Add Mike "Do Nothing" Rogers to the growing list of Congressmen who will co-sponsor Crazy Michele Bachmann's repeal bill HR 4903 which is titled To repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
"The majority of folks in East Alabama let me know they didn't want this health care bill to pass," Rogers said. "While the bill has now become law, it is not too late to repeal and replace the worst parts of this legislation, which will vastly increase the Federal government's role in our lives at a time when our economy is in a severe recession."
"During these tough economic times when folks are struggling to stay afloat and find or keep a job, I agree reform was needed. But this is not reform - it is a massive government intervention into one-sixth of our economy.
Rogers said he supports alternative legislation which would help offer coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, allow association health plans, allowing insurance to be sold across state lines, increasing the age in which children can be covered by their parent's plan, and tort reform to help lower the cost of frivolous lawsuits.
Rogers has a habit of saying some rather ridiculous things, but I thought he was the more moderate of the Alabama Republican delegation. Certainly would not have expected him to be the first to sign on in this bill. Perhaps that's just because outside of AL-07 this district is the most Democratic leaning in the State. Surely Rogers can back up his claims that East Alabama doesn't want this with some poll numbers. Snark
I have laid out the foundation of my platform in three preliminary issue stances. Below each issue, you can even endorse my position and send me a comment. (I love getting endorsements, especially yours.)
Using the “Tell a Friend” page, you can easily spread the word about our campaign.
I am excited about the upcoming months of the campaign. The people of Alabama deserve an independent leader who will break the partisan paralysis in Washington.
Thanks for your support.
I'm glad he's starting to focus more on social media. That's becoming a much more important tool for campaigns. As voters trust media, ads, and even candidates less, they do still trust their friends. I like it when a candidate makes it easy for me to distribute information about them on blogs or Facebook.
After you enjoy the new Web site, send Josh some $$ to help him defeat Mike Rogers!
That's what my mother always called it, as in, "He's got a lot of gall!" anytime someone tried to get away with something outrageous. See the Merriam-Webster online dictionary entry for "gall":
2: brazen boldness coupled with impudent assurance and insolence
That exactly describes Rep. Mike Rogers' (R, AL-03) actions.
Friday: Mike Rogers sends out a newsletter in which the 2nd sentence is, "Like many people, I am deeply concerned the Democratic leadership’s focus is misplaced on a health care reform plan, instead of the main concern of the American people – jobs."
Helllooo?President Obama and the Democratic leadership are focused on the jobs issue -- you're the doofus voting NO on every bill that looks like it would create jobs for ordinary Americans. If you ask me, it's part and parcel of the Republican plan -- the more pain they can create in America, the better their chances in the next election.
Rogers and his allies are hoping we'll reward his bad behavior. I think we're smarter than that.
Why am I not surprised that Rep. Mike Rogers opposes a bill that would create jobs and provide tax relief to small businesses and help families during this Great Recession?
“Once again, Representative Michael Rogers has refused to stand with hardworking families and small businesses by opposing the one thing they need the most: more jobs,” said Ryan Rudominer, National Press Secretary for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Representative Rogers’s objection to putting folks back to work and helping small businesses make payroll proves how out of touch Rogers still is with the pain of hardworking people.”
Alabama's unemployment rate is the highest in 26 years. 225,000 people are looking for work in this state. That's huge. Every member of the Alabama delegation ought to support the HIRE Jobs Bill. In fact, only Democrats Artur Davis (D, AL-07) and Bobby Bright (D, AL-02) voted for it.
1. A payroll tax holiday for businesses that hire unemployed workers, to create some 300,000 jobs and an income tax credit of $1,000 for businesses that retain these employees
2. Tax cuts to spur new investment by small businesses to help them expand and hire more workers [H.R. 2847, 3/04/10]
3. Tax relief for businesses to spur immediate job growth. A new payroll tax exemption would create a common-sense, targeted, and effective way to encourage employers to begin hiring unemployed workers today and is estimated to spur about 300,000 new jobs, according to economist Mark Zandi of Moody's Economy.com. [The Hill, 2/18/10].
Big Pharma has launched a major television ad campaign on behalf of Republican incumbent Mike Rogers in Alabama's 3rd Congressional District. The ads are running throughout the sprawing East Alabama district and claim that "Mike Rogers supports innovative research that makes us healthier." What a crock! Rogers supports his own incumbency ... and his big donors.
Why are they spending so much money on Rogers now? Apparently they're worried that "their boy Mike" might not dodge the bullet this time, facing a better organized, better funded challenge from Josh Segall who came within a few points of knocking him off last year.
Segall says ...
