McHugh Watch

On July 12th, after receiving the first report mandated of the President regarding the Iraqi government’s attainment of benchmarks, the house passed the Responsible Redeployment from Iraq Act. It was in response to the dismal report that the Iraq government has failed to make any progress, much less satisfactory progress, on over half of the 18 benchmarks that congress mandated for continued funding.

It outlines a comprehensive policy strategy for force reduction in Iraq. The bill is policy statement not a tactical direction. Rightfully, tactics should be left to the military commanders to carry out policy. McHugh and the Bush enablers continue to spew the message that congress has no right to make policy and should be left to the military.

Nothing can be further from the truth, and obviously, Mr. McHugh did not learn the lessons that he should have when he had got out of serving in Vietnam by getting a Masters of Public Administration from Syracuse. He did not learn that it was the intent of the founding fathers when they created the Constitution that the elected representatives of the people make policy and the military carries it out. Why else would they have make is so that only Congress can declare war and not some general.

The Bush enablers never cease to re-codify the language. They no longer refer to it as a “surge”, but have again invented a new moniker: a counteroffensive. A counteroffensive that will last for years without any stabilization of Iraq or the Iraqi government stepping up to the plate towards any of the benchmarks.

It is becoming fashionable on Capital Hill for the Bush enablers to become critics of the President. Most notably those that are up for re-election in competitive races in 2008. Republican Senators are dropping like flies and there are now significant Road to Damascus experiences being felt by Republican representatives.

John McHugh continues to be an Bush enabler voting against the Redeployment Act. He can afford to be “principled” because his base in Jefferson County associates him with Fort Drum; Fort Drum with economic infusions of government money; and the Iraq War with Fort Drum. The unspoken, but often whispered, connection is that the Iraq War is good for Fort Drum and Fort Drum is good for Jefferson County. So, we are willing to sacrifice blood for economic prosperity. Since John McHugh has so successfully created the perception that he is responsible for Fort Drum, and that the vast majority of the voting public in Jefferson County has bought that hook line and sinker, he will continue to support the war. Madison, Clinton and Franklin, Essex, and Oneida Counties are not enough to out weigh the effect of Jefferson County on the vote tally.

No matter what he says about his “concerns” regarding the Iraq war, he continues to vote in support of George Bush. We need to remember his actions. No death bed conversions for him. It’s too late. Anything he does to distance himself from Bush will be in words only and not in actions. He has done enough damage with George Bush. The only reason for him to “convert” is because he’s scared. That’s not good enough. He sees no foreseeable challenge, so there is no impetus to change. He is a consummate politician who is laying the ground work for a conversion should he need it. By expressing concern over and over again, and yet doing nothing to support that concern, he prepares a pathway to jump ship by creating a paper trail of words that he can take out of context in campaign commercials and debate – Having it both ways. Any change of heart will be based on a political calculus and brazen insincerity.

He’s counting on us being as gullible as ever. No, there will be no death bed conversions for John McHugh. Let’s be plain, he’s willing to trade blood for money. We should be as indignant at accepting any change in his war support as we are with Robert McNamara’s apology to the nation about Vietnam in his memoir In Retrospect. McNamara knew at the time he was wrong and Vietnam was not winnable. McHugh does too.

Recognize the above. Yes, it’s the entrance to the Supreme Court. We learn the pledge of allegiance in kindergarten and all have the words “liberty and justice for all” engraved in our minds.

We all know that there is very little justice in our country. Innocent people are sent to prison and even to death row and criminals guilty as hell go free. In less dramatic circumstances, all of us have felt the sting of incompetent and arrogant government that we pay for through the nose. We know the incredible corruption that is endemic in our government. We know that congressmen are paid off over and over again in the form of campaign contributions that buy both access and votes. Is it any wonder that the American public has little or no confidence in our government today.

Rarely, however, is it so blatant as today’s pardon – no pardon me, “commutation” – of Scooter Libby. The full pardon will come January 20, 2009, his last day in office. Scooter Libby was prosecuted by a Bush appointed US Attorney, convicted by a jury of his peers, sentenced by a conservative judge appointed by George Bush and whose appeal was denied by an appeals court the majority of which was appointed by Republican Presidents. He was sentenced under and within the guidelines that Congress passed. There was nothing “excessive” about his sentence. There has never been a pardon for someone convicted of obstruction of justice.

It is clear that there are two systems of justice. One for high ranking Republicans and one for the rest of us. It is notable that nearly every Republican vying for the Presidential nomination, including Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, Tancredo, Romney and Brownback supported a pardon for Libby. Only Jim Gilmore, former governor of Virginia outright disagreed. With this endemic contempt for the law, is there any doubt that the next President is going to be a Democrat.

