Congressmen tend to get re-elected mainly because they were elected in the first place. The only way they can get voted out of office is for the people who elected them to admit that they'd made a mistake. Most people are not willing to eat that much crow.
Tell someone that his congressman is corrupt, they'll figure that it's not unusual. Tell them that he's on the wrong side of the issues, and they'll figure that he has a right to his opinions. In most cases no betrayal can be serious enough to get that many voters to change their minds--well, almost none. When people learn that their congressman didn't get there because he's smart and understands the issues better than they do, that's when they start to rethink their votes.
Machiavelli wrote that a leader can be hated and still retain the support of the people; but, if the leader makes himself an object of ridicule, and an embarrassment to the voters who elected him, the people will turn against him.
I've just begun this list of congressmen who have made themselves objects of ridicule and embarrassment. I'm sure you can add a few. Please do.
Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga) demonstrates that he knows almost nothing about issues that he considers important.
Hank Johnson (D-Ga), in a short talk, changes the dimensions of Guam several times and suggests that U.S. Naval presence in Guam might make the island tip over.
Bob Etheridge (D-NC) shows that he's unclear on the concept of what a representative is supposed to do. Has he been watching too many gangster movies?
Henry Waxman (CA), has his low-tech version of a teleprompter. During an interview, he keeps asking someone off camera what the facts are concerning an issue he considers important.
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is a one-person gaff machine. She says that the healthcare is a significant job-creation bill (here.) She also says that a proposed economic recovery package will create or save 500 million American jobs (here.) The entire population of the United States is around 310 million people, including retirees and children. Dick Cheney doesn't blink, but that's all right; Nancy Pelosi blinks enough for both of them. (here) Pelosi is math-challenged; she thinks that $2.66 is almost three times "a dollar and something." (here) For "Nancy's Greatest Hits," click here.
Read the bill? No way!
(John Conyers, (D-Mich) and Steny Hoyer, (D-MD) think that reading the bills on which they vote is a foolish waste of time. Conyers said that, if congressmen read every bill that came before them, they'd "never get anything done. (Actually, that might be an improvement.)
James Clyburn (D-SC) admits that "most of what we do" isn't authorized by the Constitution; but says that Congress shouldn't be limited by the Constitution. On the other hand, he claims that pork barrel spending is necessary because it's mandated by the Constitution. If you disagree with Clyburn, you're a racist, even if you have a well-established record for promoting civil liberties. (What a jerk!) To read some of Clyburn's ridiculous excuses for corruption, see the article "Jim Clyburn: Poster Child for Corruption."
Phil Hare (D-IL) doesn't know what the Constitution says and he doesn't care what it says, but he loves the Constitution. He also confuses the Declaration of Independence with the Constitution. Though he was caught on You Tube speaking against the Constitution for three minutes, he later said that his remarks were "taken out of context." For his convoluted excuse, click here. What a fathead!
David Obey (D-WI) doesn't care if trillions of dollars borrowed against our future for the so-called "stimulus package" are spent badly. When he's told that "there are a thousand ways" tax dollars can be spent badly, he says, "So what?" Over and over in the interview, he says, "So what?"
Pete Stark (D-CA) was asked about the necessity for having the U.S. government protect America's borders from illegal intrusion. His position is that protecting America's borders is the job of "minutemen." This is a video that must be seen to be believed.
Harry Reid (D-NV) says that no one in the United States is forced to pay taxes. He keeps repeating that, in the United States, taxation is "voluntary."
Trent Franks (R-AZ), Mike Pence (R-IN), and Steve King (R-Iowa) offer gushing tributes to Dubya Bush upon his departure from the presidency. Judging from their comments, they must have been living on another planet while Bush was in the White House.
Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) explains when a lie is not a lie.
Louie Gohmert (R-TX) implied that the Democrats are hoping for another terrorist attack.
Eric Cantor (R-VA) thinks that the decision to go to war with Iran should be decided by the "commanders on the ground." No, the Constitution grants that authority to Congress and only Congress. When he was sworn into office, he took an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Shouldn't he have read it by now to see what it says?
Peter King (R-NY) seems to have nothing more important to discuss than television coverage of Michael Jackson’s death or whether a community center should be built in Manhattan. Regardless of how you felt about Michael Jackson, shouldn't a congressman have weightier matters to consider? One person responded by suggesting a simple and obvious solution to King’s Michael Jackson problem: change channels. Now that he has latched onto Newt Gingrich’s hate-fueled, anti-Muslim issue, we can hope he has hitched his wagon to a falling star.
