Heroes & Traitors: The Debt Ceiling Votes

Below is the list of the heroes in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate who had the courage to stand up to their leadership and vote against the debt ceiling raise deal. It proved, once again, that politics makes for strange bedfellows. For example, it is rare that Florida's conservative Rep. Cliff Stearns and liberal Rep. Corrine Brown vote alike.

U.S. Senate, August 2, 2011: The legislation passed with a final total of 74 yeses and 26 noes. The heroes who voted NO (against raising the debt ceiling):

• Ayotte, Kelly NH-R
• Chambliss, Clarence GA-R
• Coats, Daniel IN-R
• Coburn, Thomas OK-R
• DeMint, James SC-D
• Gillibrand, Kirsten NY-D
• Graham, Lindsey SC-R
• Grassley, Charles IA-R
• Harkin, Thomas IA-D
• Hatch, Orrin UT-R
• Heller, Dean NV-R
• Inhofe, James OK-R
• Johnson, Ron WI-R
• Lautenberg, Frank NJ-D
• Lee, Mike UT-R
• Menéndez, Robert NJ-D
• Merkley, Jeff OR-D
• Moran, Jerry KS-R
• Nelson, Earl NE-D
• Paul, Rand KY-R
• Rubio, Marco FL-R
• Sanders, Bernard VT-I
• Sessions, Jefferson AL-R
• Shelby, Richard AL-R
• Toomey, Patrick PA-R
• Vitter, David LA-R

Senate traitors who were endorsed by the Tea Party and cowardly voted FOR Harry Reid's debt ceiling bill:

• Boozman, John AR-R
• Burr, Richard NC-R
• Crapo, Michael ID-R
• Hoeven, John ND-R
• Portman, Robert OH-R
• Thune, John SD-R

The House of Representatives voted on August 1, 2011 with 269 yeas, 161 nays, and 3 not voting. The House heroes who voted AGAINST raising the debt ceiling are:

