Monday, September 29, 2008 - Posts
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sponsorship
House Republicans and the McCain campaign are currently blaming Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s speech today introducing the bailout package for its failure. According to this narrative, she managed to alienate a dozen Republicans who otherwise would have voted for the bill.
But read Pelosi’s speech. (Transcript here.)* She wasn’t bashing Republicans; she was bashing Bush. She said the $700 billion price tag “tells us only the costs of the Bush administration’s failed economic policies—policies built on budgetary recklessness, on an anything-goes mentality, with no regulation, no supervision, and no discipline in the system.” Later, she thanked Democratic leaders Barney Frank and Rahm Emanuel while conspicuously omitting minority leader John Boehner. But she did thank Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson. Doesn’t he count?
Granted, it may have sounded unpleasant to sensitive Republican ears. But GOP members can hardly object to Bush-bashing—in fact, many of them have done it themselves. Vulnerable GOP congressmen have scrambled to distance themselves from the president on Iraq, immigration, Katrina, and now economic policy. Sure, Pelosi could have been more gracious to Boehner and other Republicans who voted for the package, especially after such delicate negotiations. But her speech also showed Democrats that you can be for the bailout and still run on a Bush-bashing economic message. It’s a message you’d think would resonate with Republicans, too.
So what’s the advantage of the “hurt my feelings” excuse? Not only does it defy belief—does anyone really think 12 members of the House of Representatives actually changed their minds on this bill because of a speech?—but it allows Obama to take the high road and look presidential. His campaign decried McCain’s “angry and hyperpartisan statement”—McCain had blamed the failure on Obama and fellow Democrats—but refused to point fingers back. “Now is the time for Democrats and Republicans to join together and act in a way that prevents an economic catastrophe.”
In the short term, at least, the advantage is Obama’s. First, it means the financial crisis is likely to stay in the news for a while longer—and he enjoys a huge margin over McCain when the issue is the economy. Second, McCain explicitly injected himself into the bailout negotiations, thereby lashing himself to the results. He was taking credit for this bill before it passed. Does that mean he should get blamed for its failure?
*UPDATE: Turns out Pelosi ad-libbed quite a bit of the speech, including this potentially divisive line: "... Democrats believe in a free market ... but in this case, in its
unbridled form as encouraged, supported by the Republicans — some in
the Republican Party, not all — it has created not jobs, not capital,
it has created chaos." See the video here.
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sponsorship
The House of Representatives axed the proposed bailout legislation, 228 to 205, but the vote did not fall along party lines. Some delegations stuck together—every Arizonan voted against the measure, for example, while only four of New York's 29 representatives opposed it. Of the eight members whose re-election bids are classified by Congressional Quarterly as "Tossup," three voted for the bill while five voted against it.
We'll continue looking for patterns this afternoon. In the mean time, let me know if you think you've identified the voting pattern. An asterisk in the status means the seat is open and the member is not running for re-election.
Update, 5:30 p.m.: Slate's Timothy Noah points out that the 15 members of the Michigan delegation voted nine to six against the bill, even though the auto industry is uniquely vulnerable to a downturn—auto sales are already suffering from the credit crisis. This includes two of the four Democrats who represent the area around Detroit in the southeast corner of the state.
Reader Adam Tarr points out that the extremes of the political spectrum united against the bill as well. Of Voteview's ranking of members of Congress by ideology, eight of the 10 most liberal and all of the ten most conservative voted "no."
Update, 7:20 p.m.: Reader Bob Deaton tallied up the vote according to the status of the race, and noticed that representatives not running for re-election--most of whom are Republicans--were significantly more likely to support the measure. Of the 35 members about to leave Congress, 25 supported the bill. Among retiring Republicans, 75 percent voted for the measure. "There's something about giving up their seats that imbues our representatives with either integrity or reckless abandon, depending on your viewpoint," Deaton writes.
