeting will be free.
Besides electing new officers we will feature four very interesting speakers as follows:

Bob Schulz:  Founder of WethePeople.org
Speaking on the unconstitutionality of Common Core education in New York.
If you want to stop common core, this is a must see event!  Please bring your entire family and friends to help us do our part to stop this blight on our children’s education!

Karin Murphy Caro:  Founder and CEO of Blu Chip Marketing
Speaking on social media and media relations.  In all political races the use of social media is essential.

Lidia Szcezepanski, Esq.:  Founder of the Web TV Show “Everything Lidia” on The Daily Blu
Speaking on “And Liberty and Justice for All…… If you have enough money!”

Robert Schuon: Vice Chair of the Suffolk County Libertarian Party
Speaking on Austrian Economics
So come join us for a night of entertaining speakers and a great meal!

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March 28
Iowa Libertarian Party convention

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March 28

Garner, NC

FreedomWorks guest speakers: Deneen Borelli & Dr.Tom Borelli.

6:00 PM

Carolina Barbecue N Chicken
733 Us Highway 70 W
Garner, NC

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March 29
Culver City, CA

Alumni For Liberty

• Time: 6:00pm Pacific
• Location: Reason Magazine LA Office, 5737 Mesmer Avenue

We will be joined by David Nott, the President of Reason Foundation to answer important questions from AFL’ers ranging from policy to career.

RSVP here

About AFL: As the student movement for liberty continues to grow around the world it becomes increasingly important for alumni to stay connected to the students and each other. Alumni For Liberty provides a means for alumni of the student movement to do just that while giving back and empowering the next generation of leaders of liberty.

Did you miss going to ISFLC? Want to rekindle that fire of liberty inside you? Connect with former SFLers and friends to find out the latest happenings in the liberty community.

Please join us for some drinks, swag, and conversation! Speaker: David Nott is president of Reason Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing free minds and free markets. Under Nott’s leadership, Reason’s public policy experts have advised President George W. Bush, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and numerous other officials on how to shrink the burden of government. Reason, a monthly magazine of political and cultural commentary, was named one of the “50 Best Magazines” two straight years by the Chicago Tribune and is described as “a kick-ass, no-holds-barred political magazine” by the New York Post.

Nott’s professional experience includes six years as president of the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, where he is credited with developing and implementing a business plan that led to a 250 percent increase in revenue. Nott also spearheaded the construction of Mercatus’ new Capitol Hill Campus.

Find out more about the Reason Foundation

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March 31

Arlington VA

THE FUTURE OF INNOVATION: A CONVERSATION BETWEEN TYLER COWEN AND PETER THIEL

• Time:
  2:00pm

  –

  3:30pm
• Location:
  Founders Hall Auditorium
  Arlington Campus at George Mason University
  3351 N Fairfax Drive

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March 26
Atlanta, GA

From State in Crisis to Reform Leader: How Georgia’s Approach to Criminal Justice Is Impacting Well-Being Time: 6:30 p.m. Where: Georgia Pacific, Auditorium (located on the lobby level of GP), 133 Peachtree St. NE, Atlanta, GA 30303 Click Here to RSVP Like many states, Georgia recently found itself in the midst of a criminal justice crisis. In only two decades, its prison population had doubled, diminishing opportunity and well-being for non-violent offenders caught up in the system. Meanwhile, its incarceration budget had also doubled. The Peach State was facing a breaking point. But thanks to a new approach, leaders in Atlanta have been able to focus resources on rehabilitating non-violent offenders while also ensuring that public safety is not compromised. This move has also helped save taxpayers more than $20 million. What has Georgia done that has worked and what needs further examination? How has reform affected opportunity and well-being, especially for former prisoners? And can Georgia’s reforms be replicated in other states – or even at the federal level? Please join the Charles Koch Institute for an upcoming conversation with esteemed criminal justice experts who will explore these questions and more. OPENING REMARKS Hon. Jay Neal, Governor’s Office of Transition, Support and Reentry SPEAKERS Marissa McCall Dodson, Policy Director and Attorney, Georgia Justice Project Randy Hicks, President and CEO, Georgia Center for Opportunity Marc Levin, Policy Director, Right on Crime; Director, Center for Effective Justice at the Texas Public Policy Foundation Kelly McCutchen, President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation Space is limited, so please RSVP as soon as possible. Join the conversation on #justicereform

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March 27

Washington DC

2015 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference

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Students for Sensible Drug Policy » Upcoming Events » 2015 Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference

• Location: Washington, DC American University
• Dates: March 27, 2015 – March 29, 2015
• Cost (current students): $5 in advance, $10 at the door
• Cost (SSDP alumni): $15 in advance, $25 at the door
• Cost (regular): $25 in advance, $35 at the door

• Add to calendar
• RSVP on Facebook

Register

Schedule

TBA – check back often, more information coming soon!

