I had spent well over a year actively criticizing my US Rep Earl Blumenauer for not sticking to his guns and holding Bush, Cheney & Co. accountable (Blumenauer faithfully followed House Speaker Nanci Pelosi who took Impeachment "off the table.") But with his minority opposition to the bank bailout, the looming prospect of Bush getting off scott free for his war crimes and a stab wound which still festers, i gave up activism as such (or so i told myself).
But this just in from Jeff Mape as the Oregonian:
| | I talked to Blumenauer a few hours ago and he said members regarded Thursday's action as a "free vote" against an unpopular bailout bill. The bailout's public standing hasn't been helped by the fact that in the four months since it was first approved, banks and other big financial institutions have received billions of dollars in taxpayer money - and the economy continues to tank. But Blumenauer said he decided to go the other way with his symbolic vote. He said he did not want to rhetorically punish Obama for what he saw as the sins of the Bush administration. [More...] | |
In a response that really stinks of the old Nixonian excuse "When we do it, it's ok" (paraphrased), Rep. Earl Blumenauer falls back into the column of quintessential hypocrite. There is nothing "symbolic" about selling out your responsibility to engage in oversight as a co-equal branch of government. Blumenauer to his credit was willing to vote against such blank checks back in September. But like his new Democratic colleague in the Senate, Jeff Merkely, it's Party politics as usual.
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