Skeptics Caucus! Congressman Brad Sherman!
So there I was, reading random news reports about the horrible bailout bill, and thinking bitter thoughts about our ‘representatives’ in Congress, apparently heedless of the calls and faxes that have been running anywhere from 100-to-1 to 300-to-1 against (”They’re running 50% ‘No’, and 50% ‘Hell No!’”, as Rep. Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) put it).
And then, in a piece dated today on how perhaps the votes aren’t there for passage after all, I see the name of my actual Congressman:
[Sen. Dennis] Kucinich [D-OH] attended a meeting of the “Skeptics Caucus,” organized by Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and consisting of House Democrats skeptical of the bailout effort. The meeting’s speakers included economic professor James Galbraith of the University of Texas and former FDIC chairman William Isaac. Sherman called the legislation a Bush administration “power grab” and a handout to Wall Street. “This is greatest shift of power to the imperial presidency and the greatest shift of wealth to a still wealthy Wall Street that anyone could imagine,” Sherman said.
“None of this has been subject to a critical analysis,” charged Rep. Kucinich. “We haven’t had access to the books to the people who are claiming they are going broke.”
“They rushed this Congress into the Iraq resolution and look what happened,” he added, comparing the rushed tone behind the bailout effort with the push to invade Iraq, “Catastrophe for this nation as well as for the people of Iraq.”
Yes, finally! Go, House! Represent!
Read the full article on The Raw Story:
“Kucinich says bailout doesn’t have the votes”
September 28, 2008
John Blackburn wrote:
I know I phoned the office of *my* congressman and said, “No! A thousand times. No!”
Posted 28 Sep 2008 at 5:33 pm ¶
Tom Chappell wrote:
Oh, I phoned the DC office of this self-same Representative Brad Sherman last Monday. The fellow who answered the phone said that Congressman Sherman was a little disturbed that he was being offered this bill, “Take it or leave it.”
“Leave it.” My (emphatic) reply.
But how nice, and unexpected, to see them actually listening!
Posted 28 Sep 2008 at 7:44 pm ¶
Tom Chappell wrote:
The letter that Representative Sherman sent out to organize the Skeptics Caucus is here.
Posted 30 Sep 2008 at 8:09 am ¶
Bill Standley wrote:
Your reps sure listened, didn’t they?
Posted 03 Oct 2008 at 11:16 am ¶
Tom Chappell wrote:
Well, *my* Representative listened; he not only voted against the big stupid bailout (twice), but led the charge against it.
Posted 05 Oct 2008 at 12:44 am ¶