Speakers

TBA – check back often, more information coming soon!

Registration

Register here

We don’t want the cost to be a barrier for any students who want to attend. If you cannot afford the $5 ticket, please contact drew@ssdp.org to discuss discount options.ballot drive
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March 31
Arlington VA

THE FUTURE OF INNOVATION: A CONVERSATION BETWEEN TYLER COWEN AND PETER THIEL Time: 2:00pm – 3:30pm Location: Founders Hall Auditorium Arlington Campus at George Mason University 3351 N Fairfax Drive,

This is the inaugural event of the Mercatus Center’s newly established Conversations with Tyler event series.

PARTICIPANTS:
Tyler Cowen, Holbert L. Harris Chair of Economics, George Mason University
Peter Thiel, cofounder of PayPal and Palantir Technologies, partner at Founders Fund

Peter Thiel and Tyler Cowen, both New York Times bestselling authors, are among today’s top global thought leaders and influential innovators. Join us as these two engage in a serious dialogue on the ideas and policies that will shape the future of innovation and progress in the coming years and decades.

Peter Thiel is among the most impressive innovators of the past two decades. As co-founder of Paypal and seed-funder for Facebook, Thiel has been instrumental in the conception and growth of some of today’s most entrepreneurial and innovative companies. In his latest best-selling book, Zero to One, Thiel explains how to build a better future by capitalizing on innovation. A staunch optimist, he maintains that progress can be achieved anywhere the human mind is able to think creatively. Thiel describes how entrepreneurial thinking leads to innovation, which builds something new and moves the mark from zero to one.

If you have any questions about this event, please contact Bethany Stalter at bstalter@mercatus.gmu.edu or (703) 993-4889.

About Peter Thiel

Peter Thiel is a legendary entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He has played a vital role in some of the most dynamic companies to emerge from Silicon Valley. His contributions to technology, entrepreneurship, and finance are recognized around the world, including by the World Economic Forum, which honored Thiel as a Young Global Leader, and by BusinessWeek, which named him one of the 25 most influential people on the web. Thiel also serves as a primary supporter of the Committee to Protect Journalists, a group that promotes press freedom worldwide; the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, which seeks to foster the responsible development of advanced computing technologies; and the SENS Foundation, a medical charity dedicated to extending healthy human lifespans. Thiel received a BA in Philosophy from Stanford University and a JD from Stanford Law School.

About Tyler Cowen

Cowen is a world-renowned professor of economics, co-author of the popular economics blog Marginal Revolution, co-founder of the award-winning online educational platform Marginal Revolution University, and chairman of the Board at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. Bloomberg Businessweek profiled Cowen as “America’s Hottest Economist,” Foreign Policy named Cowen as one of the “Top 100 Global Thinkers,” and an Economist survey counted Cowen as one of the most influential economists of the last decade.

Libertarians at Supreme Court protest

http://graphics8.nytimes.com/bcvideo/1.0/iframe/embed.html?videoId=100000003550879&playerType=embed

Krista Kirlew, a libertarian undergraduate at the University of Maryland, is among the protesters interviewed in this New York Times video (appears at 0:11 until about 0:24).

Is Atlas Shrugging on DC Metro buses?

Remember how during the economic collapse in Atlas Shrugged people start doing “Who is John Galt?” graffiti?

In the last pages of  the novel (which reason magazine editor Matt Welch has never read), as the economy collapses and the government becomes a dictatorship and cities lose power, Americans who don’t know exactly how and why the collectivist policies they tacitly supported caused the collapse, do, from their native surviving common sense, begin slapping bureaucrats so hard they break some jaws, and begin scribbling graffiti on walls reading “Who is John Galt?”