| Name |
Vote |
District |
CQ Status |
| Jo Bonner (R) |
Yes |
Alabama - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Terry Everett (R) |
Yes |
Alabama - 2 |
Lean Rep.* |
| Mike Rogers (R) |
Yes |
Alabama - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Robert Aderholt (R) |
No |
Alabama - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Bud Cramer (D) |
Yes |
Alabama - 5 |
Tossup* |
| Spencer Bachus (R) |
Yes |
Alabama - 6 |
Safe Rep. |
| Artur Davis (D) |
Yes |
Alabama - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| Don Young (R) |
No |
Alaska - AL |
Lean Dem. |
| Rick Renzi (R) |
No |
Arizona - 1 |
Lean Dem.* |
| Trent Franks (R) |
No |
Arizona - 2 |
Safe Rep. |
| John Shadegg (R) |
No |
Arizona - 3 |
Rep. Favored |
| Ed Pastor (D) |
No |
Arizona - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Harry Mitchell (D) |
No |
Arizona - 5 |
Lean Dem. |
| Jeff Flake (R) |
No |
Arizona - 6 |
Safe Rep. |
| Raul Grijalva (D) |
No |
Arizona - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| Gabrielle Giffords (D) |
No |
Arizona - 8 |
Lean Dem. |
| Marion Berry (D) |
Yes |
Arkansas - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Vic Snyder (D) |
Yes |
Arkansas - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| John Boozman (R) |
Yes |
Arkansas - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Mike Ross (D) |
Yes |
Arkansas - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Mike Thompson (D) |
No |
California - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Wally Herger (R) |
Yes |
California - 2 |
Safe Rep. |
| Daniel Lungren (R) |
Yes |
California - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| John Doolittle (R) |
No |
California - 4 |
Lean Rep.* |
| Doris Matsui (D) |
Yes |
California - 5 |
Safe Dem. |
| Lynn Woolsey (D) |
No |
California - 6 |
Safe Dem. |
| George Miller (D) |
Yes |
California - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| Nancy Pelosi (D) |
Yes |
California - 8 |
Safe Dem. |
| Barbara Lee (D) |
No |
California - 9 |
Safe Dem. |
| Ellen Tauscher (D) |
Yes |
California - 10 |
Safe Dem. |
| Jerry McNerney (D) |
Yes |
California - 11 |
Lean Dem. |
| Jackie Speier (D) |
Yes |
California - 12 |
Safe Dem. |
| Pete Stark (D) |
No |
California - 13 |
Safe Dem. |
| Anna Eshoo (D) |
Yes |
California - 14 |
Safe Dem. |
| Mike Honda (D) |
Yes |
California - 15 |
Safe Dem. |
| Zoe Lofgren (D) |
Yes |
California - 16 |
Safe Dem. |
| Sam Farr (D) |
Yes |
California - 17 |
Safe Dem. |
| Dennis Cardoza (D) |
Yes |
California - 18 |
Safe Dem. |
| George Radanovich (R) |
Yes |
California - 19 |
Safe Rep. |
| Jim Costa (D) |
Yes |
California - 20 |
Safe Dem. |
| Devin Nunes (R) |
No |
California - 21 |
Safe Rep. |
| Kevin McCarthy (R) |
No |
California - 22 |
Safe Rep. |
| Lois Capps (D) |
Yes |
California - 23 |
Safe Dem. |
| Elton Gallegly (R) |
No |
California - 24 |
Safe Rep. |
| Buck McKeon (R) |
Yes |
California - 25 |
Safe Rep. |
| David Dreier (R) |
Yes |
California - 26 |
Safe Rep. |
| Brad Sherman (D) |
No |
California - 27 |
Safe Dem. |
| Howard Berman (D) |
Yes |
California - 28 |
Safe Dem. |
| Adam Schiff (D) |
No |
California - 29 |
Safe Dem. |
| Henry Waxman (D) |
Yes |
California - 30 |
Safe Dem. |
| Xavier Becerra (D) |
No |
California - 31 |
Safe Dem. |
| Hilda Solis (D) |
No |
California - 32 |
Safe Dem. |
| Diane Watson (D) |
No |
California - 33 |
Safe Dem. |
| Lucille Roybal-Allard (D) |
No |
California - 34 |
Safe Dem. |
| Maxine Waters (D) |
Yes |
California - 35 |