John Boehner (R-0H) was caught handing out checks (bribes, actually) on the floor of the House to influence the votes on legislation that was coming up that morning. When Boehner was caught, he said that he knew it was wrong, but it had been going on in the House for a long time and that he—noble soul that he was—was trying to stop the practice. Tell someone that his congressman is corrupt, they'll figure that it's not unusual. Tell them that he's on the wrong side of the issues, and they'll figure that he has a right to his opinions. In most cases no betrayal can be serious enough to get that many voters to change their minds--well, almost none. When people learn that their congressman didn't get there because he's smart and understands the issues better than they do, that's when they start to rethink their votes.
Machiavelli wrote that a leader can be hated and still retain the support of the people; but, if the leader makes himself an object of ridicule, and an embarrassment to the voters who elected him, the people will turn against him.
I've just begun this list of congressmen who have made themselves objects of ridicule and embarrassment. I'm sure you can add a few. Please do.
Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga) demonstrates that he knows almost nothing about issues that he considers important.
Hank Johnson (D-Ga), in a short talk, changes the dimensions of Guam several times and suggests that U.S. Naval presence in Guam might make the island tip over.
Bob Etheridge (D-NC) shows that he's unclear on the concept of what a representative is supposed to do. Has he been watching too many gangster movies?
Henry Waxman (CA), has his low-tech version of a teleprompter. During an interview, he keeps asking someone off camera what the facts are concerning an issue he considers important.
Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is a one-person gaff machine. She says that the healthcare is a significant job-creation bill (here.) She also says that a proposed economic recovery package will create or save 500 million American jobs (here.) The entire population of the United States is around 310 million people, including retirees and children. Dick Cheney doesn't blink, but that's all right; Nancy Pelosi blinks enough for both of them. (here) Pelosi is math-challenged; she thinks that $2.66 is almost three times "a dollar and something." (here) For "Nancy's Greatest Hits," click here.
Read the bill? No way!
(John Conyers, (D-Mich) and Steny Hoyer, (D-MD) think that reading the bills on which they vote is a foolish waste of time. Conyers said that, if congressmen read every bill that came before them, they'd "never get anything done. (Actually, that might be an improvement.)
James Clyburn (D-SC) admits that "most of what we do" isn't authorized by the Constitution; but says that Congress shouldn't be limited by the Constitution. On the other hand, he claims that pork barrel spending is necessary because it's mandated by the Constitution. If you disagree with Clyburn, you're a racist, even if you have a well-established record for promoting civil liberties. (What a jerk!) To read some of Clyburn's ridiculous excuses for corruption, see the article "Jim Clyburn: Poster Child for Corruption."
Phil Hare (D-IL) doesn't know what the Constitution says and he doesn't care what it says, but he loves the Constitution. He also confuses the Declaration of Independence with the Constitution. Though he was caught on You Tube speaking against the Constitution for three minutes, he later said that his remarks were "taken out of context." For his convoluted excuse, click here. What a fathead!
David Obey (D-WI) doesn't care if trillions of dollars borrowed against our future for the so-called "stimulus package" are spent badly. When he's told that "there are a thousand ways" tax dollars can be spent badly, he says, "So what?" Over and over in the interview, he says, "So what?"
Pete Stark (D-CA) was asked about the necessity for having the U.S. government protect America's borders from illegal intrusion. His position is that protecting America's borders is the job of "minutemen." This is a video that must be seen to be believed.
Harry Reid (D-NV) says that no one in the United States is forced to pay taxes. He keeps repeating that, in the United States, taxation is "voluntary."
Trent Franks (R-AZ), Mike Pence (R-IN), and Steve King (R-Iowa) offer gushing tributes to Dubya Bush upon his departure from the presidency. Judging from their comments, they must have been living on another planet while Bush was in the White House.
Paul Kanjorski (D-PA) explains when a lie is not a lie.
Louie Gohmert (R-TX) implied that the Democrats are hoping for another terrorist attack.
Eric Cantor (R-VA) thinks that the decision to go to war with Iran should be decided by the "commanders on the ground." No, the Constitution grants that authority to Congress and only Congress. When he was sworn into office, he took an oath to preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America. Shouldn't he have read it by now to see what it says?
Peter King (R-NY) seems to have nothing more important to discuss than television coverage of Michael Jackson’s death or whether a community center should be built in Manhattan. Regardless of how you felt about Michael Jackson, shouldn't a congressman have weightier matters to consider? One person responded by suggesting a simple and obvious solution to King’s Michael Jackson problem: change channels. Now that he has latched onto Newt Gingrich’s hate-fueled, anti-Muslim issue, we can hope he has hitched his wagon to a falling star.
