Posted on 06/15/2007 11:44:48 AM PDT by Congressman Billybob
John / Billybob
Well, I hope you get permission.
has anyone over there noticed that Heath Shuler is as dumb as a box of rocks? Just asking.
I don’t know about Shuler, but our new Congressman (Patrick Murphy) wouldn’t challenge a box of rocks either. The democrat party is looking for hacks who will follow their directions, perhaps?
He got canned more for (oops!) "forgetting" to vote "nay" on CAFTA than any other single thing. Not everybody up there can work for a resort hotel, and the mills are going down the tubes. They're not going to elect a business-as-usual Republican over this Shuler, who campaigned in opposition to trade deals resulting in job loss, and the elephant in the room, illegal immigration. It remains to be seen, if Shuler will actually vote as he campaigned, though. If he goes along with his party, he'll be out.
He'll do just what the article says, make show votes for the folks back home when Pelosi doesn't need his vote, and vote with her the rest of the time. All smoke and mirrors.
Trade is an easy issue for him, the Dems have been anti-free trade for decades.
And, in places like NC-11, free trade has become a tough sell, and with good reason, from their experience and perspective. A breezy "oh, just go back to community college" doesn't cut it, with someone who has been put out of a job three times in the past five years, due to manufacturing facilities closing here and moving production to Guatemala or some other third world nation. I'm aquainted with several people in just such a position, and they're feeling anything but positive about Republicans due to trade policy. Try to tell them that NAFTA was signed into law by Clinton, and they come back with the Republican Congress that sent it to him. There's a problem here, and until it's recognized, you're going to see a repeat of this scenario, where ever there has been job loss due to trade policy. It's going to hand House seats over to Democrats on a silver platter.
If the Republican Party turns protectionist and opposed to free trade, that’ll create a “problem” for my support.
The pace of change has been entirely too rapid. These rural areas can’t seem to recover from previous setbacks, before they’re dealt another.
John / Billybob
John / Billybob
John / Billybob
Mountain folks have always been susceptible to a populist campaign, CBB. Policies that have been, rightly or wrongly, associated entirely with the GOP are becoming highly unpopular. But, they are conservative traditionalists at heart. Pounce on every single instance of Shuler going against popular opinion in the 11th. Provide plausible alternatives to the socialist policies of Democrats. That will get you a long way towards your objective. Taylor, should he decide to run for his old seat, will be just as vulnerable as he was last fall, on his cute little “oops, I forgot to vote” CAFTA lie, his corruption ... he became the prototypical fat cat that your potential constituents detest, for the most part.
John / Billybob
I have my doubts there is any such creature these days.
L
“If the Republican Party turns protectionist and opposed to free trade, that’ll create a “problem” for my support.”
So it’s ok with you if China builds a car plant in Mexico and ships their cars into the US duty-free under NAFTA rules while still charging us tariffs to ship to their country?
I’d vote for you even if you’re ‘nominated and will not run, elected and will not serve.’
You provide a great service to FR, either way. So, thanks! :)
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