Inconvenient Truths About the Infamous Eight

Red County ^ | 6/27/2009 | Matt Mitchell

[ThePanFromJapan]

Well, the ugly cap and tax bill narrowly passed the House yesterday. And perhaps most aggravating of all is the fact that if two more Republicans showed up to vote NO (one of those being fiscal conservative darling Jeff Flake of Arizona) and just three of the eight GOP members who vote AYE changed their minds, then it would have been DOA.

As irksome as this fact rightfully is to many conservatives, including many readers in this space, I unfortunately will offer a healthy dose of parade-raining by giving a look into just who of those eight members could really have really afforded to change their minds and stand a chance to win re-election in their district. You won't like the look of it; I don't either, as someone who thinks that any member of either party could have voted against it and justified it effectively to their constituents. But life's not fair, and if we conservatives must take something out of this debate, it's that we need to do a better job of explaining our opposition of certain agenda items to our fellow beloved squishies. "Vote our way or we'll primary you, I don't care if it costs us your seat" is not a convincing argument, folks. It's a lesson that will come in handy when Obama's far trickier health insurance reform program hits the floor of the House, no doubt another 1,000+ page document that no human being on Capitol Hill will have read before the House votes on it. Didn't Obama promise we wouldn't do that anymore? Just like that time when he said he wouldn't raise taxes on working Americans...every single day of the last three months of his presidential campaign...?

[ThePanFromJapan]

Go over and give your take on things.

[lilylangtree]

Gotta remember the people who voted for this travesty next year and spread the word if these spineless critters are up for re-election.

[anoldafvet]

It’s the house, they’re all up for reelection.

[rockrr]

Re reichert: “I just hope whoever primaries him doesn’t drain Reichert’s campaign money to the point where it’s a surefire Democrat pickup.”

I no longer care if dhimmis rule every aspect of this woe-begotten state. I will do anything, spend anything, and campaign for anyone to unseat this jerkoff.

[Lou Budvis]

RINOs should be secondary targets. Rat reps in swing districts should be No.1. If the Rats didn’t have a majority, this bill would’ve never come up. Focussing ire on the 8 is like if the US adopted an “Italy First” policy in WWII.

[ThePanFromJapan]

Well, let’s take a look:

Mike Castle (DE) - Running for Senate and will likely win, since his opponent is likely to be Beau Biden.

Mark Kirk (IL) - Looks as though he may have just ended his future. Peter Roskam from a neighboring district has much better credentials to take away Burris’s seat.

---

Bono Mack (CA) - She’s likely gone. There’s a movement to do so and it’s a solid red district, so whoever primaries her should be able to win.

Lance/Smith/LoBianco (NJ) - New Jersey...if they win, they win. If they lose, they lose. It’s New Jersey, rarely anyone gets what they want there.

Reichert (WA) - This race seems to be the one that has the most vehement opposition, with people wanting to see him tossed but with no one who really has stepped up to primary him.

[Apercu]

This hi-lites the importance of getting out the vote and monitoring elections. Had it not been for massive ACORN vote fraud allowing the RATS to take some close districts, this Graft & Tax travesty would have been strangled before it ever had a chance.

[ThePanFromJapan]

Well, remember that in 2008 the Obama wave took a lot of seats that would normally go our way.

Alan Grayson in Florida, for example, will be out of a job in 2010 because his district is quite red.

A lot of damage done in 2006 and 2008 will be repaired in 2010, but in places that count. It’s just a matter of where and how.

Find conservative candidates, support them with your funds (NOT through the NRCC or NRSC), and you’ll do fine.

[Free_SJersey]

"Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ-2) .............LoBiondo has moderate tendencies, ......state where unemployment is climbing.......... a hard time justifying this vote to working class constituents."

Stick a fork in him, he's done. He may know it too, and his vote may have been a tit-for-tat deal to cover him post Congress. His district is very strongly dependent on tourism and Cap and Trade is bound to have a huge negative effect on the economy there. Not the most honest man alive.

Funny thing, this morning I watched a documentary on New Jersey Public Television called, "the Rising Tide" dealing with the devastation done to the yacht manufacturing by the 1990 luxury tax (under the bush admin, didn't cover the the devastation wrought Jimmy Carter's earlier similar tax). It showed how the tax didn't produce new revenues, only hurt the economy. Boat building used to be a much larger part of the South Jersey economy.
How can they not learn?

[uncommonsense]

"This hi-lites the importance of getting out the vote and monitoring elections."

Quite right. We need to tackle the problem at every level. TX is trying to address voting irregularities at the state level, but every able body conservative should get involved at their precinct level to become a poll watcher or worker. Every little bit helps.

[Intolerant in NJ]

LoBiondo...was the target of a strong TV ad campaign aimed at him specifically and supposedly sponsored by some group calling themselves "Republicans for a Clean Environment" or some such (probably a Soros front group) - pushing for him to vote yes - environmentalists are strong in the region, what with the beaches, wetlands areas and all - he's also at the mercy of a lot of union pressure - overwhelmed his conservative impulses apparently - I emailed him to vote no on Thursday evening, and last night e-mailed him saying that my family would remember his yes vote when our energy costs started to "skyrocket" and in November 2010........

[campaignPete R-CT]

the irony is that Mike Castle is the best friend that conservatives have in DEL, as he is the only GOPer who can get elected to the Senate. Tiny state Senators are valuable.

I would oppose Kirk like a junkyard dog. He must be bitten viciously.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

So where was Flake? This is disappointing. I hope he had a good excuse for missing the vote.

[Jim from C-Town]

But the U.S. basically did adopt an Italy first strategy in WW II. They called it a Germany first strategy , but the U.S. propped up the Soviets in order to keep them bashing the German Eastern Front.

The U. S. attacked Northern Africa, Sicily and Italy long before they committed 1 soldier to the fight against Germany.

The U.S. had to grow in strength and tactical ability by going after the low hanging fruit of Italian Fascism.

[Mogollon]

So where was Flake?

Flake was in Alabama at his daughters' beauty pageant.

[RightOnTheLeftCoast]

"Flake was in Alabama at his daughters' beauty pageant."

Not good enough. I will remember this. I have missed important family commitments because I had a crisis in my work. Why should Flake not do the same?

[Melchior]

Can one explain the reason why Arizona Republicans support this frivolous moron? Actually, he gives frivolous morons a bad name.

[ThePanFromJapan]

Probably because he puts family above job.

I would too, to be honest. Especially if a promise is involved, which I have a feeling this had been.

I ain’t throwing this guy out with the bath water. And anyone who does is going to get a lot of pushback in Arizona.