Votes (And Souls) Up For Auction This Week...

OS mused earlier about the process of auction of Rep. John Tanner's (TN-8) vote.

His Washington office isn't answering the phone, and now maybe we know why.

From today's Human Events:

Most interesting rumor from the Hill yesterday: Rep. Bart Gordon (D-Tenn.) who announced his retirement from Congress has been promised the job of NASA administrator in exchange for his vote, and Rep. John Tanner (D-Tenn.), another retiring Democrat, has been promised an appointment as U.S. Ambassador to NATO in exchange for his vote.

Why, as we say here, isn't that special!

He'll get a very nice job in a very nice part of Europe, where he can hide out until the rage blows over about selling his soul and vote to Obama.

This is positively banana-republic sort of stuff. One of Mexico's most odious presidents was a character named Echeverria, who in the 1970's arbitrarily devalued the peso against the dollar, on a weekend, after the banks had closed. Of course, he had hoovered up on dollars, and when all those businesses opened on Monday, they found they were bankrupt, 'cuz a lot of loans were written in dollars, but paid in pesos.

Isn't that special!

So, our friend Echeverria and his friends were able to move in and appropriate a great portion of the country's wealth in short order. All the dollars sitting in everyone's Mexican bank dollar accounts had been seized, 'compensated' at an exchange rate that bore no relation to reality. It was a fire sale, and Senor Presidente was buying.

After he finished his term, he was appointed ambassador to UNESCO, and cooled his heels in Paris for a while. Every time he came home to visit, the newspapers announced his visit the week after he left. He returned to resume colorful life of crime, which continues unabated to this day. No one north of the border ever paid much attention, and besides, he was pro-Allende, anti-Israel, anti-American, and ranted leftist cant on a regular basis.

You know, the sort of despot the American left loves the best.

OS knew several people who would have happily shot the man on sight, had they been able to get within range. Normal, gentle, otherwise upstanding citizens. Little did OS know, back in his misspent youth, that he was visiting his future.

Isn't that special!

March Madness: The Obama Full Court Press

March Madness traditionally refers to the NCAA college basketball tournament. The term is taking on a new life in 2010. 

Politico is covering the frantic efforts by Obama and Pelosi to strongarm, bribe, cajole, threaten, and/or blackmail wavering Democrat House members into submission. Himself is calling lowly House members, Himself's loyal troops that still remain are gearing up to flood offices, member's donors are being strongarmed,  Cabinet members are being thrown into the effort. It's a scorched-earth approach, with uncooperative members threatened with revenge from the Democrat party organization. Al Capone would be proud.

Which leads to the obvious question: If this 'health-care reform' is such a great idea, why is it such a struggle to get it passed?  Why the need to hide behind so many procedural dodges? Why is this likely to be 'voted on' (or not?) sometime this weekend while the NCAA tournament will be underway?

Why? Why? Why?

For those overseas who don't follow basketball, the Full Court Press is a technique practiced by a team, usually behind in the score, with little time left on the clock. From one end of the court, the offensive player with the ball is assigned two defensive players to harass him. Sometimes, one is used to block the view of the referee, to obscure the beating administered by the other. Well executed, the tactic forces the ball to turn over, and a few quick points can be scored. It can't be sustained for long, and within a minute or two, the press is broken by passes to open players downcourt, easy layups are scored, and humiliation follows.

Time to break the Press. That little red widget on your right displays the Capitol Hill switchboard numbers. Click on the widget, and you've got the list of the Democrat members being subject most relentlessly to Obama's ChicagoLand pressure. Their contact info is there. If the members hear, once again, that the overwhelming sentiment is against this folly, they can hold out. The Press can be broken.

OS called a regional office of his House member, John Tanner. A tired-sounding woman answered the phone and took my message urging him to oppose the measure. A reminder that the 'Slaughter' approach, whereby the Members avoid that nasty 'up-or-down' vote, is odious to the Constitution was also noted, and the lady's tone turned chillier. She really did not want to hear that constituents are paying attention...

Tanner is not running for re-election, which means his local staff will all have to locate new jobs, in a depressing job market. Imagine if he votes for this nonsense, and his staffers have to go looking for work in TN-8 with their long and faithful service to the man on their resumes. It won't be pretty...

