Republicans Jo Bonner & Spencer Bachus Vote to Allow Importation of Radioactive Waste

by: mooncat

Thu Dec 03, 2009 at 13:20:35 PM CST

From the department of what the heck are these guys thinking? 

Isn't the nasty waste generated in this country -- some of which ends up in Perry County, Alabama -- enough for us to deal with? 

Apparently not for Jo Bonner (R, AL-01) & Spencer Bachus (R, AL-06) who voted against the Radioactive Import Deterrence Act (HR 515) which -- thankfully! -- passed this week.  The official GOP line for voting to accept the gently glowing foreign waste is they "think of it as jobs."  At least they didn't say "good jobs" or "safe jobs."

All three Alabama Democrats -- Artur Davis (D, AL-07), Bobby Bright (BD, AL-02) and Parker Griffith (BD, AL-05) -- voted to keep the radioactive waste out of the United States.  If one of them represents you, you might want to say thanks next time you see him.

What's Your Congressman Worth?

by: mooncat

Mon Nov 30, 2009 at 09:41:52 AM CST

Seriously?  Roll Call has used information from 2009 financial disclosure forms to assemble this nifty table of the minimum value of assets and liabilities for all 435 Members of Congress.

Assets include stocks, bank accounts, rental properties and other income-producing holdings; liabilities are most frequently mortgages and other bank loans. Assets and liabilites are reported in broad ranges; this table uses the minimum of all reported ranges and subtracts liabilities from assets to produce a minimum net worth.

The Alabama delegation, from wealthiest to poorest:

1. Parker Griffith (D, AL-05)
2. Bobby Bright (D, AL-02)
3. Robert Aderholt (R, AL-04)
4. Mike Rogers (R, AL-03)
5. Jo Bonner (R, AL-01)
6. Spencer Bachus (R, AL-06)
7. Artur Davis (D, AL-07)

For perspective, the gap in minimum net worth between Bachus and Davis is more than half a million dollars.  Davis is one of 34 members reporting a minimum net worth of zero or less. 

Unemployment Benefit Extension - Not a Party Line Vote for Alabama Delegation

by: mooncat

Fri Sep 25, 2009 at 07:48:21 AM CDT

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.

Spencer Bachus Town Hall

by: mooncat

Fri Aug 14, 2009 at 20:54:33 PM CDT

The Over the Mountain Democrats advise us of Rep. Bachus' Town Hall on Health Care on Monday and urge all progressive citizens in the Birmingham area to make every effort to attend so that Congressman Bachus will hear from people who support reforming our broken health care system as well as the nay sayers screamers. And even if you absolutely can't attend (better have a really good excuse!) you can email questions to the Congressman's office.  Please take the time to do this if you live in Rep. Bachus' district.

Dear Friends,

I want to invite you to attend a Town Hall Meeting on Health Care that I will be holding on Monday, August 17 at 7:00 p.m. at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center in Birmingham.

The meeting is open to the public. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

A Town Hall is a uniquely American way for citizens to make their voices heard on a grass-roots level. This is your opportunity to express your views on the health care legislation under consideration in Congress. To view legislative resources on the health care debate including the bill pending in the House and my special health care message, click here.

You can ask your questions about health care reform at the meeting or submit questions prior to the event by emailing toBachusTownHall@mail.house.gov.

FAST FACTS ON TOWN HALL

WHAT:

CONGRESSMAN BACHUS TOWN HALL ON HEALTH CARE

WHEN:

MONDAY, AUGUST 17 @ 7 PM, DOORS OPEN @ 6:30PM

WHERE:

CAHABA GRAND GRAND CONFERENCE CENTER

3600 GRANDVIEW PARKWAY

FOR DIRECTIONS, CLICK HERE

There's some talk of grabbing a beer afterwards at Blackwell's Pub. Let's hope it's an orderly meeting and a healthy exchange of ideas.

War Supplemental Passed, All Alabama Repubs Vote Against Funding Troops

by: mooncat

Fri Jun 19, 2009 at 15:57:06 PM CDT

Whatever happened to "a vote against the Supplemental is a vote to withhold vital support from our troops in the field?"  Apparently Alabama Republicans no longer care about funding for troops in the field since they all voted against the $80 billion in emergency war spending this week.

Alabama's congressional delegation voted along party lines when the House narrowly approved an emergency war-spending bill that provides $80 billion to maintain defense and intelligence activities in Iraq and Afghanistan for the rest of the year.

