Which Members of Congress Are Standing Up for Economic Decency – And Which “Progressives” Aren’t

[xchrom]

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2013/03/13



Now we know.

Every member of Congress has chosen whether to sign a letter making a crucial commitment: “We will vote against any and every cut to Medicare, Medicaid, or Social Security benefits -- including raising the retirement age or cutting the cost of living adjustments that our constituents earned and need.”

The Democratic Party hierarchy doesn’t like the letter. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has said that cutting Social Security would “strengthen” it, and President Obama’s spokespeople keep emphasizing his eagerness to cut Social Security’s cost of living adjustments. The fact that Social Security has nothing to do with the deficit is beside the austerity point.

Since mid-February, across the country, many thousands of people have sent personal notes, submitted petitions and made phone calls imploring members of Congress to sign the letter, initiated by Congressmen Alan Grayson and Mark Takano.

Twenty-eight members of the House of Representatives have signed the letter.

Here are their names: Brown, Cartwright, Castor, Clay, Conyers, D. Davis, DeFazio, Ellison, Faleomavaega, Grayson, G. Green, Grijalva, Gutierrez, A. Hastings, Honda, Kaptur, Lee, Lynch, C. Maloney, Markey, McGovern, Nadler, Napolitano, Nolan, Serrano, Takano, Velazquez and Waters.

[djean111]

1. Letter doesn't matter.

Obama and Pelosi are working with the GOP on this.
At best, the letter is just an annoyance.
The Democratic Party hierarchy is for austerity; they just wear a different jersey and dissemble.
Outcome will be the same.
Hopefully the airwaves won't be sullied with a smooth "explanation" of why Social Security has to be cut.

And - just wait until the TPP gets here!
Anthony is going to have to wish a lot of Dem voters to the cornfield in order to shut them up.

[marmar]

2. Grayson, Ellison, Lee, Waters, Markey, Grijalva ...........

....... are among the very few you can almost always count on to do the right thing.