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Monday, December 27, 2004
The Latest Anti-Dean Candidate for DNC Chair
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid and possibly Gov. Bill Richardson are pushing ex-Indiana Congressman and 9-11 Commission member, Tim Roemer, as the new anti-Howard Dean candidate for DNC Chair. Daily Kos has an excellent diary on Roemer, which includes this recitation of his voting record:
- Voted YES on banning human cloning, including medical research. (Jul 2001)
- Voted YES on banning Family Planning funding in US aid abroad. (May 2001)
- Voted YES on federal crime to harm fetus while committing other crimes. (Apr 2001)
- Voted YES on banning partial-birth abortions. (Apr 2000)
- Voted YES on barring transporting minors to get an abortion. (Jun 1999)
- Voted YES on Constitutional amendment prohibiting Flag Desecration. (Jul 2001)
- Voted NO on funding for alternative sentencing instead of more prisons. (Jun 2000)
- Voted YES on more prosecution and sentencing for juvenile crime. (Jun 1999)
- Voted NO on maintaining right of habeus corpus in Death Penalty Appeals. (Mar 1996)
- Voted YES on making federal death penalty appeals harder. (Feb 1995)
- Voted NO on raising CAFE standards; incentives for alternative fuels. (Aug 2001)
- Voted NO on banning soft money donations to national political parties. (Jul 2001)
- Voted NO on allowing suing HMOs, but under federal rules & limited award. (Aug 2001)
- Voted NO on Prescription Drug Coverage under Medicare. (Jun 2000)
- Voted YES on banning physician-assisted suicide. (Oct 1999)
- Voted YES on deploying SDI (Star Wars). (Mar 1999)
- Member of Democratic Leadership Council. (Nov 2000)
While still in the Congress, Roemer also voted against the 2001 Filcher Amendment, which would have stopped any funds from going towards Social Security "privatization." He is strongly anti-choice in regard to women's reproductive rights.
Chris Bowers at MyDD (with 5 million readers) has this to say about Roemer as DNC Chair:
Unless Roemer publicly, loudly and completely repudiates his recent position on Social Security, he is utterly unacceptable as DNC chair. Mark my words: if Roemer becomes chair without doing this, I will actively encourage all progressive activists to donate and volunteer to third-party groups instead of and at the expense of the DNC. The Fainthearted Faction has no place in the Democratic leadership.
As for me, if Roemer gets the nod I won't be giving one red cent to the DNC, regardless of whether or not he reneges on his Social Security position. At a time when it's essential for the Party and its candidates to take strong, Democratic stands on every issue, THIS is the guy that alleged liberal Nancy Pelosi is pushing? Oh, these insider Dems are scared to death to have an honest and unabashed DEMOCRAT running the DNC, arent' they?
What's your take on all this?
December 27, 2004 at 12:43 PM in Democratic Party | Permalink
Comments
Once a holy man was saying his prayers by a river. A washerman came down to the river with his donkey loaded with dirty clothes.
"Hey, holy man," the washerman said, "Watch my donkey for a few minutes." and left. The holy man continued his prayers and the donkey ran off. When the washerman returned and saw that his donkey was gone he was furious and started yelling at the holy man. They started fighting and the washerman who was very strong from washing clothes had soon pummeled the holy man. After the fight was over and the washerman had left to look for his donkey, the holy man called up to God. "Oh Lord," he cried, "Where were you when I needed you?" The Lord replied, "I heard a prayer but when I looked down and saw you two fighting, I couldn't tell who was the washerman and who was the holy man."
So which is the Republican Party and which is the Democratic Party?
Posted by: Andrea Sterling | Dec 27, 2004 7:37:08 PM
Interesting that, for Bowers of MyDD, the plumbline is Social Security. For others, it's reproductive choice versus forced birth. Though I'm suspicious of lists like the one above, since they don't reveal what else was riding that particular bill, or how that particular bill was worded, either of which might be sufficient reason to vote against what one would think of as a liberal issue, the trend certainly looks suspicious. And the statement that Roemer is strongly anti-choice is disturbing. All told, the impression that we're left with is that Roemer is a DLC-style appeaser. Dean has neither that record nor that image. We can't just sit around and hope that the DNC votes for Dean. We have to write letters. Otherwise, we once again abdicate the power that is ours.
Posted by: John McAndrew | Dec 28, 2004 7:36:14 AM
Unfortunately, that's an apt story, Andrea. And John, you're right about being careful in judging lists of votes like that without more info. Here's a link to Roemer's votes and statements on a wide variety of issues:
https://www.issues2000.org/IN/Tim_Roemer.htm
Posted by: barb | Dec 28, 2004 10:33:40 AM
