During the last election cycle, Esquire summed up Congressman Charlie Dent like this: "[T]he majority of Republicans - both voters and politicians - are social and fiscal moderates. Freshman Charlie Dent is one of their best."
Dent's latest positions just may prove Esquire had it right.
Thanks to a Morning Call report, we know Dent wants to reduce interest rates on federal student loans and repeal some tax incentives for oil companies. He voted to raise the federal minimum wage, increase funding for embryonic stem cell research and adopt most of the 9/11 Commission recommendations.
Most importantly, he opposes Bush's plan to increase troop strength in and around Baghdad. LVDem last week called on Dent to take a stand, and I'm glad he's done so. If Bush can listen to anyone, it will most likely be people from his own party. Keystone Politics predicts "less radical types," like Dent, will "give Bush fits for the next two years."
27 comments:
Sorry Bernie, but I think the only thing Charlie Dent opposes is not getting re-elected. When he stops accepting big oil money and Big Pharm and Health care money into his campaign war chest, then I will believe him. It is all rhetoric. He's winking at the conservatives while he does this. They know where he stands, but he can't win right now, so he says he is going aliong to get along. You mark my words, If the R's, by some miracle get control back in 2008, and he gets re-elected with an R prez, it will be back to the same ol same old before you can blink.-
-Chris Casey
During the election cycle, Dent was painted as a DeLay clone. But he sure isn't voting that way now. Is this because he's cynically calculating what he needs to do to ensure reelection, as Chris seems to think? Or is this moderate stance the way Dent has pretty much voted his entire career as a state legislator? I honestly don't know, but I think Bush is more likely to pay attention to a Dent vote than one from Dertinger.
FtnHIllDem, you're right. Dent sided with the Rs on the Medicaire issue. My post contains a link to a news account in which that is made clear. It contains a link to a blog post in which you make that very point. The whole point of my post was to establish that Dent IS taking some moderate stands in his second term as a Congressman. That's the only reason I didn't emphasize it, although perhaps I should have noted it.
Had Dent been running against a Boscola, I know I would have voted for Lisa, even though she herself may be more conservative than Dent. I believe we need more strong women in government. But as things stand, I don't regret my vote for Charlie Dent.
If anything, the last election may have opened Dent's eyes to realize that the people of this district do follow how our representatives in government vote on the issues and when the people do not like how their representatives vote, the people vote them out! I am sure most of Dent's votes are job protection votes, and I would definetly vote for a strong Democrat over him in the next election, but I am glad he is finally representing the people of the Lehigh Valley and not the RNC and W and his gang.
I'm sorry what I heard from a majority of people I talked to during the election was people in Valley seemed to care more if they liked the person than anything to have to do with Issues. All Dent or any of the republicans had to do to get re-elected was seem unoffensive. The valley seems to still have the view that you have to do something really wrong not to get re-elected. It didn't help that few of the candidates had any funding but what it seems is that only around 38% in the valley on avg really wanted change. As, bad as a lot of the people who are Democrats and live in the political sphere most people don't care. They see Dent,Harhart, Reichley, etc etc. As, bad as we see them as the people that do what think they want and do really do anything very offensive. The same probally could be said for Mann and Samuelson.
opps that should have been don't do
I'm also unsure that Dent will make it thru a republican primary in 2008. The people who vote in the republican primaries in the Lehigh valley are the people that still think bush is doing a good job.
If you look at how Dent makes his decisions, Bernie, there in never any conviction on an issue. Instead, he "takes his time" and surveys the situation. Essentially, he is a man without a true conviction. He looks out the window in the morning, sees which way the wind is blowing, and that is the direction he will go. He only takes a stand when he has to, and it is always after an issue is pretty much settled in the polls. In other words, he is a professional politician.
Would you rather have someone with some conviction and a sense of what he believes, or just some guy who does what he thinks needs to be done at that moment? I vote for someone with conviction.
As one Anonymous commenter has observed, Dent will pay a price for these votes. The Lehigh Valley Rs who vote in primaries are notoriously conservative, and I expect he will be challenged on the right for his votes. That's pretty hard to reconcile with just looking to see which way the wind is blowing, as suggested by another anonymous commenter.
