In today's Roll Call account about the DCCC's Red to Blue program, Congressional challenger Sam Bennett is characterized as a "long shot" against incumbent Charlie Dent.
"The long shots include Sam Bennett, who is newly added to the program and faces an uphill fight against Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.). Dent, according to one knowledgeable GOP insider, is very popular in his Democratic-leaning district and is 'in good shape for re-election.' Interestingly, in a year when observers have been flooded with upbeat Democratic polls, neither Bennett nor the DCCC has released survey data to prove her viability."
Today's one-liner: "The shortest way to the distinguishing excellence of any writer is through his hostile critics." Richard LeGallienne
Local Government TV
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Monday, September 15, 2008
22 comments:
You own views are appreciated, especially if they differ from mine. But remember, commenting is a privilege, not a right. I will delete personal attacks or off-topic remarks at my discretion. Comments that play into the tribalism that has consumed this nation will be declined. So will comments alleging voter fraud unless backed up by concrete evidence. If you attack someone personally, I expect you to identify yourself. I will delete criticisms of my comment policy, vulgarities, cut-and-paste jobs from other sources and any suggestion of violence towards anyone. I will also delete sweeping generalizations about mainstream parties or ideologies, i.e. identity politics. My decisions on these matters are made on a case by case basis, and may be affected by my mood that day, my access to the blog at the time the comment was made or other information that isn’t readily apparent.
What a surprise (tongue firmly in cheek)!
ReplyDeleteCharles W. voted against our children.
ReplyDeleteState Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization
Key Votes:
HR 3162: State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Reauthorization
Issues: Budget, Spending and Taxes, Family and Children Issues, Health Issues, Welfare and Poverty
Date: 08/01/2007
Sponsor: Rep. Dingell, John (D-MI)
Roll no. 787
Bill Passed
(House)
How members voted
(225 - 204)
Representative Dent voted NO
Project Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to pass a bill that reauthorizes and expands the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP).
Official Title of Legislation:
HR 3162: To amend titles XVIII, XIX, and XXI of the Social Security Act to extend and improve the children's health insurance program, to improve beneficiary protections under the Medicare, Medicaid, and the CHIP program, and for other purposes.
Highlights:
- Requires state CHIP plans to provide a 12-month continuous eligibility option for low-income children whose family income is below 200% of the federal poverty level, effective January 1, 2008 (Sec 115).
- Allows states the option of covering temporary and permanent documented immigrants under the state’s CHIP (Sec. 132).
- Prohibits coverage of undocumented immigrants (Sec. 135).
- Increases the tax on cigarettes from $19.50 to $42 per thousand on cigarettes weighing less than 3 pounds, and from $40.95 to $88.20 per thousand on cigarettes weighing more than 3 pounds (Sec. 1001 [a-b]).
- Increases the tax on cigars that weigh less than 3 pounds per thousand from $1.828 to $42 per thousand (Sec. 1001).
- Increases the tax on cigars weighing more than 3 pounds per thousand from 20.719 percent to 40 percent of the sale price, limited to $1 a cigar (Sec. 1001 [c-d]).
- Increases the tax on chewing tobacco from $0.195 to $0.42 per pound (Sec. 1001 [h]).
- Dictates that federal payments for states for the fiscal year 2008 will be the greater of either the state projection of federal payments or the federal payment from 2007 multiplied by the allotment increase factor for per capita growth or child population growth (Sec. 101).
- Allows unused federal payments under the Social Security Act to be redistributed to address state shortfalls (Sec. 103).
- Requires state CHIP plans to cover dental care, federally qualified health centers, and rural health centers (Sec 121).
- Provides a 30-day grace period for premiums on state child health plans (Sec. 123).
- Extends states' optional coverage for children from age 19 to age 21 (Sec. 131).
- Provides states with the option to cover pregnant women as long as the income eligibility level is at least 185 percent of the federal poverty level (Sec. 133).
