"It is rare in American politics to arrive at a moment in which the debate revolves around the fundamental nature of American democracy and the social contract. But that is where we are. And no two documents illustrate this choice of two futures better than the president's budget and the one put forward by House Republicans. 

"The president's budget gives more power to unelected bureaucrats, takes more from hard-working taxpayers to fuel the expansion of government, and commits our nation to a future of debt and decline. 

"The contrast with our budget couldn't be clearer: We put our trust in citizens, not government. Our budget returns power to individuals, families and communities. It draws inspiration from the Founders' belief that all people are born with an unalienable right to the pursuit of happiness. Protecting this right means trusting citizens, not nameless government officials, to decide what is in their best interests and make the right choice about our nation's future."

"Attorney General Eric Holder supported using Hollywood, the media and government officials in order to 'really brainwash people' into opposing firearm ownership, according to a 1995 C-SPAN video that emerged Sunday online.

"Holder, who was then the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, was addressing the Women’s National Democratic Club on Jan. 30, 1995. In his speech, he held up anti-smoking campaigns as a model for an anti-gun campaign.

"'What we need to do is change the way in which people think about guns, especially young people, and make it something that’s not cool, that it’s not acceptable, it’s not hip to carry a gun anymore, in the way in which we’ve changed our attitudes about cigarettes,' Holder said.

"Video of the speech was discovered by Breitbart.com."

"Yes, of course, presidents have no direct control over gas prices. But the American people know something about this president and his disdain for oil. The 'fuel of the past,' he contemptuously calls it. To the American worker who doesn’t commute by government motorcade and is getting fleeced every week at the pump, oil seems very much a fuel of the present — and of the foreseeable future. ...

"But the event that drove home the extent of Obama’s antipathy to nearby, abundant, available oil was his veto of the Keystone pipeline. It gave the game away, because the case for Keystone is so obvious and overwhelming. Vetoing it gratuitously prolongs our dependence on outside powers, kills thousands of shovel-ready jobs, forfeits a major strategic resource to China, damages relations with our closest ally, and sends billions of oil dollars to Hugo Chávez, Vladimir Putin, and already obscenely wealthy sheiks."

"New York Sen. Chuck Schumer believes he has found a political weapon in the unlikeliest of places: the Violence Against Women Act. 

"Republicans have several objections to the legislation, but instead of making changes, Schumer wants to fast track the bill to the floor, let the GOP block it, then allow Democrats to accuse Republicans of waging a 'war against women.' 

"It’s fodder for a campaign ad, and it’s not the only potential 30-second spot ready to spring from Senate leadership these days."

"President Obama's national health care law will cost $1.76 trillion over a decade, according to a new projection released today by the Congressional Budget Office, rather than the $940 billion forecast when it was signed into law. 

Democrats employed many accounting tricks when they were pushing through the national health care legislation, the most egregious of which was to delay full implementation of the law until 2014, so it would appear cheaper under the CBO's standard ten-year budget window and, at least on paper, meet Obama's pledge that the legislation would cost 'around $900 billion over 10 years.'"

"Taxes, like death, may be inescapable. But, at the very least, taxpayers have always enjoyed the freedom to offload the headache of doing their taxes to the tax-return preparer of their choice. 

"Or rather, taxpayers used to enjoy that freedom. 

"Now, in an outrageous and unlawful power grab, the Internal Revenue Service seeks to control who you may hire to prepare your tax returns and even to nudge you toward a large tax preparation firm by eliminating many of their independent competitors. It has enacted a sweeping new licensing scheme that affects an estimated 350,000 tax professionals nationwide."

"Disapproval of President Obama’s handling of the economy is heading higher -- alongside gasoline prices -- as a record number of Americans now give the president 'strongly' negative reviews on the 2012 presidential campaign’s most important issue, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. 

"Increasingly pessimistic views of Obama’s performance on the economy -- and on the federal budget deficit -- come despite a steadily brightening employment picture and other signs of economic improvement, and they highlight the political sensitivity of rising gas prices. ... 

"Nearly two-thirds of Americans say they disapprove of the way the president is handling the situation at the pump, where rising prices have already hit hard. Just 26 percent approve of his work on the issue, his lowest rating in the poll. Most Americans say higher prices are already taking a toll on family finances, and nearly half say they think that prices will continue to rise, and stay high."

"The U.S. government last year announced a $10 million award, dubbed the 'L Prize,' for any manufacturer that could create a 'green' but affordable light bulb. 

"Energy Secretary Steven Chu said the prize would spur industry to offer the costly bulbs, known as LEDs, at prices 'affordable for American families.' There was also a 'Buy America' component. Portions of the bulb would have to be made in the United States. 

"Now the winning bulb is on the market. 

"The price is $50."

"For members of Congress, the thrill is gone. 

"They don’t make national policy anymore. They can’t earmark money for communities back home. The public hates them. 

"And perks little and big, from private jet travel to a little free nosh now and then, have been locked down by ethics rules. 

"As they head for the exits this year, many leaving Congress say the prestigious job of being a congressman sucks now, and that’s why lawmakers young and old are trading in their member pins for a new life in the private sector."

"I’ll tell you, if you could marry Rick Santorum’s and Mitt Romney’s speeches into a single address, the result would be pretty powerful. Santorum’s great asset is his commitment to his causes. His greatest weakness is that he is clumsy, rambling and dour in how he touts his causes. Romney’s great advantage is that he is utterly disciplined in staying on message and at avoiding giving the sense that he has any scary convictions of any kind. When he’s not on offense against Obama he’s frustratingly anodyne and undefined, offering a fog of America the Beautiful platitudes. If you married the best parts of both men, you’d have something pretty impressive."