The claim is false, like so many claims Rogers made about me in the last campaign.
...
The country is engaged in an epic health care debate and the cost of medical care is at the heart of it.
...
The SINGLE LARGEST source of unnecessary health care cost in America is prescription drugs. We pay more for prescription drugs than any country on earth. The Pharmaceutical Industry is one of the most heavily subsidized industries in the country even though it has been the country's most profitable industry for thirty years. The first place to start cutting health care cost is prescription drugs.
...
I believe strongly that we must invest in innovative research to find cures to debilitating and painful illnesses. But most new medical treatments come from public universities not the private prescription drug industry. The Pharmaceutical Industry has increasingly spent money on lifestyle drugs and marketing for those drugs rather than cures for the country's worst illnesses. The industry has focused more on finding marginal uses for old drugs than critically important advances.
The pharmaceutical industry spends billions to convince us otherwise and Mike Rogers is another way for them to do it.
...
I am a pro-business Democrat. I believe in our capitalist system and I don't criticize corporations for the sake of political gain. But pharmaceutical companies have violated a public trust and set up an entitlement system that does not serve the public good. Help me by making a contribution and I'll speak plainly about it in Congress.
Representative Mike Rogers (AL-03) - Representative Mike Rogers voted against his own legislation to protect the Little River Canyon National Preserve in the Omnibus Public Land Management Act. [Roll Call Vote, 3/25/2009]
The Little River Canyon is sometimes called the Grand Canyon of the East and the river is one of the cleanest and wildest in America. It's a true gem and well worth preserving, but development is encroaching on the wild lands. Here's what Rogers said back in March about protecting the Little River Canyon:
“Little River Canyon is one of our nation’s most beautiful preserves,” Rogers said. “This bill, if passed, could help further preserve this incredible resource for generations to come.” Rogers said the Little River Canyon is a huge draw for recreational tourists across Alabama.
“I hope Congress will soon consider this worthwhile legislation.”
Well, they did "soon consider" that worthwhile legislation. Rogers' bill, HR 5486, was incorporated into the Omnibus Public Land Management Act, HR 146. But when push came to shove on HR 146, Rogers (along with all the other Alabama Republicans, naturally) voted NO. Robert Aderholt (R, AL-04) was a co-sponsor of HR 5486 and he also voted against the Land Management Act. Hypocrites, both. I mean, look at that photo. How could you vote against preserving an area like that from development?
Even in Alabama, the Omnibus Land Management Act was lauded as a bipartisan opportunity to protect public lands, preserve natural resources and benefit local economies. Unfortunately, Mike Rogers and his fellow Republicans let their party loyalty get in the way of what was best for their districts. That's been happening all too often since the GOP has become the Party of NO.
As previously mentioned, the unemployment rate in Alabama hit 10.4% last month. That means people are staying out of work longer and their unemployment benefits are running out or in danger of running out. This week the House of Representatives passed H.R. 3548, the Unemployment Extension Act of 2009 (sponsored by Rep. James McDermott (D, WA)) which will extend unemployment benefits by 13 weeks for an estimated 37,000 Alabamians. The surprising thing in this vote is that it wasn't nearly as party line as I had expected.
In fact, only Spencer Bachus (R, AL-06) voted against extending unemployment benefits -- can you tell Shelby County is tied for lowest unemployment in the state? And you read that right -- both our Blue Dogs and three of the four Alabama Republicans voted in favor of it. This may well be an indication of how serious the economic pain is in this state and, usual kow-towing to business be damned, these guys are concerned that the 2010 election is likely to turn on pocketbook issues.
There was never much doubt that Artur Davis (D, AL-07) would support the measure -- unemployment is rampant in his district and his position on extending benefits has been consistently positive. He voted "Yes" on H.R. 3548 and said this about the Alabamians whose benefits would otherwise expire in December:
“They will view this 13 week extension of unemployment benefits as a lifeline. The extension of these benefits should also remind us of the plight of 5,500Alabamians who have been left without help because of our state’s refusal to draw down federal funds for part-time workers who have lost their jobs.”
Robert Aderholt voted in favor of an extension of unemployment benefits a year ago and against a similar bill in June of 2008. So did Bachus and Jo Bonner.
Davis voted in favor of both those earlier bills, as did Mike Rogers.
Unemployment benefits don't leave people much to spend on goods and services. That's why high unemployment is so unhealthy for the larger economy. Having the unemployment benefits run out altogether before the jobs market opens up is even worse -- then people are forced to take steps to stop spending entirely and the whole system spirals downward. I'm pleased that even most of the Republicans representing Alabama have finally figured out the basic principle that jobs are created when people can afford to spend money -- even if just on necessities like food and shelter.
The U.S. House of Representatives last week approved legislation that would cut major banks and student loan giant Sallie Mae out of a large slice of the $92 billion university student loan business, shifting most lending into a program run by the U.S. Education Department.
What's really going on here has more to do with the politics of the moment than it does with the wants of the student-loan industry. What's up is that the GOP is bound and determined to oppose Obama no matter what the issue.
This is political strategy, jockeying for the off-year election next November. This is about what's good for the GOP.
Mike Rogers, never a strong leader, is going along with his party, the same way he did on CAFTA, the same way he did on the SCHIP reauthorization, the same way he did on opposition to the GI Bill -- however they say "vote," he votes. The bill in question is good for taxpayers and good for students -- there is no principled reason to oppose it.
There really is no argument against this bill on the merits. Ever since the Clinton years, the government has been making college loans directly, and the only reason it hasn't already become the biggest player in the market is because the private lenders have lobbied to restrict it (doing so, of course, with the money they make from government subsidies and guarantees). According to the Bush Administration's own figures, it costs the government four times as much to back private loans as to make the loans itself, and the Obama Administration estimates that getting rid of the subsidies and guarantees will save close to $90 billion.
I used to think Republicans were the Party of Hypocrisy, then it seemed they were the Party of Greed, but now it's clear they're the Party of No to Anything and Everything Obama Proposes -- hoping like heck that if they drive the country further down they'll get another shot at the controls. Scumbags.
(More and Better Democrats! Josh is one! Send him some love... - promoted by herding old cats)
Dropped by a fundraiser for Josh Segall tonight - our endorsed candidate in AL-03. Josh nearly beat do-nothing Mike Rogers in 2008. Unfortunately, I had to leave early to get to another appointment and did not get to stay and record his speech.
Josh is raising money all over the state this week. Monday in Anniston. Last night and tonight in Birmingham. Tomorrow in Huntsville. He's working hard to help us get rid of Rogers.
Of support for the public option by Congressional districts. Guess what? A lot of Blue Dogs aren't representing the wishes of their districts, just the wishes of a loud and active minority.
Silver has examined polling data for public option support in a number of districts and found that it is related to the November 2008 Obama vote and to the poverty level in the district.
Lilly Ledbetter, the Alabama worker for whom the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act is named, spoke to the Madison County Democratic Women's group today. Of course, local Congressman Parker Griffith did not attend, which may have been just as well since the mention of his name drew a round of boos (not scattered boos either -- sustained, universal boos and even a few hisses) from the crowd of over 125 women and men.
Ms. Ledbetter's remarks were extremely well recieved and are worthy of several posts here, but I think her statements about Rep. Artur Davis (D, AL-07) are the most newsworthy.
Question: The Alabama Congressional delegation, I think only one person that represents Alabama voted in favor of your bill ...
Ms. Ledbetter:"Artur Davis. And I've got to tell you, you're having him here in January and I wish I could be here. He, I hope, is the next governor of this state because he's the one who carried my case to the Labor Education Committee of George Miller ... Now, for some reason he wants to be the governor of this state and I want him to be too!"
Asked if Congressman Parker Griffith gave her a satisfactory explanation for voting against the Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, she said "I'll tell you the truth, I never got to him. I called his office many times. He is just like my representative ... Mike Rogers* ... he doesn't take calls. I never got anybody in Parker Griffith's office, either in Washington or here."
These men really ought to be ashamed of themselves, and they ought to be voted out of office by the women of this state -- or at the very least have to face a woman in the primaries next June. This would make a great campaign issue for some Alabama women to run on.
As far as I can tell, this is the first time Lilly Ledbetter has publicly stated her support for Davis in the Alabama governor's race. That was my question, which was headed somewhere entirely different, but she siezed the opportunity to voice what is obviously heartfelt support for Artur Davis.
* Mike Rogers (R, AL-03) already has a 2010 opponent, Democrat Josh Segall.
Worried seniors + disingenuous Congressman = violence at retirement home.
Mike Rogers (R, AL-03) can't keep the lid on town hall meeting at a retirement home! Way to look like a leader, Congressman. Brittany Whitley of the Auburn-Opelika News offers a first hand account:
When the meeting ended, I got up to gather names and ask a few more questions. Right behind me, the man involved in the initial confrontation was swinging at another man. He hit him, and after a scuffle, was pulled off. People quickly began to leave. As I was walking out, one man confronted me, saying I didn’t need to put what I had just seen in the paper.
The instigator was apparently anti-reform -- Whitley says early in the meeting another reform opponent stood up and said "I'm not here to make nice." No kidding. If you can't win the argument with facts, there's always fists.
These were older people, almost certainly concerned by widespread misinformation on rationing, death panels and so forth. Instead of reassuring them with actual facts and calming the situation down, Mike Rogers let it escalate to the point of violence -- or maybe even helped it along.
I understand the Congressman addressed the death panel rumor by pointing out the largest health care costs are associated with the last 2 years of life, so when the government needs to cut costs, you can expect the cuts to come from there.
Mary Orndoff found Alabama's Congressional delegation submitted 147 earmarks to steer hundreds of millions in federal money to private, for profit companies, some of whom are campaign contributors:
Mike Rogers (R, AL-03) submitted 40 requests for $272 million .
Sen Jeff Sessions (R) submitted 38 requests totaling $225 million.
Reps. Jo Bonner (R, AL-01), Spencer Bachus (R, AL-06) and Artur Davis (D, AL-07) submitted no earmark requests.
[Mike] Rogers submitted 40 requests for private companies worth more than $272 million. Of those, three made the cut and are in the House version of the defense spending bill, albeit for lesser amounts than requested.
Mike Rogers is reputed to be the least effective member of the Alabama delegation. Looks like that reputation is deserved -- he can't even deliver on special favors for his friends, although not for lack of trying.
Americans are already paying for health care. We pay more than anyone else in the world for health care. Problem is, even though we've scrimped and saved to keep paying the insurance premiums, too often the profit-obsessed insurance industry denies our claim. Or drops us altogether when we get sick. And if they decide whatever we have isn't covered by that "comprehensive health care policy" we've paid premiums on for half a lifetime, do they kindly refund our (obviously wasted) money? No, they do not. They move it over into their "obscene profits" column, leaving us high and dry.
Doing nothing has a cost. We're already paying for health care, we're just not getting our money's worth. The Just Say NO to Reform party apparently thinks that's OK.
What’s the cost of not reforming health care?
Premiums rising faster than your paycheck.
Insurance companies dictating more and more medical decisions.
Denying you coverage while their profits soar.
The cost of doing nothing means rising co-pays and out-of-pocket expenses. Families faced with paying the mortgage or paying for health care.
But some leading Republicans, playing politics, have vowed to kill reform.
Tell Republicans the cost of doing nothing on health care is just too high.
The lies and half-truths and outright scare tactics about reform aren't just coming from Washington or the usual mouthpieces like Rush Limbaugh and O'Reilly. Alabama Republicans are actively peddling health care reform disinformation, too. AlGOP Chairman Mike Hubbard says they're going to tax our iced tea to pay for it, along with a lot of other stuff he knows is either exaggerated or flatly untrue. Rep. Mike Rogers (R, AL-03) has been spouting scary half-truths about rationing and government run health care on the floor of the House of Representatives. His hometown newspaper handily takes him to task for those exaggerations.
There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.
Here in Alabama our disinformation isn't limited to anonymous emails. It's just as likely to come packaged in the form of an op-ed from a Republican leader or a floor speech by a Republican Congressman. No matter how you wrap it, it still smells like BS.
The National Republican Congressional Committee on Thursday will name 15 more Members to its “Patriot” program to boost the party’s most vulnerable incumbents in 2010, bringing its membership to 25.
Who's at the top of the list for "most vulnerable incumbents in 2010? Our own Mike Rogers (R, AL-03) who barely squeaked by last November -- and challenger Josh Segall (D) is back to take another swing at Alabama's least effective member of Congress.
The NRCC's Patriot program is modelled on the DCCC's successful Frontline program to protect incumbents. Yes, it's true, Republicans do not have any original ideas. Let's hope their copycat skills are poor, too.
Everyone tells us the economy is bad and credit is tight, but the economic crisis is personal for thirteen hundred people in Central Alabama. Plantation Patterns, a subsidiary of Meadowcraft, Inc. with plants in Wadley and Selma has been in bankruptcy since March 20 and may permanently close their doors on Friday. In Wadley, the company employs about 500 people making wrought iron furniture in a town with a population of less than 650. There is no other industry in town and Mayor Jim Dabbs says the loss of Meadowcraft jobs would devastate Wadley.
"Other than Meadowcraft, we have a couple of restaurants, gas stations and Southern Union Community College."
Making matters even worse, Meadowcraft owes the city of Wadley around $168,000 in unpaid utility bills. In addition to the Wadley plant, Meadowcraft also employs approximately 800 people at a plant in Selma, Alabama where they make soft goods such as cushions and umbrellas. Over 20% of people in Randolph County (where Wadley is located) live below the poverty level. For Dallas County (home to Selma) the figure is 30%.