...

In the Alabama delegation, Democrats Rep. Artur Davis of Birmingham, Bobby Bright of Montgomery and Parker Griffith of Huntsville voted for the emergency spending bill. Votine "no" were Republicans Spencer Bachus of Birmingham, Robert Aderholt of Haleyville, Jo Bonner of Mobile and Mike Rogers of Saks.

This just proves once again that you can't spell hypocrisy without G-O-P.  Trust me, the "G" is hiding in there somewhere.  From The Hill:

For years, Republicans portrayed the bills funding the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as matters of national security and accused Democrats who voted against them of voting against the troops.

In 2005, Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) went so far as to say sending troops into battle and not paying for it would be an “immoral thing to do.” And just last year, more House Republicans voted for the war supplemental bill than did Democrats, who opposed the legislation because it did little to wind down the military effort in Iraq.

So Alabama Republicans are now doing immoral things -- or things that were immoral just a couple of years ago.  Why am I not surprised?  It's all about political expediency.

Spencer Bachus: Effective As A Seven Legged Chair?

by: mooncat

Wed May 06, 2009 at 09:18:16 AM CDT

Ranking Republican Spencer Bachus (R, AL-06) hasn't exactly been a tower of strength opposing Rep. Barney Frank's (D, MA-04) agenda on the House Financial Services Committee.  The flailing continues as Bachus rolls out a new strategy of "empowering" his subcommittee ranking members.  He's trying to make lemonade out of lemons if you ask me.  Let's go step by step, emphasis mine.

Lawmakers and lobbyists say Bachus has been unable to go toe to toe with Frank, noting that a cadre of GOP leaders wanted to deny him the top spot on the committee following the 2008 elections.

And while Frank has been passing his committee bills on the House floor, Republicans have been grappling with how to respond to the financial crisis without embracing a large government remedy.

Amid the legislative frenzy, Bachus exasperated some Republicans by steering way off message, claiming there are 17 socialists in Congress.

Bachus hasn't put together an effective opposition, the GOP has no financial plan (this is the true root of their problem) and his party has the good sense to realize the McCarthy-esque socialist remarks were dumber than dirt.  As a result ...

... Bachus was forced to relinquish some authority to the more conservative individuals on the committee ...

And Bachus was already on the outs with his Republican brethren ... 

Conservatives in the party were livid last fall when Bachus ... appeared to support the original administration package — despite the fact that he had no authority to cut deals on behalf of the conference.

So they have forced Bachus to share his authority with more ideologically correct Republicans.

Since that time, a GOP lawmaker on the committee said that there has been a noticeable difference in the authority Bachus wields.

“Think of it as a chair — whereas before he was standing on his own four legs, he’s got three other legs under him now,” the source said.

If you've ever had a piece of furniture with more than four legs you know the extras are far more trouble than they're worth.  I doubt this shared authority arrangement will work any better in for House Republicans than it does with chairs.  I'm sure Barney Frank is resting easier now that his opposition is a seven-legged chair.

Spencer Bachus: Socialist Comment Keeps On Giving

by: mooncat

Mon Apr 20, 2009 at 11:59:28 AM CDT

Our own Spencer Bachus' damned fool comment about "17 socialists in Congress" is still garnering nationwide attention.  The Santa Fe New Mexican ran this excellent snarky piece in their Sunday edition.  As far as I know, Bachus hasn't released his super top secret list of socialists, but the SFNM has some educated guesses.

There's the notorious You Know Who, from You Know Where; you know, the one who supports the federal income tax that New Mexico's former governor, Gary Johnson, was out on the Santa Fe Plaza protesting just last Wednesday.

Yessir, the income tax positively reeks of a famous old heresy: from each according to his abilities to each according to his needs. And who promoted that notion? None other than Karl Marx.

...

These are trying times — and Rep. Bachus, along with any number of commentators posing as political leaders, are certainly trying ...

Amen to that!  Alabama is blessed with more than our share of trying bloviators posing as leaders.

And the Winner Is ... Mike Rogers

by: mooncat

Mon Apr 13, 2009 at 19:32:32 PM CDT

Via King Cockfight, the 2009 Friends of the Cockfight Family Steely Dan Fan Club “Asshole(s) of the Year” Award goes to Mike Rogers (R, AL-03):

“We Cockfights believe that being a smoke-churning asshole is key to dignified political discourse,” said J. Eagle Cockfight II, a semi-retired conservative lobbyist, in announcing the award at the Mountain Brook Community Church — so that the local press and other undesirables would not know the location of his home.