Today DC is immobilized, hysterically, by a few inches of snow, following a week where a whole zip code (Logan and Shaw) could not drink the government water, which smelled like kerosene (still no explanation).  Most of Dupont Circle, including one of my offices, has no power today, even though all the power cables there are under ground.  This is in a city where power goes out to many neighborhoods every year when a tree limb falls, and where Metro elevators and escalators are perpetually breaking down.

MRT @whitmanwalker UPDATE: Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center closing for rest of day/evening; uncertain when power will be restored.
— NBCWashington (@nbcwashington) January 6, 2015

And today on one of the buses I took so as not to drive in the snow I saw this Obamacare poster, humorously defaced.  My first reaction:  Methinks the natives are getting restless!  I chuckled aloud.  But it turns out the ad is part of a series of very, very, neatly defaced ads.  The insurance companies are putting out ads targeting people who are frustrated with or hate Obamacare!  For the many people whose eyes would normally glaze over if presented with an ACA related ad, this ad gets them to read about the policy offered, by seeming to be rebellious anti-ACA graffiti.

Is Edward Snowden Captain America? (Spoiler Alert)

Robert Redford plays his first super-villain, a neo-nazi conspirator in a world where drones, the NSA, and your Obamacare and IRS records are used to predetermine if you are a traitor to the regime who should be taken out, Minority Report style.

National Review didn’t particularly like it, but they didn’t like Ayn Rand or Edward Snowden either.  reason magazine (Kurt Loder)  liked it better. I give it a solid B as a movie; I’d give its politics at least an A-.  Kevin McCarthy said on Fox and Friends Sunday that it was one of the three best movies of the year so far, and urged movie-goers to skip the IMAX or 3D versions (I’d agree, though I did do 3D), and pointed out that the 8 films in the “Avengers” series based on Marvel comix (Thor etc.) have collectively earned $5 billion to date.   Tonight the first Captain America movie airs on FX at 5:30 pm eastern (I never saw it so I can’t comment.)  I am tempted to offer that if any DC libertarians want to go see it I’d go with them, but it isn’t really good enough for that; though it was good enough that I will now try to catch the first one on cable, at least while I am puttering around the house.

Revenge star Emily VanCamp has a medium size role as the main eye candy after Chris Evans, though Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow remains sexy.  Below Sebastian Stan (also cute enough but mainly appears in the film as a killer cyborg), who plays the titular “winter soldier,” waxes philosophical and actually mentions Kurzweil and the singularity – smell him!  And discusses Johansson’s other AI type move Her.

Sebastian Stan,The Winter Soldier,Talks “Captain America” with CBR TV from imtk on Vimeo.

Does DC need a whistleblower shield law?

Mayor Gray has fired the DC health exchange employee who has criticized this failing program, and Jack Evans (whose first campaign I did volunteer work for in the Jurassic Age, when I was a twenty something), says this was a mistake.  They are both wrong; Evans doesn’t go nearly far enough.

DC attacks on whistleblowers and critics is nothing new. Seema Bhat was fired by the DC water authority when she reported very high lead levels ten years ago. And how many people could have told us about corruption and embezzlement by DC officials much earlier than we learned, but were afraid they would be fired from the jobs that pay their rent and feed their kids?

DC needs a whistleblower shield law that makes it impossible to fire a whistleblower unless and until your prove, in some extremely public forum with extremely transparent procedures, that they were maliciously lying or grossly incompetent.

I think I and a number of other Libertarian candidates in DC will be proposing that between now and the next election.

Washington City Paper reports:

For a guy who could ended up running against Vince Gray, mayoral hopeful Jack Evans has had trouble finding anything bad to say about the incumbent. Thanks to local righty talker WMAL, though, Evans has finally found something to disagree with the mayor about.

In an appearance yesterday on WMAL’s Morning on the Mall, Evans says Gray’s administration was wrong to fire D.C. insurance commissioner William White for not getting approval for a press release critical of President Barack Obama. “I think that was a big mistake on the mayor’s part,” Evans says.


