Current Politicans Actually Doing Their Job!

     Congressman McGovern fights not only for his constituents, the people who are heard, but also the people who cannot be heard. The silent majority have found a voice in Congressman McGovern.
     It really is hard to describe the depth and breadth of work Congressman McGovern undertakes. He is a strong advocate of human rights and acts swiftly to denounce anyone or anything that deprives people of their rights. Congressman McGovern’s moral compass is so dead on that it would be blasphemous to claim he had anything other than God-given guidance regarding those things which are deplorable and inhumane.
     The most memorable stunt Congressman McGovern did was to be arrested, alongside four other members of Congress, outside the Sudanese embassy in protest to the genocide in Darfur. Regarding the incident McGovern said “Words are no longer enough. It is time for action. This is the first genocide of the 21st century. The world has said, 'Never again.' Those words must mean something.”
     Those words do indeed mean something. They mean that Congressman McGovern will continue to fight for the wronged and the oppressed. He truly understands what Emma Lazarus meant when she wrote what was later inscribed into the base of the Statue of Liberty:

 “Give me your tired, your poor,

 

     Speaking of the poor and the homeless, Congressman McGovern is right there helping them as well. He was instrumental in constructing the sections of the Farm Bill which increased the purchasing power of Food Stamps as a result of increasing inflation. Although McGovern did not actually introduce the Farm Bill his influence can be seen throughout its desire to assist those in need. 
     Congressman McGovern not only fights for intervention in Darfur but in Colombia and Tibet as well. In Colombia, Congressman McGovern supports the people, Americans and Colombians, held hostage by the FARC. He has been working for years to arrange for the release of all the hostages held by the FARC. He has been successful on some accounts but for many, in particular three Americans, he is still working hard to secure their release. As far as Tibet goes, the good Congressman introduced a bill which would have the United States boycott the Beijing Olympics in 2008 as a consequence of China’s involvement in Sudan, although it would seem that it also reflects the crimes against humanity China carried out in Tibet.
     The good Congressman is not one to mince words. The Worcester Telegram Gazette reports him as saying in April 2007: “I don’t trust China to do the right thing. If China does not play a constructive role, the U.S. and others should think twice about participating in the Olympics next year.”
     Further, Congressman McGovern seems to be one of the few Congressmen aware of the existence of the War Powers Act of 1973. He has introduced a bill which would force President Bush to end the Iraq War. It’s a pity more Congressmen and Congresswomen do not pay more attention to what Jim McGovern is doing. Perhaps it is good that they do not, their constituents wouldn’t know what to do if their representatives started doing the right thing rather than worrying about poll ratings. Although, you would think that Congress would realize that by doing the right thing that reelection would be assured. I mean, Congressman McGovern doesn’t even have any opposition in 2008.

 

 

 

     I feel a bit like Mike Huckabee felt on the night of the Texas and Ohio Primaries, March 4th. As an ardent supporter of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton I have finally come to realize that the possibility of her winning the Democratic nomination in 2008 is unlikely. I realized this on Wednesday, June 4th, when it became apparent that Senator Clinton was calling all of her supporters on the Hill. This round of calls could only mean one thing, the suspension of her campaign and her indication that she will not go to Denver to protest the result of the nominating process. Before this time it simply did not occur to me that she could not win the Democratic nomination.
     Although this betrayal may seem counter to politicians fighting for their constituents Senator Clinton stood by her supports far longer than would have most politicians. It is precisely because she continued her campaign after the media announced it was dead in the water and the majority of Democratic officials demanded her withdrawal from the race that she fought for her constituents.
     The suspension of her campaign now will result in her being able to run again in 2012, against the incumbent President of the United States, John McCain. We Democrats are lucky that we have two excellent candidates. It seems unlikely that we could not win in 2012, with Hillary at our helm.

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     I am torn as to whether I should congratulate Governors Crist (R-FL) and Granholm (D-MI) or berate the Democratic National Party. Congratulations would probably be more useful because it might encourage more politicians to behave as these two did. Governor Crist and Governor Granholm crossed party lines to send an open letter to the Democratic National Party on March 5, 2008 regarding the voting situation in both Florida and Michigan.
     These governors were dead on when they said: "The right to vote is at the very foundation of our democracy. This primary season, voters have turned out in record numbers to exercise that right, and it is reprehensible that anyone would seek to silence the voices of 5,163,271 Americans. It is intolerable that the national political parties have denied the citizens of Michigan and Florida their votes and voices at their respective national conventions."
     It really does not matter to me what party was guilty or who won what primary. What does matter is that over 5 million voters were disenfranchised because the Democratic National Party was too stubborn to resolve this issue before. I will limit myself to saying that there is good reason that Howard Dean was not the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004 and everyday that this debacle drags on is a further reason Democratic primary voters made a good choice in 2004.
     To me at least, it seems as though Florida, for one, had a fairly equal primary. The Republican Legislature and Republican Governor set the date for the primary. This resulted not in their party, the Republican Party, punishing the Republican officials but slightly punishing the voters and the other party, the Democratic Party, completely punishing their voters. Does this seem wrong to anyone else? Further, none of the candidates actually campaigned in the state meaning that all were on even footing. The candidates faced a similar situation in Michigan but with a Democratic Governor. However, in Michigan not all the candidates’ names were on the ballot, unlike in Florida.

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