First off, let me say that if I could, I would grab Bart Stupak by the lapels and shake him silly for his obscene obstruction of health insurance reform and his inflicting his religious views on the rest of the country. I find it offensive and enraging and, as a Michigander, he’s a tragic embarrassment to me on this issue. Period.
That said, unless the Democrats find just the right candidate, defeating him in the Democratic primary will all but hand MI-01 to the Republicans. That’s the reality of MI-01, a very rural district.
I am not at all certain that Connie Saltonstall is that candidate.
Here are some positions Bart Stupak has taken in the past few years. I have chosen these positions because if a Republican held that seat, the vote would most likely have gone the other way. These were taken from OneTheIssues.org.
My favorite vote of his in the past decade was this one:
Voted NO on authorizing military force in Iraq. (Oct 2002)
Here are many others:
Budget & Economy
Voted YES on $192B additional anti-recession stimulus spending. (Jul 2009)
Voted YES on additional $825 billion for economic recovery package. (Jan 2009)
Voted YES on $15B bailout for GM and Chrysler. (Dec 2008)
Voted YES on $60B stimulus package for jobs, infrastructure, & energy. (Sep 2008)
Voted YES on revitalizing severely distressed public housing. (Jan 2008)
Voted YES on regulating the subprime mortgage industry. (Nov 2007)Civil Rights
Voted YES on prohibiting job discrimination based on sexual orientation. (Nov 2007)
Voted NO on Constitutionally defining marriage as one-man-one-woman. (Jul 2006)
Voted NO on making the PATRIOT Act permanent. (Dec 2005)
Voted NO on Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriage. (Sep 2004)
Voted NO on protecting the Pledge of Allegiance. (Sep 2004)
Voted NO on banning gay adoptions in DC. (Jul 1999)
Voted NO on ending preferential treatment by race in college admissions. (May 1998)
Establish a national holiday honoring Native Americans. (Mar 2001)
Rated 63% by the HRC, indicating a mixed record on gay rights. (Dec 2006)
Rated 81% by NAACP, indicating a mixed record on affirmative-action. (Dec 2006)Corporations
Voted YES on letting shareholders vote on executive compensation. (Jul 2009)
Voted YES on allowing stockholder voting on executive compensation. (Apr 2007)
Voted NO on replacing illegal export tax breaks with $140B in new breaks. (Jun 2004)
Rated 29% by the US COC, indicating an anti-business voting record. (Dec 2003)Crime
Voted YES on enforcing against anti-gay hate crimes. (Apr 2009)
Voted YES on expanding services for offendors’ re-entry into society. (Nov 2007)
Voted YES on funding for alternative sentencing instead of more prisons. (Jun 2000)
Voted NO on more prosecution and sentencing for juvenile crime. (Jun 1999)
Voted YES on maintaining right of habeas corpus in Death Penalty Appeals. (Mar 1996)
Increase funding for “COPS ON THE BEAT” program. (Jan 2007)
Voted NO on military border patrols to battle drugs & terrorism. (Sep 2001)Drugs
Voted NO on prohibiting needle exchange & medical marijuana in DC. (Oct 1999)
Voted NO on subjecting federal employees to random drug tests. (Sep 1998)Education
Voted YES on $40B for green public schools. (May 2009)
Voted YES on additional $10.2B for federal education & HHS projects. (Nov 2007)
Voted YES on $84 million in grants for Black and Hispanic colleges. (Mar 2006)
Voted NO on allowing vouchers in DC schools. (Aug 1998)
Voted NO on vouchers for private & parochial schools. (Nov 1997)
Voted NO on giving federal aid only to schools allowing voluntary prayer. (Mar 1994)
Rated 100% by the NEA, indicating pro-public education votes. (Dec 2003)Energy & Oil
Voted YES on enforcing limits on CO2 global warming pollution. (Jun 2009)
Voted YES on tax credits for renewable electricity, with PAYGO offsets. (Sep 2008)
Voted YES on tax incentives for energy production and conservation. (May 2008)
Voted YES on tax incentives for renewable energy. (Feb 2008)
Voted YES on investing in homegrown biofuel. (Aug 2007)
Voted YES on removing oil & gas exploration subsidies. (Jan 2007)
Voted YES on keeping moratorium on drilling for oil offshore. (Jun 2006)
Voted NO on scheduling permitting for new oil refinieries. (Jun 2006)
Voted NO on authorizing construction of new oil refineries. (Oct 2005)
Voted NO on passage of the Bush Administration national energy policy. (Jun 2004)
Voted NO on implementing Bush-Cheney national energy policy. (Nov 2003)
Voted YES on prohibiting oil drilling & development in ANWR. (Aug 2001)
Voted YES on starting implementation of Kyoto Protocol. (Jun 2000)Environment
Voted YES on $2 billion more for Cash for Clunkers program. (Jul 2009)
Voted YES on environmental education grants for outdoor experiences. (Sep 2008)