As for me, I'm just thankful. He'd vorted w/ Dems on 3 out of 4 important issues, has promised to join Dems on two other votes. Most importantly, he opposes Bush on Iraq. This opposition is highly signifigant because it comes from a member of Bush's political party.
Joe Pascuzzo come back!!
I can't tell you how many R's I've spoken to can't WAIT to vote for Boscola
Folks, See what I mean? Julian Stolz is a young but very articulate conservative who doesn't sound too happy with Dent's positions. Dent pays a price for his stand.
Why would you ever believe that Charlie Dent is a conservative Republican. He is pro-abortion, pro-big spending, pro-big taxes, pro-homosexual rights and now that he has been re-elected, showing more of his true colors, pro-cut and run from Iraq. I don't think Charlie even qualifies as a RINO. He is a Democrat and will hopefully face a challenge from someone in the party
Well Chris, I thank you and Juian for your remarks. You both prove my point. Charlie's stand will hurt him in his Republican base. And those folks DO produce candidates in primaries when they get mad enough.
I personally think that Dent intends on running for Specter's seats in 2010
Though as it sounds like Dent is dead man walking.
GreenDog,
Dent won't make it to 2010
Bernie, you conventional wisdom loving slut! (not sure where that came from, but it sure has a ring to it) When I mentioned that Dent could face a backlash from the right as a result of taking the "wrong" side (in the eyes of the right), you said you didn't see how that was possible ("I don't understand why the hard right would come down on Dent. This is not really an ideological issue.") Perhaps the problems wasn't that you didn't agree, but that you tried to invoke reason on a group of voters that often times defy reason (for the record, the hard left is the same way... good luck on the logic).
But all of these comments confirm that Dent has some base problems. But Julian, Joe Pascuzzo was a terrible candidate. He was just plain old divide and conquer. Surely you have a better person on the right than that. I simply don't see how he would have won the primary (well, except that Driscoll was not a good candidate himself).
I meant general, not primary.
LVDem, No, I really meant that and mean it now. I don't think Iraq is an ideologicAL ISSUE. I dont know why the far right equates Iraq w/ conservative values. Having said that, it is pretty clear that how Dent comes down on Iraq matters very much with the right wingers. Julian and Chris proved that. And yes, I am a slut.
Actually Bernie I initially voted for Charlie Dent when he was a State Senator but as he displayed his liberal agenda, and I listed those items in a prior post, I found myself unable to vote for him. The Democrats put no one forward thus I just ignored voting for that office. Hopefully, the Valley will be able to find a representative like Pat Toomey. Pat was the only politican I can recall in my life time who did not feel it was necessary to give an instantaneous sound bite. He would take an unanswerable question, do his research, and get back to the person with an answer. Shame he lost to Specter though I am sure you would disagree undoubtedly being a supporter of that great authority of bullet flight and Scottish law.
Chris, I actually switched to R so I could vote for Arlen when Toomey tried to take him out. I'm glad I did, too. Toomey nearly pulled it off. We're on different teams, but I enjoy your commentary.
Bernie
Please go back and get yoiur derserved D.
Oh, where have you gone Joe Pascuzz-o?
Don't you know Julian Stolz turns his lonely eyes to you - ooh --ooh.
What's that you say?
Revolitin' Joe got his ass kicked and ran away -- hey, hey.
With appologies to Rhymin' Paul Simon
Chris, Don't worry. I'm a D until I get kicked out of that party.
Anon,
That was done on PoliticsPA years ago!! Besides, Joe was a great guy. Charlie is too actually we just disagree on the most important issue of our time.
No end but Victory!
Bobby Gunther Walsh was bashing Dent all morning. I think the only way to keep this seat is to bring back Toomey. Dent is officially, and I think irreparably damaged goods with the right.
Anon 8:37, BGW has been bashing Dent all along. That should cost Dent about three votes.
Dent breaks tax pledge!!
http://www.atr.org/content/pdf/2007/jan/011807ot-pledgebreakers.pdf
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