Joe Manchin: The Cowardly Faux Moderate

Perhaps no politician is more willing to engage in political aerobics than Joe Manchin.  There is no degree to which he will not contort his political statements and ideological alignment in order to obtain and retain power in West Virginia.  Manchin aired an infamous TV ad depicting himself taking aim at the cap and trade bill while campaigning to join the anti-gun, pro-'cap and trade' Democrat Party.  Despite his previous support for ObamaCare, he campaigned against it.  Now he is eliciting headlines by criticizing Obama on the budget.  However, it is Manchin's voting record that we must examine, not his contrived political stunts or meaningless rhetoric.

The media has made a big deal out of Manchin's rebuke of Obama's lack of leadership on the budget this past Tuesday.  Politico even posted an article titled, "Joe Manchin Goes Rouge".  Here is what he said on the Senate floor:

“Why are we doing all this when the most powerful person in these negotiations — our president — has failed to lead this debate or offer a serious proposal for spending and cuts that he would be willing to fight for?”...

“Respectfully, I am asking President Obama to take this challenge head on and propose a compromise plan for dealing with the our nation’s fiscal challenges.”

Radical Senate Wolves in Sheep's Clothing

It is well known that the Senate Democrats are on the ropes in 2012.  They are forced to defend 23 seats with many of them being highly vulnerable or open as a result of retirement.  In an attempt to ensconce their true radical ideology from their constituents, a group of 18 Democrat Senators have announce the formation of a new 'moderate' caucus for the 112th Congress.  In case any of you were wondering how there are 18 moderate Democrats when not a single one dissented from leadership on major bills, you are not missing anything.  Take a look at the names and you will find it amusing.

The Group is led by Sens. Carper (DE), Mark Udall (Colorado) and Kay Hagan (N.C.).  Others joining the group include Sens. Michael Bennet of Colorado, Mark Begich of Alaska, Kent Conrad of North Dakota, Chris Coons of Delaware, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Ben Nelson of Nebraska, Bill Nelson of Florida, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Jon Tester of Montana, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire and Mark Warner of Virginia.

Yes, you read that correctly.  Chris Coons, the bearded Marxist, is actually on the list.  The joke is that the leaders of the group have accrued an almost impeccable liberal voting record.  Sens. Carper, Udall, and Hagan have obtained a 0, 8, and 4 respectively from the American Conservative Union for the 2012 legislative session!  What a joke.  A moderate would score an average of 50.  The only person to come close was Ben Nelson, checking in at 48.  However, even Nelson, voted for all of the prized bills of the radical left like ObamaCare, DADT repeal, START, Disclose Act, and the Dodd-Frank financial services takeover.

It would be nice if these radical statists would have the temerity to own up to their liberalism and speak candidly with their constituents.  Unfortunately, they will attempt to sound like staunch conservatives who support budget austerity throughout the 2012 election season.  We must work assiduously to remind their constituents of their radical agenda in Washington.

20 Blue Dog Frauds Vote Against Budget Cuts

The remaining 26 members of the Blue Dog Coalition proudly describe themselves as fiscal conservatives in order to retain their seats.  Well, any member of this two faced caucus that cannot support the GOP Leadership's diminutive $61 billion in cuts is a complete fraud.

Incidentally, only 8 Democrats, and just 5 of the 25 Blue Dogs (Giffords is absent, of course) voted for the resolution to debate H.R. 1- the FY 2011 CR.  Even big mouth Heath Schuler, who fashions himself as a conservative democrat leader, opposed the bill.  Here is a list of the 20 Pelosi Puppies who need to be called on the carpet in 2012, when they attempt to promulgate fiscal conservatism:

1. Joe Baca (CA-43)
2. John Barrow (GA-12), Co-Chair for Policy
3. Sanford Bishop (GA-2)
4. Leonard Boswell (IA-3)
5. Dennis Cardoza (CA-18)
6. Ben Chandler (KY-6)
7. Jim Cooper (TN-5)
8. Jim Costa (CA-20)
9. Henry Cuellar (TX-28)
10. Joe Donnelly (IN-2)
11. Jane Harman (CA-36)
12. Tim Holden (PA-17)
13. Mike McIntyre (NC-7)
14. Collin Peterson (MN-7)
15. Loretta Sanchez (CA-47)
16. Adam Schiff (CA-29)
17. Kurt Schrader (OR-5)
18. David Scott (GA-13)
19. Heath Shuler (NC-11), Co-Chair for Administration
20. Mike Thompson (CA-1)

