Posted on 05/20/2003 9:40:28 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Gephardt skips 85% of House votes
Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.) has missed 162 votes in the House this year 85 percent of the total prompting Republicans to charge that he has abandoned his congressional duties in his pursuit of the presidency.
The Republican National Committee (RNC) has seized on the absenteeism to point out that several of Gephardts missed votes have been on legislative and policy matters that are centerpieces to his campaign.
In his closing statement at the South Carolina debate earlier this month, for example, Gephardt listed the creation of an Apollo II program to make us independent of foreign oil in 10 years; as one of his top legislative priorities.
Gephardt has missed every vote on energy-related issues this session. House records show Gephardt also missed votes on other issues that are frequent themes in his presidential candidacy, including welfare reform, human cloning, healthcare, homeland security, education and tax cuts.
Commenting in the South Carolina debate that people don't vote, Gephardt rued the cynicism; about politics that abounds; among voters.
We've got to have a president in this country, and I hope to be that president, who restores faith and hope in people that we can solve the major problems that this country faces, he said.
Other Democratic presidential aspirants also have missed votes, but to a lesser degree than Gephardt. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) failed to add his voice in 63 instances this year, 34 percent of Senate votes. (Not included in this total are two votes he missed in February due to prostate surgery.)
Last Thursday, when the Senate considered the House version of President Bush's global AIDS initiative, Kerry used a floor debate to decry a provision in the legislation that required 33 percent of funds to be spent on abstinence education.
We should not tie the president's hands ... I will support an amendment to strike this earmark.
Later in the day, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) proposed just such an amendment. Kerry missed the vote on the proposal, which failed 45-52.
Other key areas in which Kerry has skipped votes include legislation on homeland and international security, education funding, and partial-birth abortion. Last week Kerry postponed a health care speech in Iowa to vote on the tax cut.
Democrats said the missed votes have not interfered with their senatorial responsibilities.
All of the candidates have been here for all the votes where their vote was needed to win,; said Jay Carson, a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.). As long as that remains the case, it's not an issue.
But Republicans charged that missing votes amounts to dereliction of duty.
It's not just votes they miss. They miss the negotiations, they miss the discussions, said RNC spokesman Jim Dyke. So when Gephardt goes out and talks about energy policy and how important it is, not only did he miss all the votes on energy legislation, but he missed being a part of the discussions that led to the legislation.
Dyke added, The danger for all the candidates is that they call for important initiatives on the campaign trail that are already under consideration in Congress and expose themselves to a great deal of hypocrisy.
Neither Kerry nor Gephardt returned calls seeking comment.
Carson said Daschle has gone to Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) for help in scheduling votes so that the Democratic presidential hopefuls can be present.
It's common practice for leaders to work together to schedule votes that are advantageous for both parties, said Carson.
Other Democratic presidential hopefuls have also missed a number of votes. Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) has missed 22 percent, or 40 votes this year. Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) has been absent from 12 percent, or 22 votes.
Fulfilling campaign and representational duties is just something you have to really work at, Edwards told The Hill. I always know what we're voting on and what the issues are. If there's an important vote, I am here. Period.
Sen. Bob Graham, (D-Fla.), who announced his candidacy earlier this month, has missed six percent of votes, a figure that does not include 16 votes in January from which he was absent due to heart surgery. Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) led the entire pack of Democratic hopefuls by missing only one roll call vote.
As of Friday, there have been 191 House votes and 183 Senate votes in the 108th Congress this year.
Sure, but first let's get Democrat help to get Bush on the ballots in those states where the deadline is before the convention.
-PJ
As DM would say, "did I miss a meeting or something?"
Frist should do no favors without a quid pro quo. Problems with a few languishing Republican judicial nominiations need to be resolved first before scheduling any votes to benefit Dems.
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