In an Evans administration, White would’ve received a punishment short of dismissal.  “My understanding is that the mayor and his people were annoyed that Mr. White criticized the president without prior approval from the mayor,” Evans says. “And that may have been a mistake on Mr. White’s part, but I don’t believe it was a firing offense. That was more of a reprimand offense.”
These WMAL candidate interviews, incidentally, have become one of the best parts of the early mayoral campaign. Witness, later in the interview, Evans trying to gently explain to the host that he doesn’t support building giant parking garages in downtown. In October, Tommy Wells had to defend his marijuana decriminalization bill against hosts’ concerns that it would let federal workers smoke pot all the time.
Why candidates in a Democratic primary think they have to reach out to WMAL’s dittohead audience remains a mystery to LL, but it’s refreshing to see the candidates exposed to some old-fashioned exurban conservatism.
Photo by Darrow Montgomery

Obamacare navigators advise that people lie

The Biggest Liar

Libertarian Calendar for October (continuously updated)

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October 24

FSF Seminar – A New FCC or the Same Old, Same Old? The National Press Club,  11:45 a.m. – 2:15 p.m.      The Free State Foundation will hold a lunch seminar titled, “A New FCC or the Same Old, Same Old?” on Thursday, October 24, 2013, at the National Press Club. With Tom Wheeler and Michael O’Rielly likely to arrive shortly as the new FCC Chairman and Commissioner, the FCC will be back to its full five-member complement. With a newly reconstituted FCC in place, and with ongoing dramatic changes in the communications and Internet marketplace occurring almost daily, this program will explore questions such as: Should we expect to see long-overdue institutional reforms at the FCC? What specifically should be done, if anything, to reorient the agency consistent with the dramatic marketplace and technological changes? What reforms can be implemented without congressional action? If congressional action is needed, are there measures short of a comprehensive overhaul of the Communications Act that should be enacted more quickly? This Free State Foundation seminar will explore these questions – and more!    You may order FSF’s latest book, Communications Law and Policy in the Digital Age: The Next Five Years, from Amazon here, from Barnes & Noble here, or from Carolina Academic Press here.  ****************************************************************************** October 25 Washington DC Lunch with Gary Johnson Greetings Lover of Liberty!! The Our America Initiative is pleased to announce that our Honorary Chairman & 2012 Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson is returning to Washington for a special weekend of celebration and support for the message of economic liberty and personal freedom in a part of the country where very little of it exists. You are invited to join Gary to discuss the Our America Initiative – the ONLY national grassroots movement promoting both fiscal responsibility and social acceptance. From chairing state initiatives for “guns rights, equal marriage & pot legalization” as Michael Barone wrote about the majorities in favor of these personal rights, to running national PR campaigns against the scandals at the NSA, IRS and overseas interventions, OAI is redefining the liberty movement and taking advice from individuals like yourself on our next action. ACT NOW!!! FIRST COME, FIRST SERVE. Date: Friday, October 25, 2013 Time: Noon-2 pm EDT Cost: $150 per person RSVP by: 10/20/2013 (Limited seating) To RSVP please contact Charles Frohman CharlesFrohman@OurAmericaInitiative.com 202-258-8027 or on the Facebook Invite. Daily Grill 1200 18th Street NW, (18th & M) Washington, DC 20036 The OUR America Initiative is a 501(c)(4) political advocacy committee and may receive unlimited donations from both individual and corporate donors. ****************************************************************************** October 25 Washington DC Libertarian Halloween Party  SEE RSVP INSTRUCTIONS BELOW! Liberty Halloween party! Come celebrate October’s holiday with Terra Eclipse at our brand new and super amazing private event space, The Loft at 600 F! Costumes encouraged! Music, beer, wine, flying shark, and pizza provided. Also a really fun time with fun people. Feel free to invite your friends. The Loft is located on the 3rd Floor of 600 F St. NW across from the Verizon Center. __________________ RSVP on Facebook if you wish BUT PLEASE ALSO RSVP HERE: http://halloween.loft600f.com/ PLEASE RSVP BY WEDNESDAY, OCT 23. ****************************************************************************** October 26 Washington DC Union Station/Columbus Circle Noon Right now the NSA is spying on everyone’s personal communications, and they’re operating without any meaningful oversight. Since the Snowden leaks started, more than 571,000 people from all walks of life have signed the StopWatching.us petition telling the U.S. Congress that we want them to rein in the NSA. On October 26th, the 12th anniversary of the signing of the US Patriot Act, we’re taking the next step and holding the largest rally yet against NSA surveillance. We’ll be handing the half-million petitions to Congress to remind them that they work for us — and we won’t tolerate mass surveillance any longer. Who we are StopWatching.us is a coalition of more than 100 public advocacy organizations and companies from across the political spectrum. We came together in June 2013 to demand the U.S. Congress investigate the full extent of the NSA’s spying programs. Go here to read our letter to U.S. Congress demanding accountability and reform. Members of the StopWatching.us coalition include: PUBLIC ADVOCACY ORGANIZATIONS: + More than 100 others. See the full list. INDIVIDUALS: Tim Berners-Lee Inventor of the World Wide Web Daniel Ellsberg Whistleblower of the Pentagon Papers, Author Gabriella Coleman Author and academic Glenn Greenwald Journalist and lawyer Ai Weiwei Chinese artist and activist Xeni Jardin Journalist and founding partner of Boing Boing Eli Pariser Founder, Upworthy Wil Wheaton Actor Alexis Ohanian Founder, Reddit Anil Dash Entrepreneur, technologist and writer + More than 30 others. See the full list. COMPANIES: + More than 20 others. See the full list. NEWS

