Frank Wolf and Newt Gingrich: Blast from the Past

With the news that Newt Gingrich is not going to run for president in 2008, I thought it might be a good time for a "blast from the past" on Gingrich and our own favorite "moderate" Republican congressman, Frank Wolf.

Let's return to September 1996, courtesy of the Washington Post:

The Gingrich-Wolf connection is close," [Wolf's Democratic opponent Robert L.] Weinberg said, noting that Wolf's voting record has received ratings of 80 to 90 percent from the American Conservative Union while drawing barely a 10 percent rating from the American Civil Liberties Union. "Wolf tries to pretend he's a moderate, but his voting is very right-wing," Weinberg said.

Gingrich and Wolf also are to blame, Weinberg said, for the two federal government shutdowns during the fall and winter brought on by the budget stalemate between Congress and the White House. The 10th District includes tens of thousands of federal employees.

"The fact that Wolf voted for the Gingrich line and shut down the major industry in his district will cost him this election," Weinberg said.

No, it didn't cost Wolf the election in 1996, but it's still important to remember how close Wolf the "moderate" was to Newt Gingrich. Keep in mind that Wolf voted for much of Gingrich's "Contract With America."

Wolf and the "Cooch"

I love this:

10/3 - Senator Ken Cuccinelli's Lunch w/Rep. Frank Wolf - 12:15-1:30 PM, JRs Stockyard Inn, 8130 Watson Street, McLean. $250. Call: (703) 766-0635.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Ken "Cooch" Cuccinelli, he's about as far right on social issues (and just about everything else) as they come. Whether it's stem cell research, a woman's right to choose, or pretty much anything else, Cooch makes George W. Bush look like a moderate. So what's Frank Wolf, who claims to be a moderate himself, doing at a lunch for Ken Cuccinelli? Maybe Cooch's toy, pet elephant has an answer?

Judy for Jay!

From Judy Feder...

Today I’m writing to tell you about another of our fantastic Democratic candidates and a personal friend of mine, Jay Donahue.

Jay needs your support. He was one of the most dedicated volunteers in my 2006 campaign and now he is running for the House of Delegates in the 86th District.

Jay is running for office because we need a change of leadership in Richmond. He’s committed to improving our roads, keeping our schools strong and protecting our environment.

Jay’s resume is impressive. Father, coach and community leader Jay has always answered the call to public service. He recently retired from a thirty-two year career with the Automobile Association of America (AAA) and is turning all of his energy toward serving the voters of the 86th District.

Help Jay Take Back Richmond by CLICKING HERE to contribute to his campaign!

Jay is running against Republican Tom Rust, the author of Virginia’s new traffic tickets known as “abuser fees.” Delegate Rust votes with the Ultra-Conservative Republican leadership 96% of the time!

Tom Rust is extremely vulnerable because of his ties to the unpopular abuser fee legislation and the firestorm around them has only added to Jay’s momentum.

Help Jay seize the momentum in this critical race by contributing today!

Year after a year, Tom Rust grows more conservative voting for whatever the Republican Leadership demands. The citizens of the 86th District are tired of Rust choosing the interests of his party over the voters he is supposed to represent.

House Democratic leader Ward Armstrong says Jay’s race is one of the best opportunities to defeat an incumbent Republican in the entire state. In order to take back the House of Delegates Jay must win in the 86th district!

Jay has a great chance to win in this rapidly changing District. I know because last year Senator Webb and I both won here. In 2005, Governor Kaine, Leslie Byrne and Creigh Deeds all won the 86th. This district is ready to turn blue, but Jay needs your help finish the job.

Help Jay Turn the 86th Blue by contributing to his campaign!

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to learn about Jay at www.jaydonahue4delegate.com/ and consider contributing to his campaign. Jay will make a fantastic delegate and we really need him in Richmond

Sincerely,

Judy Feder

Wolf Flip Flops on SCHIP

Yesterday, Frank Wolf flip flopped on the reauthorizing the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Back in August, Wolf voted the other way. As Judy Feder said at the time:

It is inexcusable, and it's just plain wrong. Frank Wolf voted against the 137,000 Virginia children who already get their health care coverage through the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the 171,642 other Virginia children who have no health insurance at all.