- Provides coverage for preventative services including prostate cancer screening tests, colorectal cancer screening tests, diabetes outpatient self management, glaucoma screening, medical nutrition therapy, physical examinations, cardiovascular screening blood tests, diabetes screenings, abdominal aneurysm screenings, influenza and pneumococcal vaccines, hepatitis B vaccine administration, mammography screenings, pap smears and pelvic exam screenings, and bone mass measurement (Sec. 201).
- Appropriates $300 million for fiscal years 2008-2010 to create the Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research to conduct, support, and synthesize research to determine the outcomes, effectiveness, and appropriateness of health care services (Sec. 904).
- Authorizes the appropriation of $50 billion for each of fiscal years 2008 and 2009 to provide abstinence education, mentoring, counseling, and adult supervision to promote abstinence from sexual activity (Sec. 910).
Link to Legislation: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c110:hr3162:
House Passage: 08/01/2007 : Bill Passed 225 - 204 (Roll no. 787)
Charles W. voted against the homeless and our veterans, again!
ReplyDeleteHousing Bill with Energy Tax Credit Extensions
Key Votes:
HR 3221:
H Amdt 748: Renewable Energy Standards
S Amdt 4983: Housing Foreclosure Assistance Programs
Issues: Budget, Spending and Taxes, Energy Issues, Housing and Property Issues, Welfare and Poverty
Date: 07/23/2008
Sponsor: Rep. Pelosi, Nancy (D-CA)
Roll no. 519
Concurrence Vote Passed
(House)
How members voted
(272 - 152)
Representative Dent voted NO
Project Vote Smart's Synopsis:
Vote to pass a bill that increases mortgage grants, mortgage limitations, various property assistances to the homeless and veterans, and the line of credit for mortgages under Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
Official Title of Legislation:
HR 3221: A bill to provide needed housing reform and for other purposes.
Dude,
ReplyDeleteI think your comment is posted to the wrong blog. Dent actually voted for SCHIP and voted twice to override the President's veto. I even blogged about it.
You're serving up bullshit burgers. The only time Dent voted against it was when there were plans to fund it by cutting Medicaire benefits. As Dent noted at the time, it "would have pitted grandparents against grandchildren."
Curious where your lawmaker stacked up. Well, the ever-inquisitive team of Pennsylvania Avenue researchers tracked down what all 19 Pennsylvania House members spent on franked mail in the first half 2008 (Lehigh Valley area lawmakers are in bold)....
ReplyDelete1. Bill Shuster, R-9th: $91,978
2. Tim Murphy, R-18th: $75,878
3. Joe Sestak, D-7th: $53,861
4. Jason Altmire, D-4th: $53,560
5. Mike Doyle, D-14th: $52,018
6. Paul Kanjorski, D-11th: $46,550
7. Jim Gerlach, R-6th: $38,933
8. Phil English, R-3rd: $36,654
9. Chris Carney, D-10th: $37,148
10. Todd Platts, R-19th: $31,107
11. Charlie Dent, R-15th: $22,320
12. Tim Holden, D-17th: $10,296
13. Patrick Murphy, D-8th: $5,196
14. Allyson Schwartz, D-13th: $5,124
15. Joe Pitts, R-16th, $4,823
16. John Murtha, D-12th: $2,732
17. John Peterson, R-5th: $2,517
18. Bob Brady, D-1st: $781
19. Chaka Fattah, D-2nd: $600
Is that our money Charles W. spent on franked mail?
ReplyDeleteWow. Dent is pretty frugal. Look at all the Democrats above him.
ReplyDeleteI hope Altmire, Kanjorski and Carney get the boot.
Thanks for posting this. Look how much Kanjorski spent. He realizes the door is about to hit him on the behind.
Whoops. Sestak and Doyle are Democrats also.
