Georgia Crackpot Barry Loudermilk Wants To Be The New Allen West

Barry Loudermilk reads Revelations while waiting for his make-up artist to arrive

Unindicted war criminal/torturer and one-term far right congressman Allen West, was widely considered an embarrassment even to the Republican Party. Although Democrats had their collective fingers crossed that he would run for the Rubio Senate seat if Rubio decided to run for vice president, those hopes were dashed last month when West took a job at an extremist think tank in Dallas. He celebrated his new position on Fox with Sean Hannity, describing a Jeb Bush vs Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential race as "a big government progressive Republican running against a bigger government progressive socialist Democrat."

West had built up quite a money-milking machine on the fringes of the psychotic, paranoid right of the GOP and he started and ran his on PAC, the Guardian Fund. Last year the PAC raised $6,418,777 and spent $6,088,154. Most of the money, of course, made it into the West's now pockets but $70,000 went to right-wing candidates and $1,536,951 went into Independent Expenditures. The extremists who West gave $5 and $10,000 checks to were

• Dan Bongino (R-MD)
• Will Hurd (CIA-TX)
• Lawrence Kaifesh (R-IL)
• Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
• Mia Love (R-UT)
• Martha McSally (R-AZ)
• Steven Russell (R-OK)
• Lee Zeldin (R-NY)
• Ryan Zinke (R-MT)
• Tom Cotton (R-AR)

West's biggest independent expenditures were on behalf of extremists Joni Ernst ($551,937), Tom Cotten ($450,257) and Dan Sullivan ($349,075). Of the $6,418,777 reported raised, over $4.2 million was spent on fundraising itself, a very profitable endeavor for GOP hucksters like West.

Last week, he turned over the keys to his kingdom one of the craziest extremists elected in 2014, Georgia sociopath Barry Loudermilk. Already considered one of Congress' silliest crackpots. Loudermilk was elected to Phil Gingrey's seat-- when Gingery made an abortive run for the U.S. Senate-- beating libertarian Bob Barr in the primary runoff 34,641 (66.1%) to 17,794 (33.9%). GA-11 is one of Georgia's most politically backward districts-- R+19-- and the Democrats didn't field a candidate in the general election. Loudermilk was excited to don West's whacky mantle as he took over the PAC:

“Under the exceptional leadership of Allen West, the Guardian Fund led a grassroots conservative movement that led the way in taking the Senate back from liberal control and expanding our conservative majority in the House,” Lourdermilk emailed supporters on Friday. “Colonel West always leads by example, valuing decisive action over cheap talk. And I'm honored that he's asked me to follow him as chairman of the Guardian Fund. It's my intention to carry the torch forward as he would -- with direct action against the liberals who are trying to destroy America by sending strong constitutional conservatives to serve in Washington.

“Allen West played a major role in helping me get to Congress,” Loudermilk continued. “I am an Air Force veteran who served in intelligence during the Cold War, and when I made the decision to run for Congress, it was because I wanted to preserve liberty for my children and grandchildren. The Guardian Fund shares that desire and stood by me through victory in November. Now it's my turn to lead and I'm ready to go to the ends of the earth to fight for veterans, constitutional conservatives, and minority candidates, all of which we need more of in Washington.”

Calling President Barack Obama “dangerous,” Loudermilk tore into the president’s record on terrorism and immigration.

“Barack Obama, with his failed leftist ideology, is putting America at risk,” Loudermilk insisted. “Just like Allen West, I swore an oath to defend this country and its Constitution that I intend to uphold. The fight is on.”

Louder milk has already lost considerable credibility among the lunatic fringe, having solemnly vowed to vote against Boehner for Speaker while he was campaigning, but then voting for Boehner last week. On July 5 he told the Marietta Daily Journal that “I think Speakers have a term limit. They have a shelf life. And nothing personal against Boehner. He’s probably a great man, but I think we’ve got to have some leadership. Really, the deciding factor for me was allowing the bill to give Obama the ability to raise the debt ceiling at his will without any Congressional constraints whatsoever for over a year. I think that was irresponsible. That was irresponsible for the American citizens, and so it’s nothing personal, I think it’s just time for rotation in the leadership.” The same newspaper reminded Loudermilk's constituents that on the very first day of Congress he broke his first promise to them:

Loudermilk, when running for the seat, emphasized his objection to what Washington does and how its does it, i.e. to the status quo. He wanted change. The theme worked well as he demolished former Congressman Bob Barr in the Republican primary for the seat.

Loudermilk’s first official action as a new member was to cast his vote for John Boehner to continue as Speaker of the House. In so doing, he helped put down the largest revolt of House back benchers against sitting in place leaders in more than 90 years. Arguably this was not a bad first vote for the freshman member who must gain his footing by learning the ways and means of the legislative body he has joined. It is, however, hard to explain coming from a new member who believes, as Loudermilk is quoted as believing Boehner has already retaliated against Loudermilk for having voiced opposition to Boehner continuing as speaker in the November Republican caucus meeting. The danger is that Loudermilk and his fellow would-be reformers will fall into the habit of supporting the Congressional leadership, which typically means supporting the status quo.

In the recent effort to dethrone the speaker, the media reported that Boehner’s opponents claimed he was not sufficiently conservative. Those who characterized the contest that way were not listening or watching. The contest was more about legislative strategy and tactics, neither of which appears to be Boehner strengths.

...The problem for Barry Loudermilk is that his first vote could put him on a path of going along to get along. The attitude is the death-knell to the politics of reform. Opposition to Mr. Boehner in the caucus grew out of the fact that he has for years embraced the go along to get strategy. Congress as an institution is today approved by less than one quarter of the nation’s voters because of this kind of cynical cronyism.

As Loudermilk finds his footing he needs to remember he ran for the position he holds by opposing business as usual. This will be achieved only if Boehner hears from the members of his caucus that it is time for a change. If the reform impulse in lost in undue allegiance to the speaker and his leadership team, Loudermilk will have very quickly become part of the problem before he ever tried to become part of the solution.

Don't Count On Seeing Poor Ole Bob Barr Back In Congress

Phil Gingrey represents Georgia's 11th congressional district, mostly Atlanta suburbs in Cobb, Bartow, Fulton and Cherokee counties. It includes all of Marietta, the east side of Smyrna, and part of Atlanta's upscale/uptown Buckhead neighborhood (the Beverly Hills of the South). The PVI is R+19 and the only part of the district even remotely competitive for Democrats-- and only remotely-- is the Cobb County section. The current congressman is far right extremist-- and crackpot-- Phil Gingrey and he won reelection last cycle 196,968 (68.6%) to 90,353 (31.4%), beating his unknown, unfunded Democratic challenger by 70% or better in Bartow, Cherokee and Fulton counties but with "only" 60% in Cobb.