George Bush has been the meanest – in both senses of the term: vindictive and sparse – President in history with regard to pardons. I will remind you that he was the one who refused to commute the sentence of Karla Faye Tucker who accepted full responsibility for her crime, was a model prisoner, a devout Christian woman and who was in fact loved by her jailers. Even in the face of a Papal appeal for her life, he refused to commute her sentence to life in prison without parole. And this man masquerades as a Christian.

There are thousands of others who are serving and have served time for obstruction of justice. Bill Clinton was impeached for obstruction of justice and lying to a grand jury. Make no mistake – obstruction of justice is a very serious crime. It means you lied under oath. So what of them? It’s a blatant mockery of justice. Is there any other reason that the administration refuses to answer questions regarding the political removal of US Attorneys except without transcripts and without swearing to tell the truth. Obviously, they intend to lie. Mr. Fitzgerald, Scooter Libby’s prosecutor, better look for a new job because no doubt he is now on Gonzales’s list for termination.

Contrast this with Nancy Pelosi’s response to the indictment of Congressman Jefferson of “cold” cash fame. While she can’t remove him from office, she removed him from all committees and made him a outsider. He has no influence or power.

I call on our Congressman, who has been George Bush’s enabler all these years to finally call him to task. This is an insult to everyone of us and a cynical undermining of the rule of law. The clear message is: There are are two systems of justice – the imperfect one for all of us and the perfectly favorable one of high ranking friends of George Bush and Dick Cheney.

The House passed yesterday, 247 to 176 with 37 moderate Republicans in favor, HR 5 the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Predictably, Mr. McHugh, along with Mssrs. Walsh and Kuhl were opposed, again waving their true arch conservative colors and un-yielding support for George Bush. We must add these three to those who offer us only “Blood, Oil, Fears and Debt.” This vote reconciled the Senate and House versions. It next goes to George Bush for his probable veto – Only 591 days to a Democratic President.

Here is an non exhustive list of potential diseases for which stem cells have potential use:

Diabetes
Parkinsonism
Alzheimer’s
spinal cord injuries
Lou Gehrig’s (ALS) Continue Reading »

During the first 100 hours of the 110th Congress, the house passed the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 that finally allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct and support research that utilizes human embryonic stem cells, regardless of the date on which the stem cells were derived from a human embryo.

There are safeguards written into the bill to ensure that (1) the cells had been donated from in vitro fertilization clinics and (2) were created for the purposes of fertility treatment and (3) were in excess of the needs of the individuals seeking such treatment and would never be implanted in a woman and would otherwise be discarded (as determined in consultation with the individuals seeking fertility treatment); and (4) were donated by such individuals with written informed consent and without any financial or other inducements. Note that all the conditions (“and”) have to be met before the cell can be used. The bill is purposely directed at surplus cells that were created for infertility treatments and were destined for disposal.

To be opposed to stem cell research is to purposefully deny the gift of life and hope to those with diseases that have that have either no or inadequate treatments. By logical extension, to be opposed to stem cell research is to also be opposed to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and yet another gift of life and joy to infertile couples. Continue Reading »

When the Republican party came to power in 1995, John McHugh had been in congress only two years as a minority member. During that time in the 103rd congress, the Democratic majority brought to the floor a bill to ban permanent hiring of replacement workers (pejoratively known to organized labor as “scabs”) who are hired during a strike. Also at that time the Senate was composed of 56 Democrats and 44 Republicans, Kay Hutchison having just won special election in Texas. The political reality was that any worker replacement ban was going nowhere in the Senate because of Republican opposition and threat of filibuster. Along with Republicans Rick Lazio and Rick Santorum who were positioning themselves for future Senate runs, Mr. McHugh voted along with the Democrats for passage. While these three split ideologically from their party, the Republican legislative goals were never in danger. Predictably, the bill never saw the light of day in the Senate.

The next twelve years, with his party in power, both in Congress and in the Presidency, he had an extraordinary opportunity to show his friendship to organized labor. After all, organized labor is one of his chief constituencies, giving him $583,950 in campaign contributions.

So how much did he believe in banning replacement workers. Certainly not enough to have sponsored the bill himself in each of the six congresses where his party was in the majority. Certainly not enough to even co-sponsor bills submitted by Democrats. He didn’t cosponsor the bill to amend the National Labor Relations Act and the Railway Labor Act to prevent discrimination based on participation in labor disputes which also banned replacement workers introduced by Mr. Tierney of Massachusetts in 2001 which, summarized by the congressional research service (an official agency of congress to assist representative): Continue Reading »

The congressional databases now have direct links to both the roll call votes tabulated by the Clerk of the House and to the text of bills and resolutions at the Library of Congress.  This now make it easier to access the bills directly.

