Florida Members of Congress Voting For Government Shutdown
Via Stogie: here is a list of Republicans who voted for a CR bill that would delay Obamacare. This is a nonstarter in the Senate and President Barack Obama would never sign it into law. This vote is just to appease the tea party base of the GOP.
Rep. Jeff Miller [R-D1]
Rep. Steve Southerland [R-D2]
Rep. Ted Yoho [R-D3]
Rep. Ander Crenshaw [R-D4]
Rep. Ron DeSantis [R-D6]
Rep. John Mica [R-D7]
Rep. Bill Posey [R-D8]
Rep. Daniel Webster [R-D10]
Rep. Richard Nugent [R-D11]
Rep. Gus Bilirakis [R-D12]
Rep. W. Bill Young [R-D13]
Rep. Dennis Ross [R-D15]
Rep. Vern Buchanan [R-D16]
Rep. Thomas Rooney [R-D17]
Rep. Trey Radel [R-D19]
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart [R-D25]
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-D27]
Florida Republicans Voting Against the Violence Against Women Act
This should be used as a helpful reminder to voters. I don't want congressional members of the Florida delegation to duck voting against the Violence Against Women Act. Here is a list of Florida elective officials voting nay on VAWA.
House of Representative
Gus Bilirakis, Ron DeSantis, John Mica, Jeff Miller, Bill Posey, Trey Radel, Tom Rooney, Dennis Ross, Steve Southerland, Ted Yoho
Senate
Marco Rubio
Remember this next time you head into the voting booth.
Republicans have been bending over backwards in defending BP. The Grand Old Party thinks BP shouldn't have to set up a $20 billion escrow account to pay victims of the oil spill. Rep. Joe Barton went as far as to publicly apologize to BP CEO Tony Hayward for the White House making BP set up the escrow account.
"I think it is a tragedy of the first proportion that a private corporation would be subjected to what I would characterize as a shakedown -- in this case a $20 billion shakedown," Barton said.
"I do not want to live in a country where any time a citizen or a corporation does something that is legitimately wrong is subject to some sort of political pressure," the 13-term congressman said. "That... amounts to a Shakedown. So I apologize."
How does Barton think the financial damage will be paid for. Barton is saying if a corporation "does something that is legitimately wrong" it should not be subjected to political pressure. Does Barton think the problem will magically go away on its own?
Anadarko Petroleum has been one of Barton's top campaign contribitor since 1989. Anadarko Petroleum is 25 percent owner of the Macondo Prospect; the site of the Deepwater Horizen rig that is ground zero for the oil spill. It is easy to see why Barton does not want oil corporations to be financially responsible for spills.
“There's no shakedown. It's insisting on responsible conduct and a responsible response to something they caused. And I find it outrageous to suggest that if in fact we insisted that B.P. demonstrate their preparedness to put aside billions of dollars, in this case $20 billion, to take care of the immediate needs of people who are drowning.”
Barton is now doing the walk of shame and issuing an apology.
“I apologize for using the term ‘shakedown’ with regard to yesterday’s actions at the White House in my opening statement this morning, and I retract my apology to BP,” the statement from his office read, ““I regret the impact that my statement this morning implied that BP should not pay for the consequences of their decisions and actions in this incident.”
Update: Florida Rep. Jeff Miller (R) calls on Barton to step down as ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
“I condemn Mr. Barton’s statement. Mr. Barton’s remarks are out of touch with this tragedy and I feel his comments call into question his judgment and ability to serve in a leadership on the Energy and Commerce Committee,” Miller said in a statement. “He should step down as Ranking Member of the Committee.”
Update: Organizing For America head David Plouffe is calling for Barton's resignation as rankng member of the Energy and Commerce Committee.
“But big oil knows exactly who its allies are,” Plouffe – Obama’s former campaign manager writes, “Notably, companies like Halliburton -- the folks responsible for cementing the Deepwater Horizon rig -- are directing their political committees to deliver thousands of dollars to GOP candidates this cycle. Barton himself has received more than $100,000 from the oil and gas industry this election cycle. Barton should apologize to the people of the Gulf and he should step down as the highest-ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.”
Plouffe is close to Obama and members of the White House's political team. The White House must have given Plouffe the green light that Barton was fair game.
More evidence that House Minority Leader John Boehner is politically tone deaf. Republicans vote against celebating mothers.
On Wednesday afternoon, the House had just voted, 412 to 0, to pass H. Res. 1113, "Celebrating the role of mothers in the United States and supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day," when Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.), rose in protest.
"Mr. Speaker, I move to reconsider the vote," he announced.
Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), who has two young daughters, moved to table Tiahrt's request, setting up a revote. This time, 178 Republicans cast their votes against mothers.
It was a smart move on Kathy Castor's part to set up a revote. Republicans will politically commit suicide just to frustrate Democrats. Florida Republicans Tom Feeney, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Jeff Miller voted against "supporting the goals and ideals of Mother's Day." Way to go champs.
"For the sake of the institution, his family, and his Idaho constituents, Larry Craig should step down from the United States Senate," says Spring Hill Republican Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite
It's amazing how members of the Florida GOP are vocal about a Republican from Idaho, but are silent about the Sunshine State's Bob Allen.