Safe Dem. |
| Jane Harman (D) |
Yes |
California - 36 |
Safe Dem. |
| Laura Richardson (D) |
Yes |
California - 37 |
Safe Dem. |
| Grace Napolitano (D) |
No |
California - 38 |
Safe Dem. |
| Linda Sanchez (D) |
No |
California - 39 |
Safe Dem. |
| Edward Royce (R) |
No |
California - 40 |
Safe Rep. |
| Jerry Lewis (R) |
Yes |
California - 41 |
Safe Rep. |
| Gary Miller (R) |
Yes |
California - 42 |
Safe Rep. |
| Joe Baca (D) |
No |
California - 43 |
Safe Dem. |
| Ken Calvert (R) |
Yes |
California - 44 |
Safe Rep. |
| Mary Bono (R) |
Yes |
California - 45 |
Safe Rep. |
| Dana Rohrabacher (R) |
No |
California - 46 |
Safe Rep. |
| Loretta Sanchez (D) |
No |
California - 47 |
Safe Dem. |
| John Campbell (R) |
Yes |
California - 48 |
Safe Rep. |
| Darrell Issa (R) |
No |
California - 49 |
Safe Rep. |
| Brian Bilbray (R) |
No |
California - 50 |
Safe Rep. |
| Bob Filner (D) |
No |
California - 51 |
Safe Dem. |
| Duncan Hunter (R) |
No |
California - 52 |
Safe Rep.* |
| Susan Davis (D) |
Yes |
California - 53 |
Safe Dem. |
| Diana DeGette (D) |
Yes |
Colorado - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Mark Udall (D) |
No |
Colorado - 2 |
Safe Dem.* |
| John Salazar (D) |
No |
Colorado - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Marilyn Musgrave (R) |
No |
Colorado - 4 |
Lean Rep. |
| Doug Lamborn (R) |
No |
Colorado - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| Tom Tancredo (R) |
Yes |
Colorado - 6 |
Safe Rep.* |
| Ed Perlmutter (D) |
Yes |
Colorado - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| John Larson (D) |
Yes |
Connecticut - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Joe Courtney (D) |
No |
Connecticut - 2 |
Dem. Favored |
| Rosa DeLauro (D) |
Yes |
Connecticut - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Christopher Shays (R) |
Yes |
Connecticut - 4 |
Tossup |
| Christopher Murphy (D) |
Yes |
Connecticut - 5 |
Lean Dem. |
| Michael Castle (R) |
Yes |
Delaware - AL |
Safe Rep. |
| Jeff Miller (R) |
No |
Florida - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Allen Boyd (D) |
Yes |
Florida - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Corrine Brown (D) |
Yes |
Florida - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Ander Crenshaw (R) |
Yes |
Florida - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Ginny Brown-Waite (R) |
No |
Florida - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| Cliff Stearns (R) |
No |
Florida - 6 |
Safe Rep. |
| John Mica (R) |
No |
Florida - 7 |
Safe Rep. |
| Ric Keller (R) |
No |
Florida - 8 |
Lean Rep. |
| Gus Bilirakis (R) |
No |
Florida - 9 |
Safe Rep. |
| Bill Young (R) |
No |
Florida - 10 |
Safe Rep. |
| Kathy Castor (D) |
No |
Florida - 11 |
Safe Dem. |
| Adam Putnam (R) |
Yes |
Florida - 12 |
Safe Rep. |
| Vern Buchanan (R) |
No |
Florida - 13 |
Lean Rep. |
| Connie Mack (R) |
No |
Florida - 14 |
Safe Rep. |
| Dave Weldon (R) |
Yes |
Florida - 15 |
Rep. Favored* |
| Tim Mahoney (D) |
Yes |
Florida - 16 |
Tossup |
| Kendrick Meek (D) |
Yes |
Florida - 17 |
Safe Dem. |
| Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R) |
No |
Florida - 18 |
Safe Rep. |
| Robert Wexler (D) |
Yes |
Florida - 19 |
Safe Dem. |
| Debbie Schultz (D) |
Yes |
Florida - 20 |
Safe Dem. |
| Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R) |
No |
Florida - 21 |
Lean Rep. |
| Ron Klein (D) |
Yes |
Florida - 22 |
Dem. Favored |
| Alcee Hastings (D) |
Yes |
Florida - 23 |
Safe Dem. |
| Tom Feeney (R) |
No |
Florida - 24 |
Lean Rep. |
| Mario Diaz-Balart (R) |