On this Memorial day, it is only fitting to remind ourselves of what our representatives are doing with regard to the Iraq war. May is headed to be the bloodiest month for American soldiers to date. Today on NPR, Naval Academy Chaplain Lt. Commander John Owen told us of his ”profound duty to inform the family of a fallen sailor that their loved one is dead and that any day can become Memorial Day when you bear news that will change people’s lives forever.”

For us, the Iraq war is almost an abstraction. Our lives go on with hardly a ripple caused by this war. We continue our conspicuous consumption and take pleasure in the everyday joys of life. Yet for these families – these Moms and Dads – their lives have changed irrevocably: forever.

We need to start making this war personal. We need to start demanding of those that continue this war to step up to the plate and enlist – along with their children – to fight this war. If this war is so important to our national security, they need to fight – because most of us don’t think it is. Most of us think that this is another Vietnam – unwinnable with nothing to win. I know that’s highly improbable for our chickenhawks to fight. After all, they all have their excuses. They are so important. Mr. McHugh’s was a “heart murmur”. Mr. Cheney’s was five deferments. Mr. Bush’s was a year off to campaign. How about their children? Why isn’t Barbara Bush using her Yale education to lead soldiers in the “surge”? We all know Mr. Kuhl is brave with a gun, particularly when he’s drinking and threatening his wife. No, it’s time to stop the abstraction. This is real personal. They have very little credibility when they order other parent’s sons and daughters to the killing fields and have not or will not serve themselves or have their children serve. It’s that simple. Put up or shut up. Continue Reading »

GM profits are down by 90% this quarter. A lot of that is due to the losses by their financial arm GMAC. More ominous however are their continuing loses from the North American car manufacturing operations. The reason: GM is not making cars that Americans want to buy. Is it any wonder that the Massena plant is closing. Those that invoke the “efficiency” of the market place as an almost religious mantra are now seeing that efficiency in its most brutal manifestations. Yes, the “invisible hand” of an unrestrained and unguided market is forcing the closure of the GM Powertrain division in Massena.

GM, like so many American companies, has put short term gains above long term stability. They have refused to invest in the future and come up with fuel efficient cars. In fact, after successfully conducting a leasing trial in southern California, GM crushed and buried the EV1, the electric battery car. Instead, they have scared the wits out of our local union leaders who, joined by our congressman, have resisted government benchmarks for fuel efficiency (CAFE) standards. The last time fuel efficiency was demanded by the congress was in 1976 after the Arab Oil embargos. Since then, Detroit and Big Oil has fought them tooth and nail. That was fine when gas was relatively cheap. It was also fine when Congress, could put its head in the sand about global warming. That was before the ice caps so dramatically started to break off. Continue Reading »

A few weeks ago, asked the question of how bipartisan Mr. McHugh was. I therefore looked at all the votes where Mr. McHugh agreed with the Democratic position. My answer came back at about 50%. Not bad.

Then I looked closer at the votes. It turns out that the Republicans and Democrats agree about 40% of the time. Most of those votes however are non-policy votes. Good for “atta boys” back home but of utterly no consequence. These include naming of post offices, recognition of national champion sport teams, recognizing birthdays, recognizing Muhammad Ali, naming “National Heart Month” or “Hire a Veteran Week”, etc, etc, etc. They actually spend a considerable amount of time voting on these things.

The more sophisticated question is: how many time does our congressman agree with the majority when his party disagrees. That is the real marker of bipartisanship. In the 110th congress, he votes about 25% of the time with the Democrats. In the 109th Congress he only agreed 13% of the time when his party disagreed with the Democrats. The difference in the 110th is that the agenda is controlled by the Democrats. For example, he votes for a clean minimum wage bill this year when the Democrats brought it to the floor but refused to sign the discharge petition with the Democrats last year to bring it to a floor vote. The difference between being passive and active – reluctant agreement.

The question prompted me to create a searchable database. It is based on the Washington Post’s compilation of congressional votes and then expanded with more detailed information on the bills. It was easy to expand it to our other Central New York and North Country congressmen/women. Over the past three weeks I’ve had to learn three computer languages – JavaScript, PHP and mySQL – to put it up. I expect bugs in it so please post the problems you find and I’ll brush up my newly learned languages and try and fix it.

The Database search abilities are fairly intuitive. The issues option is not yet completed and the type of actions for the 109th are not in yet. I will try and keep it up to date every week.

A few more interesting facts from the database:

Jim Walsh has missed 34 out of 301 or 11% of the votes. Where’s he?

Gillibrant missed 15 of 301 or 5% including the veto override of the Iraq war funding supplemental.

McHugh missed 6 of 301 or 2% including the Drug Negotiation bill.

