Terrible Supplemental "War" Appropriations Bill Passed Proving There Are Only 32 Progressive aka True Democrats in the House
Even though there is a Democratic majority in the US House of
Representatives, apparently there are only 32 true, staunch Democrats
in that chamber.
You can forget the other wing on Capitol Hill, the Senate millionaires 100 club, where there is only one party, the corporatist party, bought and controlled by big money, with Democratic and Republican units (although the House is increasingly becoming a millionaire's club, too).
The House shamefully and recklessly passed the supplemental "war" appropriations bill 226 for-202 against (despite the Obama administration claiming no more "supplementals" a la Bush).
As John Nichols wrote at The Nation:
"It's also the Democrats' bailout of some of the biggest banks in Europe. Those banks are in financial trouble because they made risky -- and ultimately unsustainable -- loans in Eastern Europe. But with an assist from the Obama administration and a Democratic Congress, the foreign banks will get a bailout, with U.S. tax dollars funneled through the IMF."
And Jeremy Scahill at AlterNet adds to the list pf ant-war Democrats who sold out and includes more information:
"Now, there are many Democrats who consistently vote for war funding, including Nancy Pelosi, but not many of them have such little shame that they dare characterize themselves as anti-war. Remember, 221 voted Tuesday in favor of the war funding. But for those who campaign as anti-war and signed pledges not to continue funding war and then vote for billions more for wars they claim to oppose, Tuesday should be remembered as a day of shame and cowardice. Here are the Democrats who voted against war funding when it didn't count and yes (on Tuesday) when it did--and when refusing to do so might have affected them personally: Yvette Clarke, Steve Cohen, Jim Cooper, Jerry Costello, Barney Frank, Luis Gutierrez, Jay Inslee, Steve Kagen, Edward Markey, Doris Matsui, Jim McDermott, George Miller, Grace Napolitano, Richard Neal (MA), James Oberstar, Jan Schakowsky, Mike Thompson, Edolphus Towns, Nydia Velázquez, and Anthony Weiner. These legislators should be called and asked why they voted for war funding they claimed to oppose last month.
"It is a pathetic symbol of just how bankrupt the Congressional Democratic leadership is when it comes to U.S. foreign policy that Pelosi, Hoyer et al are trying to use funding for the IMF to convince other Democrats to support war funding. The IMF has been a destabilizing force in many countries across the globe through its austerity measures and structural adjustment schemes. Remember, it was the policies of the IMF and its cohorts at the World Bank and World Trade Organizations that sparked global uprisings in the 1990s.
"To support the IMF funding scam, the Center for American Progress, which has passionately supported Obama’s escalation of the war in Afghanistan, released a position paper this week called, “Bailing Out the Bailer-Outer: Five Reasons Congress Should Agree to Fund the IMF.”
"Thankfully, at least a handful of Democrats seemed to understand the atrocious role the IMF has played and tried (unsuccessfully) to impose rules on the funding that would have confronted the IMF’s austerity measures by requiring that “the funds allocated by Congress for global stimulus are used for stimulatory, and not contractionary, purposes.”
"Tuesday's vote was another one of those moments in Congress where heroes are made, like the day when Sen. Russ Feingold stood alone as the sole Senator to vote against the USA Patriot Act. To paraphrase Bush, it was one of those days when we truly discover who is for war and who is against it.
"Below are the Democrats who stood against Obama's expanding war the day their votes mattered
"Tammy Baldwin, Michael Capuano, John Conyers, Lloyd Doggett, Donna Edwards, Keith Ellison, Sam Farr, Bob Filner, Alan Grayson, Raul Grijalva, Michael Honda, Marcy Kaptur, Dennis Kucinich, Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren, Eric Massa, Jim McGovern, Michael Michaud, Donald Payne, Chellie Pingree, Jared Polis, Jose Serrano, Carol Shea-Porter, Jackie Speier, John Tierney, Nikki Tsongas, Maxine Waters, Diane Watson, Peter Welch, and Lynn Woolsey."
Bob Fertik at Democrats.com. categorizes House Democrats thus: "32 Progressives who fight for their principles; 146 RahmBots who blindly take their orders from Republican lite, investment banking multi-millionaire suffering from a nasty Napolieon complex, Rahm Emanuel; 79 Blue Dogs who take their orders from Big Money."
So, it seems there are only a few true Democrats in the House who actually stand for real Democratic Party principles and values that include government of, by, and for the people, the common good and aren't Republicans in Democratic clothing.
Unfortunately, progressive Democrats throughout this country have so far failed to identify, promote, and elect enough true, honest and honorable Democrats in a non-stop ongoing movement to make a difference, so we're stuck with the destructive, phony Dems: Rahmbots and Blue Dogs.
You can forget the other wing on Capitol Hill, the Senate millionaires 100 club, where there is only one party, the corporatist party, bought and controlled by big money, with Democratic and Republican units (although the House is increasingly becoming a millionaire's club, too).
The House shamefully and recklessly passed the supplemental "war" appropriations bill 226 for-202 against (despite the Obama administration claiming no more "supplementals" a la Bush).