“Mouthy assholes such as Mike Rogers exemplify the spirit of this award,” Eagle said. “Because how else are we to show the illicitly breeding, half-tarded lessers that their little ape-heads just aren’t thick and, more importantly, well-moneyed enough to participate in the political process?

“You did good work, Mikey.”

Hilarious.  Competition for the Asshole of the Year award must have been stiff this season, what with Richard Shelby not having seen the President's birth certificate and Spencer Bachus with his super secret list of socialists (squirrelled away in his special, double naught, super secret agent safe, perhaps?) in Congress.

Make up your mind, Spencer.

by: BenGoshi

Wed Mar 18, 2009 at 10:30:32 AM CDT

 On that Subcommittee is Alabama's own Spencer Bachus.  In his opening statement Spencer gave us these pearls of wisdom regarding AIG and the various debacles at which it's at the heart:

"The failure to regulate; the failure of oversight by the Congress.  We're to blame."
.
.
.
"The government has got to get more involved [in regulating companies like AIG]..."

Where to begin?

Well, I'm glad that Mr. Bachus understands, that he finally "gets" that a "failure to regulate [Wall Street]" has lead to this.  And I'm happy that he accepts, as a Member of Congress, his share of the blame for failing in his regulatory (or, better put, failing to craft and support solid, regulatory legislation) and oversight responsibilities.  And I am pleasantly shocked that Mr. Bachus now says that the "goverment has to get more involved."

But, thing is, it's been Spencer Bachus and his Right Wing ilk that has for that past 2, 3 decades recited ad nauseum their sacred and talismanic mantra:  "Let the market work."

Well, Spencer, the market's not only "worked", it's worked us over, no thanks to you and your lifetime aversion to solid, responsible regulation and oversight of Wall Street.

Here's what Spencer Bachus said in the summer of 2007 -- taking us Progressives to school regarding Wall Street regulation and oversight:

 "Meanwhile, the House Financial Services Committee held a hearing the same day in which the President's [read:  W. Bush's] Working Group on Capital Markets reported on hedge funds and their systemic risks.  Committee Chairman Spencer Bachus (R-Alabama), noted in his opening speech that earlier this year 'the PWG endorsed an approach to hedge-fund regulation that relies primarily on market pressures and incentives to contain risk.  The PWG concluded--correctly, in my view--that market discipline, together with statutory limitations restricting access to hedge funds to wealthy investors, can sufficiently mitigate industry risks.  By emphasizing the importance of free market forces rather than the heavy hand of excessive government regulation, I believe that the PWG has struck the right balance in regulating the activities of these highly innovative investment vehicles.'"

Investment Advisor July 11, 2007

.

 Good call, there, Spencer.

BenGoshi
________________

^{Postscript -- Spencer doesn't want to "play the blame game", by the way.  I bet he doesn't.  If I ever again get pulled-over for speeding, I'm thinking I should tell the officer that he should let me go on my way and not to "play the blame game".  That Congressman Bachus said so.}

Tuesday Morning Roundup

by: mooncat

Tue Jan 06, 2009 at 09:49:59 AM CST

1.  The LA Times came to Birmingham and the only people interesting enough to quote are a tourist from Pittsburg and a homeless man.  Way to earn those big newspaper journalist bucks.

2.  Spencer Bachus wants hearings on how Bernie Madoff  made off with $50 billion of somebody else's money.  That's fine and good, but isn't this a bit like closing the barn door after the whole herd escapes?  Was Bachus proposing more oversight and regulation 5 or 10 or even 15 years ago when it might have prevented this sort of grand monumental ginormous theft from investors?

3.  God, or at least the Christian Broadcasting Network, is not on the side of labor unions.  I read the article twice and found no mention of the roughly half a billion dollars Alabama taxpayers have given these foreign-owned companies to entice them to build plants in our state, but the author was honest enough to mention that "GM has 360,000 retirees. In America, Hyundai has zero."  True.  Do they mean to imply that GM would be immediately more competitive if God struck down those 360,000 GM retirees and got them off the books tomorrow?  Or that Hyundai will never keep employees long enough for them to get pensions?  Neither option is particularly Christian...

4.  Foreign auto companies who came to Alabama for the tax breaks and cheap labor are doing great in the marketplace, right?  Not so much, notwithstanding what our Senators tell us.  Sales of Alabama made vehicles were down 53% in December.  How does that compare to Big Three sales?  Well, Chrysler sales were also down 53%, Ford's were down 32% and GM's dropped by 31%, same as Nissan.  To reiterate, sales of made in Alabama vehicles are down exactly as much as sales of Chrysler vehicles, as of last month.  

5.  Newly elected Congressman Bobby Bright (being sworn in today) want's to eliminate cost of living raises for members of Congress and opposes any bailout for any organization or special interest out there.  As long as he's taking a hard line, maybe he'd like to draw a really bright line and give up the taxpayer provided health insurance and pension benefits members of Congress receive, too.  That's how the rest of us have to live, after all.

6.  Speaking of how regular folks live, 65,000 more Alabamians needed food stamps to get by in 2008 than in 2007.  That is 1 in 7 of us and the economic downturn, recession, depression or whatever they like to call it, is just getting cranked up. 

7.  Alcohol sales are up, another sure sign of hard times. 

8.  Alabama farmers need broadband internet service.  So do the rest of Alabama's rural residents.  This is infrastructure development that will pay huge dividends in the future, especially in the least developed parts of Alabama.  Bob Riley just selected a contractor to make broadband internet service available throughout the state.  The $1.7 million cost will mostly be paid through federal grants.  Your tax dollars at work, in a good way.

9.  The 111th Congress begins today and the Tuscaloosa News has high hopes for Alabama's freshman Congressmen, Bobby Bright and Parker Griffith.  I have to confess, my expectations for this Congress are a little closer to those expressed over at the Orange by Bill in Portland Maine:

With virtually no exceptions, Republican members will continue insisting that the policies of shitting on the little guy are the only ones that they'll support, and Democratic members will continue to give these idiots serious thought and consideration in the futile hope that we can all just get along.

... You failed us and failed us and failed us. Collectively you're a bunch of irresponsible opportunistic whiny ether-sniffing assface sissypants bedwetters until such time that you prove through your deeds that you're not.

Dear members of the 111th Congress, please surprise me -- and finding your backbone only long enough to oppose President Obama's agenda is not the surprise I'm looking for. 

That $75 an Hour UAW Wage Is a Lie

by: mooncat

Fri Nov 21, 2008 at 23:06:02 PM CST

Admit it, you knew the $40/hour vs. $75/hour spin had to be a fabrication, even if Alabama Congressman Spencer Bachus was flogging it recently:

“I have automobile plants in my district. They pay $25 to $35 per employee per hour,” said Rep. Spencer Bachus of Alabama, ranking Republican on the House Financial Services Committee. “I am sure that I am going to be asked, ‘Congressman, I work at Honda or Mercedes, I make $40 an hour; why are you going to take my taxpayer dollars and pay it to a company who pays their employees $75 an hour?’

And of course it is a fabrication.  Jonathon Cohn has done the research and shares the real story on compensation for UAW rank and file. 

Let's start with the fact that it's not $70 per hour in wages. According to Kristin Dziczek of the Center for Automative Research--who was my primary source for the figures you are about to read--average wages for workers at Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors were just $28 per hour as of 2007. That works out to a little less than $60,000 a year in gross income--hardly outrageous, particularly when you consider the physical demands of automobile assembly work and the skills most workers must acquire over the course of their careers.

More important, and contrary to what you may have heard, the wages aren't that much bigger than what Honda, Toyota, and other foreign manufacturers pay employees in their U.S. factories. While we can't be sure precisely how much those workers make, because the companies don't make the information public, the best estimates suggests the corresponding 2007 figure for these "transplants"--as the foreign-owned factories are known--was somewhere between $20 and $26 per hour, and most likely around $24 or $25. That would put average worker's annual salary at $52,000 a year.

Next Time… (Part 3)

by: robertsullivan1973

Thu Nov 13, 2008 at 14:25:43 PM CST

Next Time… (Part 2)

by: robertsullivan1973

Fri Nov 07, 2008 at 10:00:35 AM CST

Why Democrats Need a Challenger in Every Race

by: mooncat

Mon Aug 18, 2008 at 22:31:19 PM CDT

It should be obvious -- never give the opposition a pass -- but Democrats are still giving too many Republicans a free ride to reelection.  But, you say, there's just no way any Democrat in the pipeline would stand much chance against Jo Bonner in AL-01 or Spencer Bachus in AL-06.  So what?  Winning isn't always the point.