Arcuri has missed NONE.

How many of us are allowed to miss that much work and keep our jobs? It’s called taking responsibility. This author does not see why we should not hold our congressmen to the same standard that is applied to us in the workplace.

I hope this provides our readers more insight into how we are being represented. Happy searching.

Your can enter the congressional databases here.

Predictably, Mr. McHugh voted against the supplemental appropriations bill to fund our troops, Veterans’ care, including VA and military hospitals, farmers’ milk support, the minimum wage, the Center for Disease Control, the Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP) just to name a few. Here’s a complete listing of programs that he voted against. He’s for the minimum wage, but votes against the minimum wage. He votes for it one time and then against it the next time. He’s for the troops but then won’t fund them. He decries the treatment of our wounded soldiers in our nation’s military hospitals and yet refuses to financially support those hospitals. He’s for the milk income loss program but then votes against it.

There must be a good reason. Here it is verbatim from the final version of HR 1591:

SEC. 1315. REVISION OF UNITED STATES POLICY ON IRAQ.
(a) Findings- Congress makes the following findings:

(1) Congress and the American people will continue to support and protect the members of the United States Armed Forces who are serving or have served bravely and honorably in Iraq.
(2) The circumstances referred to in the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Iraq Resolution of 2002 (Public Law 107-243) have changed substantially.
(3) United States troops should not be policing a civil war, and the current conflict in Iraq requires principally a political solution.
(4) United States policy on Iraq must change to emphasize the need for a political solution by Iraqi leaders in order to maximize the chances of success and to more effectively fight the war on terror.

(b) Prompt Commencement of Phased Redeployment of United States Forces From Iraq-

(1) TRANSITION OF MISSION- The President shall promptly transition the mission of United States forces in Iraq to the limited purposes set forth in paragraph (2).
(2) COMMENCEMENT OF PHASED REDEPLOYMENT FROM IRAQ- The President shall commence the phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq not later than 120 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, with the goal of redeploying, by March 31, 2008, all United States combat forces from Iraq except for a limited number that are essential for the following purposes:
(A) Protecting United States and coalition personnel and infrastructure.
(B) Training and equipping Iraqi forces.
(C) Conducting targeted counter-terrorism operations.
(3) COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGY- Paragraph (2) shall be implemented as part of a comprehensive diplomatic, political, and economic strategy that includes sustained engagement with Iraq’s neighbors and the international community for the purpose of working collectively to bring stability to Iraq.
(4) REPORTS REQUIRED- Not later than 60 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and every 90 days thereafter, the President shall submit to Congress a report on the progress made in transitioning the mission of the United States forces in Iraq and implementing the phased redeployment of United States forces from Iraq as required under this subsection, as well as a classified campaign plan for Iraq, including strategic and operational benchmarks and projected redeployment dates of United States forces from Iraq.

Yes, his unflagging support of George Bush and support of a failed foreign policy has let all us down back here in the North Country. He continues to follow, support and parrot a false message that we are fighting al Qaeda. The problem is no matter how often he repeats it, the mantra does not even approach the truth.

It has weakened both his and his party’s position. During the last two campaigns he claimed that his seniority status in the majority party could only benefit us back here. Needless to say, that has all changed. The more he and his party dig in and follow GWB off the cliff, the less likely will his party come back to power. Is there any question as to why the majority of news coverage of the 2008 Presidential campaign is directed towards the Democratic candidates. It’s clear that the American people have grown weary of being ignored by his party and that the next President is going to be a Democrat.

Prior to election he was a willing functionary, now he is forced into that position. He has no power and certainly no influence to bring back the significant pork that he continually claims to do by associating himself with every federal grant that comes back here whether he was responsible for it or not. The only thing standing between him and the electoral pink slip is the lack of insight by the voters. Many in Jefferson and Lewis and St. Lawrence counties still credit him with the Fort Drum expansion and that is where his base lies. The further one gets from Jefferson County, the less impressed the electorate is by him.

So even if he is continually re-elected, he won’t be able to help us. He certainly isn’t helping the American people. So long as he and his party maintain its unpopular support for George Bush and his war, the American people are going to reject them. He may be re-elected again and again by his base in the Western part of the district, but he’ll accomplish very little.

Let’s get it very straight: regardless of what he says, his action of voting against the supplemental appropriations bill does one thing – it lets our troops hang out to dry. He and George Bush will try very hard to obfuscate it and turn it around on the Democrats, but the truth is – the bill fully funds the troops. No if, ands, or buts. He is hanging both the troops and us in the North Country out to dry.

Frankly, I have a hard time waking up in the morning, looking myself in the mirror and saying, “I got nothing accomplished yesterday.” For my money, I want a doer representing me, not a functionary.