Yeah, politicians flip flop all the time, but this one's particularly messed up. Why? Because children's health care isn't something you're against one month and then for the next. I mean, what changed, besides the fact that Judy Feder harshly criticized Wolf on his vote against children's health the last time around? Well, that's great on one level -- Wolf is acting better now that he's got a strong Democratic challenger. But frankly -- yes, the pun is intended -- we need a congressperson who will fight for children's health care all of the time not just when it makes sense for them politically. Yet another good reason why it's long past time for a change in the 10th district. Go Judy Feder!

New Feder for Congress Website

Check out Judy Feder's new website, including features like "host a house party," "write a letter," "invite your friends," and "talk to me." Feder's also got the latest news from both traditional and new media, plus press releases and a "Meet Judy" section. Nice job!

Bush and Wolf: SCHIP's Off the Ol' Block

Incredibly, George W. Bush is threatening to veto the State Children's Health Insurance Program, or SCHIP, a "national program in the United States designed for families who earn too much money to qualify for Medicaid, yet cannot afford to buy private insurance." Even more incredibly, Frank Wolf apparently agrees with Bush.

The House of Representatives received a significant amount of praise from people of all political views when it passed the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act — the CHAMP ACT — yesterday. This legislation reauthorized the State Children’s Health and Insurance Program, which was necessary because Bush and his Republican cronies hoped to drastically cut funding to the program, and should help to provide 5 million children throughout the country with health care coverage.

While the CHAMP ACT did pass, it appears as though Congressman Frank Wolf decided that he would vote against ensuring that over 300,000 children in Virginia result proper health care coverage. Luckily, voters from Virginia’s 10th Congressional District will have the opportunity to elect a new representative next November.

In an email statement released by her campaign earlier today, Judy Feder (who ran against Wolf last year and will do so again in ’08) stated that she fully supports the CHAMP Act. Furthermore, the statement continued, Wolf’s vote was “inexcusable” because he “voted against the 137,000 Virginia children who already get their health care coverage through the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and the 171,642 other Virginia children who have no health insurance at all.”

George W. Bush and Frank Wolf are apparently "SCHIPs" off the ol' block. Sad.

Wolf Flip Flops on Earmarks

Frank Wolf is now for disclosing earmarks? Well, isn't that fascinating...could have sworn it was just last year that Frank Wolf voted against a similar measure. At the time, Wolf got heavily criticized for his opposition to earmark reform. Now, he apparently has had a change of heart...or strategy, or something.

The fact is, if Frank Wolf could have done this last year. Also, if Wolf really wanted full disclosure, he could willingly release his own record without waiting for the bill to pass. But, of course, this is something Wolf steadfastly refused last year when challenged to do so by Judy Feder.

The bottom line: if Frank Wolf wants to let the sunshine in, he ought to start by letting the light shine on his own house. Once again, Frank Wolf fails to lead by example.

Frank Wolf Giveth With One Hand...

...and taketh with the other hand. As is well known, Frank Wolf has consistently voted against funding for crucial stem cell research that could lead to cures diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, and Juvenile Diabetes. Of course, knowing how overwhelmingly out of step he is with the 10th district on this issue, Wolf has always tried to obfuscate his true position on this issue, claiming to simply oppose federal funding for stem cell research but not the actual research itself. That's utter nonsense, of course; the practical effect of Wolf's opposition to fund stem cell research is to hold back cures for the diseases mentioned above.

That's why it's particularly galling to read press releases like this, "Wolf Cosponsors Measure to Help Fight Juvenile Diabetes." Wonderful, Congressman, you support increasing funding for juvenile diabetes, but you OPPOSE the crucial stem cell research that could cure it! You must really think you're clever at times like this, huh? Well, fortunately we'll only have to put up with this cleverness for another year or so, when Judy Feder takes your place and fully supports Federal funding for stem cell research. Go Judy!

Judy Feder for Bruce Roemmelt!

It's great to see Judy Feder campaigning hard for Bruce Roemmelt against anti-choice, anti-stem cell research, far-right social conservative Bob Marshall. Who's Frank Wolf campaigning for? Right-wingers like Patricia "Dick Black Cat-Woman" Phillips and the scandal-tarnished right-winger Jill Holtzman-Vogel? I'll take the Judy/Bruce combo any day!

In my recent hard-fought campaign, I depended on the heart, soul and generosity of volunteers and supporters like you. Although I will begin my next campaign in earnest after the November elections, I ask for your help now on behalf of a fellow Virginia Democrat in the 10th District.