Remember Those Red District ObamaCare Socialists in 2012

Thankfully, the Republican controlled House just passed the repeal of Obamacare by a 245-189 margin.  Three Democrats; Mike Ross (AR), Dan Boren (OK), and Mike McIntyre (NC), joined every Republican in support of repeal.  This means that 10 of the remaining 13 Democrats who voted against Obama Care to win reelection last year, showed their true colors by opposing repeal.

Here are the ten Democrat turncoats:

Ben Chandler ( Ky.), John Barrow ( Ga.) Heath Schuler ( N.C.), Larry Kissell ( N.C.), Stephen Lynch ( Mass.), Jason Altmire ( Pa.), Tim Holden ( Pa.), Collin Peterson ( Minn), Dan Lipinski ( Ill.) and Jim Matheson ( Utah).

If we include the other Democrats who represent R rated districts (Cook PVI) but supported ObamaCare from the beginning, that number increases by another 6, for a total of 16:

Jerry McNerney (CA) Joe Donnelly (IN) Tim Walz (Minn) Bill Owens (NY) Mark Critz (PA) Nick Rahall (WV)

These 16 Democrats must be targeted for their disingenuous conservative talk at home, as they vote with the radical left in DC.  It looks like their symbolic vote against Nancy Pelosi was nothing more than window dressing.  Let's end the blue dog and pony show and defeat these clowns in 2012.

The Same Blue Dog and Pony Show as Before

Well, it appears that nothing has changed for the decimated Blue Dog coalition of self professed moderates.  They have always launched their rebellion against the leadership in highly symbolic ways, while acquiescing to them like lap dogs when it really counted.  Nothing has changed in this congress.

19 Democrats voted for someone other than Nancy Pelosi for Speaker:

Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania, John Barrow of Georgia, Sanford Bishop of Georgia, Dan Boren of Oklahoma, Jim Cooper of Tennessee, Dennis Cardoza of California, Jim Costa of California, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona, Tim Holden of Pennsylvania, Ron Kind of Wisconsin, Larry Kissell of North Carolina, Daniel Lipinski of Illinois, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina, Jim Matheson of Utah, Mike Michaud of Maine, Mike Ross of Arkansas, Kurt Schrader of Oregon, and Heath Shuler of North Carolina

Yet, when it came time to vote for the Republican rules package, not a single Democrat crossed the aisle to buck their leadership.  Their strategy is quite transparent.  The Blue Dogs wanted to avoid being viewed in a TV ad as supporting Nancy Pelosi, so they took that off the table by voting for somebody else.  But when it comes time to vote on substance, they will usually vote with their leadership.  Luckily, their votes don't matter any more.  We own the House!

However, it is still important that we target every remaining red district Democrat and expose their left wing voting record throughout the session.  As we have explained in a previous post, there are 17 Republicans who represent blue districts (following Charlie Cook's PVI) and will be relentlessly targeted by the Democrats.  While it is imperative that we rigorously defend those districts, we must also launch a counteroffensive against the 17 remaining Democrats in red districts. 

A quick check of the 19 votes against Pelosi reveals that only 10 are from R rated districts while 9 are from D leaning districts.  This means that there are seven Democrats who represent R leaning districts who still supported Pelosi for Speaker:  Here are the Pelosi poodles:

Jerry McNerney (CA-11)
Ben Chandler (KY-6) (R+9 District)
Tim Walz (MN-1)
Colin Peterson (MN-7)(R+5 District)
Bill Owens (NY-23)
Mark Critz (PA-12)
Nick Rahall (WV-3)(R+6 District)

These guys should be toast in 2012.  Any potential opponent should already be preparing a TV ad which depicts them standing on the House floor and declaring "Pelosi". 