• Ackerman, Gary NY-D
• Akin, William MO-R
• Amash, Justin MI-R
• Bachmann, Michele MN-R
• Baldwin, Tammy WI-D
• Becerra, Xavier CA-D
• Bishop, Robert UT-R
• Blumenauer, Earl OR-D
• Boswell, Leonard IA-D
• Braley, Bruce IA-D
• Brooks, Mo AL-R
• Broun, Paul GA-R
• Brown, Corrine FL-D
• Buerkle, Ann Marie NY-R
• Burton, Danny IN-R
• Butterfield, George NC-D
• Capuano, Michael MA-D
• Cardoza, Dennis CA-D
• Carson, Andre IN-D
• Chaffetz, Jason UT-R
• Chu, Judy CA-D
• Clarke, Hansen MI-D
• Clarke, Yvette NY-D
• Cleaver, Emanuel MO-D
• Cohen, Stephen TN-D
• Conyers, John MI-D
• Cravaack, Chip MN-R
• Crowley, Joseph NY-D
• Cummings, Elijah MD-D
• Davis, Geoffrey KY-R
• DeFazio, Peter OR-D
• DeGette, Diana CO-D
• DeLauro, Rosa CT-D
• DesJarlais, Scott TN-R
• Doyle, Michael PA-D
• Duncan, Jeff SC-R
• Edwards, Donna MD-D
• Ellison, Keith MN-D
• Engel, Eliot NY-D
• Farr, Samuel CA-D
• Filner, Robert CA-D
• Flake, Jeffrey AZ-R
• Fleischmann, Chuck TN-R
• Fleming, John LA-R
• Forbes, James VA-R
• Frank, Barnett MA-D
• Franks, Trent AZ-R
• Fudge, Marcia OH-D
• Garrett, Ernest NJ-R
• Gingrey, John GA-R
• Gohmert, Louis TX-R
• Gonzalez, Charles TX-D
• Gowdy, Trey SC-R
• Graves, Tom GA-R
• Green, Alexander TX-D
• Griffith, Morgan VA-R
• Grijalva, Raul AZ-D
• Hahn, Janice CA-D
• Hall, Ralph TX-R
• Harris, Andy MD-R
• Hartzler, Vicky MO-R
• Hastings, Alcee FL-D
• Holt, Rush NJ-D
• Honda, Mike CA-D
• Huelskamp, Tim KS-R
• Hultgren, Randy IL-R
• Hunter, Duncan CA-R
• Jackson, Jesse IL-D
• Johnson, Timothy IL-R
• Jones, Walter NC-R
• Jordan, Jim OH-R
• Kaptur, Marcia OH-D
• King, Steve IA-R
• Kingston, Jack GA-R
• Kissell, Larry NC-D
• Kucinich, Dennis OH-D
• Labrador, Raul ID-R
• Lamborn, Doug CO-R
• Landry, Jeff LA-R
• Larson, John CT-D
• Latham, Thomas IA-R
• Lee, Barbara CA-D
• Lewis, John GA-D
• Loebsack, David IA-D
• Lofgren, Zoe CA-D
• Lujan, Ben NM-D
• Mack, Connie FL-R
• Maloney, Carolyn NY-D
• Markey, Edward MA-D
• Matsui, Doris CA-D
• McClintock, Tom CA-R
• McCollum, Betty MN-D
• McDermott, James WA-D
• McGovern, James MA-D
• McIntyre, Mike NC-D
• McNerney, Jerry CA-D
• Miller, Brad NC-D
• Miller, George CA-D
• Moran, James VA-D
• Mulvaney, Mick SC-R
• Murphy, Christopher CT-D
• Nadler, Jerrold NY-D
• Napolitano, Grace CA-D
• Neal, Richard MA-D
• Neugebauer, Randy TX-R
• Nunes, Devin CA-R
• Olver, John MA-D
• Pallone, Frank NJ-D
• Pastor, Edward AZ-D
• Paul, Ronald TX-R
• Payne, Donald NJ-D
• Pearce, Stevan NM-R
• Peters, Gary MI-D
• Pingree, Chellie ME-D
• Poe, Ted TX-R
• Posey, Bill FL-R
• Price, David NC-D
• Quayle, Ben AZ-R
• Rangel, Charles NY-D
• Rehberg, Dennis MT-R
• Reyes, Silvestre TX-D
• Richardson, Laura CA-D
• Roby, Martha AL-R
• Rokita, Todd IN-R
• Ross, Dennis FL-R
• Roybal-Allard, Lucille CA-D
• Ryan, Timothy OH-D
• Sanchez, Linda CA-D
• Sarbanes, John MD-D
• Scalise, Steve LA-R
• Schakowsky, Janice IL-D
• IL R Schweikert, David AZ-R
• Scott, Austin GA-R
• Scott, Robert VA-D
• Scott, Tim SC-R
• Serrano, Jose NY-D
• Slaughter, Louise NY-D
• Smith, Adam WA-D
• Southerland, Steve FL-R
• Stark, Fortney CA-D
• Stearns, Clifford FL-R
• Stutzman, Marlin IN-R
• Sutton, Betty OH-D
• Thompson, Bennie MS-D
• Tierney, John MA-D
• Tipton, Scott CO-R
• Tonko, Paul NY-D
• Towns, Edolphus NY-D
• Turner, Michael OH-R
• Velázquez, Nydia NY-D
• Visclosky, Peter IN-D
• Walsh, Joe IL-R
• Waters, Maxine CA-D
• Watt, Melvin NC-D
• Waxman, Henry CA-D
• Welch, Peter VT-D
• Westmoreland, Lynn GA-R
• Wilson, Addison SC-R
• Woolsey, Lynn CA-D
• Yarmuth, John KY-D
• Yoder, Kevin KS-R

House traitors who cowardly voted FOR the debt ceiling raise despite Tea Party endorsements are:

• Adams, Sandra FL-R
• Bass, Charles NH-R
• Benishek, Dan MI-R
• Berg, Rick ND-R
• Bilbray, Brian CA-R
• Black, Diane TN-R
• Bucshon, Larry IN-R
• Calvert, Kenneth CA-R
• Camp, David MI-R
• Campbell, John CA-R
• Canseco, Quico TX-R
• Chabot, Steven OH-R
• Coffman, Michael CO-R
• Cole, Thomas OK-R
• Crawford, Rick AR-R
• Denham, Jeff CA-R
• Dold, Robert IL-R
• Duffy, Sean WI-R
• Ellmers, Renee NC-R
• Fincher, Stephen TN-R
• Fitzpatrick, Michael PA-R
• Flores, Bill TX-R
• Fortenberry, Jeffrey NE-R
• Gallegly, Elton CA-R
• Gardner, Cory CO-R
• Gibbs, Bob OH-R
• Gosar, Paul AZ-R
• Griffin, Tim AR-R
• Grimm, Mike NY-R
• Guinta, Frank NH-R
• Hanna, Richard NY-R
• Heck, Joe NV-R
• Herger, Walter CA-R
• Herrera, Jaime WA-R
• Huizenga, Bill MI-R
• Jenkins, Lynn KS-R
• Johnson, Bill OH-R
• Kelly, Mike PA-R
• Kinzinger, Adam IL-R
• Lankford, James OK-R
• Lewis, Charles CA-R
• Long, Billy MO-R
• Lucas, Frank OK-R
• Lummis, Cynthia WY-R
• Lungren, Daniel CA-R
• Marino, Thomas PA-R
• McCarthy, Kevin CA-R
• McCotter, Thaddeus MI-R
• McKeon, Howard CA-R
• McKinley, David WV-R
• McMorris Rodgers, Cathy WA-R
• Meehan, Patrick PA-R
• Miller, Candice MI-R
• Miller, Gary CA-R
• Nunnelee, Alan MS-R
• Paulsen, Erik MN-R
• Pompeo, Mike KS-R
• Renacci, Jim OH-R
• Ribble, Reid WI-R
• Rivera, David FL-R
• Rohrabacher, Dana CA-R
• Royce, Edward CA-R
• Runyan, Jon NJ-R
• Schilling, Bobby IL-R
• Simpson, Michael ID-R
• Smith, Adrian NE-R
• Stivers, Steve OH-R
• Sullivan, John OK-R
• Terry, Lee NE-R
• Upton, Frederick MI-R
• Walberg, Timothy MI-R
• Walden, Greg OR-R
• Webster, Daniel FL-R
• West, Allen FL-R
• Womack, Steve AR-R
• Young, Todd IN-R