No |
Florida - 25 |
Rep. Favored |
| Jack Kingston (R) |
No |
Georgia - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Sanford Bishop (D) |
Yes |
Georgia - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Lynn Westmoreland (R) |
No |
Georgia - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Hank Johnson (D) |
No |
Georgia - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| John Lewis (D) |
No |
Georgia - 5 |
Safe Dem. |
| Tom Price (R) |
No |
Georgia - 6 |
Safe Rep. |
| John Linder (R) |
No |
Georgia - 7 |
Safe Rep. |
| Jim Marshall (D) |
Yes |
Georgia - 8 |
Lean Dem. |
| Nathan Deal (R) |
No |
Georgia - 9 |
Safe Rep. |
| Paul Broun (R) |
No |
Georgia - 10 |
Safe Rep. |
| Phil Gingrey (R) |
No |
Georgia - 11 |
Safe Rep. |
| John Barrow (D) |
No |
Georgia - 12 |
Dem. Favored |
| David Scott (D) |
No |
Georgia - 13 |
Safe Dem. |
| Neil Abercrombie (D) |
No |
Hawaii - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Mazie Hirono (D) |
No |
Hawaii - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Bill Sali (R) |
No |
Idaho - 1 |
Rep. Favored |
| Michael Simpson (R) |
Yes |
Idaho - 2 |
Safe Rep. |
| Bobby Rush (D) |
No |
Illinois - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Jesse Jackson (D) |
No |
Illinois - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Daniel Lipinski (D) |
No |
Illinois - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Luis Gutierrez (D) |
Yes |
Illinois - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Rahm Emanuel (D) |
Yes |
Illinois - 5 |
Safe Dem. |
| Peter Roskam (R) |
No |
Illinois - 6 |
Rep. Favored |
| Danny Davis (D) |
Yes |
Illinois - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| Melissa Bean (D) |
Yes |
Illinois - 8 |
Dem. Favored |
| Jan Schakowsky (D) |
Yes |
Illinois - 9 |
Safe Dem. |
| Mark Kirk (R) |
Yes |
Illinois - 10 |
Lean Rep. |
| Jerry Weller (R) |
N/Vg |
Illinois - 11 |
Lean Dem.* |
| Jerry Costello (D) |
No |
Illinois - 12 |
Safe Dem. |
| Judith Biggert (R) |
No |
Illinois - 13 |
Rep. Favored |
| Bill Foster (D) |
Yes |
Illinois - 14 |
Lean Dem. |
| Tim Johnson (R) |
No |
Illinois - 15 |
Safe Rep. |
| Donald Manzullo (R) |
No |
Illinois - 16 |
Safe Rep. |
| Phil Hare (D) |
Yes |
Illinois - 17 |
Safe Dem. |
| Ray LaHood (R) |
Yes |
Illinois - 18 |
Rep. Favored* |
| John Shimkus (R) |
No |
Illinois - 19 |
Safe Rep. |
| Peter Visclosky (D) |
No |
Indiana - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Joe Donnelly (D) |
Yes |
Indiana - 2 |
Dem. Favored |
| Mark Souder (R) |
Yes |
Indiana - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Steve Buyer (R) |
No |
Indiana - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Dan Burton (R) |
No |
Indiana - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| Mike Pence (R) |
No |
Indiana - 6 |
Safe Rep. |
| André Carson (D) |
No |
Indiana - 7 |
Dem. Favored |
| Brad Ellsworth (D) |
Yes |
Indiana - 8 |
Dem. Favored |
| Baron Hill (D) |
No |
Indiana - 9 |
Lean Dem. |
| Bruce Braley (D) |
No |
Iowa - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| David Loebsack (D) |
Yes |
Iowa - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Leonard Boswell (D) |
Yes |
Iowa - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Tom Latham (R) |
No |
Iowa - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Steve King (R) |
No |
Iowa - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| Jerry Moran (R) |
No |
Kansas - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Nancy Boyda (D) |
No |
Kansas - 2 |
Tossup |
