In the midst of the hustle and bustle and of your busy morning, take a minute to reflect each day on the bigger picture.
GOP chair Doug McKinney praises Democratic congressional challener Mike Oliverio as essentially a Repubican in Dem clothing.
Sen. Oliverio has always been a conservative guy. He votes with the Republican on committees. We've joked for years he needs to come over to the party who thinks like he does.(Intelligencer 3/20/10)
Not certain that will play well for Oliverio in a Dem primary.
And in case you weren't certain the GOP was the party of "no", rather than one with positive ideas, McKinney makes it clear.
"Most Republicans are just looking to vote against Mollohan," he said. "Republicans will be disappointed if Oliverio wins that they didn't get to cast a vote against Mollohan."(Intelligencer 3/20/10).
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Looks like the tea party types have shown their power over GOP congressional candidate Dave McKinley. Earlier this week, I praised McKinley for being honest at a "We The People" forum. Asked if he would pledge to read all bills in their entirety, McKinley--honestly and correctly--said "no". He explained that he's been in the legislature and that it's not realistic to read all the bills all the time. McKinley says you need to rely on staff and fellow lawmakers.
"I'm one of the few here who understands. the process," he said.
McKinley said there were a number of times in the West Virginia Legislature when a 500-page bill was put before them with only two hours of time to absorb it.
"And sometimes these were good bills," he said. "I want the ability to cut taxes. I don't want to be restrained from protecting the unborn."...
"I understand how the system works, and I'm not going to vote on something I don't know anything about."
He said he also knows how legislatures work.
"When five or six people work on a subcommittee that deals with abortion language, I have to learn to trust them. I will do everything I can to read the bill. But when somebody puts a 600-page bill in front of you, I'm really troubled with that, too. But you have to trust your friends," he said. (Intelligencer 3/20/10)
But by week's end --after an attack by one of his oponents, Mac Warner, and complaining by others in the tea party wing of the GOP--McKinley had switched positions and in a campaign release, he pledged to read all bills.
Let Congressmen Read the Bills
Too many times, members of Congress are forced to vote on without ever having a chance to read it. David believes we can fix this problem by enacting these simple rules:
· Each bill must be published on the Internet a minimum of 72 hours before Congress votes on the bill.
· The sheer length of legislation must be reduced. The best way to do this is to eliminate all earmarks and special carve-outs from bills. The shorter a bill is, the more likely a Congressman is able to read it– and, generally, the less damage it can do.
David has personally taken this commitment a step further by pledging to vote “no” on any bill he has not had a chance to read and understand, just like he did when he was in the House of Delegates (McKinley2010.com)
On a side note, McKinley's campaign web site is one of the better ones I've seen. It's easy to move through and his page on "The Issues" clearly lays out his stands in understandable English. You can get a real feel for the man and his positions by reading it.