Obamacare website Bait and Switch

An Internet correspondent writes

By the way, there is a reason why the healthcare.gov site sucks and is slow. It was designed to not give you rate information until after you enter all your personal information. Why on earth would Obama do that? (Amazon.com tells you what a product costs, and does not force you to enter your credit card information just to see the price!)

Here’s the problem faced by Obama: If people go to the web site and see premiums of $500 per month they will freak out and never return to the site. But if poor people enter their personal data, including salary information, the web site calculates the taxpayer-funded subsidy before displaying the premium. As a result, the poor person will see that his premium might be $30 per month, rather than $500. He is happy and signs up. Presto! Another Democrat-for-life voter who is dependent on the federal government for survival!

Now, the people who will get no subsidies or who will get limited subsidies use the site and, after getting their premium information, get pissed off and log off the system. Obama doesn’t care about them, because they will either cave in and buy the overpriced insurance or pay the tax penalty and do without insurance.

This is more evidence that Obama is a Chicago street thug. He doesn’t give a damn about whether people have health insurance; his only interest is making more people dependent on government.

Does "Mother Jones" hire the retarded?

Now that everyone recognizes that when the State allocates most medical resources it will be deciding who lives and dies, Mother Jones covers this while still trying to deny it.

Maybe they pay their interns and writers less than WalMart does, like The Nation?

Rod Lamkey Jr./ZUMAPress

In 2009, Sarah Palin claimed Obamacare would create “death panels,” or bands of bureaucrats who would decide whether old or disabled Americans were worthy of medical care. That notion turned out to be a figment of her imagination. But now, a growing cohort of Democratic lawmakers is cozying up to the idea, charging that the cost-cutting board that Obama’s health care law creates will indeed hurt people on Medicare, The Hill reports.

Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Reps. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.), Ann Kirkpatrick (D-Ariz.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Elizabeth Esty (D-Conn.) have all signed onto bills repealing the powers of the Independent Payment Advisory Board, a panel created by the Affordable Care Act that will make recommendations on how to reduce Medicare spending once Medicare cost growth reaches a certain level.

The lawmakers have said they oppose the board because it would limit care for Medicare patients, even though the health care law says that any cuts would have to affect doctor reimbursement rates or the prices for certain drugs, not patient care.

All five lawmakers are worried about losing their seats in 2014. Barber, Kirkpatrick, Sinema and Esty have also voted with Republicans to delay the law’s individual and employer mandates—the requirements that Americans purchase insurance and that employers of a certain size offer coverage, respectively.

The Democratic death panel fear-mongering follows an editorial that former Democratic National Committee chair Howard Dean wrote in the Wall Street Journal in July. He called for a repeal of the cost-cutting board because, he wrote, it would have the effect of rationing care by making it hard for doctors to make money from Medicare. Dean has worked as an adviser to a major DC lobbying firm that does work on behalf of the healthcare industry, which would see profits cut if the board goes into effect.

Major healthcare industry players like the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, and the pharmaceutical lobby have supported repeal of the board, arguing the panel would cut providers’ pay arbitrarily.

Palin predicted folks would come around on death panels. “Though I was called a liar for calling it like it is, many of these accusers finally saw that ObamaCare did in fact create a panel of faceless bureaucrats who have the power to make life and death decisions about healthcare funding,” she wrote on Facebook in 2012.

But Republican lawmakers don’t seems to appreciate the Dems’ aisle-crossing. The National Republican Congressional Committee slammed the Democrats for “desperately trying to jump off the ObamaCare train.”