Reflections on an Election: November 2, 2010

American voters may have saved the United States yesterday, November 2, 2010. The stakes in this midterm election were just that high. I awoke this morning with renewed hope.


Overall, the results should hearten conservatives who believe in limited federal government, rule of law according to the Constitution as intended by our Founding Fathers, fiscal responsibility, and free market capitalism. With a few exceptions, the country roundly repudiated Obama and his far left modus operandi. So far, thirty-one Tea Party candidates won election.

There were a few disappointments for me. Foremost was the reelection of Harry Reid to the U.S. Senate from Nevada. I was rooting for Ken Buck for U.S. Senator from Colorado and Tom Tancredo for Colorado’s Governor. However, I knew they were long shots. Republican insiders sabotaged Delaware’s Odonnell; I blame them for her defeat. Results from Alaska will be delayed until November 18th. It is looking as though U.S. Senator Murkowski may have won reelection as a write-in candidate, which would be disappointing. However, these are blips on the radar screen compared to the sweep of Republican victories nationwide.

What struck me, as I watched the returns through the night and into the wee hours of the morning, was the breadth and depth of the conservative victory. A sea of red ink floods maps of the United States at the county level. Democrats in small islands of blue are even more isolated than before. Naturally, the national media focused on the national races for Congress and the Senate and, to a lesser extent, the governors’ races.

Not only did the U.S. Congress flip to a Republican majority, but so did many state legislatures. Come January, there will many more states with Republican majorities in both legislative bodies and a Republican governor. Some of these have not had Republican control since the Civil War.

This state-level Republican control will have profound long-term effects. This being a census year, these Republicans will control redistricting in their states, which must be completed for the 2012 election. Future national leaders often emerge from these state bodies. The most successful presidential candidates have been governors historically. A strong electoral base can swing the results in national races for the state through better organization and enthusiasm.

So, how did my candidate and referendum choices fare? The following candidates I voted for won:

· Marco Rubio for U.S. Senator

· Rick Scott for Governor & Jennifer Carroll for Lieutenant Governor

· Pam Bondi for Attorney General

· Jeff Atwater for Chief Financial Officer

· Adam Putnam for Commissioner of Agriculture

· Charles McBurney for State Representative (District 16)

For race results already announced, only Ander Crenshaw (District 1 Congressional Representative) and John Thrasher (District 8 State Senator) won without my vote. Also, all the judges were retained, and I always vote against all of them because I do not believe in lifetime appointments or the process by which they are selected. I am still waiting to hear results on the Soil and Water Conservation District races. I voted for Phillip Laibe for Group 1, Curtis Winkler for Group 3, and Stuart J. Coffin for Group 5.

The only amendment or referendum that did not go the way I voted was No. 1 to repeal public campaign financing. Voters did not give it the 60% approval necessary to pass a Florida constitutional amendment.

Passage of constitutional amendments 5 and 6 was especially pleasing. I have long fought against “minority access” districts; Florida has now outlawed them. Districts will have to be drawn to be as compact, equal in population, and use existing geographical boundaries as is feasible. District lines cannot be drawn to favor incumbents or a political party or to deny equal participation in the political process.

U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, Florida’s most embarrassing politico, announced today she would file suit against these amendments. Her district is one of the most convoluted in the country, extending from Jacksonville to Orlando. She knows she will lose if she has to run in a geographically contiguous district here in Duval County. That prospect alone persuaded me to vote for amendments 5 and 6, despite opposition from most establishment Republicans and the Tea Party. Many Republicans and conservatives have come to love these minority districts because it isolates voters who generally vote Democratic.