One of our most committed volunteers and supporters in 2006 was Bruce Roemmelt.

Bruce is a retired fire fighter from Prince William County with over 40 years of service in public safety. He is also a college professor at The George Washington University, and he served his country in the Navy for four years, including a year spent in Vietnam.

Will you help my friend, Bruce Roemmelt, unseat Bob Marshall - one of the most divisive and obstructive members of Virginia's General Assembly?

With your help Bruce can build on his phenomenal effort in 2005 and take it over the top this November. As a first time candidate, Bruce received over 44 percent of the vote in a district in which a local Democrat had never won more than 30 percent!

Bruce worked tirelessly on my behalf last year in my effort to bring change to Washington. We couldn't have done as well as we did without his support. I hope you will help Bruce in his campaign to change Richmond by contributing today!

www.electroemmelt.org

In the remaining days and weeks, Bruce will focus on controlling growth, improving transportation, stopping the Dominion power line and developing a state policy on conserving energy that will benefit consumers.

With the issues on his side, Bruce is poised to implement an aggressive grassroots and media strategy to take his message to the voters and defeat Bob Marshall in November.

The volunteers are in place and the plan is ready to be implemented, but we need your help. Please contribute to Bruce Roemmelt today!

Bruce is going to win. Just like Senator Webb, he will be the last seat necessary to change the majority - this time in Richmond.

Please donate $250, $100, $50 or even $25 to his campaign. Every dollar makes a tremendous difference.

I hope you will contribute and volunteer on Bruce's behalf in these critical remaining weeks. You can sign up to make phone calls and write personal postcards for Bruce at www.electroemmelt.org You can always join him and his team every Saturday and Sunday for volunteer canvasses.

Thank you for your commitment to making Virginia a better place to live, work and raise our families. Together we can bring meaningful change to Richmond.


Sincerely,

Judy Feder


Contributions solicited by Judy Feder for Congress are subject to the prohibitions and limitations of the Federal Election Campaign Act. The law prohibits us from accepting or soliciting contributions from corporations, labor unions, and foreign nationals who are not admitted for permanent residence. All contributions must be made from personal funds and may not be reimbursed by any other person. Federal law prohibits candidates for federal office from soliciting contributions on behalf of any candidate for office in excess of $2,300 per election cycle. Contributions are not deductible for income tax purposes.

New Air Traffic Tower Opens at Dulles; How About Metro, Frank?

I'm glad to see that a new air traffic control tower has opened at Dulles Airport. The Fairfax County Times article quotes Frank Wolf as "reminisc[ing] about how Dulles was once considered to be 'way out' from the city, a laughingstock when it opened in 1962 for those who thought the airport would never see any measure of success."

Well, today "Dulles ranks as the 14th busiest airport in the nation and is poised to grow even further," with "over 20 million passengers who travel through Dulles each year" and "passenger volumes [that] are expected to more than double by 2025." That's great, except for one problem: how the heck are those 40 million people per year going to get to and from the airport? Are they all going to drive their cars, bringing complete gridlock to the Dulles corridor? Or, will we finally see Metro to Dulles built?

On that latter question, the issue right now is very simple: leadership. The fact is, the vast majority of northern Virginians want to see Metro to Dulles, but they also want to see it done right. That means three things: 1) competitive bidding to get the best price available; 2) a tunnel in Tysons, so the region can benefit from the "smart growth" that will flow from that; and 3) an open, transparent process that involves the public in all aspects of this tremendously important project. Sad to say, Frank Wolf has failed the people of the 10th district on all three of those points: 1) a no-bid deal to "Big Dig" Bechtel; 2) a disruptive, penny-wise-pound-foolish and anti-smart-growth "aerial" option in Tysons; and 3) secrecy and evasiveness from Wolf and other political leadership on this multi-billion-dollar, hundred-year project.

Unfortunately, Frank Wolf is like an aircraft carrier; once he makes up his mind on something, he doesn't change it, even if the facts indicate that he should do so. That's the case with the Iraq War, and that's the case with Metro to Dulles. Today, there's great technology that can drill tunnels quickly and cost effectively, yet Wolf doesn't even want to consider that option. Instead, Wolf apparently prefers the overpriced and wildly unpopular no-bid Bechtel deal for an aerial option in Tysons. Why is that? Does Frank Wolf not care what his constituents think anymore, after all these years in Congress? Or does he simply have other priorities? One really starts to wonder...