Deadbeats In A Democratic Republic
McCain, Clinton, Biden, Obama, Dodd.
None of them voted in the Senate confirmation vote for Attorney General nominee Michael Mukasey.
Is there any reason except illness, family emergency or death to be absent for a vote in the Senate.
I didn't say "important" vote because I believe every vote is important.
Or is it?
Heartbreakingly enough I received an email excusing the deadbeats .
He called himself a "conservative Republican", perhaps guessing that he gained further credibility by being not just a normal, average everyday stupid American citizen but a conservative Republican stupid citizen.
Here's what he said. Get out your sick bags:
"It is a common practice for Presidential candidates that are away from Washington campaigning not to vote on important issues if their vote is not going to change the outcome. The leaders of their parties in the Senate tell them their vote is not required."
And we want to deport illegal immigrants?
I say thin the herd and just have all Americans who subscribe to this view come forward for their exit papers. That's after we give the Senators their exit papers too.
This matters. The act of neglecting to vote is disturbing. Excusing it is even worse.
Your thoughts?
This isn't anything new. Candidates neglect their elected positions to campaign, been going on for years. Problem is that they are startoing their campaigning earlier and earlier every year. This year they are getting TWO years pay to campaign. Seems the states these people are beholden too would recall their sorry asses and take them to task on it.
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These people are elected to represent the people. By not voting the people are not being represented. If the prepresentative is a candidate running for president, it's probably even more important. To me it means they are committed to the process and gives an insight for furture decisions. A (sorry I'm too busy to vote because It won't make a difference) non vote is a disgrace.
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These elected officials should be ashamed of themselves. It is their responsibility as a representative of their district to exercise their duties and repsonsibilities of the office. It would be interesting to see just how many Congressional votes these people have actually missed over the course, say, of the last couple of years, hell, even the duration of their term. Hell, let's look at ALL of the Sen's and Rep's for that matter, not just the Presidential candidates to see who is actually representing the people.
Just a thought.
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I think all of the Senators and Rep. should be available to cast a vote of any type. I did not vote for my Senator and Rep. to campaign but to be in Washington to represent me. I want them to vote and be on record as to how they stand on a certain subject letting me know how I should vote next time or if I should let them know how I feel about their vote. As it is when they don't vote they are not representing me and I am left out to dry.
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If it is common practice to not vote on important issues because they are out campaigning, then they are not doing the job they were hired to do.
How many of us can do that in our jobs without getting fired?
They should campaign on their own time.
BTW, the red queen has given her directives. Do not go off script, do not ask pertinent questions. Via the Drudge report -
CNN's Wolf Blitzer has been warned not to focus Thursday's Dem debate on Hillary. 'This campaign is about issues, not on who we can bring down and destroy,' top Clinton insider explains. 'Blitzer should not go down to the levels of character attack and pull 'a Russert.'' Blitzer is set to moderate debate from Vegas, with questions also being posed by Suzanne Malveaux... Developing...
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More "quit picking on Hillary" whining from the Clinton camp. Sorry, but if she can't handle the heat, she ought to stay out of the kitchen. This woman wants to be our Commander in Chief but, yet, she continues to fold like a cheap suit under pressure. Not exactly a "Presidential quality" if you ask me.
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Agree with most of the comments thus far. Maybe our elected officials need to be held further accountable for their lack of performance in the voting department. As this is, as concrete as it gets, regarding their positions on real constituent impacting issues, then they should be willing to pay a penalty for a non-decision (IE missing a vote).
Whether that be forfeiture of pay, seniority, etc; it is obvious that being subject an unlikely recall is not motivation enough to force them to vote and do their duty.
For a presidential candidate, it is even more critical for them to demonstrate their positions on all matters affecting the people.
Of course, by doing so, the "flip-floppers" will be visible for all to see!
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Well since Rudy and Hillary will be the candidates there is no reason for me to vote in the primary. And, since Hillary has the election sown up there is no reason for me to vote in the general election. And since taxes will be raised regardless, there is no reason to vote in local elections. Woohoo I'm free of any responsibility.
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Woohoo I'm free of any responsibility.
The mantra Hillary loves to hear from her constituents so that she can more easily enact her Nanny government takeover.
Thank you for that attitude. Instead of waiting for the government to punish those that work hard by stealing their money to buy votes, why don't you start knocking on your neighbor's doors and ask them for it yourself? Or would that be sorta taking some sort of initiative?
If you like Castro, you will love Hillary.
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CNN's Wolf Blitzer has been warned not to focus Thursday's Dem debate on Hillary. 'This campaign is about issues, not on who we can bring down and destroy,' top Clinton insider explains. 'Blitzer should not go down to the levels of character attack and pull 'a Russert.'' Blitzer is set to moderate debate from Vegas, with questions also being posed by Suzanne Malveaux...
If Her Royal Thighness can't answer tough questions, she's go no bidness runnin' the country.
I know if at my job, I wasn't doing what they paid me to do, they'd show me to the door in real short order. Invite me to leave and not come back. Perhaps this is what we should to to our elected officials.... install some accountability along with the office... If you're going to raise our taxes, then you're going to give us something to show for it besides higher prices, and fewer services.
By the way, can someone define "accountability"? Does it even exist any more in Dizzy City?
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By the way, can someone define "accountability"? Does it even exist any more in Dizzy City?
When you are living on someone else's dime, you don't have to be accountable for anything.
And her royal thighness has no bidness running anything if she thinks she can use her position and intimidate anyone with a dissenting opinion or questions she prefers not to answer. We had enough of that crap in the 90s with her seek and destroy missions.
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one quick additional comment on the missed voting thing. when i'm not able to be in the office, i work remotely. i have been supplied with a laptop and a blackberry to do so. and i work for a manufacturer of consumer goods! it's not like i'm doing a job that is high profile or requires high security clearance or well, puts me in a position of representing thousands of constituents who endorsed me to be their voice. in today's information age of wireless connectivity and secured access, why isn't remote voting an option? and if it is, there is truly NO excuse for missed votes.
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OK, this is sick and disgusting! These "representatives" are disgracing our system of government. I feel that we should no longer pay them on an annual basis. If they feel that they can miss votes for any reason other than emergencies, campaigning not being one of them, then we need to hold them to account. I propose we pay them based on the number of votes they cast in their term. I think that would grab their attention. And if they needed further prodding to do the job that they hold, we can go back to grade school rules (they might be able to follow those better anyway). You get two no votes a year, if you have more you are taken out of office (held back in grade school). Accountability must be paramount in these times that we live in.
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I say we start sending emails to all of these "representatives" when it is time to vote to remind them of their job description.
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