Rep. Scott Garrett is one of the infamous eleven Republicans who voted against the bill to provide aid and comfort to our fellow Americans who have been victimized by Hurricane Katrina.
Erik Anderson wrote a letter to the editor of his local paper.
U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett, R-N.J., was one of only 11 members of Congress to vote against the Katrina relief bill (H.R. 3673). Let me say that again: Garrett, our congressman in northwest New Jersey, voted against helping the victims of the worst natural disaster in American history.
The Right Honorable Representative Garrett, the Earl of Sussex, will vote against anything if it slows down Grover Norquist’s plan to “get (our government) down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub.” But I guess Garrett didn’t get the memo. Norquist’s plan just succeeded.
Garrett should try being more compassionate with his conservatism, and less conservative with his compassion. Some people depend on it.
Garrett’s reaction? He called up Erik on the phone.
He asked me to write another letter saying that I now understand why he voted the way he did. He said he doesn’t want his family going around thinking he’s a “heartless son of a gun.” But the tone of his phone call (pissed), and the fact that he called me at my home, doesn’t lead me altogether away from that conclusion.
This man, and ten others, voted against your fellow citizens because obeying the beck and call of the radical right’s leadership is more important to them than common decency. And they should be scorned.
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Noting For The Record
Just as the liberal Democrats who voted against a resolution in re. 9/11.
Also, if they were “answering the call of the Republican leadership,” are you saying that all the other Republicans who voted for the $50 billion dollar “forget about that money — it ain’t gettin’ nowhere near no poor people” giveaway were defying the leadership?
Hey Frank, if it was so important to the Republicans that the money be disbursed properly, why didn’t they allow the Democrats to introduce the amendments that addressed that very issue?
Frank, while I am not going to get on board the “hate America” bandwagon, most of these 11 really have no excuse for not voting for this money. If they were concerned about accountability, why then didn’t they vote against the energy bill and the transportation bill? Both of those are filled with loads of cash that will no doubt go to a bunch of unaccounted for pork barrel projects.
However, Jeff Flake of Arizona voted against both the transportation bill and the energy bill as well as this one. He did support the initial $10.5 billion, but said this one needed more accountability.
Oliver might want to examine those positions before he starts claiming somebody “hates” America. But I have to say that the others really don’t have much of an excuse.
Jay C: Maybe they don’t, but I’d be damned if I’d vote for that much money being spent without knowing where it’s going.
I still say that by next year, there will be grand juries all over the Gulf coast, people resigning their positions, plea bargaining, immunity grants, and the usual kerfluffle that accompanies corruption, southern – style.
Here it is:
And here it is again: http://images.dailykos.com/images/user/3/bathtub.jpg
So when John Kerry voted against the $187 billion appropriations bill on the grounds that he felt there needed to be more accountability to ensure the money went where it needed to go, did he hate the military, Oliver?
My guess is he knows Dick Cheney.
The Republican Golden Rule: Do unto me as you would want me to do unto you, meanwhile I’ll be doing unto you with a rusty piece of rebar.
So when Kerry was attacked for that vote, and *everyone* on the right was claiming that he did, indeed, “hate the military”, were you one of the ones defending him, Brandon?
Wilbur…
To be fair, I don’t recall *anyone* on the right claiming that Kerry hated the military. If you had some verifiable quotes, it might jog my memory.
If he was obeying the “beck and call of the radical right’s leadership,” why haven’t I heard of any of them except Sensenbrenner (and to tell you the truth, I don’t even know why I know that name)? Did the radical right’s leadership tell only those eleven obscure people to vote against this? And the leadership themselves voted for it? I don’t understand.
Scratch,
Of course you don’t recall. Like most rightwingers you have an elephant’s memory for everybody else’s failures and a Alzheimer’s memory for your own.
But here’s just one example, found in two seconds on google:
http://powerlineblog.com/archives/006652.php
And of course thousands of others were pretty much saying the same thing even if they didn’t use those specific words. If you really don’t remember that then it is time you saw your friendly neighborhood neurologist.
Actually, Kerry voted against the $87 billion (it wasn’t $187 billion) on the grounds that he would only support it if Bush rolled back some tax cuts. His ‘no’ vote had nothing to do with accountability.
Of course, like these Congressmen (save for Flake), his explanation didn’t hold much water when considering what he voted for prior to that without asking for tax cut rollbacks.
Wilbur, I am guessing you feel that it was wrong for people to accuse John Kerry of “hating the military” because of his ‘no’ vote on that $87 billion. Do you agree with Oliver that these ‘no’ votes are akin to “hating America?” If so, why would you support that view, but not the view of Kerry hating the military?
Wilbur…
Thanks for the link. An interesting irony is that pretty much the only political blog I read is…this one.
Since you backed up your statement at my request, I’ll overlook your gratuitous and baseless personal attack on me.
To tell you the truth, I don t know what amendments you re talking about. I m not into details.
And this is why you’re not worth paying attention to. Seriously, in this “post Katrina world,” do you really think that “I’m not into details” is going to remind people of anything other than an inept uninformed man who has no idea of what’s going on outside his bubble?
What kind of person says, “I’m not into details”? Truly, the mind boggles.
Do you agree with Oliver that these no votes are akin to hating America? If so, why would you support that view, but not the view of Kerry hating the military?