Joe Manchin, The Left Wing Lapdog for Radical Feminism

We knew that it wouldn't take too long for Joe Manchin to shed his conservative camouflage and leave it behind in the Mountain state.  Well, it turns out that he has gone all in for the job killing, socialist agenda on his first day in the Senate.  After voting to make anti gun, cap and trade supporting Harry Reid Majority Leader, Manchin voted with Reid on two other measures yesterday.  He voted for the job killing FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S. 510) and the Paycheck Fairness Act(S. 3772).

We already detailed some of the egregious provisions of the food bill, as well as the disappointing fact that 14 Republicans supported it.  Luckily, the Republicans held together and blocked cloture on the paycheck social engineering bill by a 58-41 vote.  Ben Nelson was the only Democrat to oppose both measures, while Manchin voted in goose step with the leadership.  This bill does not mandate equal pay for women with the same education, experience, and qualifications for the same job in the same place of employment.  That was already required in the original equal Pay Act of 1963.  The only purpose of this law is to expand the requirement to peg women's wages to established salaries for males everywhere.  This will expose job creators to potential litigation demanding established male wages of other workplaces or other regions that have a higher cost of living.  The only possible outcome of such legislation would be increased unemployment and higher costs to produce goods and services during a recession.  So this bill is taxation, regulation, and litigation rolled up in one monstrosity.  Yet, Joe Manchin didn't bat an eyelash as he cast his vote in support of this bill.

Manchin will stand for reelection in 2012 with Obama on the ballot in a solid red state.  There is no reason why he shouldn't be defeated in a walk.  Any takers?

Md-42: Jim Brochin is a Liberal Manipulator and Is Ripe for Defeat

We have observed the widespread misinformation disseminated by so-called "Blue Dog Democrats" this election season concerning their political ideology.  People like Frank Kratovil vote with the Democrats, are funded by Democrats and outside leftist organizations, and enable the election of their liberal leadership, yet, they manipulate their voting record in order to call themselves independents or conservatives.  Well, Democrat state legislators who reside in swing-conservative districts are no different.

For the past eight year, state Sen. Jim Brochin (D-MD-42) has knocked on every door in Pikesville and Towson and lied to his constituents about his political allegiance.  He tells everyone what they want to hear.  Most of his constituents are moderate or conservative so he tells everyone that he is a fiscal conservative.  On his website, he makes no mention of his party affiliation, calling himself a "proven independent".  Here are some things that Baltimore County voters need to consider:

Which Blue Dogs Might Switch Parties?

In an ideal world, there would not be a single blue dog left in congress on November 3rd.  All of them reside in strong or lean GOP districts and in a year when congress critters like John Dingell and Barney Frank are in trouble, one would assume that all the blue dogs would be long gone.  Unfortunately, there are a few districts that will retain some of their blue dog frauds unless there is a drastic change over the next 11 days.  In some of these districts the Republican candidate never gained traction, while in others, the blue dog was successful in lying to his constituents by painting himself as more conservative than his Republican challenger.

However, the real question is this:  If the Republicans are slated to gain full control over the House, will any of these guys switch parties (two D's flipped following the 94 wave)?  Let's be clear, I have no illusions that any of these foxhole conversions would be sincere.  Quite the contrary, everything that these blue dogs do are designed to perpetuate their power in the most effective way.  This is why I wouldn't be surprised if some of these Pelosi lapdogs would bail on their master to join the winning team.  Here is a list of Dems who appear to be holding on to their seats and might switch parties.

ID-1 R+18: Walt Minnick 
NC-11 R+6: Heath Schuler
OK-2 R+14: Dan Boren
PA-4 R+6: Jason Altmire
UT-2 R+15: Jim Matheson
VA-9 R+11: Rick Boucher

So, Will You Vote for Nancy Pelosi?

In light of all the recent news about Democrat candidates running as John Birchers, I felt is was finally time to call their bluff.  We are in a very good position to take back the House, but there is some polling evidence that some of the red district blue dog frauds are still hanging in there.  Keep in mind that there are 70 Dems in R rated districts.  A handful of them are doing relatively well because they try to block out their party label, run against the liberal platform, attack their Republican opponent from the right, or tout endorsements from the NRA and Chamber of Commerce.

