Boehner – stand up and be counted
By JR Hoeft | Saturday, March 20th, 2010 | PolicyAn interesting request by Republican Leader John Boehner (OH) to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA): the final health care votes be recorded by “call of the roll” so that every lawmaker is required to publicly announce their vote on the House floor.
“This weekend’s votes will be among the most consequential votes we will ever cast as Members of Congress,” Boehner says in the letter to Speaker Pelosi. “As such, it is my belief that every Member should stand before the American people and announce his or her vote as the final decision is made.”
Sometimes I look at this back and forth as grandstanding…but, in this case, I think the request has merit.
When you look at the Declaration of Independence, you see each Continental Congressmen’s “John Hancock”, so to speak. This vote, which impact 1/6 of our national economy, creates an entitlement as large, if not larger, than Social Security and Medicare, and is changing precedent on how a bill becomes a law, probably deserves a “call of the roll.”
This vote is the most important in American history in our generation, we deserve to know how our Congressman voted – and in their own voice – for posterity.
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Conservative to the core; liberal with his opinion! J.R. has been involved in politics for over a decade and has worked on several campaigns in Hampton Roads. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Republican Party of Chesapeake and the Central Committee of the Republican Party of Virginia. He is also the director of “Blogs United” in Virginia. E-mail J.R.. Follow J.R. on Twitter.
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2 Responses to "Boehner – stand up and be counted"
It is critical that the 22 Democratic Congressmen who are undecided on the health care vote hear from you today! This information comes from the National Federation of Republican Women.
John Adler (NJ-3)
DC Phone: (202) 225-4765
District Phone: (732) 608-7235
Jason Altmire (PA-4)
DC Phone: (202) 225-2565
District Phone: (724) 378-0928
Brian Baird (WA-3)
DC Phone: (202) 225-3536
District Phone: (360) 695-6292
John Boccieri (OH-16)
DC Phone: (202) 225-3876
District Phone: (330) 489-4414
Rick Boucher (VA-9)
DC Phone: (202) 225-3861
District Phone: (276) 628-1145
Allen Boyd (FL-2)
DC Phone: (202) 225-5235
District Phone: (850) 561-3979
Christopher Carney (PA-10)
DC Phone: (202) 225-3731
District Phone: (570) 644-1682
Gerry Connolly (VA-11)
DC Phone: (202) 225-1492
District Phone: (703) 256-3071
Kathy Dahlkemper (PA-3)
DC Phone: (202) 225-5406
District Phone: (814) 456-2038
Joe Donnelly (IN-2)
DC Phone: (202) 225-3915
District Phone: (574) 288-2780
Brad Ellsworth (IN-9)
DC Phone: (202) 225-4636
District Phone: (812) 465-6484
Stephanie Herseth Sandlin (SD-AL)
DC Phone: (202) 225-2801
District Phone: (605) 367-8371
Tim Holden (PA-17)
DC Phone: (202) 225-5546
District Phone: (610) 921-3502
Frank Kratovil (MD-1)
DC Phone: (202) 225-5311
District Phone: (443) 262-9136
Betsy Markey (CO-4)
DC Phone: (202) 225-4676
District Phone: (970) 221-7110
Harry Mitchell (AZ-5)
DC Phone: (202) 225-2190
District Phone: (480) 946-2411
Glenn Nye (VA-2)
DC Phone: (202) 225-4215
District Phone: (757) 326-6201
Tom Perriello (VA-5)
DC Phone: (202) 225-4711
District Phone: (276) 656-2291
Earl Pomeroy (ND-AL)
DC Phone: (202) 225-2611
District Phone: (701) 224-0355
Mike Ross (AR-4)
DC Phone: (202) 225-3772
District Phone: (870) 881-0681
Ike Skelton (MO-4)
DC Phone: (202) 225-2876
District Phone: (816) 228-4242
John Tanner (TN-8)
DC Phone: (202) 225-4714
District Phone: (731) 885-7070
Votes are a matter of record anyway. Roll call votes are an archaic device. The request was just another attempt at slowing the process…so Boehner can say he did everything he could to be a roadblock.
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