John Salazar (D-CO) presents himself as a centrist and says that he's in favor of "clean" alternative energy such as nuclear energy and "clean coal." Oh, you say you've never heard of clean coal. Well, don't feel rained on; geologists have never heard of it either. If you want to know more about clean coal, or if you're in need of a hearty laugh, take a look at this video. According to Pat Ridz of Pagosa Springs, Colorado, Salazar's Republican opponent, a character named Tipton, is supported by Clintonistas. She adds, "And we all know Clinton is a banker-funded puppet just like Obama and Salazar....The only way out of this is voting third party and not agreeing to play this game any longer."
Mark Kirk (R-IL) went to China and advised Chinese banks not to trust the United States government's budget numbers when the Chinese banks consider whether to foreclose on U.S. government debts to China. Sure, his remarks to China were financially sound, but they were reckless. Two kinds of people can never be trusted: knaves who lie and fools who don't know when to shut up. And hasn't anyone told him that unauthorized negotiations with a foreign government is a violation of the Logan Act and can land him in prison for three years?
Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ) admitted at a town hall meeting that he knew only one of the five rights that are guaranteed by the First Amendment (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of assembly, freedom to petition for redress of grievances, and freedom of the press;) and he didn't know what Article One, Section 1 says (that Congress shall make laws.)
Gresham Barrett (R-SC) introduced a bill to deport all visa-holding citizens from countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism. He said that he introduced the bill as a response to the "underwear bomber" and the Fort Hood shooting. There's one problem with his rationale: Barrett's bill would not have prevented either event from taking place. The "underwear bomber" didn't have a visa but was allowed on the plane anyway; and the accused Fort Hood shooter was already an American citizen. Either Barrett was ignorant or he was grandstanding.
Barbara Boxer (D-CA) is widely quoted as saying, "Those who survived the San Francisco earthquake said, 'Thank God, I'm still alive.' But, of course, those who died, their lives will never be the same again."
Scott Brown (R-MA), on the night he was elected, said of his daughters, ''In case anyone's wondering out there, yes, they're both available. ... Only kidding. Only kidding. Arianna is definitely not. But Ayla is.'' Did he think that the only way they could find husbands was if he got elected to the Senate?
Joe Barton (R-TX) apologized to BP officials after Obama called BP CEO Tony Hayward on the carpet and demanded that he set up a fund to pay for only a small fraction of the damage the BP oil spill had caused. The purpose of this article, as I’ve said, is to highlight ridiculous people in Congress, but pardon me if I take a moment to turn the spotlight on an out-and-out jerk.
Newt Gingrich compared the building of a moderate Muslim community center in Manhattan to placing a swastika near the Holocaust Museum. The truth is, the imam who seeks to build the center has assisted the FBI in counter-terrorism efforts and is widely known for bringing people of different faiths together. News commentator Joe Scarborough said that he (Scarborough) prays that a Republican of stature calls him down on that issue. Guess what? His prayers have been answered. (here, here, and especially here)
Please add to this list. I'm sure there are hundreds of fools, idiots, jerks, and otherwise risible and embarrassing people in Congress.
Saturday Night Live couldn't possibly spoof those clowns. As a result, such programs as Saturday Night Live are facing unfair competition from C-Span and C-Span 2. We have a long way to go and only a short time before the congressional elections, when we can correct this pitiful state of affairs.
I don't favor voting everyone out of Congress. If we did that, the unelected bureaucrats would run all over the novices we elect. If we kick out all the crooks, fools and ignoramuses, that's be a good 90% or more. That should be enough. If you remain undecided when you step into the voting booth, remember this:
"If in doubt, vote him out."
Oh, but what if the incumbent (and incompetent) congressman is opposed by someone as bad as he (or she) is? Do you vote for the "lesser of two evils"? No, that's a good cop/bad cop routine that has been played on voters for as long as I can recall. Whether you're a liberal or a conservative, playing that game always works against the voters. For a voting strategy that works, see the following articles:
The Only Strategic Voting that Works
Americans are Coming Together
Liberals and Conservatives are Uniting
Towards a New Paradigm, Part 1
Towards a New Paradigm, Part 2
Towards a New Paradigm, Part 3
Join the Rebel Alliance against the Evil Empire
Americans are Coming Together
Liberals and Conservatives are Uniting
Towards a New Paradigm, Part 1
Towards a New Paradigm, Part 2
Towards a New Paradigm, Part 3
Join the Rebel Alliance against the Evil Empire
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