Gingrey gave up his seat to run for Senate. He got trounced in the primary, coming in 4th, nosing out even further right-wing extremist congressman Paul Broun. Now both are out of their jobs.

• David Perdue- 185,466 (30.64%)
• Jack Kingston- 156,157 (25.80%)
• Karen Handel- 132,944 (21.96%)
• Phil Gingrey- 60,735 (10.03%)
• Paul Broun- 58,297 (9.63%)

The new congressmen will be determined by Republican runoffs on July 22. Broun's replacement will be either Mike Collins, son of ex-Congressman Mac Collins, or a crazed teabagger and Hate Talk Radio host and Baptist preacher Jody Hice. They were virtually tied in the primary, Collins 17,378 (33.5%) to Hice 17,108 (33.0%) out of 51,876 votes cast. Both are extremists and the "establishment" candidate, Collins, has been endorsed by Rick Santorum.

The race for Gingrey's seat is more interesting because it includes always controversial ex-CIA agent and former Congressman Bob Barr, the guy in the two videos up top. Last I had heard was that Barr had quit the GOP to become a Libertarian. He ran as their 2008 nominee for president, coming in 4th-- with 523,715 votes (0.40%)-- behind Barack Obama, John McCain and Ralph Nader. His best performance was in Indiana, where he got 29,257 votes (1.06%), followed by his native Georgia, where he took 28,731 votes (0.73%). In 2012 he split with the Libertarians and endowed Newt Gingrich for president instead of Ron Paul and rejoined the GOP.

Barr, another standard issue delusional Republican devotee of Ayn Rand's, was appointed U.S. Attorney for Northern Georgia by Reagan after his stint with the CIA. He successfully prosecuted Republican Congressman Pat Swindall for campaign finance fraud and perjury, sending Swindall to prison and handing the district over to the Democrats. Barr then represented GA-07 from 1995-2003 and is best known as one of the more obnoxious and deranged of the Clinton impeachment managers. The other thing he was famous for was being an anti-marijuana fanatic, although he later became a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project and is now adamantly pro-pot (unless he changed his mind again). He was the author of the notoriously homophobic Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and he has since apologized for having done that and is now pro-marriage equality and says he would vote to repeal DOMA. Loudermilk is painting him as an untrustworthy flip-flopper and it's working and will probably win Loudermilk the seat.

Barr came in second in the May 20th primary and will now face state Senator Barry Loudermilk in the runoff. Loudermilk has been endorsed by Club for Growth, RedState, FreedomWorks, the Madison Project and Georgia Right to Life. Barr has been endorsed by Tom Tancredo, Richard Viguerie and Gun Owners of America. These were the primary totals:

• Barry Loudermilk- 20,708 (36.6%)
• Bob Barr- 14,596 (25.8%)
• Tricia Pridemore- 9,655 (17.1%)
• Edward Lindsey- 8,389 (14.8%)
• Larry Mrozinski- 2,277 (4%)
• Allan Levene- 959 (1.7%)

Barr, who accepts contributions in BitCoin (as well as real money), has raised $683,795 and reported $96,425 cash-on-hand as of April 30. Loudermilk raised $449,054 and had $89,882 cash-on-hand on April 30. So far FreedomWorks, the Senate Conservatives Fund and Club for Growth have put in a total of $34,768 on behalf of Loudermilk. This kind of zombie-stupid, rote, right-wing yawnathon of an ad still excites deluded Georgia voters:



There's been some back and forth about Loudermilk claiming he was a fighter pilot-- he wasn't-- but it probably won't lose him the runoff. To show he can be as amusing as Barr, if he wanted to lie about his background, he could have claimed he was the son of Nashville songwriter John D. Loudermilk. This wasn't even his biggest song but "Tobacco Road" was a hit for the Nashville Teens, Jefferson Airplane, The Animals, Edgar Winter, Lou Rawls, Spooky Tooth, Status Quo, David Lee Roth, and the Blues Magoos. My fave:

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

by Noah

Sunday Thoughts:

I know the douchebag in question actually said what he said this past Wednesday and not today but the point is the same. The douchebag in question was Rep. Barry Loudermilk of Georgia who I referred to in yesterday's Midnight Meme for his comparing Trump's impeachment to Christ's crucifixion. Sure, lots of us at times might love to see Trump dragged though the streets, whipped, beaten to a bloody orange pulp and then executed, maybe even hung from a lamp post by his thumbs like one of his role models by the name of Benito Mussolini. But that's not how we do things here and no one has done anything remotely like this to Donald Trump. There are no nail holes in his tiny hands. All that's been done so far is apply an insufficiently wee bit of accountability for Trump in the form of a righteously correct impeachment vote in the House of Representatives.

There's a ton of irony in Loudermilk saying what he said. Such lynchings are the kind of thing that the kind of people who support Trump traditionally do to African-Americans, but I guess to them, that would still be just fine, very fine. Loudermilk's home area has a proud history of lynchings and he was against the taking down of statues that celebrate that "heritage," as they call it down there.

Still, Loudermilk is nowhere near the first Trump follower to compare his man to Jesus or at least some sort of messiah. Signs can always be seen at Trump rallies that make the comparison or say things like "Thank Jesus For President Trump" or "I Praise the Lord For President Trump." It's a glassy-eyed fixation. It's all a gross manifestation of their messianic obsession and the mass insanity that republicans everywhere are exhibiting these days, not just at Trump rallies or in Congressional hearings. It crops up at town halls and school board meetings. Trump supporters even decorate their cars and trucks with it.

Foget Steve Israel's Utter Incompetence And Grotesque Corruption For A Minute-- Will Boehner Be Speaker Again?

Boehner's lawsuit against Obama is turning out to be the bust most people predicted it would be. A Federal Court of Appeals threw out an almost identical lawsuit yesterday. Henry Decker, writing for the National Journal: "When House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) announced his plan to sue President Barack Obama for delaying enforcement of the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate, the reviews were swift and negative. Legally, the lawsuit seemed destined for failure. Politically, it looked like a dud that could actively backfire on the GOP."