Jay, send an e-mail to powerline, to Dick Cheney, to Zell Miller, to Rush Limbaugh, to Shawn Hannity and to all pertinent others you can think of. Tell them that they were dead wrong to denigrate Kerry’s patriotism and support for the military on the basis of his appropriations votes. CC these letters to this discussion forum. * Then* I might tell you whether or not I disagree with Oliver on this point.
New rules for Republicans: we don’t apologize for whacking you with rebar unless you apologize for whacking us with rebar FIRST.
In other words: if you want everybody to get along, then you’ve got to play nice. Just asking us to play nice is not playing nice.
Scratch: my apologies for offending your delicate sensibilities.
Constantine: So why are you paying attention to me?
Which “details” do I need to know to assure myself that you will listen to me?
We don’t live in a “post Katrina world”, young man… This is not, contrary to Oliver’s hysterical ravings, one of history’s pivotal moments.
See here:
http://www.sluggerotoole.com/archives/2005/09/ill_wind_may_no.php
He says it better than I can.
Jay, send an e-mail to powerline, to Dick Cheney, to Zell Miller, to Rush Limbaugh, to Shawn Hannity and to all pertinent others you can think of. Tell them that they were dead wrong to denigrate Kerry s patriotism and support for the military on the basis of his appropriations votes. CC these letters to this discussion forum. * Then* I might tell you whether or not I disagree with Oliver on this point.
Why should I? This is not about Hannity or Limbaugh. I asked YOU a very simple question(s). Do you agree with Oliver’s assessment that these ‘no’ votes are akin to hating America? Others have said that when Kerry voted against the $87 billion for Iraq, it was akin to him “not supporting the troops” or “hating the military.” Do you agree with that assessment? If not, please explain the difference.
I don’t think that’s asking too much.
I have a feeling you’re not going to answer and I’ll give you three guesses why not. The first two don’t count.
Well, here’s a little “detail” that might be interesting, Frank:
Did you have some other type of oversight in mind? Or was your reaction reflexive?
It was like I picked up the phone, I couldn’t believe it was him until he got angry enough (then I knew – heh, heh) and then he started talking very fast about his explanation for the vote – something about the difference between $2 billion dollars and $750 million dollars – but I still couldn’t follow him because I was taken aback, and then he said, “will you write another letter now that you understand?” Like now that he’s graced my presence with a personal phone call, I owe him this service. But he never even asked me if I understood.
I still can’t believe it even happened. Thanks for picking it up, Oliver. A friend forwarded me your blog post about the 11. That’s how I found out.
Erik Anderson
[...] rriff Ellsworth here. Charles Kuffner follows the Texas wing of the anti-US votes. MORE: One of Team Hate America Tries (Badly) To Defend [...]
I have a feeling you re not going to answer and I ll give you three guesses why not. The first two don t count.
You’re right, I’m not going to answer, but you haven’t got a clue as to why.
Guess that makes you… clueless.
When I worked for the IRS, about 15 Revenue Agents were responsible for auditing about 1/3 of Manhattan Island…
You don’t seriously think that 30 auditors are going to oversee the distribution of $50 billion dollars ($1.4 b each) over an area that runs from eastern Alabama to western Louisiana?
Right behind them will the usual bloated caravanserai (”We didn’t expect this kind of a caseload!”) supplies, equipment. Then the temporary buildings, followed by the permanent buildings. You think they’ll name one or two after Huey Long, or maybe Robert “Sheets” Byrd.
The article you quoted says the amount to be spent is anticipated to go to $100 billion, already. How high do you think figure will go by, say, next June?
I really wish there was a lot of help going to those, poor devastated people , but I just know it won’t. It never does.
follow up letter in today’s Express-Times
Garrett practices miserly politics
Kudos to Erik Anderson, who in a Sept. 11 letter questioned the priorities of U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett. There is absolutely no excuse for Garrett to vote against the Katrina relief bill. He can rationalize it anyway he wants, but the fact is the congressman is pathologically opposed to spending a penny on anything that might upset his “government-as-miser” politics.
Those of us in Warren County remember that Garrett lamely took undeserved credit for getting the federal government to help after last year’s Delaware River flood — and it did take him a while even to visit the stricken areas. The congressman was of no help to Belvidere and other areas which received no relief from Washington, D.C.
Based on Garrett’s inaction after our own disasters, is it any surprise how he has reacted to Katrina?
BRIAN D. SMITH
Belvidere
http://www.nj.com/letters/expresstimes/index.ssf?/base/news-0/1127207301102230.xml&coll=2&thispage=3
Roll Call – “The Newspaper of Capitol Hill”:
Thin Skin
By Mary Ann Akers
Roll Call Staff
September 21, 2005
To be a successful Member of Congress, two things you must have are a tough hide and a tight lip. But Rep. Scott Garrett’s (R-N.J.) skin appears to be somewhere between a newborn baby’s bottom and a puppy’s belly, and his lip is about as loose as the streets of Las Vegas, judging from his reaction to a recent letter to the editor published in New Jersey’s Express-Times newspaper.
http://www.rollcall.com/pub/51_26/hoh/10580-1.html
You have to be a paying member to read the whole article. Somebody is faxing it to me, I’ll try to transcribe some more of it when it comes. It will be on my new Kos diary:
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2005/9/21/14620/0742