ReplyDeleteYes, I plan on posting about franked mail tomorrow. I rec'd a Bennett news release on the topic yesterday and have Dent's response. I'll be happy to post Bennett's remarks. But why not wait until I post the blog before making this an issue?
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that Charlie Dent is the only LV legislator in Congress. According to the list, 10 Pa. Congressmen spent more on franked mail than he. Five of these are Dems.
Charlie Voted against this (insert vote against one portion of a gigantic 1,000 page bill)
ReplyDeleteCharlie Dent voted against that (a bill that passed with only Democrat votes) . . .
Here's what I'm voting against -- Sam Bennett.
No matter how long I stay away; It's nice to see a place where all the crazies flock to discuss political matters.
ReplyDeleteCan you say death to America.
That's what I see here.
The end to the common Joe
freedoms and constitutional rights
Bernie,
ReplyDeleteYou are correct. Charlie did vote for SCHIP expansion.
Here are some other things the SCHIP expansion does:
1) Allow non-poor people to qualify by allowing people up to 300% of the poverty level to obtain benefits.
2) Allows non-children to qualify for the benefits up to age 25.
3) Would harm SCHIP funding by diverting PA tax money to other states (because the state's program is much better than other states).
Sounds like a great program for poor children to get health benefits. Cover the middle class and adults!
Ladies and gentlemen exhibit number one why Republicans have a bad reputation - Joe Hilliard everyone.
ReplyDeleteTake a bow, Mr. Hilliard.
The SCHIP expansion incentivized people in private insurance to get into a gummint scam. Romney left a mess in Massachusetts and we're doing the same on a national level. The morality of good intentions collides with the law of unintended consequences again. And Charlie is there to take credit that the wreck could've been worse. That's good government!
ReplyDeleteJoe Hilliard, SCHIP probably helped save my grandson's life.
ReplyDeleteBecause Joe Hilliard hates wasteful gummint programs, Joe Hilliard, therefore, hates Bernie's grandson who wouldn't have survived without one. Oh brother. It really is the silly season. And shame on Bernie for waiting for the government. Spend less time whining and throwing around election year emotional hyperbole and take some initiative and responsibility for your own kin.
ReplyDeleteAnon 6:58,
ReplyDeleteActually, I did. For several months, I paid the monthly cost of his health insurance. Because he had so many pre-existing conditions and was born with a ruptured stomach to begin with, it was costing me well over $700 per month. That's one of the reasons why I'm so damn poor.
SCHIP makes it possible for Dat's mother, who is very low income, to get quality health care for her son. And it is by no means that simple to get. I know another lady who was told to go to welfare. When she went there, she was told to go to SCHIP. As a result, her son would have had no physical exam when school started except that someone kicked in the dough.
Anon 6:58 PM
ReplyDelete"Joe Hilliard, therefore, hates Bernie's grandson who wouldn't have survived without one."
That's not BOH's grandson, and his real kids hate BOH anyway. That's some broad's kid BOH picked up hitch hiking in Nazareth one rainy nite.
Let's have a pity party for BOH. BooHoo! BooHoo! BOH.
As I've explained many times before, that boy is someone I love. I consider him my grandson and he considers me his grandfather.
ReplyDeleteYou've pretty much said all you need to say to make yourself look like an idiot.
"Actually, I did. For several months, I paid the monthly cost of his health insurance. Because he had so many pre-existing conditions and was born with a ruptured stomach to begin with, it was costing me well over $700 per month."
ReplyDeleteSo SCHIP saved his life when you stopped trying? I wouldn't trust my loved ones to any government program.
I never stopped trying. I was quickly running out of money. The mother was fortunately able to qualify for SCHIP.
ReplyDeleteLong shot? She's in when Hell freezes over territory! Just go away! I'm a true Dem and this woman makes me want to puke! Do they think we can't see thru her pathetic story lines and whines? Dent no choir boy and he's got to do more for working people but I will vote for him again! Note to Fat Eddie..find someone us Dem's can believe in!
ReplyDelete