This morning Greg Sargent warned about another ill-advised Boehner position that could back to bite him in the ass. Now, Boehner knows Steve Israel's dysfunctional and corrupt DCCC is not going to fight him electorally back in OH-08; that's off the table and the special interests that make up Boehnerland have raised him $15,188,942 this cycle-- to the $83,882 raised by his grassroots Democratic opponent, Tom Poetter. So Boehner's vulnerability is his reelection to the Speaker's job. Sargent doesn't discuss that-- and we'll get to it in a moment-- but what he does talk about is the dunderheaded move Boehner made by hastily adjourning Congress instead of voting on an authorization-- yea or nay-- to go to war in Syria. Boehner's excuse-- which sounds very lame and disingenuous to his own caucus-- is that the president didn't ask for a vote. Sargent calls it "a dodge" and postulates that "[a] congressional vote on war might complicate GOP efforts to make national security an issue in the midterms, by hitting Dems with ads featuring grainy, 2002-style footage of terrorists. Many Republicans support Obama’s approach to ISIS, but they have endorsed it grudgingly, as a mere step in the right direction, while saying they don’t think it goes far enough, in order to be able to continue hitting Democrats on the issue… A full Congressional debate on war could make this sort of straddle harder to sustain, putting more pressure on GOP lawmakers-- and candidates who hope to gain from international turmoil-- to say what, precisely, they support doing instead. Like sending in ground troops."

This morning, though, it was Scott Wang at The Hill who looked at the far right-wing cabal plotting against Boehner and seeking to remove him as Speaker after the midterms. Their strategy, he writes "seems disorganized and fluid: Find a way to push the Speaker’s race to a second ballot, create turmoil in the conference, portray Boehner as highly vulnerable and offer up an alternative." And the Establishment types, media shills and lobbyists propping up Boehner have their own game-plan: buying off members with campaign contributions, boasting of his ability to hold the deranged neo-fascist wing of his caucus in check and to keep the GOP looking-- plausibly-- like adults.

Wang asserts that many on the far right fringe of the House GOP caucus are frustrated with Boehner and his leadership team (and leadership style). Paul Gosar, a neo-fascist extremist from Arizona has pledged to vote against Boehner. "In tough times, it doesn’t mean you play timid, it means to play bold, and I don’t see that. And you know what? Time’s up. I’m tired of the status quo of what’s going on in Washington, D.C. America’s tired, America’s angry and they’re scared, because they don’t have leaders in Washington, D.C."

Many of the regular whiney extremists are on the same page. Louie Gohmert, who combines an instinct for Naziism with doctrinaire primitive religion, made it clear that he will oppose Boehner, as he did in 2012: "I’ll give him every bit as much support as I did last time." Ditto for Walter Jones (R-NC), a principled libertarian who abhors Boehner's sleazy, lobbyist-directed style of governance.

There are Republican anti-Boehner meetings being called regularly in DC, some chaired by Ted Cruz, some put together by more principled conservatives.

As is standard, House Republicans will vote twice to elect the Speaker and their other leaders for the new Congress: once on a secret ballot during a closed-door conference meeting after the Nov. 4 elections and then again in January in a public vote on the House floor-- the first vote of the 114th Congress.

No one has publicly stepped forward to take on the sitting Speaker. Former Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) is out of the picture after his sudden and spectacular defeat in his June GOP primary. And potential conservative rivals like Reps. Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) or Raúl Labrador (R-Idaho) haven’t been making any moves behind the scenes for the Speaker’s gavel.

In the private election slated for the week of Nov. 10, Boehner will need 50 percent of the votes plus one to win what many expect to be his final term as Speaker. If the GOP picks up between five and eight seats this fall [thank Nancy Pelosi for reappointed proven incompetent Steve Israel after his colossal 2012 failure], that would bring its majority to roughly 240 seats. That means two or more other Boehner challengers would need to capture more than 120 backers combined to push the race to a second ballot and throw the process into chaos-- a scenario most observers see as implausible.

A more likely scenario would come during the public roll call, just as it did during the coup attempt against Boehner in January 2013. About 20 Boehner defectors would need to hold the line, depriving him of the 218-vote simple majority he needs to win another two years as Speaker. Democrats would almost certainly withhold their votes for Boehner if they saw the GOP leader foundering.

“You’ve got to have 20 to 25 committed people that are willing to cut their wrist,” Jones explained, “and if you’re not willing to cut your wrist, you’re not really committed.”

If Boehner doesn’t win on the first roll call, lawmakers keep voting until someone wins a simple majority of the 435-member House. And even after several rounds of votes, Boehner still could prevail over potential challengers.

Boehner’s office has expressed confidence he will be the Speaker in the 114th Congress.

“The Speaker is gratified by the strong support he has from members across our conference, and he’s looking forward to what we can accomplish for the country in the years ahead,” Boehner spokesman Kevin Smith said Tuesday in response to questions from The Hill about efforts to depose the Speaker.

But Boehner will face a conference that is expected to be even more conservative than the one he’s led for the past four years.

As a matter of policy, Beltway trade publications, like The Hill, don't refer to GOP extremists as "fascists" or "fanatics," "reactionaries," "neo-Nazis" or anything else other than "conservatives," as if to imply Boehner and his own backers are something other than conservatives themselves. Their practice is to refer to actual conservatives as "moderates."

Ten of the 12 Republicans who didn’t back Boehner in the public floor vote early last year are cruising to reelection. And a number of Republicans running to replace longtime retiring members in red districts have publicly stated they won’t back Boehner for Speaker.

Political newcomer Gary Palmer, who is expected to replace Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), told Bloomberg that Boehner’s “lost his legitimacy to lead.” Former state Sen. Barry Loudermilk, who will succeed Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.), “will not support Boehner as speaker,” his spokesman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. And Wisconsin state Sen. Glenn Grothman, the nominee to replace longtime Rep. Tom Petri, told Reuters voters want “conservative candidates who want to stand up to Republican leadership. And that’s me.”