I think we need to start a campaign to call the offices of these clowns and demand that they go on record whether they would vote for Pelosi or Hoyer to be Speaker.  Incumbent Bobby Bright (AL-2) and candidate Roy Herron (TN-8) were the only ones to go on record as opposing Nancy Pelosi.  Now, don't get me wrong.  Even guys like Bright and Herron are frauds because if they really supported their convictions they wouldn't join and bolster a party that negates those very convictions that they purport to hold dear.  We are sick of these frauds who trash Pelosi at home, but then vote for the liberal leadership, committee chairmen, and Democrat Rules Committee members who ensure passage of all the legislation that they claim to detest.  However, if we can get them on  record as declining to take a stand (that's what most will do) we can help their opponents expose their fraudulent claims of being conservative.  If we play our cards right, there shouldn't be a single Democrat in a Republican district after November.

Here is a list of Democrats who are polling relatively strong and still need to be defeated.  Let's try to get a hold of their campaign offices and make them take a stand on Pelosi.  Then, contact your local newspaper or TV/radio station.  I will start with mine in Maryland-1 Frank Kratovil.

The Chamber's "Foreign" Funds are Preserving Obama's Majority

Last week, we compiled a list of Democrats who were endorsed by the NRA.  (It was posted on Red State here)  Some expressed surprise at how the NRA would negate their own interests by supporting Democrats in the vital districts that are needed for them to preserve their majority.  Well, the Chamber of Commerce in no different.  They are out endorsing liberal fraud, blue dog, Frank Kratovil over conservative Andy Harris in Maryland's 1st district.  The Chamber has contributed over $168,000 to Kratovil!

Meanwhile, throughout the weekend the Obama administration has been attacking the Chamber of Commerce and accusing them of being funded by foreign entities.  This is coming form an administration that took more money from foreign sources than any other campaign in American history, including from radical Islamists.  The irony is that the Chamber is funding Democrats reelections bids in some of the most vital districts that are necessary for Republicans to capture the House.  In fact, they are slated to spend $2 million dollars for Blue Dog Democrats nationwide.  So, who are the ones who are benefiting from this alleged foreign entity after all?

Now, MD-1 is the quintessential red district that we must win in order to secure a majority.  However, according to the most recent poll, Andy Harris only lead Frank Kratovil by 43% to 40%.  An endorsement from the Chamber can go a long way in securing Kratovil's "conservative" credentials with his conservative constituents.  So by Obama's own admission, foreign money is helping to save his majority.

Update:  The LA Times mentions a few more blue dogs that are receiving support from the Chamber.  They are scheduled to run ads in almost a dozen of these districts over the next few weeks.

12 Democrat Incumbents Are Behind in New Poll

The Hill just published the results of 12 House polls that they conducted together with America’s Natural Gas Alliance (ANGA).  The Republican challenger is ahead in 11 of them and tied with the Democrat in one district.  Over the next few weeks the Hill will publish poll results in 42 districts.  The survey size is 400 per district with a 4.9% margin of error.  Oh, and by the way, the poll team is being led by Democrat consultant Mark Penn.  Here are the results:

AZ-1: Republican Paul Gosar leads Dem. Ann Kirkpatrick 46-39.
CO-4: Republican Cory Gardner leads Democrat Betsey Markey 44-41.
IL-11: Republican Adam Kinzinger leads Dem. Debbie Halvorson 49-31.
MD-1: Republican Andy Harris leads Dem Frank Kratovil 43-40.
MI-7: Republican Tim Walberg is tied with Dem Mark Schauer at 41.
NV-3: Republican Joe Heck leads Dem Dina Titus 47-44.
NM-2: Republican Steve Pearce leads Dem. Harry Teague 46-42.
OH-15: Republican Steve Stivers leas Dem. Mary Jo Kilroy 47-38.
OH-16: Republican Jim Renacci leads Dem. John Boccieri 42-39.
PA-3: Republican Mike Kelly leads Dem. Kathy Dahlkemper 49-36.
VA-2: Republican Scott Rigell leads Dem. Glenn Nye 42-36.
VA-5: Republican Robert Hurt leads Dem. Tom Periello 45-44

7 of these Democrats are endorsed by the NRA.  We reported yesterday on how they might preserve Pelosi's majority.  Based upon these polls we might be able to conclude that their endorsements don't mean that much after all.