Meadowcraft's problem isn't slow sales. Nope. The company has orders for furniture. What they lack is cash. Unfortunately, Jerry Camp, former president, and Larry Maynor, chief financial officer, were dismissed last March in the wake of "accounting irregularities," leaving the company with unpaid bills and a shortage of cash. As in, struggling to meet payroll and unable to pay creditors -- some of whom forced Meadowcraft into involuntary bankruptcy.
Meadowcraft has orders. They have equipment. They have workers. There's no question this is a viable business. The problem is they can't get credit to continue operating until the current management can purchase the business.
And who can't they get credit from? Wells Fargo/Wachovia -- who accepted $25 billion in federal Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) money just a few months ago. I don't know how much Meadowcraft needs, but I'll bet Wells Fargo Chairman's 2007 compensation of $22,874,952 would make a healthy dent in it.
I heard about the plight of Wadley from Democratic congressional candidate Josh Segall, who also told me there will be a Rally to Save Meadowcraft Jobs Thursday morning at 9 am in Roanoke. If anyone is in the neighborhood with a camera, please send pictures. Details of the rally are at the end of this post.
(Short answer: NO. Rogers is a do-nothing incumbent who needs to be voted out in 2010. - promoted by mooncat)
I just saw a video where Mike Rogers (R, AL-03) complains about government spending. Gee, I wish Mike Rogers of July 16th, 2009 could have a talk with Mike Rogers of January 12th, 2007 that voted against allowing the government to negotiate for lower prices as part of Medicare Part D. That's just a giveaway to pharmaceutical companies. Yes Mike, government billions given away by you.
"The Veterans Administration, which is allowed to negotiate drug prices and establish a formulary, pays 58% less for drugs, on average, than Medicare Part D."
Or he could talk to the Mike Rogers that voted for $100 Billion in war appropriations funding for Iraq and Afghanistan on May 24th 2007 (These wars were given a long term CBO score of $2.4 Trillion, almost 2 and 1/2 times the cost of the healthcare reform that Mike is whining about). Not to mention he voted to extend the Bush tax cuts on 5/10/06 (estimated cost $1.8 Trillion).
Lets talk about some other government spending, like your paycheck. What are we getting for it? Six months in and Mike Rogers hasn't turned a new leaf to get anything done. Even his press releases can't make it sound like he's accomplished anything this term.
I'm tired of this do-nothing Congressman, lets get Josh Segall in there. Donate to Joshua Segall for Congress, no donation is too small (even $5 sends a message)
I hope Congressman Mike Rogers (AL-03) is looking forward to retirement or a lucrative career as an industry lobbyist - or any future that doesn't include a seat in the US House of Representatives.
Josh Segall, who is making another run at Rogers in 2010, announced that he has hired Chad Horrell as campaign manager. Horrell brings an enormous amount of campaign experience and field organizing know-how to the Segall campaign.
From Segall's press release:
Chad oversaw the national party's field programs for every targeted race in the South, from Virginia to Florida to Texas. He worked with the country's strongest candidates, many of whom went to Congress, and orchestrated some of the largest efforts their districts had ever seen to have conversations with voters at their doorstep.
This is exactly what we intend to do in this campaign ...
It's an indication - as if we needed one - that Segall will be a much more formidable candidate this cycle than in 2008. Not because he's changing his positions on the issues, but because he's finally attracting the attention of the national party, its candidate support structure, and fundraising assistance.
Congratulations to Josh Segall and a big Alabama welcome to Chad Horrell too.
It's official! Josh Segall is making another run at Mike Rogers in Alabama's 3rd Congressional district. After an amazingly close race in 2008, Segall is already attracting more state and national attention.
Expect this race to be on everyone's "hot list."
Segall's announcement email states:
Because of our success last cycle, our race this cycle will be one of the nation's most high-profile. That means more time, focus and outreach to spread our message of economic growth and prosperity for Alabama and for rural areas all over the country. With national exposure and with your continued advice and generosity, I believe, to my core, that we will win this race.
From your email, to the voters' ears and pocketbooks, Josh!
There are just eight days left in this reporting period, but that's plenty of time to give Segall a big financial boost. Click here to donate!
On the flip, you can watch clips from his 2008 debate with Mike Rogers. If that won't open your wallet, nothing will...
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Big Pharma is spending a ton of money to keep Josh Segall out of Congress. 
Yeah, he's a Republican so we already knew he was a hypocrite, but I just noticed that 
I used to think Republicans were the 
Everyone tells us the economy is bad and credit is tight, but the economic crisis is personal for 
Josh Segall, who is making another run at Rogers in 2010, announced that he has hired 
It's official! 