Republicans who say they will not vote for Boehner to be Speaker-- or who refuse to commit to voting for him:

• Walter Jones (R-NC)

• Louie Gohmert (R-TX)
• Justin Amash (R-MI)
• Jim Bridenstine (R-OK)
• Steve Pearce (R-NM)
• Tim Huelskamp (R-KS)
• Tom Massie (R-KY)
• Ted Yoho (R-FL)
• Steve King (R-IA)
• Paul Gosar (R-AZ)
• Matt Salmon (R-AZ)
• candidate John Ratcliffe (R-TX)
• candidate Gary Palmer (R-MI)
• candidate Mark Walker (R-NC)
• candidate Glenn Grothman (R-WI)
• candidate Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
• candidate Jody Hice (R-GA)

Midnight Meme Of The Day!

by Noah

"And you can't make me!" So say treasonous politicians like the above pictured Rep. Doug Collins. Collins may be from Georgia but, like just about any Republican you care to name, his soul is with our nation's adversaries. It doesn't take anything to assume that Collins sees his first loyalty as not to his district or the nation but to "President" Trump and Trump's spy master handlers based in Moscow. Collins raised his right hand and took an oath to uphold and protect the Constitution of the United States of America on his very first day in Congress. Evidently, he held his left hand behind his back, fingers crossed.

Collins is the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee. That's how far the apparent ruble-fed infiltration has gone in the House of Representatives. What we saw from Collins and his Republican fellow travelers on the committee as the debate over impeachment ensued was nothing short of panic as they yelled and screamed louder than a 3 year old who's suddenly told they can't ride in the stroller anymore. Not one House Republican obeyed the oath they swore. Not one.

The insanity of your typical Republican was perhaps best manifested by Rep. Collins's fellow crackpot from Georgia (the state not the part of the former Soviet Union), Rep. Barry Loudermilk. Loudermilk compared the impeachment of the Trumpanzee to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. As far as I know, Trump has not been repeatedly beaten by a mob, has not felt the lash of whips, has not had a crown of thorns jammed on his head, and has no bloody nail holes in his hands and feet, or a spear wound in his side. I expect Trump will soon be marketing red Make America Great Again Shrouds of Turin.

Today At The Races: Georgia

It's another vile lesser of two evils election in Georgia today. Neither Jack Kingston nor David Perdue is fit for any public office, let alone for the U.S. Senate. But, then again, neither was Saxby Chambliss, the imbecile who's resigning the seat. The Republican primary itself was May 20 and the top 5 candidates didn't generate much enthusiasm:

• David Perdue- 185,466 (30.64%)
• Jack Kingston- 156,157 (25.8%)
• Karen Handel- 132,944 (21.96%)
• Phil Gingrey- 60,735 (10.03%)
• Paul Broun- 58,297 (9.63%)

Perdue, who was endorsed by his cousin, Sonny, the ex-Governor, by professional Republican clown Herman Cain and by a shady super PAC (Citizens for a Working America, which has spent over $1.5 million attacking Kingston), won with the weakest showing of any first place finisher in a senate primary by either party in Georgia history. Kingston, who has been endorsed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (i.e., the GOP Beltway Establishment, and has already spent $920,000 on his behalf) and by Brent Bozell, Michelle Bachmann, Sean Hannity, Steve Forbes and other right-wing celebrities, will probably win today's runoff. All 4 polls released this month show Kingston with 41%. PPP has Kingston with 47% with voters who say they are definitely voting today. Neither candidate is especially popular in the Atlanta area, where most of the state's voters live, maybe 70% of the expected GOP turnout.

[No] candidate can ignore metro Atlanta and north Georgia and have any hope of winning a statewide election. But the dynamics of this particular race, which has already garnered national attention as Republicans seek control of the Senate, means the election will likely be won or lost based on what happens there.

...With a competitive primary for Kingston's current seat in Congress, turnout is expected to be strong along the coast and Kingston will have to run up the numbers like he did during the primary when he claimed 78 percent of the vote in his home base of Chatham County. But the coastal areas alone can't carry him across the finish line, and Kingston will have to perform very well in metro Atlanta and north Georgia.

"Jack Kingston can still win statewide without winning those areas," Lake said. "He just needs to run up his margins on the coast and he needs to make sure that even though he's not winning in those north Georgia counties, he's not losing by a wide margin."

Perdue, who hails from middle Georgia but has a home on the coast, did very well in north Georgia during the primary, capturing a majority of counties across the area. Although it's his first political campaign, his cousin is former Gov. Sonny Perdue and his campaign and advisers are all veterans of state politics.

Perdue knows he must build on his primary vote totals and broaden his base of support. Meanwhile, Kingston has smartly collected endorsements from two of their former rivals with broad metro Atlanta support who finished third and fourth in the primary.

Kingston is banking on those endorsements to help him cut into Perdue's lead, while Perdue has been using those endorsements to hammer Kingston as the establishment candidate who's been in Washington too long.

If Kingston wins, he will face off against conservative Democrat, Michelle Nunn in November. Although most polling shows Nunn ahead, I'd bet that once the primary runoff is over and the Perdue votes get behind Kingston, he'll overtake her. Democrats will waste millions of dollars on her campaign that could easily elect Rick Weiland in South Dakota and save the Senate for the Democrats.




UPDATE: GEORGIA RESULTS

Confounding all the pollsters in a very low turnout election-- not one showed Perdue even close (of the 2 most recent, Landmark had Kingston up by 7 and Insider Advantage had him up by 5)-- and freaking out the GOP Beltway Establishment, Perdue beat Kingston 245,493 (51%) to 236,987 (49%). It was close, but outside the margin of recount and Kingston, no doubt bound for K Street, conceded before all the votes were counted. Kingston spent $6,174,978 and Perdue spent over a million less-- $5,031,036. (For those who care: Perdue has $783,540 cash on hand to Nunn's $3,681,570.)

Hice

Paul Broun's replacement in GA-10 won't be the Establishment favorite either. Crazy right-wing extremist, Hate Talk Radio host and bigoted Baptist preacher Jody Hice beat Mac Collins' son Mike 26,959 (54%) to 22,673 (46%). Both are far right crackpots but Hice has much more potential to regularly embarrass the House Republicans and reduce their approval rating by even more. With Bachmann and Broun retiring, Hice will immediately be in contention for the title, "craziest clueless Republican in the House." Move over Louie Gohmert. Hice and Collins spent around the same amount, respectively $493,490 and 479,576 (as of the July 2 FEC report). Two gun nut groups put in around $9,000 for Hice. Santorum's endorsement didn't help Collins, who was slightly ahead in the May primary.

Over in GA-11, Gingrey's district, Barry Loudermilk crushed ex-Congressman Bob Barr 34,641 (66%) to 17,794 (34%), successfully portraying him as a serial flip-flopper. Barr had outspent him $709,714 (including contributions made in BitCoin) to $599,119. Loudermilk had been endorsed by Club for Growth, RedState, FreedomWorks, the Madison Project and Georgia Right to Life. Barr was endorsed by Tom Tancredo, Richard Viguerie and Gun Owners of America.

