Posted on 03/24/2010 3:34:47 AM PDT by Born Conservative
U.S. Reps. Chris Carney and Paul E. Kanjorski said they hope that their “yes” votes for the health care reform reconciliation bill won’t make voters say “no” at the ballot boxes this year.
A day after casting their votes on the historic piece of legislation, the two stood by their decisions and said they were made in the best interest of their constituents, not their own political careers. They said their upcoming election battles did not factor into their decision.
“Electoral politics did not come in to play,” Carney, D-Dimock Township, said on Monday. “You don’t govern based on upcoming elections. If you do, you don’t deserve to be here.”
Kanjorski, D-Nanticoke, said that when he first got to Washington in 1985, he “decided very early on not to make decisions based on political ramifications because it would be no fun. You wind up always chasing your tail.”
He added that if he loses the election over the issue, he will do so knowing he voted the way he felt was best for the country and his constituents.
“I’m convinced if you vote your conscience and you do what you think is the right thing, even the people who don’t like what you did will respect what you did,” said Kanjorski, 72.
Tom Baldino, a political science professor at Wilkes University, said he wasn’t surprised by either man’s vote, but he questioned assertions that the upcoming elections didn’t factor in.
“Every vote in Congress takes into consideration the re-election of the member,” Baldino said.
The decisions on how both men would vote were announced less than 32 hours before Sunday night’s roll call vote. They came after weeks of pressure by the health-care industry, student loan companies, Republicans, anti-abortion advocates and others. The men and 217 of their colleagues in the House cast votes in support of reform.
Television, radio and print ads hammered the bill and challenged voters to call both congressmen to urge them to oppose it. Both men received thousands of calls. They weren’t swayed by those opposing the bill.
It didn’t take long after their voting stances were announced for their political opponents to tie in those votes and their re-election chances.
“Chris Carney’s decision to vote with Speaker (Nancy) Pelosi and ignore his voters who overwhelmingly oppose this government takeover of health care will prove to be devastating on Election Day,” said Tory Mazzola, spokesman for the National Republican Campaign Committee.
“By following Nancy Pelosi and the far-left of the Democrat Party, Chris Carney has chosen political opportunity over the desires of his constituents. ... ,” said Dave Madeira, 43, of Lehman Township, one of Carney’s potential Republican opponents in the November general election.
“We now see that both men forfeited principle and their role as elected officials in a representative government to further their own political goals. They ignored the will of their constituents in a last-ditch effort to salvage their congressional seats,” read a statement issued by the Luzerne County Republican Committee.
Terry Casey, county GOP chairman, said, “This is disturbing on any level, but is especially disconcerting to those of us who live in Luzerne County and have been bombarded for more than a year with revelations of quid pro quo governance by our elected officials. We stand united with our Republican candidates and remain committed to our mission to restore honesty, ethics, accountability, reform and transparency to government at all levels.”
Jeff Brauer, a Keystone College political science professor, said the votes were calculated and both men believed it would not be detrimental to their re-election campaigns.
“Obviously, Carney believes it won’t hurt him or he wouldn’t have done it,” Brauer said.
Carney, 51, has no primary challenger and then faces the winner of a three-man Republican race consisting of Tom Marino, 57, of Lycoming Township, Madeira or Snyder County Commissioner Malcolm Derk, 27, of Freeburg.
Brauer said the field of Republican candidates might have given Carney some confidence to vote the way he did.
Carney said he believes the overall bill benefits residents of the district, especially those without health insurance.
“The aspects of the bill are very popular in the 10th District,” Carney said. “I think it’s absolutely the right vote. You have to be able to take difficult votes.”
“I think (Kanjorski) thought health care would sell well in his district,” Brauer said. Carney is in a much more Republican-leaning district and has more to lose by siding with the Democrats in what was essentially a party-line vote.
Brauer said the vote locked up the Democratic votes in the 10th Congressional District, and as long as Carney can sell Republican and Independent voters on the bill and that he stuck to his principles as being fiscally conservative and anti-abortion he should win.
He said the Congressional Budget Office scoring of the bill, showing that it will not add to the deficit in the next decade, was important to Carney. Having the president agree to issue an executive order ensuring no federal funds would go to pay for abortions was also vital to gain the support of Carney and other anti-abortion Democrats.
Kanjorski must first get by Lackawanna County Commissioner Corey O’Brien, 36, of Moosic and Brian Kelly, 62, of Wilkes-Barre, in the May primary. If he’s successful, then he must defeat the winner of the Republican primary, either Hazleton Mayor Lou Barletta, 54, or Sky Top hedge fund manager Chris Paige, 38, in November.
“I hope this doesn’t become political. I should not win and I should not lose on this vote … If I lose, I do so making what I think is the correct vote,” Kanjorski said.
Ping
“Na,Na,Na,Na,— Na,Na,Na,— Hey , Hey,- GOODBYE!”
Bring forth the cry” Remember the Alamo”
In 2010 “Remember the Obamacare vote”
Let us never forget that these 217 people just destroyed the government “of the people ,by the people and for the people”.
I believe their constituents will beg to differ about what was in their best interest.
Do these guys really think that they are not accountable to their constituents for their votes? Are they really that naive to believe they are accountable to the Democrat (Socialist) party leaders first and the people second? November should be a rude awakening for them.
Lord God,
Please, as long as such evil congress critters fail to confess and repent and name the co-guilty
wherever they eat publically, may the whole restaurant full of customers get up and walk out the minute they walk in.
May the departing customers look at them with contempt or disgust.
May they speak truth to them or otherwise vividly show their disgust.
May the congress critters become fearful of eating at public places.
May their neighbors shun them.
May their houses never sell.
May taxi drivers refuse to give them rides.
May airline seatmates refuse to sit next to them.
May their luggage chronically be terminally lost.
May they always be severely searched whenever they fly.
May they be terrified that they are not getting honest or constructive medical care.
May they have chronic insomnia haunted by their destructiveness to their own nest—the USA.
““I’m convinced if you vote your conscience and you do what you think is the right thing, even the people who don’t like what you did will respect what you did,” said Kanjorski, 72. “
So what this jacka&& is saying is that “even if they don’t like it, I voted what’s best for them”. In other words, you idiot voters don’t know what’s best for you. But I, your benevolent ruler, know exactly what is best for you and your family!
ping
Translated, that's "I know much better what is good for my constituents than they do, and it's my job to treat them like children and put government in control of them, rather than letting them decide for themselves."
Translated: "In this Obama economy, a lot of people are without work, and this bill is popular among people who will get free health care from the government, paid for by the saps who still have jobs, and of course our grandchildren, who never did anything for us anyway."
So the candidate says he did it because it was RIGHT, and didn't regard how it would effect his re-election. And the PolSci professor says the candidate is lying, and that the candidate voted for what he thought would win him re-election.
It has to suck when the guy the media picks to defend you does so by calling you a liar, and saying that you only voted for a bill because you thought it would bribe enough people into voting for you.
“U.S. Reps. Chris Carney and Paul E. Kanjorski said they hope that their “yes” votes for the health care reform reconciliation bill won’t make voters say “no” at the ballot boxes this year.”
They hope...
Hope is not a method (to quote General Sullivan).
You can hope in one hand, sh!t in the other- and see which hand fills up first!
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