HOLDING ANTI-FAMILY CONGRESSMEMBERS OF BOTH PARTIES ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR VOTES AGAINST CHILDREN'S HEALTHCARE

Tom Reynolds probably won't feed them to Mark Foley but will he protect them?

Sometimes political targeting is more an art than a science and rarely can even the best thought-out campaign satisfy everyone, even beyond those being targeted, who, obviously, are never thrilled. Overall, the DCCC has been doing a stellar job in targeting districts with rubber stamp Republican incumbents-- with e-mails, telephone campaigns, radio spots, etc.-- who have voted against children's health insurance. Pond-scum like Steve Chabot (R-OH), Thelma Drake (R-VA), Tom Feeney (R-FL), Sam Graves (R-MO), Jim Saxton (R-NJ), Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Tim Walberg (R-MI), and Randy Kuhl (R-NY), are all threatening to vote to sustain Bush's S-CHIP veto and the DCCC can't do enough to turn up the pressure and make sure that their constituents are aware of the sorts of monsters they have sent to Congress to represent them, in these cases all men and women who have rubber stamped all of Bush's catastrophic war agenda and his disastrous domestic policies but who have drawn the line in spending when it comes to health care... for needy children.

The vote comes October 18 and DWT was proud to band together with other bloggers-- Crooks & Liars, Firedoglake, Digby, and OpenLeft (with special help from Tondee's Tavern, The Seminal, Steve Audio and Georgia Women Vote)-- to take a cue from our pals at the DCCC and remind the constituents of the 5 Democrats-- all reactionary renegades-- who had voted with Bush to prevent SCHIP and have promised to vote against overriding his heinous veto. We were overjoyed when Indiana's Baron Hill decided the telephone campaign was enough and he would take a pass on the newspaper ads, instead saying he had changed his mind and would vote to override just like a real Democrat. One down, four to go. We're especially working hard on Jim Marshall, the worst of the lot-- and you should feel free to lend a hand here at Marshall Plan World Headquarters. And join our Facebook group.

But I was thrilled last night when John Amato alerted me that we're getting some help from the faith-based community! Catholics United may not be our allies when it comes to the issue of Women's Choice but... well read their self-description:

Catholics United is a national online community of Catholics who believe strongly in our faith's call to build a society for justice and the common good.

We take seriously all our Church's social and political teachings, and refuse to water down our faith in service of partisan politics.

The social and political teachings they're talking about have led them to opposing Bush's occupation of Iraq, to opposing Bush's reactionary stand on climate change and to supporting initiatives that improve the lives of working people, issues like health care for needy children. They are running radio ads starting Monday that will basically do exactly what the DCCC and Blue America are doing: informing constituents of the anti-family congressmembers that their representative is against health insurance for needy children. These will be run primarily on Christian radio and on popular talk radio stations. The ads feature a mother telling listeners that voting to sustain Bush's veto of SCHIP is a vote against pro-life and pro-family values. Catholics United are targeting 10 members of Congress who are especially bad on family issues: Gene Taylor (D-MS), mentally-disturbed Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Thelma Drake (R-VA), Sam Graves (R-MO), Tim Walberg (R-MI), Joe Knollenberg (R-MI), Thaddeus McCotter (R-MI) and John Peterson (R-PA).

All good. But there seem so many miscreants who have been left out. Today's NY Times points out that New York Governor Eliot Spitzer is campaigning for S-CHIP in the congressional districts held by two radical right upstate Republican congressmen, Randy Kuhl and Tom Reynolds. (Almost every governor, including most Republican governors are begging their congressmen to override Bush's veto.) “I will be trying to get Kuhl and Reynolds to change their perspectives. I am disappointed in their votes,” Governor Spitzer told the Times.

One of the architects of the Republican plan to deny health care to needy children is Ohio's far right John Boehner, whose own children are, of course, covered by taxpayer-funded health care. Boehner's office issued a crowing statement about how the Republicans were winning their obstructionist game again. “The Democrats’ efforts to pressure members to switch their votes has been a complete and total failure. Our members are resolved to sustain the president’s veto, while working toward a bill that puts low-income children first.”

I know we succeeded in at least one case of turning a reactionary around, Democrat Baron Hill. Meanwhile right-wing Republican Jim Walsh voted for the bill originally and said he would vote to override Bush. The district next door is Tom Reynolds' and he has a serious problem when it comes to children that almost lost him his seat in 2006. At the time, Reynolds was the head of the RNCC, and he was caught covering up-- big time-- for child sex predator Mark Foley (R-FL). Even though Reynolds and the rest of the Republican leadership were completely aware that Foley had a long record of molesting young men and even though he was apprehended, drunk, trying to break into the male pages' dormitory, when he tried to retire and seek treatment for his alcoholism, it was Reynolds who persuaded him to run for Congress again so that the GOP could keep the seat (which would have allowed Reynolds to keep his fancy office and primo parking spot). That's how much Tom Reynolds cares about children's welfare. So it should surprise no one at all that he voted against S-CHIP and that he plans to vote to sustain Bush's veto. I sure wish the Catholics and the DCCC were targeting Tom Reynolds.

I especially wish they were doing that because of the incredible contrast between him and the Democrat running against him-- particularly when it comes to children. Jon Powers is a friend of mine so maybe I'm a little biased about this, but I can't imagine a better advocate for American children than Jon Powers. Please take a look at the post about him last July. He sent me the photo of himself in Baghdad where he served as an Army Captain. Take a look at it. Do you think that's a guy that would convince a serial child molester to stay in Congress so he could have a better parking spot? No, that's a guy who came back from fighting in Iraq and founded War Kids Relief, an organization dedicated to helping save Iraqi children whose families were killed in the war. The mission statement is simple: "War Kids Relief cares for the children of war-torn nations, combating recruitment by terrorists and extremist groups through education, training, employment and other programs." Jon Powers supports S-CHIP and working families in America. Tom Reynolds supports Bush. Period. Neither the DCCC nor Catholics United are holding Reynolds accountable this week. But Jon Powers will. Help him do it.