The 2014 Democratic Freshman Class... And The Republicans

New Jersey voters are sending an African-American woman to Congress-- for the first time

Yesterday, Limbaugh said that Republicans were elected "to stop the Democrats. Republicans were not elected to govern." Democrats, on the other hand, are elected to govern. And even though the Democrats got clobbered Tuesday, there were a number of good Democrats elected.

Blue America missed seeing some of our favorite candidates, like Paul Clements, Pat Murphy and Kelly Westlund, get elected. But we did see Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) elected, someone we expect to see rise in the leadership. She is smart, dedicated, feisty, grounded in strong values and has already served as the Majority Leader of the New Jersey state Assembly. Tuesday, she beat her Republican opponent 60.62 to 36.88%. Similarly, another Blue America-endorsed candidate, Ted Lieu, beat the heavily-financed Sheldon Adelson candidate 58.37 to 41.63%. That was significantly better than longtime Democratic incumbent Henry Waxman did last year in his reelection bid (when he scored 54). Ted has been a tested leader in the California state legislature and has worked tirelessly and effectively to push a common-sense progressive vision he'll be bringing to Washington. Here's the freshman class-- or at least the part of it that ran so that they can help govern, not just obstruct:

• Ruben Gallego (AZ-07)- progressive
• Pete Aguilar (CA-31)- corrupt New Dem
• Ted Lieu (CA-33)- progressive
• Norma Torres (CA-35)- moderate
• Gwen Graham (FL-02)- Blue Dog, who has already vowed to oppose Pelosi
• Mark Takai (HI-01)- moderate
• Seth Moulton (MA-06)- moderate
• Debbie Dingell (MI-12)- transactional hack
• Brenda Lawrence (MI-14)- moderate
• Brad Ashford (NE-02)- Blue Dog
• Donald Norcross (NJ-01)- corrupt transactional hack
• Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12)- progressive
• Alma Adams (NC-12)- moderate
• Brendan Boyle (PA-13)- moderate
• Donald Beyer (VA-08)- transactional hack/New Dem

Of the 15 Democratic freshmen, 2 defeated Republican incumbents and the rest just took over very Democratic seats.

Among the newly elected Republicans, there's a whole menagerie of bizarre sociopaths who are destined for Ted Cruz's suicide caucus, particularly David Brat (VA), Barbara Comstock (VA), Glenn Grothman (WI), Jody Hice (GA) and Mark Walker (NC). At least there's plenty of entertainment value promised in this lot.

A quick scan of some of the newest members of the House shows just how extreme this latest crop of Tea Party Republican members of Congress truly are.

From Georgia to Maine, Virginia to Wisconsin, Illinois to Iowa, extreme Tea Party Republicans have been elected to seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. Take Glenn Grothman in Wisconsin’s 6th District to start. We’ve already detailed the long list of Grothman’s greatest extreme hits, but as a quick refresher, the Congressman-elect has: proselytized about the “war on men,” fought for a seven-day workweek, and proposed a law to formally consider single parenthood a contributing factor to child abuse.

In Georgia, Congressman-elect Jody Hice thinks it’s okay for women to run for public office, provided they do so with the permission of their husbands. Hice wrote a book in 2012 in which, according to Mother Jones, he “asserts that supporters of abortion rights are worse than Hitler and compares gay relationships to bestiality and incest.” In that same book, Hice “asserts the gay community has a secret plot to recruit and sodomize children,” and writes that Islam “does not deserve First Amendment protections.”

BOTB

Virginia’s 7th District, former home of Eric Cantor, will now be represented by Tea Party upstart David Brat. Brat, a professor by trade, has a deep appreciation for and commitment to rigorous science and facts, as evidenced by his claim that he is not concerned with global climate change because “over time, rich countries solve their problems.” Brat has also argued that one of the largest factors in economic growth is “the Protestant religious establishment,” and in an olive branch of bipartisanship, claimed that “the left does not believe in diversity. They believe in top-down, I’m going to force my way onto you.”

Just up the road in Virginia’s 10th District, Congresswoman-elect Barbara Comstock has voted in favor of allowing Virginians to bring guns into bars (because that can only end well). She pushed anti-union bills as a state legislator while being paid by a right to work advocacy group. And to top it off, she supported personhood legislation and voted in favor of an extreme piece of legislation requiring Virginia women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound before they could receive an abortion.

New York’s Lee Zeldin, First District, also wants to restrict women’s access to health care, and supports a tax break for the wealthiest 2% of Americans. Lest you think those were Zeldin’s only extreme policy positions, the good Congressman-elect also supports an option to replace Social Security with private investment accounts. In Maine’s 2nd District, newly elected Bruce Poliquin opposes raising the federal minimum wage and likely violated the state’s constitution by being involved with businesses while serving as state treasurer.

It’s not just extreme policy positions and offensive rhetoric that defines this crop of Tea Party Republicans. Some prefer to put their Tea Party-patented obstructionism front and center. David Young from Iowa’s 3rd District is an admitted member of the anti-compromise caucus. He praised Cruz’s filibuster and the shutdown last year; supports abolishing government agencies like Departments of Energy, Commerce, and Education, as well as the EPA and IRS; and he opposes rape and incest exceptions for abortions.

Meanwhile, Illinois Republican Mike Bost (IL-02) once had an outburst while serving in the Illinois House over a pension reform bill in which he threw papers all over the floor and compared Republicans and his constituents to the Biblical flight of Jews from Egypt. The Chicago Tribune kindly referred to Bost as an “obstructionist.” Huffington Post reported that while Bost “made a name for himself” with outbursts like this, his aggressive temper has not been confined to legislative matters. With Mitch McConnell promising no more government shutdowns, maybe Ted Cruz could learn a thing or two from Bost’s antics.

This is just a snapshot of the Republican Party’s latest class of Tea Party House electees. Are they moderate? No. Has anything changed for the “rebranded” GOP? Definitely not.

And, if that's not enough for you, the DCCC has a great press release out today, "Which New House Republican..." Keep in mind the DCCC didn't challenge most of these GOP sociopaths they're railing against today. Still... good press release:

…Thinks the government should track undocumented immigrants like FedEx packages?

Answer: Barbara Comstock (VA-10): “I think immigration should be done by legislation, not executive action. I think first and foremost, we need to stop playing politics with this and secure the borders…Fedex can track packages coming in here all the time; we can track people who are coming into the country. And we can do that right.” [ThinkProgress, 9/25/14]

…Thinks Social Security and Medicare are Ponzi schemes?

Answer: Carlos Curbelo (FL-26): “Taking a page from Rick Perry, Miami congressional candidate Carlos Curbelo called Medicare and Social Security ‘a Ponzi scheme’ that needs extensive reforms in order to remain sustainable. Curbelo, who was in D.C. fundraising, made the comment in a talk to George Washington University College Republicans on Thursday. A Democratic ‘tracker’ filmed Curbelo’s university remarks-- unbeknown to him, Curbelo said Friday.” [Miami Herald, 9/19/14]

…Thinks women, minorities and young voters are to blame for problems in this country?

Answer:  Cresent Hardy (NV-04): “Republican state lawmaker and congressional candidate Cresent Hardy blamed women, minorities and young voters for problems in the United States by electing President Barack Obama.” [Las Vegas Sun, 9/23/14]

…Thinks government shutdowns can be “constructive?”

Answer: French Hill (AR-02): “First of all, government shutdowns have been a part of the tension between the executive branch and the legislative branch for decades. […] So it’s not always something that’s a partisan issue, there’s a constructive tension between the executive and legislative.” [Delta Grassroots Forum, 6/13/14]

…Thinks the U.S. is importing steel from North Korea?

Answer: Mike Bost (IL-12):  In 2014 Bost said: “Another concern is the Granite City right now has a concern with Granite City Steel, because what has occurred in, our tariffs not being place in incoming steel from China and from I think its North Korea.” [The Southern Illinoisan Editorial Board, 10/21/14]

.…Said he doesn’t “have a qualm” about going to war with Mexico?

Answer: Mark Walker (NC-06): “‘But I would tell you, if you have foreigners who are sneaking in with drug cartels, to me that is a national threat, and if we got to go laser or blitz somebody with a couple of fighter jets for a little while to make our point, I don’t have a problem with that either,’ Walker said, garnering applause from the audience. A followup question asked if he would have qualms about going to war with Mexico. ‘Well, we did it before. If we need to do it again, I don’t have a qualm about it,’ the candidate said.” [WRAL, 9/18/14]

…Said the First Amendment should not cover Islam, likened being born gay to being born violent, and thought women should get husband’s permission before entering politics?

Answer: Jody Hice (GA-10): “Hice, a Baptist minister and conservative radio show host, has also said the First Amendment should not cover Islam, once likened being born gay with being born violent and said it is okay for women to hold positions of power in politics, so long they are within their husband’s authority.” [Washington Post, 7/23/14]

…Compared rape allegations to “buyer’s remorse?”

Answer: Ken Buck (CO-04): “He also defended his handling of an alleged rape in 2005 that he declined to prosecute because he believed some of the details appeared to show the woman in question consented to the sexual encounter. Months later, he told the Greeley Tribune that ‘a jury could very well conclude that this is a case of buyer’s remorse.’” [Politico, 10/18/10]

…Called Hillary Clinton the “Anti-Christ?”

Answer: Ryan Zinke (MT-AL): “Ryan Zinke, a former Navy SEAL and state senator who is now running for Congress in Montana, said during a campaign stop this week that he is worried the country is losing sight of the real threat to the nation: Hillary Clinton. ‘We need to focus on the real enemy,’ said Zinke last week, referring to Clinton, according to the Bigfork Eagle. He also called the former Secretary of State the ‘anti-Christ.’” [Huffington Post, 1/31/14]

…Wanted his state to be able to nullify federal laws?

Answer: Tom Emmer (MN-06): “The Minnesota Republican Party’s official candidate to succeed Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is looking ahead to a 2012 run for President, is a staunch conservative well to Pawlenty’s right who has a long history of “Tentherism,” the attempts by the far right-wing to invoke the Tenth Amendment and nullify federal laws on various liberal initiatives. He has even proposed a state constitutional amendment that would allow federal laws to operate in Minnesota only if they were consented to by super-majorities of the state legislature.” [Talking Points Memo, 5/03/10]

…Thinks being a single parent is child abuse?

Answer: Glenn Grothman (WI-06): “Wisconsin State Senator Glenn Grothman, the Assistant Majority Leader and a close ally of GOP Governor Scott Walker in the effort to destroy collective bargaining in the Badger State, is taking crazy to new levels. Grothman has introduced a bill that would require the State of Wisconsin to officially deem single parenthood to be a ‘contributor’ to child abuse and neglect and to put the same into statutory laws of the state.” [Forbes, 3/02/12]

…Led two government shutdowns in his home state?

Answer: Mike Bishop (MI-08): “Bishop has been blamed by many for a part in helping cause Michigan’s brief government shutdowns in 2007 and 2009 under former governor Jennifer Granholm (D).” [Huffington Post, 4/07/14]

…Foreclosed on as many as 80,000 homes a year?

Answer: Dave Trott (MI-11): “Trott used to own the largest “foreclosure mill” law firm in Michigan, one that churned out hundreds of thousands of evictions after the housing bust. His firm made money off virtually every aspect of the foreclosure process. And the company used what adversaries describe as unscrupulous and potentially illegal tactics to ensure evictions, even when foreclosures were preventable […] Trott was quoted in a 2007 interview saying that foreclosures were ‘all we’ve ever done.’ He would grow the firm to 1,800 employees, processing two-thirds of all Michigan foreclosures and completing as many as 80,000 foreclosures a year. The name Trott was well-known throughout Michigan: In 2013, anti-foreclosure activists set up ‘Trottville’ encampments across the state to protest evictions.” [New Republic, 9/10/14]

…Blamed Middle East turmoil on “girly men” in the White House?

Answer: David Rouzer (NC-07): “After explaining to his audience that putting Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan in the White House would result in ‘real mean’ engaging in foreign policy, a Republican congressional candidate suggested the current wave of turmoil in the Middle East happened because ‘girly men’ currently occupy the White House.” [Mediaite, 9/19/12]

…Wrote a bill that could have kept undocumented immigrants from attending state college, getting a marriage license, and even obtaining water and sewage service?

Answer: Barry Loudermilk (GA-11): “A proposed bill under consideration in the Georgia legislature to prevent all undocumented immigrants from attending state institutions of higher learning also contains provisions which could prevent them from even obtaining marriage licenses and water and sewage service. The legislation, sponsored by Georgia Sen. Barry Loudermilk (R), would remove foreign passports from the list of valid identification documents for state agencies-- unless they were accompanied by federal immigration documentation.” [ThinkProgress, 3/27/12]

…Wanted his state to “opt out” of hate crimes act?

