Well, okay, this is not a secret if you follow Washington politics, but it’s worth bringing up right now.
According to Open Secrets, Rep. Brian Baird’s (D-WA-03) top three metro areas for donations last cycle, excluding PAC contributions, are Portland-Vancouver, Seattle-Bellevue-Everett and Washington, D.C.
And it sounds like the heat is ratcheting up. From Politico:
A delegation from Vancouver’s Clark County Democratic Central Committee on Monday requested a meeting with Baird in the district to encourage him to vote yes on the final version of the Health Care Reform bill.
Chris Bassett, a Vancouver-based Democratic activist who writes a blog about Clark County politics, said the congressman had damaged his standing within the party.
“Brian’s really moving the wrong way,” he said. “A lot of Democrats are going to sit on their hands in 2010.”
“This, for a lot of folks like myself frankly, is the last straw,” Bassett said.
I’ve been tempted to write that the lesson I took away from the Guns of August was that being over-the-top rude and crazy is the best way to get Baird’s attention, but as we all know, liberals are expected to be civil at all times. Don’t want anyone hitting the fainting couch. Jolly good, tea and crumpets, gov’nor.
So I politely and respectfully hope that individual donors to Baird, many of whom live in the Puget Sound region, will consider politely encouraging him to vote for the final bill, assuming the Stupak-sepsis amendment is removed. Did I mention be polite?
John Allen Muhammed got better health care tonight than some of Baird’s constituents get — Muhammed got his medication even though he couldn’t pay for it.
Ouch, rabbit! That was bad …
Baird is on very thin ice. Why he feels he must appease his Lewis County constituents and none of the others is unclear. I would send money to a primary challenger from the left. I think that his seat has become relatively solid D. So, Baird’s anti-healthcare vote must reflect some twisted change within him. We need to get rid of “Democrats” like Baird who vote like he does in a relatively safe seat in one of the bluest of states.
I like the house version. If you refuse to pay for healthcare, you go to jail. Jail costs the government 35-50k per prisoner. But, you get free healthcare.
You guys are gooooood!
markie @ 4
Do you think you make any sense to sane people? Do you honestly believe you are communicating in the English language?
@3 If health care doesn’t pass, his Lewis County constituents always have their coroner to fall back on. You know, the “nonpartisan” elected guy (in a county that elects nothing but Republicans) who leaves dead bodies in people’s driveways, or airing out on the lawn, etc.
http://www.komonews.com/news/69634472.html
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/69712057.html
Geez rabbit, you’re being a pill tonight.
Ouch, another bad!
Ouch, another bad!
Rabbit,
Let us not forget, of course, Lewis County’s Republican Prosecutor:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.c.....ty16m.html
What happened to him due to his lapses? Pretty much nothing. He’s a Republican in the most Republican of counties, so he’s forgiven. Still in office, then? Oh, indeed.
Democrats need to take some lessons from Tlingit warriors and grow a pair, or three. Charge em. Forget polite.
Baird obviously is responding to the squeaky wheel because the rest of the Dems in his district are too damned polite. FIGHT. Forget polite.
I’m in Smith’s district, so…
Baird’s district is NOT solidly D. This district brought us Linda Smith and Ellen Craswell, and there are still lots of crazies at the southern border of our state. Why he panders to them is beyond me.
Sparky
I know Linda Smith came from there, and Lewis County is always there. But, it seems to me with Olympia at the north end of the district, Portland spilling evermore into the Clark County part of the district, and the always reliable Grays Harbor County, that all a Democrat has to do to win in that district is just be a regular old Democrat. Maybe not a Maxine Waters Democrat, but certainly not a Ben Nelson Democrat. I’m not getting what Baird is doing.
The Lewis County Dems are just as upset with Baird’s NO vote on the House bill as any other places within the district. The R’s in Lewis Co. – to the red of most other R’s – may be happy now, but can never vote for Baird. Most D’s here think its time for a Pridemore or someone like him to take on Baird — way too many bad positions that show either real conservative streak or sell out streak (both bad).
I can’t wait to send my 10 bucks to a REAL democrat runnign against this sell out piece of shit.
aside from the lack of ‘health’ and ‘care’ in our current system of accountants, lawyers, policy analysts, manager-bureaucrats, fascist pilferers –
the current system takes thousands of dollars of MY hard earned money, every year, out of MY pocket to give it to pilferers, and it is money I do NOT have for MY retirement, retraining, health issues –
and it takes the money of millions of, depriving ALL of us of personal opportunity to participate in the community in different ways
baird is a sell out piece of shit.
rmm.
Thank you sir, may I please have another?
@4 If rightwing fucks like you want a better bill then stop opposing health care reform.
@10 Lewis County is the poster boy of what a Republican-run county looks like. Not only is their elected prosecutor under investigation for sexual high jinks, but their elected coroner is under investigation for — among other things — wrongly classifying the death of a murdered law enforcement office as “suicide” and leaving dead bodies lying in people’s driveways and yards.
@11 “Democrats need to take some lessons from Tlingit warriors and grow a pair, or three. Charge em. Forget polite.”
That’s what I’ve been saying all along. Meanwhile, the fishwrapper is giving front-page play today to a story that criticizes unions for refusing to roll over and play dead for Frank Chopp and his coalition of conservative “Democrats.”
It’s time for everyone to realize we really do have two political parties in this state: Democrat-Democrats and Republican-Democrats. The GOP? Nah, they’re a carnival sideshow.
What’s the economy like in Lewis County under Republican stewardship?
He doesn’t understand the question, dodo……geeze!
the health insurance bailout act of 2009 sucks ass. so does baird. medicare for all.
Better yet,
why not run a Denicrat for Baird’s seat?
4 M
I’d like to take this opportunity to encourage you to refuse to pay your taxes because of ANY Democratic bill you disgree with. It does not have to be health insurance reform. Please. Start now.
I Wonder If These Guys Are Republicans?
“MILWAUKEE (Nov. 11) – A Milwaukee Army reservist’s military identification earned him some street cred Tuesday, when he says four men who mugged him at gunpoint returned his belongings and thanked him for his service after finding the ID.”
http://tinyurl.com/ykl63je
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Hey, Republicans are always paying lip service to supporting the military, ya know? I’m just sayin’ …
4 M
Oh, and mark, to be clear — THE BILL does not contain any language whatsoever about crinimal imprisonment as a penalty for evading the mandate. It levies a modest fine, adjusted for income.
SOme day perhaps a Republicansa will talk about what’s in the bill. Not holding my breath.
Speaking of highway robbery, I see in the news that HarperCollins paid Sarah Palin $7 million for her book. She quit her day job after getting a $1.25 million. Guess she was governor only for the salary, eh? Her “public service” ended the moment she got a better paycheck somewhere else. Kinda tells you what her real values are, doesn’t it? I.e., she’s only in it for the money. Why would anyone vote for this mercenary?
Republicans whine about “welfare queens” but they’re the biggest titsuckers around.
Of course, your literary value goes way up if you’re irresponsible, spew outrageous nonsense, and behave like an unruly kid. I mean, who wants to read a book by (or about) a boring and colorless politician who simply does the job she was elected to do?
Roger Rabbit Quiz
Who would get a bigger book advance from HarperCollins?
[ ] 1. Dwight D. Eisenhower
[ ] 2. Bernie Madoff
[ ] 1. Dwight D. Eisenhower, since he’s dead. A book from beyond the grave would sell like hotcakes!
@31 You wouldn’t last very long on Publishers Row.
Falling Far Short of Reform
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11.....038;st=cse