YOU WERE HAPPY BILL FOSTER WAS ELECTED TO CONGRESS?

I have to admit that when reactionary Democrat Bill Foster beat the lunatic fringe Republican that the GOP ran top replace Denny Hastert, I had a tinge of joy. I knew it was devastatingly dismal for already badly flagging Republican morale. On the other hand, I had a good idea of what the self-professed Blue Dog Foster would turn into. And he wasted no time proving me right-- well, proving himself right; proving me correct. In just a few lightening weeks Bill Foster has managed to vote enough time to be able to claim of one the worst voting records among freshman Democrats in Congress. And at the rate he's going, we can expect to see him under the bottom of the barrel in no time at all.

If you look at the ProgressivePunch ratings ordered by votes that are partisan and divisive-- that pit Democratic values against reactionary values-- you can see Foster has already picked his side, voting frequently exactly how Oberweis would have voted. He's barely begun his decent into outright Republicanism and he's already # 197 out of 234. Sure, he's no Nick Lampson, Heath Shuler, Chris Carney, or EllsworthDonnellyHill yet... but he's certainly headed right down that toilet.

Today's Congressional Quarterly ran a piece about the "pro-business" Democrats (a more polite way of saying anti-worker/anti-consumer reactionary Democrats) led by Rahm Emanuel and his gal Ellen Tauscher. Poor Rahm, CQ opines. He has to perform "a balancing act" between working as the Democratic Caucus chair and as the leader of the Republican-leaning "New Democrats." Poor thing; no wonder he was wandering around bars trying to pick up young women last week when I saw him! Oh, for the glory days of his work in the White House when he was threatening Democratic congressmen's careers if they refused to vote for NAFTA! And Emanuel is touting how well his faction is doing by bragging about... Foster (who he helped win a primary that pitted him against progressive grassroots champion John Laesch).

Foster campaigned on more federal incentives for research, tougher border security, flexibility on skilled-worker visas and funding for Illinois research laboratories in his effort to succeed former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. (1999-2007).

“You have to have a strategy on workforce. You have to have a strategy on resources for labs. You have to have a strategy on the tax code,” Emanuel said. “You have to have a comprehensive approach.”

For the 58 members of the New Democrats, that means regrouping around Silicon Valley priorities after capitulating to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in the recent Colombia trade fight.

Foster has signed up as a New Democrat, as has another midterm replacement, Andre Carson of Indiana, and 16 of the 42 Democrats first elected in 2006. That group is sometimes called “Rahm’s class” in recognition of his work as former chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

The other right-of-center Emanuel freshmen who have joined the New Democrats are Harry Mitchell (AZ), Gabby Giffords (AZ), Ed Perlmutter (CO), Joe Courtney (CT), Chris Murphy (CT), Tim Mahoney (FL), Ron Klein (FL), Baron Hill (IN), Bruce Braley (IA), Kirsten Gillibrand (NY), Mike Arcuri (NY), Jason Altmire (PA), Joe Sestak (PA), Patrick Murphy (PA), Chris Carney (PA), and Nick Lampson (TX).

Of the dozen House freshmen who vote most frequently to rubber stamp the Bush-Cheney agenda, two-thirds (8) are in Emanuel's treacherous little cabal seeking to undermine core progressive economic principles. Go Rahm, go! And in case anyone is wondering, no, Blue America did not back, endorse or collect contributions for Bill Foster. We learned our lesson in 2006 with Chris Carney.