It will be hard enough if he votes 'no'. After all, Tanner bailed out early, knowing what awaited him in November.

An Open Letter to the Honorable John Tanner, Tennessee 8th District

He won't read it. He doesn't seem to read his mail, and his staff are utterly clueless. OS has called with questions a few times over the years, and no one knows what in Heaven is happening.

(Besides, he's retiring as of next January, so November is the last thing on his mind.)

The local papers are not likely to print it.

So, OS mounts his private pulpit. If you know somebody who lives in West Tennessee, OS would appreciate it being forwarded.


Dear Representative Tanner:

I respectfully urge you to oppose the current attempt to force health care 'reform' through Congress.

1. It is evident that a great portion of the country has deep, serious misgivings about any sweeping program that will seek to control this large and vital part of our economy and culture. Please, prudence demands restraint.

2.  The Federal Government has taken us to the brink of bankruptcy by enacting one entitlement program after another since the 1930's.  Each one, the country was told, was a modest effort, and would not ever cost too much. Each one ballooned into an out-of-control black hole of spending or outright fraud. Fannie and Freddie immediately come to mind, as does Medicare. Social Security has become an actuarial impossibility. You are in the insurance business, so you must understand this better than most. Please, this has to stop, and this is our best opportunity to begin to turn the corner.

3. There are other, much less invasive ways to accomplish some good reforms within our outstanding system of medical care that Obama and company will NOT consider.  A physician of any integrity will not advocate surgery when a medical solution shows great promise of working effectively. He will not even advocate a 'medical solution', e.g. writing a prescription, when what is needed is a change of diet or lifestyle. Why won't the Congress and Executive branch exercise that same prudence?  The government plays roulette with our lives, and seems deaf to our voices.

4. The Federal Government has proven itself, again and again, to be a completely untrustworthy steward of our resources. It must not be entrusted with control of our health care. It has not earned that trust. Why should we entrust health-care to the same people who have treated us to both the creation of, and subsequent misguided attempts to cure, our massive financial difficulties?  If it can't clean up GMAC, why should we hand over the medical system to Washington? Sheer prudence demands restraint.

I read of various procedural 'dodges' being cooked up, whereby members of Congress might spared actually having to VOTE, up-or-down, on the record, on this bill. Please be assured that this behavior is being watched. These attempts are unconstitutional on their face, blatantly so. You know it , we know it, and you know that we know that you know it. Nowhere to hide on this one, Mr. Tanner.

Please don't shred the Constitution on our way out the door.

Please. Prudence demands restraint.

Respectfully,

The Definition of a Blue-Dog Democrat

Yes, once again, we have our good Congressman John Tanner playing the ends against the middle.

The 'Guest Columnist' insertion in the local paper was a piece submitted under Rep. Tanner's name (seriously, friends, listen to the guy talk; hard to believe he can write anything of this length with correct grammar).

The title? Drum-roll, please! We Must Restore Fiscal Responsibility

The Honorable Member then explains how everything that has gone wrong was the fault of the evil Republicans; easy to do, since a lot of it can be laid at their feet. He intones that 'The borrow-and-spend policy down which our country has begun poses at least two serious threats', and goes on to name the spectre that the Chinese might not want to buy our T-bills(They expect to get paid back!), and our weakened place in the world and its foreign policy implications.

So, this would be a reason to not vote for the TARP, the 'Stimulus' and a budget that runs well over ONE TRILLION in deficits into the endless future, right?

WRONG! He then goes on to explain that despite all these things, he just had to vote for the 'Stimulus Bill'--he had already voted for the TARP(he just 'had to', you know), and signalled that he would be voting for the 2010 budget.

And, indeed he did!

So, what's the definition of a Blue-Dog Democrat?

He howls at the moon, declaring his fealty to the conservative values of his district. But when his masters(Pelosi, Frank, Reid, and Obama) command, he rolls over and plays dead.

Check his congressional home page:

Cries of outrage against the mounting national debt, and never a mention of his votes that make it possible.

Our grandchildren will curse our memories for allowing him and his to get away with this.