The NRA is Helping Preserve the Anti Gun Democrat Majority

Believe it or not, the only ones who might help Nancy Pelosi save her House majority are those who run legislative affairs at the NRA.  So called Blue Dog Democrats across the nation are campaigning as red meat conservatives in their home districts, while running deceptive ads about their Republican opponents.  They campaign as if they have nothing to do with the Democrat Party that they propelled to power and which passed all of the nefarious legislation that they purport to oppose.  The sick irony is that the more successful these liars are in distancing themselves from Pelosi, the more likely it will be that Pelosi will remain Speaker.  Here is my previous report on the need to expose the blue dogs.  Also, check out the Club for Growth's excellent report on the lie of the conservative Democrat.

Fortunately, as long as the conservative rhetoric is coming from the Democrat candidates themselves, the voters aren't buying it.  However, when the NRA parachutes in and endorses that Democrat for reelection over their 2nd amendment champion Republican opponents, people might give credence to their claims of being born again conservatives.  The sad thing is that the NRA is endorsing Democrats in the very districts that we must win in order to obtain 39 seats.  Here is a list of some of the Democrats who the NRA is endorsing that could cost us the majority: 

It's Time to Expose and Defeat Every Blue Dog Democrat

The Democrats currently have a 39 seat majority in Congress, however 58 members of their caucus are "blue dogs".  These 58 Democrats describe themselves as fiscal conservatives (and in some cases social conservatives) and represent districts that range from marginally Republican to "red meat conservative".  The problem is that there is no such thing as a conservative Democrat in the 21st century.  Most of the blue dogs are in fact Pelosi lapdogs who vote with their leadership on a majority of issues and on virtually all of the vital procedural votes.  Even the few blue dogs who vote with Republicans only do so because they hail from conservative districts. 

Also, there is another important fallacy about these "conservative" Democrats.  Every single one of them votes for Nancy Pelosi as Speaker, and even the most conservative Democrat hands control of the committees to extremists like Henry Waxman, John Conyers, and Barney Frank.  By single handily granting Pelosi a governing majority, the Blue Dog Coalition grants the Democrats full control of the Rules Committee, which completely manipulates the legislative process for the leadership.  This effectively assures the passage of any legislation that is supported by Pelosi and her ilk.  This is exactly how we got ObamaCare.

The obvious question of any observer should be, "why are these self proclaimed conservative Democrats campaigning, caucusing, and promoting the power of the most radical leaders of the Democrat party in American history?"  How can a "conservative" facilitate the passage of legislation that negates the very core values that they purport to espouse?

The answer is that these blue dogs are liberal wolves disguised as sheep.  They are just as liberal as Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank, it's just that they have to pretend to be conservative in order to remain in office.  The simple fact is that the Democrat party, as it is currently constituted, is extremely radical, while the Republican party (much to our chagrin) is not very conservative.  To put it another way, Ben Nelson is not the poster boy for the Democrat party and unfortunately Jim DeMint is not the face of the Republican party.  Therefore, by virtue of any politician opting to join the Democrats, they expose themselves as ultra leftists.  Period.  If the blue dogs were really true to their convictions they would demand that a so called moderate blue dog become Speaker instead of Pelosi.  Until Recently, these lap dogs have successfully run a scheme in which they talk the conservative talk at home, while goose stepping the socialist march in DC.  2010 is the time to put an end to this dog and pony show.

Due to Republican incompetence over the years, the Democrats successfully hold almost 70 seats that are rated at least R+1 by Charlie Cook's partisan voter index.  35 of those seats are rated as R+5 or higher.  However, as a result of the toxic climate for Democrats, the tea party movement, and solid Republican recruitment efforts, we have the first opportunity ever to obliterate the Blue Dog Coalition and win back every one of those seats.  The membership of the blue dog coalition should be zero by the beginning of the 112th congress.  In fact, we should be able to win back the majority exclusively with Republican leaning seats.

Although there has been much progress in exposing these fraudulent "conservative" Democrats, there are still some troubling signs of blue dog staying power is certain selected districts: