A Josh Marshall tweet Friday reminded me political adversaries never disappoint us because we expect so little of them. We expect more and demand more of our friends. With friends, however, we are quicker to reach for sticks and stingier with the carrots.
This brought back an exercise I went through ten years ago at Scrutiny Hooligans when Rep. Heath Shuler ran for re-election in NC-11. In light of Marshall’s tweet, I thought it might be timely to repost it.
Progressive readers in the Cesspool of Sin by then had had enough of our Blue Dog and cited a catalog of sins for which they would never forgive him (and certainly would never again vote for him), bills they felt strongly about that Shuler had voted against. I got curious. I looked up what happened in the end to the bills they cited (and reminded them of bills he had supported):
After the lively discussion on the NC-11 House race a couple of weeks back, I compiled and researched some of the votes commenters cited to make their cases for or against voting for Shuler this November. (The list includes a few others I remembered.) Votes here are for final passage, unless noted. See http://thomas.loc.gov/
“Key votes” are in the eye of the beholder. Your mileage may vary.
Key House Votes Against Party
– HR3 / S5 Stem Cell Research Act of 2007, Passed anyway
– HR3685 Sexual Orientation Employment Nondiscrimination Act (ENDA), 2007, Passed anyway
– H Res 1031 Establishment of the Office of Congressional Ethics, 2008, Passed anyway
– HR1 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (“Stimulus Bill”), Passed anyway
– HR1913 Hate Crimes Expansion, 2009, Passed anyway
– HR2749 Food Safety Regulation Amendments, 2009, Passed anyway
– H.AMDT.509 to HR 3962, 2010 (Stupak Amendment), 64 Democrats joined Republicans in adding Stupak amendment to Affordable Health Care bill, 240-194
– HR3962, 2010 Affordable Health Care for America Act, Passed anyway
– HR4213 Unemployment Benefits Extension, 2010, Passed anyway
– HR4872 Health Care Reconciliation Act, 2010, Passed anyway
– HR5618 Unemployment Benefits Extension, 2010, Passed anywayKey House Votes With Party
– HR800 Employee Free Choice Act of 2007, Passed
– HR985 Whistleblower Protection Act of 2007, Passed
– HR2831 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007, Passed
– HR6124 Second Farm, Nutrition, and Bioenergy Act of 2007 (Farm Bill), Passed
– HR2642 G.I. Bill Expansion and Other Domestic Provisions, 2008, Passed
– HR 5749 Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008, Passed
– HR 6867 Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Act of 2008, Passed
– HR2 Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (SCHIP), Passed
– HR627 Credit CARD Act of 2009, Passed
– HR 1106 / S896 Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009, Passed
– HR1586 Education Jobs and Medicaid Assistance Act, 2009, Passed
– HR1728 Mortgage Reform and Anti-Predatory Lending Act, 2009, Passed
– HR2454 Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 (Cap and Trade), Passed
– HR 3548 Extending Federal Emergency Unemployment Benefits, 2009, Passed
– HR4173 The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2009, PassedOpenCongress.org finds that Rep. Heath Shuler votes with his party 85% of the time.
Having the majority counts even if your congresscritter is not your dream date.
I observed here later:
Almost to a one, the complainants got the bills they wanted passed passed. What they obsessed over were the times they felt betrayed when, for whatever reason, their Democrat didn’t vote their way on some key vote. (It’s a conservative district; Pelosi gave him a pass?) In spite of the fact that they got what they wanted legislatively, they wouldn’t let it go. Because what they really want in a representative is a soul mate. In spite of the fact that Shuler voted (to that point) 85% of the time with the caucus and his Republican predecessor, Charlie Taylor, would have voted +/- 0%, people wouldn’t take winning for an answer. Their soul mate had hurt them.
This is politics. If you want a soul mate, try Match dot com.
I cautioned after the Blue Wave of 2018 that some of those Democrats were noobies and would make mistakes:
Tolerance, please. Think Progress reports, “Of the 59 newly-elected Democrats who will be joining Congress for the first time next month, only 18 have previous experience holding some kind of elected office.” Count on it: Even progressive first-time electeds will make mistakes.
“I screwed up,” a freshman state senator told me after a vote during her first months ever in elected office. It was one of those switcheroo bills. They read as if they do one thing and actually do another. It was a rookie lawmaker’s mistake. She learned from it.
Some friends had little tolerance for her learning curve. On high alert for return of the ancien régime (perhaps with reason), they spoke of throwing this solidly progressive, generous to a fault, Moral Monday arrestee under the bus. Who could they get to primary her?
Neither they nor I could tell you today what that early bill was about.
Nor could many of the ScruHoo readers tell you what happened to the bills over which they remained so angry with Shuler. They remembered he’d “jilted” them on the vote. They’d forgotten they ultimately got what they wanted and Democrats put points on the board.
Unless Democrats win both Georgia Senate seats in January, Biden will need not only tolerance but support as he tries to advance the ball against McConnell’s goal-line defense. What counts are not the individual plays, but points on the board.
“Destroying our allies is the surest way for us to lose and we cannot afford to lose,” Darcy Burner said in her keynote to Netroots Nation in 2009 [timestamp 7:30]. Sometime during that conference, she mentioned using “Scooby snacks” in raising her son. Carrots. Positive reinforcement. And politically? Your state representative or senator does something you liked? Send them $5 or $10. Same with Congress. Every time. Don’t just make angry calls when they disappoint you. Reinforce the good behavior you want to see more of.
Update: Left “not” out “What counts are not the individual plays…”