NY-26: Chris Lee skips the stimulus vote

He's in Clarence... (4.00 / 2)

I heard him on the radio. Apparently he had a friend that was on the plane too. He stayed back because this is his district and, really, his vote wasn't going to matter on the stimulus anyway. This was more important.  

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by: robert.harding @ Fri Feb 13, 2009 at 20:28:03 PM UTC

good (0.00 / 0)

on him.

TODAY is day one. It always is.

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by: phillip anderson @ Fri Feb 13, 2009 at 20:30:45 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Yeah. (4.00 / 1)

As much as Lee's policies are just awful, he's been terrific today. So much better than Reynolds bumbling response to our snow disaster in 2006.

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by: Amherst Guy @ Fri Feb 13, 2009 at 20:42:45 PM UTC

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Lee... (0.00 / 0)

He has been good. You also have to keep in mind that when something impacts you personally, you come at it with a different perspective. It's more personal to you, so that means (presumably) that it's more important to you.

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by: robert.harding @ Fri Feb 13, 2009 at 21:49:56 PM UTC

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i agree he should be back in his district (0.00 / 0)

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by: Exile on Ericsson St. @ Fri Feb 13, 2009 at 20:56:59 PM UTC

No beef (0.00 / 0)

I have absolutely no beef with Lee's missing this vote.  He did, however, issue a statement saying he would have voted no. That I have a huge beef with.

http://www.nydailynews.com/blo...

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by: Historical Pessimist @ Fri Feb 13, 2009 at 22:55:04 PM UTC

I don't have a beef with his hypothetical no vote... (0.00 / 0)

Because it was expected and while I would love to say that my Republican representative was the only one to vote for it, I knew that wasn't going to happen. What I have a bigger beef with is zero Republicans from all over this country voting no. The Republicans proved that they are the party of one mind. If one votes one way, they all vote the same way. That's unfortunate, but that's life with the House Republicans.

I am no doubt a critic of the three moderate Republicans who made this stimulus package weaker, but at least they had the guts to step forward and say that they would support if there were a few tweaks. Those are the kinds of Republicans I can live with. I can live with the ones who will, at the very least, listen.

I think that's all President Obama was asking for. Unfortunately, the House Republicans and most of the Senate Republicans decided to put politics before country. That's nothing new, of course.  

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by: robert.harding @ Fri Feb 13, 2009 at 23:11:25 PM UTC

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Just because I expected it (0.00 / 0)

(which I did), doesn't mean I feel it was the right vote.  Therefore, I have a beef. If my congresscritter chooses to act like a lemming following the party line, instead of considering what this bill can do for the country and our district, I have a beef.

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by: Historical Pessimist @ Sat Feb 14, 2009 at 00:07:42 AM UTC

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What I'm saying is... (0.00 / 0)

That I have learned to expect nothing from the Republicans, especially the House Republicans that have this cult-like mentality. They don't represent their constituents. They vote as one. What John Boehner and Eric Cantor say, that's what goes.

It was clear what kind of representative Lee would be when he was endorsed by Tom Reynolds. Sure, Lee has done at least one good thing in office (vote for SCHIP) but there has been nothing past that. He voted against the House version of the economic stimulus package and nothing that he showed in his rhetoric told anyone that he would be voting for this revised package.

In fact, Lee put forth his own proposal which included 94 percent tax cuts. Tax cuts don't equate to stimulus, but as was shown in the Senate, if you cut enough taxes, Republicans will vote for it.  

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by: robert.harding @ Sat Feb 14, 2009 at 10:40:49 AM UTC

[ Parent ]