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March 08, 2005

Wu Flirts with the Devil

I've been caught up with living life on life's terms today. Work, kids, finances etc all conspired to keep me from keeping abreast of the news. So, it came as a shock when I read a post over at Middle Earth Journal about members of the House New Democrat Coalition supporting the patently pro-credit card company Bankruptcy Bill via an email they sent to House Speaker Dennis Hastert.
Citing The New Republic:

This magazine and multiple other opinion outlets on the center-left have written at length about how the bill in question is a truly contemptible piece of legislation. Worse, there is no plausible political rationale for supporting it other than to appease credit card companies. As Paul Krugman pointed out today, the bill makes no exceptions for families wiped out by medical expenses (which make up more than half of all bankruptcies) or for bankruptcy cases involving active-duty soldiers, yet it leaves any number of loopholes in place for large corporations. The political imagery here so obviously benefits anyone who'd oppose the bill you're left to conclude that the only way a congressman could possibly support it is through a craven and reflexive willingness to do the bidding of big business.
But, even worse than that, support for the bill by Democratic moderates betrays a striking obliviousness to the most important debate underway within the Democratic Party. Moderate Democrats have been under assault from grassroots liberals lately for selling out Democratic values in their rush to appease conservative interests. I normally think this criticism is highly misplaced, and that moderates have exactly the right instincts when it comes to social issues and foreign policy, even most economic issues. But in this case the moderates proved the liberals' point for them, which could set back the cause of moderates within the party for months, if not years. It really is a colossal, inexcusable mistake.

Who do I see on the list of signers but my own Congressman David Wu. This past November was the first time I've ever voted for a Democrat in this district where I've lived for the better part of the last 25+ years. It was a vote to re-elect Wu. But if this is the way he's going to represent me then it's a mistake I won't be making again.

I can see Republicans supporting this patently anti-family, anti-veteran legislation. They've been touting the Corporate line for many years now and only a fool would expect them not to bend over backwards to help large corporations regardless of the impact on families. But, I honestly expected differently of a self-professed Democrat.

Posted by Kevin at March 8, 2005 10:17 PM