As John Nichols wrote at The Nation:
"Thirty-two Democrats broke with the Obama administration and House Democratic leaders Tuesday to oppose a $106 billion supplemental appropriation to maintain the occupation of Iraq, surge more troops into the quagmire that is Afghanistan, and fund the International Monetary Fund's anti-social policies of forcing developing countries to sacrifice programs for the poor in order to bail out big banks.
"But that wasn't enough to block approval of the measure.
"The final vote was 226 in favor of the supplemental, 202 against.
"The bill passed with Democratic votes -- 221 Democrats backed it, along with 5 Republicans.
"Dozens of Democrats who were elected on anti-war platforms -- including 19 caucus members who opposed the supplemental when an earlier version came before the House in May -- cast disappointing votes. And those disappointing votes have consequences. Among the disappointing Democrats who caved to the pressure to "back the president" were members who have usually been in the anti-war camp, such as Hawaii's Neil Abercrombie and Illinoisans Jesse Jackson Jr. and Jan Schakowsky -- all of whom were early and enthusiastic backers of Obama's presidential campaign."It's also the Democrats' bailout of some of the biggest banks in Europe. Those banks are in financial trouble because they made risky -- and ultimately unsustainable -- loans in Eastern Europe. But with an assist from the Obama administration and a Democratic Congress, the foreign banks will get a bailout, with U.S. tax dollars funneled through the IMF."
And Jeremy Scahill at AlterNet adds to the list pf ant-war Democrats who sold out and includes more information:
"Now, there are many Democrats who consistently vote for war funding, including Nancy Pelosi, but not many of them have such little shame that they dare characterize themselves as anti-war. Remember, 221 voted Tuesday in favor of the war funding. But for those who campaign as anti-war and signed pledges not to continue funding war and then vote for billions more for wars they claim to oppose, Tuesday should be remembered as a day of shame and cowardice. Here are the Democrats who voted against war funding when it didn't count and yes (on Tuesday) when it did--and when refusing to do so might have affected them personally: Yvette Clarke, Steve Cohen, Jim Cooper, Jerry Costello, Barney Frank, Luis Gutierrez, Jay Inslee, Steve Kagen, Edward Markey, Doris Matsui, Jim McDermott, George Miller, Grace Napolitano, Richard Neal (MA), James Oberstar, Jan Schakowsky, Mike Thompson, Edolphus Towns, Nydia Velázquez, and Anthony Weiner. These legislators should be called and asked why they voted for war funding they claimed to oppose last month.
"It is a pathetic symbol of just how bankrupt the Congressional Democratic leadership is when it comes to U.S. foreign policy that Pelosi, Hoyer et al are trying to use funding for the IMF to convince other Democrats to support war funding. The IMF has been a destabilizing force in many countries across the globe through its austerity measures and structural adjustment schemes. Remember, it was the policies of the IMF and its cohorts at the World Bank and World Trade Organizations that sparked global uprisings in the 1990s.
"To support the IMF funding scam, the Center for American Progress, which has passionately supported Obama’s escalation of the war in Afghanistan, released a position paper this week called, “Bailing Out the Bailer-Outer: Five Reasons Congress Should Agree to Fund the IMF.”
"Thankfully, at least a handful of Democrats seemed to understand the atrocious role the IMF has played and tried (unsuccessfully) to impose rules on the funding that would have confronted the IMF’s austerity measures by requiring that “the funds allocated by Congress for global stimulus are used for stimulatory, and not contractionary, purposes.”
"Tuesday's vote was another one of those moments in Congress where heroes are made, like the day when Sen. Russ Feingold stood alone as the sole Senator to vote against the USA Patriot Act. To paraphrase Bush, it was one of those days when we truly discover who is for war and who is against it.
"Below are the Democrats who stood against Obama's expanding war the day their votes mattered
"Tammy Baldwin, Michael Capuano, John Conyers, Lloyd Doggett, Donna Edwards, Keith Ellison, Sam Farr, Bob Filner, Alan Grayson, Raul Grijalva, Michael Honda, Marcy Kaptur, Dennis Kucinich, Barbara Lee, Zoe Lofgren, Eric Massa, Jim McGovern, Michael Michaud, Donald Payne, Chellie Pingree, Jared Polis, Jose Serrano, Carol Shea-Porter, Jackie Speier, John Tierney, Nikki Tsongas, Maxine Waters, Diane Watson, Peter Welch, and Lynn Woolsey."
Bob Fertik at Democrats.com. categorizes House Democrats thus: "32 Progressives who fight for their principles; 146 RahmBots who blindly take their orders from Republican lite, investment banking multi-millionaire suffering from a nasty Napolieon complex, Rahm Emanuel; 79 Blue Dogs who take their orders from Big Money."
So, it seems there are only a few true Democrats in the House who actually stand for real Democratic Party principles and values that include government of, by, and for the people, the common good and aren't Republicans in Democratic clothing.
Unfortunately, progressive Democrats throughout this country have so far failed to identify, promote, and elect enough true, honest and honorable Democrats in a non-stop ongoing movement to make a difference, so we're stuck with the destructive, phony Dems: Rahmbots and Blue Dogs.
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