Which is to say: Not good at all.
Democratic Rep. Heath Shuler said Monday that his party’s leadership on Capitol Hill has failed to pursue a bipartisan compromise to a costly economic stimulus package, arguing that a lack of Republican support is eroding the program’s credibility.
The conservative Democrat, who represents a western North Carolina district, was one of a handful in his party to oppose the stimulus package when the House voted on it two weeks ago. He said Democratic leaders in Congress haven’t made any effort to hear his concerns or assuage his fears about the spending bill since the vote.
Look, Heath, people like me supported you because to win in a conservative Southern district you’re the kind of conservative Democrats have to run. But that doesn’t excuse stabbing the House leadership in the back while you agitate for the Republican party. Now, do what you did best when you were on the Redskins: sit on the bench and shut up.
How did I not know that he was a Redskin? I grew in Maryland, watching the Redskins and now he’s my rep and yet I did not know. I’m only slightly more surprised by this bit of trivia than when I looked at the final house vote and saw how I was being represented. The thing is, though Western North Carolina is pretty conservative, our district is overwhelmingly liberal. Most of the population is in Asheville and immediately surrounding and I know we’re not the constituents who would have opposed the stimulus. Which leads me to believe that’s he’s only representing the conservative folks out in the more rural areas of the district, perhaps even people who voted for local nut job Carl Mumpower instead of him. Or, representing himself, a more likely scenario. AND my old district in Maryland, the first district, finally got a democrat elected and he voted against the stimulus too. I bet Wayne Gilchrest would have voted for it. What are they getting out of voting that way? I’m actually asking, I’d like to hear your thoughts on this.
So you want all the Blue Dog Democrats to shut up and fall in line behind the House leadership?
Who does this guy think he is to stand up and speak out for what he thinks is wrong? What an idiot.
‘Mr. Smith Goes to Washington’ was just a movie, Heath.
OUCH!
Heath was a very good bench sitter…and I will not have his bench sitting skills maligned!
So you want all the Blue Dog Democrats to shut up and fall in line behind the House leadership?
When they’re wrong and the issue is as important as this, yes. As someone who – on fiscal issues – is far more towards Shuler than Pelosi, I don’t see the need to knife the leadership.
Dennis – I thought that when I voted for Heath Shuler (twice, actually) I was asking him to represent me and the people in my community, not “what he thinks is right.” Do we still live in a representative democracy? I feel pretty certain that most of the people in this district wanted him to vote for that bill, myself included. It is probably more accurate to translate “what he thinks is right” to “what is politically expedient for him.”
We’re gonna need to see the full list of “this is so important inter-party dissent will be branded as treason” topics.
National Security?
Health Care?
Education?
Environment?
Energy?
Free Speech?
Abortion?
Taxes?
The DTV Switchover?
Amtrak?
Laugh all you want about the last 2, but they’re in the bill Oliver just told us is “important”.
“How many fingers am I holding up?”
Treason? Nobody said that. Dumb? Yeah.
Farris, what exactly is your point?
I can’t buy into party unity quite so much as this. If the Blue Dogs truly believe they’ve been excluded from the process and thus can’t represent their constituents, then, yes, they need to speak out.
As it is, I’m uncomfortable with the concentration of power in the Speaker’s office in the last decade or two. If the Blue Dogs can reverse this, I’m all for it.
*The Gun-Slin-Gers baaaacccckkkkk!!!!*
“you’re like a son to me”-Rush Limbaugh to Heath
I don’t know football, so I can’t say whether Shuler should sit on a bench anywhere.
But he definitely should learn a little about macroeconomics.
And he shouldn’t shoot his mouth off at Dems concerning something he knows very little about. The economic proposals he is apparently espousing are the ones that got us into the Bush-Hoover Depression II.
Treason? Not that much of a stretch when Obama defines patriotism as supporting his policies.
I guess Shuler thinks this will win points with his constituents, or prove his “independence.” Maybe the Blue Dogs can study some economics after they brush up on some politics.
Hey, Ferris, grow up. Obama has never defined patriotism as supporting his policies.
Yeah, Heath. Toe the line and drink the purple koolaide.
I think pelosi needs to be taken out to the woodshed myself but for totaly diffrent reasons(shirking he constitutional duties and hold the bush admin responsible for the illegal things it has done in our name) as far as the stimulus plan I think the house and senate should hold these repubs and yella bellied bluedogs dems to their so-called principle’s and say ok you dont think this money should be spent ok it wont in your districts
I’m proud of what Rep. Shuler is doing in congress! He represents the people of Western North Carolina! NOT the other Democratic Congressmen or Democratic party, NOT the other Republican Congressmen and certainly not most of you folks. He is there to represent US! The people of WNC! He has said many times that he is FOR a stimulus package, but NOT a wasteful one and is only being cautious about what is going to be the largest amount of money in American history to be spent on rebuilding our country. He, nor any other opponent of the purposed stimulus package should take it lightly, and neither should any of you!