Voted YES on $9.7B for Amtrak improvements and operation thru 2013. (Jun 2008)
Voted YES on increasing AMTRAK funding by adding $214M to $900M. (Jun 2006)
Voted NO on deauthorizing “critical habitat” for endangered species. (Sep 2005)Foreign Policy
Voted NO on reforming the UN by restricting US funding. (Jun 2005)
Voted YES on $156M to IMF for 3rd-world debt reduction. (Jul 2000)
Allow Americans to travel to Cuba. (May 2000)
Multi-year commitment to Africa for food & medicine. (Apr 2001)
Allow travel between the United States and Cuba. (Feb 2009)Government Reform
Voted YES on requiring lobbyist disclosure of bundled donations. (May 2007)
Voted YES on granting Washington DC an Electoral vote & vote in Congress. (Apr 2007)
Voted YES on protecting whistleblowers from employer recrimination. (Mar 2007)
Voted NO on requiring photo ID for voting in federal elections. (Sep 2006)
Voted NO on restricting independent grassroots political committees. (Apr 2006)
Voted NO on restricting frivolous lawsuits. (Sep 2004)
Voted YES on campaign finance reform banning soft-money contributions. (Feb 2002)Gun Control
Rated C+ by the NRA, indicating a mixed voting record on gun rights. (Dec 2003)Health Care
Voted YES on regulating tobacco as a drug. (Apr 2009)
Voted YES on expanding the Children’s Health Insurance Program. (Jan 2009)
Voted YES on overriding veto on expansion of Medicare. (Jul 2008)
Voted YES on giving mental health full equity with physical health. (Mar 2008)
Voted YES on Veto override: Extend SCHIP to cover 6M more kids. (Jan 2008)
Voted YES on adding 2 to 4 million children to SCHIP eligibility. (Oct 2007)
Voted YES on requiring negotiated Rx prices for Medicare part D. (Jan 2007)
Voted NO on denying non-emergency treatment for lack of Medicare co-pay. (Feb 2006)
Voted NO on limiting medical malpractice lawsuits to $250,000 damages. (May 2004)
Voted YES on allowing reimportation of prescription drugs. (Jul 2003)
Voted NO on capping damages & setting time limits in medical lawsuits. (Mar 2003)
Rated 78% by APHA, indicating a pro-public health record. (Dec 2003)Homeland Security
Voted YES on Veto override: Congressional oversight of CIA interrogations. (Mar 2008)
Voted YES on restricting no-bid defense contracts. (Mar 2007)
Rated 78% by SANE, indicating a pro-peace voting record. (Dec 2003)
Address abuses of electronic monitoring in the workplace. (Apr 1993)Immigration
Voted NO on reporting illegal aliens who receive hospital treatment. (May 2004)
Rated 0% by FAIR, indicating a voting record loosening immigration. (Dec 2003)
Rated 25% by USBC, indicating an open-border stance. (Dec 2006)Jobs
Voted YES on extending unemployment benefits from 39 weeks to 59 weeks. (Oct 2008)
Voted YES on overriding presidential veto of Farm Bill. (Jun 2008)
Voted YES on restricting employer interference in union organizing. (Mar 2007)
Voted YES on increasing minimum wage to $7.25. (Jan 2007)
Rated 100% by the AFL-CIO, indicating a pro-union voting record. (Dec 2003)
Allow an Air Traffic Controller’s Union. (Jan 2006)
Extend unemployment compensation during recession. (Jan 2008)
Ban discriminatory compensation; allow 2 years to sue. (Jan 2009)
Stronger enforcement against gender-based pay discrimination. (Jan 2009)Social Security
Rated 100% by the ARA, indicating a pro-senior voting record. (Dec 2003)Tax Reform
Voted NO on making the Bush tax cuts permanent. (Apr 2002)
Voted NO on $99 B economic stimulus: capital gains & income tax cuts. (Oct 2001)
Voted NO on Tax cut package of $958 B over 10 years. (May 2001)
Voted NO on eliminating the Estate Tax (“death tax”). (Apr 2001)Technology
Voted YES on establishing “network neutrality” (non-tiered Internet). (Jun 2006)War & Peace
Voted YES on investigating Bush impeachment for lying about Iraq. (Jun 2008)
Voted YES on redeploying US troops out of Iraq starting in 90 days. (May 2007)
Voted NO on declaring Iraq part of War on Terror with no exit date. (Jun 2006)
Voted NO on authorizing military force in Iraq. (Oct 2002)Welfare & Poverty
Voted YES on instituting National Service as a new social invention. (Mar 2009)
Voted YES on providing $70 million for Section 8 Housing vouchers. (Jun 2006)
Voted NO on promoting work and marriage among TANF recipients. (Feb 2003)
That’s the record of a damn good Democrat by most yardsticks. If we hand MI-01 over to the GOP because of his offensive vote on health insurance reform, we will lose all if not most of the votes I have highlighted above. We need to be VERY careful about this. Being single-issue focused can hurt the Democrats and I hope that we don’t lop off our nose to spite our health insurance reform.
All I’m saying is be vewy, vewy cayoful when yua hunting wascally wabbits.
I’m just sayin’…
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Digg it, man.