Answer: Steve Russell (OK-05): “A common right-wing objection to federal health care legislation is that it’s unconstitutional […]Oklahoma state Sen. Steve Russell (R) is proposing to use the same argument and tactic to try to exempt his state from the recently-passed Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Act-- which extends hate crimes protections to gays and lesbians-- because he claims it infringes on freedom of speech..” [ThinkProgress, 11/18/09]

Today, at his combative, negative press conference, Speaker Boehner conceded that some new GOP members "have made some statements" which are strange but says there will be "some really solid members." We'll try to find one in the coming months.

U.S. Chamber Gearing Up To Defeat GOP Extremists?

The Tea Party Caucus seems to have disappeared with Michele Bachmann and has been largely replaced by the more serious and policy-centric House Freedom Caucus. But the House Freedom Caucus has been very careful to not publish its membership list. What's left of the Tea Party Caucus is chaired by Kansas crackpot Tim Huelskamp. Huelskamp is also a self-admitted member of the Freedom Caucus (of which Jim Jordan of Ohio is chairman). There are 27 known members of the Freedom Caucus:

• Jim Jordan (R-OH)
• Matt Salmon (R-AZ)
• Justin Amash (R-MI)
• John Fleming (R-LA)
• Scott Garrett (R-NJ)
• Raúl Labrador (R-ID)
• Mick Mulvaney (R-SC)
• Mark Meadows (R-NC)
• Ron DeSantis (R-FL)
• Curt Clawson (R-FL)
• Tom McClintock (R-CA)
• Gary Palmer (R-AL)
• Jim Bridenstine (R-OK)
• Dave Brat (R-VA)
• Jeff Duncan (R-SC)
• Mo Brooks (R-AL)
• Jody Hice (R-GA)
• Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)
• Tim Huelskamp (R-KS
• Steve Pearce (R-NM)
• Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
• Trent Franks (R-AZ)
• Ken Buck (R-CO)
• David Schweikert (R-AZ)
• Paul Gosar (R-AZ)
• Scott Desjarlais (R-TN)
• Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is threatening to back primary opponents against Freedom Caucus members, the way they did-- unsuccessfully-- against Justin Amash last cycle. The Chamber claims to be frustrated that extreme right Republicans have undercut their pro-business agenda. They refuse to say who, exactly, their targets will be. Boehner, of course, claims he isn't collaborating with them. But he's lying.

The group’s apparent new willingness to engage in hand-to-hand political combat to take out sitting Republicans would represent a major shift for the business community, which has largely shied away from targeting sitting lawmakers.

...The theory is simple: The Chamber spent some $70 million in 2014, mostly to help Senate Republicans build their majority. But many of their legislative priorities-- immigration reform, the renewal of the Export-Import Bank and a long-term highway bill-- have been held up by a clutch of conservative lawmakers in the House.

Of course, taking out sitting Republican lawmakers is easier said than done. The Chamber would have to find willing candidates, spend piles of money to take out an incumbent and have the fortitude to stand up to a backlash from conservative activists that is sure to follow. Not an impossible task, but very challenging.

Chamber spokeswoman Blair Holmes said the group supports “pro-business candidates in every election, regardless of whether they are a Republican, Democrat, incumbent or challenger.”

“Last year, we were very aggressive in primaries and the general, and we intend to be again,” Holmes said. “It’s not a change in policy as much as it is a recommitment to last cycle’s successful approach.” She added that the candidate it backed won in 14 of the 15 races the Chamber got involved in last year.

International Franchise Association President and CEO Steve Caldeira, who is a member of the Chamber’s public affairs committee, said the group is going to stay “maniacally focused” on what made it very successful in the 2014 election cycle.

“The fact that there are still members of the Republican House that are obstructionist, isolationists that would be willing to shut down the government only reinforces that the Chamber and the business community, for that matter, will double down on this winning formula,” Caldeira said. “I believe they are going to continue to be involved early in candidate recruitment to find candidates that have the willingness to run, the courage to govern once they get to D.C., and hopefully work in a bipartisan manner to get things done.”

The Chamber has a proven track record in primaries this cycle, but attempting to take out a sitting member would be a new political strategy.

...Some lawmakers who favor the Chamber trying to defeat sitting lawmakers warn that the group’s imprimatur could also hurt. Too much inside-the-Beltway support could backfire by becoming a rallying cry for the opponent, these sources say.

The National Republican Congressional Committee-- the official party election arm-- does not get involved in primary election battles. But there’s no question that some members of GOP leadership would like to rid the conference of some of its troublemakers.

Who? Amash would certainly be high on their list again. But last time, despite millions of dollars spent against him (over $700,000 of it by the Chamber), Amash beat the Chamber/Boehner candidate, Brian Ellis, 39,639 (57.4%) to 29,386 (42.6%). Ellis spent $1,820,123-- $1,057,006 from his own bank account. Perhaps an easier target would be Scott Desjarlais, the date-rape doctor, or Dave Brat, the anti-immigrant extremist who defeated Eric Cantor. There are already rumors that the Chamber is encouraging a redrawing of Brat's district that could harm him in a general election!

Here Come The Freshmen

Donald Norcross (D-NJ)-- there's already a worst new Democrat in Congress

This week the 58 freshmen elected in November will be sworn in as members of Congress. There are 43 Republicans and 15 Democrats. First the Democrats:

• Ruben Gallego (D-AZ)
• Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA)
• Pete Aguilar (D-CA)
• Ted Lieu (D-CA)
• Norma Torres (D-CA)
• Gwen Graham (Blue Dog-FL)
• Mark Takai (D-HI)
• Seth Moulton (D-MA)
• Debbie Dingell (D-MI)
• Brenda Lawrence (D-MI)
• Brad Ashford (Blue Dog-NE)
• Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ)
• Kathleen Rice (D-NY)
• Brendan Boyle (D-PA)
• Don Beyer (D-VA)

And these are the Republicans, the class of misanthropes courtesy of Steve Israel and his incompetently-run DCCC. (The percentage next to each name indicates Obama's vote in 2012)