Are Rick Sanchez and CNN Biased?

I just sent the following comment to CNN: Is Rick Sanchez and/or CNN backing Florida's Attorney General McCollum against Rick Scott in the Republican primary for Florida's next governor? The reason I ask is the McCollum campaign is using in a political ad a segment of an interview between Rick Sanchez and Rick Scott about his hospital corporation and Medicare fraud from August 6, 2009. The ad, through clever editing, makes it appear that Mr. Sanchez is making a statement against Mr. Scott, not asking a question. If either Rick Sanchez or CNN have given McCollum's campaign permission to use tape from this interview, then it proves media bias by CNN.

Rick Scott founded Columbia Hospital Corp. and Solantric Urgent Care Centers. The hospital corporation was accused of and fined for Medicare fraud. Scott has countered with a disarming ad in which he takes responsibility for the mistakes as CEO, then goes on to cite what McCollum doesn't. Columbia Hospitals have achieved higher ratings for quality of care than most.

Scott personally financed much of the campaign against Obamacare. He supports the Tea Party movement and many in it support him, although the Tea Party does not collectively endorse candidates. I have not yet decided whom I will back, although I am leaning toward Scott. I have more research to do on this Medicare fraud case as well as other positions of both candidates before I make my choice. However, I do not appreciate CNN or Rick Sanchez trying to influence the outcome of a Florida primary.

2010 Census Burning Taxpayers’ Money

My experience this week with the 2010 Census made me livid. Let me go back a few weeks, first.

So far, I have received one letter and two postcards informing me that the census form was coming and to please fill it out promptly. One of the postcards came AFTER I received and returned the completed census form. I have seen and continue to see numerous television and newspaper ads urging cooperation with the census. I have read about the cross-country tour of 2010 Census promoters; Jacksonville was visited this week.

So, when my census form arrived approximately three weeks ago, I filled it out the evening I received it and mailed it back the next day. Although it asks for more information than required by the Constitution, I was relieved to see it was far simpler and less intrusive that the last several I have filled out.

This Wednesday, April 7th, there was an announcement here where I live that a Census worker was in the building to help residents fill out their forms and to please let her in if she knocks. Okay, no problem. She did not stop by my apartment since I had mailed my form back, or so I thought.

We have lunch weekdays in our dining room downstairs at noon, and I went down a few minutes before. As soon as I wheeled into the dining room, this census woman, who it turned out is from Columbia and speaks barely passable English, accosted me. She told me she needed to fill out a census form for me. When I told her I had already done so and mailed it back, she informed me, “Oh, that doesn’t matter.” I gave her my birth date when she asked, and then wheeled around, announcing, “I need a drink.”

Returning to my seat with my lemonade, she told me she had filled out the form and had all the information she needed on me. I asked her pointedly, “Does this mean I will be counted twice?” She told me, “Oh, don’t worry about it.”

Excuse me, but I am going to worry about it. The Census is constitutionally mandated for one reason and one reason only: to determine how many U.S. representatives each State should have. Numbers matter. Duplications in the Census would result in a state having more representatives than it should.

All through lunch, I scolded about the utter waste of taxpayers’ money this Census is costing us. This woman was here most of the day. The job ads for Census workers here state the wages are $11.25 - $16.50/hour. At an average hourly rate of $13.87, her visit cost around $100.

Late that night, I was reading the news online. One of the articles from The Associated Press on yahoo! news was about the Census: “Census Bureau concerned about head count problems” http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100408/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_census_debacle_scenarios . The Census Bureau, according to it, has a number of concerns regarding their efforts, including “mass identity theft.” It reported that census field workers would not be going out until May. They would wait until the mailed-in forms could be tabulated and lists created of those who had not returned them. Makes sense to me to do it that way.

That article really raised my suspicions. Who was this woman? Was she really from the Census Bureau? She had an I.D. badge hanging around her neck, but I did not look at it closely enough to verify it was a Census Bureau tag. I will ask Representative Ander Crenshaw, and Senators Bill Nelson and George LeMieux to investigate.

This whole Census boondoggle has given me yet another reason to participate in the Tea Party on Thursday, April 15th at the Jacksonville Landing. I want to tell the federal government to just stop it: stop wasting our money.

We American citizens are not stupid. Just send the census form and the vast majority will fill it out as requested. Then, go out and find those who do not or cannot do it by themselves. And, while you are at it, if you find illegals, do not count them. Call I.C.E. to round them up and have them deported. But that is a rant for another day.