Hime's Opponent is Playing Both Sides of Fence

Another example of a Republican trying to hide his real colors...

If ever there was an election in which Democratic and Republican candidates represent dramatically different values, this is it.  The electorate is keenly aware of the differences.  Recent polls show that a majority of voters believes that President Obama’s policies will help the middle class.  Unlike Governor Romney’s policies, which a majority believes favor just the wealthy. Romney has been forthright with where he stands, not backing down from his statement that nearly half the nation doesn’t take responsibility for its own well-being.

But here in Connecticut’s 4^th Congressional District, Republican challenger Steve Obsitnik refuses to state where he stands on important issues.  He is trying to appeal to moderate voters without repudiating radical Republican policies.  On his website he says he will “fight to ensure that seniors receive the healthcare they need.”  But he refuses to go on the record about whether or not he supports the Ryan budget plan.   Ryan’s plan turns Medicare into a voucher system that would likely not allow seniors to buy the coverage they receive today. 

Obsitnik says he supports “women’s reproductive choice”, but has repeatedly refused to answer whether he supports the constitutional protection of Roe v. Wade, which Romney and Ryan vow to overturn.  Obsitnik wants lower taxes and a reduced federal debt, but offers no plan for how these incompatible goals can be achieved without decimating investments in education, infrastructure, jobs and energy independence. 

In contrast, Jim Himes has a voting record that makes his positions clear.  He stands behind his vote for the Affordable Care Act, which will extend healthcare coverage to millions of Americans.  He is working to find fair, balanced solutions to our fiscal problems, being called a “hero” by USA Today for voting for a compromise budget modeled on Obama’s bipartisan Simpson-Bowles Commission.  Congressman Himes is the thoughtful, bipartisan legislator we need to move the country forward.  He deserves to be re-elected.

Republican's Quest to Suppress the Vote

The Republican's assault on the core foundation of democracy, free and fair elections, is truly under assault.  If you agree, feel free to edit and distribute this, especially in swing states.

Republicans have few concerns about letting wealthy, influential people have their voice heard in elections.  Sheldon Adelson, one of the fifteen richest people in the world, has pledged “limitless” donations to do “whatever it takes” to defeat President Obama.

Even though Adelson’s company is being investigated for corruption and money-laundering, Mitt Romney has embraced Adelson’s corrupting influence on democracy, traveling with him, and sending Paul Ryan for a private meeting with him.  Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has consistently praised the outcome of the Citizen’s United case which has encouraged this unlimited spending, going so far as to submit a brief to the Supreme Court arguing against overturning the decision.

What’s worse is that Republicans want to keep these donations secret, so that we don’t know who is trying to influence elections.  The three Republican commissioners on the Federal Election Commission have repeatedly blocked attempts to require disclosure, specifically by tax-exempt so-called “social welfare” organizations set up by Karl Rove and others that enable donors to remain anonymous. 

Republicans in the Senate have repeatedly filibustered Democratic attempts to enact disclosure bills.  Republican opposition to disclosure laws is not isolated to an extreme few.  In July, not one Senate Republican came out in support of the DISCLOSE Act.  Not even John McCain, who was once a leading proponent of campaign finance reform. 

But while Republicans are strong protectors of letting rich and influential voices be heard, they are going to great lengths to suppress the voice of the less advantaged.  These are the very Americans who mainly get to be heard at the ballot box, because they lack the means and influence to advocate for themselves through lobbying.

In state after state, Republican-controlled legislatures are introducing rules to make it harder for lower-income, minority citizens to exercise their right to vote.  Their intent is obvious: to disenfranchise voters who tend to vote Democratic.  As the Republican house majority leader in Pennsylvania said, “Voter ID, which is gonna allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania, done.” Even in Connecticut, Republican Representative Livvy Floren introduced legislation last year requiring photo IDs to vote.

Republicans contend that these rules are necessary to protect the integrity of elections by eliminating voter fraud.  Yet there is no evidence to support their claim that voter fraud is a real issue.  In Pennsylvania, the state admitted that there have been no prosecutions, or even investigations, of voter impersonation that the ID law would prevent.  Between 2002 and 2005, the Justice Department prosecuted only 26 substantiated cases of voter fraud, despite a concerted effort by the Bush administration to vigorously prosecute voter fraud.  As Fox News recently reported, “election administrators and academics who monitor the issue said in-person fraud is rare.”

But the evidence that these restrictive rules will suppress the vote on a substantial scale is indisputable.  The Pennsylvania Department of State estimated that more than 759,000 registered voters might not have the identification required by the new law.  In Florida, where a stringent registration law went into effect, the number of newly registered Democrats dropped from over 200,000 per year prior to 2008 to just 11,365 in the past year.  In Ohio, Republicans limited early voting in districts likely to vote Democratic, but not in those likely to support Romney. 

To protect us from isolated cases of registration and voting irregularity, Republicans are content to potentially disenfranchise millions of voters. The presumed impact of these Republican-sponsored laws is not a left-wing fantasy. Federal and state courts are taking notice, overturning discriminatory rules in Texas, Florida and Wisconsin.

The best way to turn around this assault on democracy is to support Democratic candidates this November. Here in Greenwich, John Blankley, running for Representative in the Connecticut General Assembly, has traveled to Pennsylvania to help voters contend with the new restrictions.  Chris Murphy, running for U.S. Senate, sponsored legislation in 2008 to overturn the Department of Veteran Affairs ban on voter registration drives enacted during the Bush administration. Congressman Jim Himes is co-sponsoring legislation to reverse the effects of Citizens United.  Across the board, our Democratic candidates demonstrate that they are for transparent campaign funding, and making it easier, not harder, to cast your vote.