• Gary Palmer (R-AL)- 25%
• Sally McSally (R-AZ)- 48%
• French Hill (R-AR)- 43%
• Bruce Westerman (R-AR)- 36%
• Steve Knight (R-CA)- 48%
• Mimi Waters (R-CA)- 43%
• Ken Buck (R-CO)- 39%
• Carlos Curbelo (R-FL)- 53%
• Buddy Carter (R-GA)- 43%
• Jody Hice (R-GA)- 36%
• Barry Loudermilk (R-GA)- 32%
• Rick Allen (R-GA)- 44%
• Bob Dold (R-IL)- 58%
• Mike Bost (R-IL)- 50%
• Rod Blum (R-IA)- 56%
• David Young (R-IA)- 51%
• Ralph Abraham (R-LA)- 38%
• Garret Graves (R-LA)- 32%
• Bruce Poliquin (R-ME)- 53%
• John Moolenaar (R-MI)- 45%
• Mike Bishop (R-MI)- 48%
• David Trott (R-MI)- 47%
• Tom Emmer (R-MN)- 41%
• Ryan Zinke (R-MT)- 42%
• Cresent Hardy (R-NV)- 54%
• Frank Guinta (R-NH)- 50%
• Tom MacArthur (R-NJ)- 52%
• Lee Zeldin (R-NY)- 50%
• Elise Stefanik (R-NY)- 52%
• John Katko (R-NY)- 57%
• Mark Walker (R-NC)- 41%
• David Rouzer (R-NC)- 40%
• Steve Russell (R-OK)- 41%
• Ryan Costello (R-PA)- 48%
• John Ratcliffe (R-TX)- 25%
• Will Hurd (R-TX)- 48%
• Brian Babin (R-TX)- 26%
• Mia Love (R-UT)- 30%
• Barbara Comstock (R-VA)- 49%
• Dan Newhouse (R-WA)- 38%
• Alex Mooney (R-WV)- 38%
• Evan Jenkins (R-WV)- 33%
• Glenn Grothman (R-WI)- 46%

On top of these 58, there were 3 winners in November who have already been won in because of special elections to fill vacancies:

• Donald Norcross (D-NJ) replacing Robert Andrews
• Alma Adams (D-NC) replacing Mel Watt
• David Brat (R-VA) replacing Eric Cantor

Let me say a few words about Donald Norcross, who has already started amassing one of the worst voting records possible for a Democrat. His solid blue district has a PVI of D+13 and Obama beat Romney there 66-34%. He's the younger brother of New Jersey's incredibly corrupt Democratic boss, George Norcross and he has been a transactional business shill in the state legislature who should never have been elected to anything. In just the month he has been voting, Norcross already sunk to the very bottom on the Democratic barrel. His ProgressivePunch progressive crucial vote score is just 40%, worse than any Blue Dogs in Congress except Collin Peterson (39.98) and Kyrsten Synema (36.16), the two worst Democrats in Congress according to voting records. The difference between Peterson and Sinema and Norcross is how blue Norcross' district is in comparison to Peterson's red district (R+6) and Sinema's swing district (R+1). Norcross has the lowest voting score of any Democrat in Congress when his votes are adjusted by the district swing-- an astounding, negative 43.33-- indicating he's likely to be the worst Democrat in Congress for a long time to come, probably even worse than new Blue Dogs Brad Ashford and Gwen Graham. His first vote after being sworn in was over the Keystone XL Pipeline. He was one of 31 Democrats to cross the aisle and vote with the Republicans in favor of it. This came as no surprise to the New Jersey environmental community, which has rated him as the worst Democrat in either house of the state legislature on all matters involving environmental safety and clean water.

Who Wants To Double Down On The Catastrophically Failed War On Drugs?

Monday we learned exactly who. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy scheduled a debate on Charlie Dent's Dangerous Synthetic Drug Control Act (H.R. 3537) for Monday. It puts 22 synthetic compounds-- including 11 used to create synthetic marijuana (K2 or Spice)-- on Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), forcing mandatory minimum sentences on violators. Proponents of the legislation claim it's meant to combat drug abuse. The vote was 258-101 but it was an interesting breakdown. Most Republicans voted YES and most Democrats voted NO, but that doesn't really tell the story at all. McCarthy and Dent led 192 Republicans to back it and they were joined by 66 mostly right-wing Democrats from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- Blue Dogs like Gwen Graham (FL), Henry Cuellar (TX), Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), Jim Cooper (TN), and Brad Ashford (NE) and New Dems like Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL), Ann Kuster (NH), Patrick Murphy (FL), Gerald Connolly (VA), John Delaney (MD), Jim Himes (CT), Scott Peters (CA), Denny Heck (WA) and drugged up mess Pete Aguilar (CA). Meanwhile, the House Liberty Caucus led the opposition and 20 Republicans joined 81 Democrats in voting against the bill. 72 members-- 33 Republicans and 39 Democrats-- weren't able to vote on the bill at all, many because of air traffic delays.

Most, though not all of the progressives joined Pelosi in voting NO, including Raul Grijalva (AZ), Barbara Lee (CA), Matt Cartwright (PA), Mark Pocan (WI), Judy Chu (CA), Donna Edwards (MD), Jan Schakowsky (IL), Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ), John Conyers (MI), Mike Honda (CA), and John Lewis (GA). After the vote, Mark Pocan of Madison told us why he and many of his colleagues opposed the legislation. "This bill significantly expands mandatory minimum sentences. We are talking about ruining people’s lives with 20 year mandatory sentences without really thinking through the real issues of the war on drugs. Many of us in Washington are desperately trying to find ways to reform our criminal justice system and rectify the devastating effects of drug addiction, and adding these synthetic drugs as Schedule I is missing the larger point."



Similarly, Donna Edwards told us she sees the bill as "a sad step backwards at a time that the nation should be focused on reforms that roll back the flawed policies of mandatory minimum sentencing that contributed to mass incarceration. The bill adds 22 synthetic drugs to the federal schedule that could result in the imposition of mandatory minimum sentences. The problem of drug abuse that is so destructive to families and communities must be met with smart, fair, and balanced policies that invest in treatment rather than more incarceration."

The companion bill in the Senate was proposed by noted anti-civil libertarians Chuck Grassley and Chuck Schumer. Among the House Republicans more enlightened about how the criminal justice system is evolving than the very involved Schumer, not to mention Grassley, were pretty far right members of Congress like Dave Brat (VA), Tim Huelskamp (KS), Jason Chaffetz (UT), Mark Sanford (SC), Barry Loudermilk (GA), Mick Mulvaney (SC), Justin Amash (MI), Tom McClintock (CA), Raul Labrador (ID), Scott Garrett (NJ) and Mo Brooks (AL), not exactly "bleeding heart liberals."