If Spencer Bachus had an opponent this year, I doubt he'd be going to Aspen for a retreat at a McCain fundraiser's posh place, hobnobbing with August Busch III and Sheldon Adelson, 12th richest man in the world and founder of Freedom's Watch -- nice name for a smarmy organization, that.

The list of McCain’s “Trailblazers” and “Innovators” includes Carly Fiorina, former CEO of Hewlett-Packard and a senior McCain adviser; August A. Busch III of the Anheuser Busch Co.; Fred Smith, CEO of FedEx; and Ted Forstmann of Forstmann, Little & Co., which frequently holds conferences in Aspen.

Also included on the fundraisers list are Las Vegas moguls Stephen Wynn, CEO of Mirage Resorts Inc., and Sheldon Adelson, CEO of Las Vegas Sands Corp.

Politicians on the list include Utah Governor Jon Hunstman, Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL), Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA), and former Sens. Alfonse D’Amato and Phil Gramm....

Several of McCain’s top campaign aides — Charlie Black, Rick Davis and Steve Schmidt — are also expected to come to Aspen.

And if the Alabama Democratic Party had recruited someone, anyone to run against Jo Bonner in AL-01, there's no way Bonner would funnel money to Dave Reichert (R-Boeing) in the state of Washington. 

Reichert has received money before from both sides in the tanker fight. Boeing’s political action committee donated $7,000 to his campaign, and Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.), who represents Mobile, kicked in $1,000, according to Federal Election Commission records.

You may remember that netroots candidate Darcy Burner is running against Reichert and it's expected to be a very close race.  If we had tied Bonner down here, he wouldn't be helping her opponent in Washington.

Look at the big picture, y'all.  Field a candidate in every race, from dogcatcher on up.  It builds our bench and keeps the opposition honest. 

Tuesday Roundup

by: mooncat

Tue Jul 22, 2008 at 12:20:04 PM CDT

 
Leadership means people follow you.
 

Now, on to the roundup.  Feel free to add your links and thoughts in the comments. 

Corey Ealons joins the Obama campaign as communications director for African American media. Ealons was Rep.Artur Davis' deputy chief of staff and communications director.

Spencer Bachus: Still a complete moron who talks out of his ass 90% of the time.

Swingstate Project upgrades AL-02 race to "Lean Republican" saying Jay Love was "was battered heavily in a divisive primary." His pocketbook was battered too, since he spend $650,000 of his own money in that primary.

The dogs of Birmingham. An airport is the minimum due Rev. Shuttlesworth.

Health insurance woes from an Alabama Rebel in Ted Kennedy's Court.

87,000 people want Karl Rove sent to jail.

Civilization!  Nice music, but this is depressingly close to the mark.

Republican spin notwithstanding, drilling is not the answer to high gas prices.

Pre-Emptive pardons.  Anybody willing to bet against this?

Holmes on Homes is just about my only television vice outside of an addiction to news programming. What's not to like? He steps in where the unscrupulous and incompetent have made a pig's breakfast and makes it right. Well, Mike Holmes is spending the summer in New Orleans. There is no bigger pig's breakfast in America than the one Bush and Congress have left in NOLA.

Why are these partisan issues?

by: mooncat

Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 14:08:52 PM CDT

Are unemployment and efficient transportation really partisan issues?  It's good to watch how our representatives are "representing" us in Washington, and since there's precious little reporting in the press of their actual votes, so we try to highlight some of them here.  All too often, the Alabama delegation splits along party lines.  

#1:  Is extending unemployment benefits really a partisan issue?  Just look at the map of unemployment rates in Alabama.  You don't see full employment in Republican districts and high unemployment only in Democratic ones.  Today House Democrats are trying to pass an extension of unemployment benefits.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that first-time filings for unemployment benefits spiked upward in the latest week, hitting the highest level since late March, as the number of continuing jobless claims reached the highest level since early 2004.

The unemployment bill failed by three votes yesterday, in the face of Republican opposition.  All Alabama Republicans except Mike Rogers (R, AL-03) voted against it.  After yesterday's vote, DCCC Chairman Chris Van Hollen released the following statement:

"House Republican efforts to defend the status quo and protect George Bush's and John McCain's failed economic polices have reached a new low. Less than one week after the largest one-month jump in America's unemployment rate in two decades, House Republicans blocked passage of a bill to extend unemployment insurance to workers, who are struggling to find a new job in this slowing economy.  

"This is a firm reminder that Republicans are absolutely comfortable with the status quo and are completely out of touch with the harsh economic realities facing American workers."

There is higher than average unemployment in Jo Bonner's district and in Terry Everett's and they voted "NO," so it isn't just a case of looking out for their own district and ignoring everyone else.  What are they thinking?

 #2: Why is efficient transportation a partisan issue?

What do Republicans in Congress have against efficiency? They’ve recently voted against efficient public schools, against efficient light bulbs, and against efficient crane conservation. Now, Republicans in Congress are trying to destroy legislation that would promote efficient transportation.

These are the Alabama Congressmen (all Republicans) who voted against the efficient transportation bill. 

Robert Aderholt
Spencer Bachus
Jo Bonner
Terry Everett
Mike Rogers

Reducing demand for fossil fuels is a key part of reducing our dependence on imported oil.  These guys need to know more about energy independence than just "let's drill in the Alaska Wildlife Refuge."

Call to action:  If you are "represented" by one of these Repubs, please give him a call or email and ask him to really REPRESENT your views.

Conservatism Has "Failed Miserably" for Alabamians

by: mooncat

Sun Jun 01, 2008 at 20:14:08 PM CDT

The Anniston Star had an excellent editorial this week -- as they often do --offering some advice for Alabama's incumbent Republicans before they face the voters in November:

Put aside your rigid ideology/party loyalty and promote a more progressive future for your state and the nation.

Of course, the Star's editors weren't born yesterday and don't actually expect the Republicans to follow their advice and embrace progressivism, no matter how smart that would be:

As they have in the past, Alabama's GOP congressmen will quite likely campaign this fall on their conservative bona fides, bragging on their desire for small government and low taxes.

While an excellent electoral political strategy, it has failed miserably as a method of leading Alabamians.

In a contradiction, these conservative congressmen have overseen the massive growth of the government, with budgets going up and government's power to intrude on the lives of citizens rising as well.

Really, go read this editoral.  Do it now.  We'll still be here when you get back.  The piece lays out the failures of incumbent Republicans in unusual detail:

• Rubber-stamped Bush's disastrous Iraq policies
• Intervened in a family decision re: Terri Schiavo
• Failed to achieve rational immigration reform
• Chipped away at Constitutional Rights such as habeas corpus
• Supported Bush's warrantless wiretapping program to spy on American citizens
  
• Opposed a new and improved GI Bill sponsored by Sen. Jim Webb, D-Va.
• Resisted improving health care for children in the form of S-CHIP
• Voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007
• Refused to consider equitable tax policies, thereby "heaping a huge financial burden on the shoulders of America's next generation"
• Brought back a remarkable $1.71 in federal money for every $1 Alabama pays in federal taxes. Pork, anyone?
  
• Tolerated the botched federal response to hurricane Katrina.

The Anniston Star is not alone in pointing out the failure of conservatism.  Recently Newt Gingrich said "The Republican brand has been so badly damaged that if Republicans try to run an anti-Obama, anti- Reverend Wright, or (if Senator Clinton wins), anti-Clinton campaign, they are simply going to fail"; NRCC chair Tom Cole (R, OK) said the problem is not the Republican campaign strategy, but the party itself; and Rep. Tom Davis (R, VA) said of his party, "if we were dog food, they would take us off the shelf."  Former Republican Congressman Mickey Edwards -- he used to represent my sister's district in Oklahoma and is very conservative -- says Republicans have only themselves to blame:

Republican members of Congress are in trouble because they deserve to be. Because they yawned when a Republican president declared that he was free to disobey the law. Because they walked out of the House chambers rather than vote to enforce congressional subpoenas of administration officials. Because they acted like White House staff rather than as members of a separate and equal branch of government.

Will Alabama Republicans (Jeff Sessions (Sen.), Jo Bonner (AL-01),Mike Rogers (AL-03), Robert Aderholt (AL-04) and Spencer Bachus (AL-06), not to mention the Republican nominees in AL-02 and AL-05) do the smart thing and actually change their conservative spots between now and November?  I doubt it.  Conservative Republicans specialize in denying reality -- they've been doing it since they got elected.  Fortunately, voters seem to have caught on to their scam.

The New GI Bill, Supporting the Troops for Real

by: mooncat

Fri May 16, 2008 at 08:12:11 AM CDT

The next post down is a statement from 4th District candidate Greg Warren taking incumbent Robert Aderholt to task for voting against the New GI Bill yesterday. 

Representative Aderholt, who has never served a single day in uniform for our country, shows his lack of support for our hardworking military personnel by his vote in opposition of the New GI Bill. This is just another example of Representative Aderholt turning his back on the hardworking citizens of his own district and the nation. As a U. S. Navy veteran, I understand the need to stand behind and support our wonderful men and women in uniform.

Of course, Aderholt was not the only Alabama Republican to vote "NO" on the benefit package for returning veterans.  In their usual lockstep fashion, ALL THE ALABAMA REPUBLICANS VOTED AGAINST IT.  Although 32 Republicans voted in favor of the measure, Spencer Bachus, Jo Bonner, Terry Everett and Mike Rogers joined Robert Aderholt in voting against expanded educational benefits for veterans.

Here's what Paul Rieckoff says about this vote:

This afternoon, the House of Representatives made history. By an overwhelming margin, lawmakers passed the landmark new GI Bill which will make college affordable to the more than 1.6 million Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.

As President Roosevelt said when he signed the original GI Bill for veterans of World War II,

"[The GI Bill] gives emphatic notice to the men and women in our armed forces that the American people do not intend to let them down."

The House of Representatives renewed that promise. This is a tremendous and bipartisan commitment to our troops. We've seen enough bumper sticker and lapel pin patriotism; today, we saw the real thing.

Bumper sticker and lapel pin patriotism ... we've let our Representatives get by with that for too darned long.  It's time for a change.  Let's send some real patriots to Washington in November, like Greg Warren in AL-04 and his counterparts in Alabama's 1st, 2nd and 3rd districts, too.

* Rieckhoff is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the Executive Director and Founder of IAVA (Iraq & Afghanistan Veterans of America) -- he knows what real patriotism looks like from the inside.

Republicans - They Voted For Motherhood Before They Voted Against It.

by: mooncat

Sat May 10, 2008 at 23:45:34 PM CDT

The House Republicans have taken leave of their senses -- and I mean totally lost it. From Dana Milbank in the Washington Post:

It was already shaping up to be a difficult year for congressional Republicans. Now, on the cusp of Mother's Day, comes this: A majority of the House GOP has voted against motherhood.

On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.

"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.

Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt's request, setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers.

It has long been the custom to compare a popular piece of legislation to motherhood and apple pie. Evidently, that is no longer the standard. Worse, Republicans are now confronted with a John Kerry-esque predicament: They actually voted for motherhood before they voted against it.

Republicans, unhappy with the Democratic majority, have been using such procedural tactics as this all week to bring the House to a standstill, but the assault on mothers may have gone too far. House Minority Leader John Boehner, asked yesterday to explain why he and 177 of his colleagues switched their votes, answered: "Oh, we just wanted to make sure that everyone was on record in support of Mother's Day."

By voting against it?

And how did Alabama's "family values" Republican Congressmen vote?  NO.  Every single one of them -- Robert Aderholt, Spencer Bachus, Jo Bonner, Terry Everett and Mike Rogers -- voted "NO."  Humbug on Mother's Day, from the GOP to you.

Let's be absolutely clear, they all initially voted in favor of the Motherhood resolution, but immediately turned around and voted to undo the original vote.  That manuever is known as a "flip-flop" when a Democrat does it.  It is usually completely ignored when Republicans do it.  Partisan feeling is high in Congress these days but something is seriously wrong with Republican priorities when they play political games with a resolution commending mothers and Mother's Day.  Will it be baseball and apple pie next?

Happy Mother's Day and many thanks to all the mothers and grandmothers out there from the folks at Left in Alabama and from Congressmen Bud Cramer and Artur Davis who are apparently the only members of Alabama's Congressional delegation with the good sense to appreciate Motherhood.

Consistency; Curse or Blessing; Boyd's-eye View

by: piggieheart

Thu Jan 24, 2008 at 16:40:32 PM CST