| Dennis Moore (D) |
Yes |
Kansas - 3 |
Dem. Favored |
| Todd Tiahrt (R) |
No |
Kansas - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Ed Whitfield (R) |
No |
Kentucky - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Ron Lewis (R) |
Yes |
Kentucky - 2 |
Rep. Favored* |
| John Yarmuth (D) |
No |
Kentucky - 3 |
Lean Dem. |
| Geoff Davis (R) |
No |
Kentucky - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Hal Rogers (R) |
Yes |
Kentucky - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| Ben Chandler (D) |
No |
Kentucky - 6 |
Safe Dem. |
| Steve Scalise (R) |
No |
Louisiana - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| William Jefferson (D) |
No |
Louisiana - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Charles Melancon (D) |
Yes |
Louisiana - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Jim McCrery (R) |
Yes |
Louisiana - 4 |
Lean Rep.* |
| Rodney Alexander (R) |
No |
Louisiana - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| Donald Cazayoux (D) |
No |
Louisiana - 6 |
Tossup |
| Charles Boustany (R) |
No |
Louisiana - 7 |
Rep. Favored |
| Thomas Allen (D) |
Yes |
Maine - 1 |
Dem. Favored |
| Michael Michaud (D) |
No |
Maine - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Wayne Gilchrest (R) |
Yes |
Maryland - 1 |
Rep. Favored* |
| Dutch Ruppersberger (D) |
Yes |
Maryland - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| John Sarbanes (D) |
Yes |
Maryland - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Donna Edwards (D) |
No |
Maryland - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Steny Hoyer (D) |
Yes |
Maryland - 5 |
Safe Dem. |
| Roscoe Bartlett (R) |
No |
Maryland - 6 |
Safe Rep. |
| Elijah Cummings (D) |
No |
Maryland - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| Chris Van Hollen (D) |
Yes |
Maryland - 8 |
Safe Dem. |
| John Olver (D) |
Yes |
Mass. - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Richard Neal (D) |
Yes |
Mass. - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| James McGovern (D) |
Yes |
Mass. - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Barney Frank (D) |
Yes |
Mass. - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Niki Tsongas (D) |
Yes |
Mass. - 5 |
Safe Dem. |
| John Tierney (D) |
No |
Mass. - 6 |
Safe Dem. |
| Edward Markey (D) |
Yes |
Mass. - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| Michael Capuano (D) |
Yes |
Mass. - 8 |
Safe Dem. |
| Stephen Lynch (D) |
No |
Mass. - 9 |
Safe Dem. |
| William Delahunt (D) |
No |
Mass. - 10 |
Safe Dem. |
| Bart Stupak (D) |
No |
Michigan - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Peter Hoekstra (R) |
No |
Michigan - 2 |
Safe Rep. |
| Vernon Ehlers (R) |
Yes |
Michigan - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Dave Camp (R) |
Yes |
Michigan - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Dale Kildee (D) |
Yes |
Michigan - 5 |
Safe Dem. |
| Fred Upton (R) |
Yes |
Michigan - 6 |
Safe Rep. |
| Timothy Walberg (R) |
No |
Michigan - 7 |
Lean Rep. |
| Mike Rogers (R) |
No |
Michigan - 8 |
Safe Rep. |
| Joe Knollenberg (R) |
No |
Michigan - 9 |
Lean Rep. |
| Candice Miller (R) |
No |
Michigan - 10 |
Safe Rep. |
| Thad McCotter (R) |
No |
Michigan - 11 |
Safe Rep. |
| Sander Levin (D) |
Yes |
Michigan - 12 |
Safe Dem. |
| Carolyn Kilpatrick (D) |
No |
Michigan - 13 |
Safe Dem. |
| John Conyers (D) |
No |
Michigan - 14 |
Safe Dem. |
| John Dingell (D) |
Yes |
Michigan - 15 |
Safe Dem. |
| Timothy Walz (D) |
No |
Minnesota - 1 |
Lean Dem. |
| John Kline (R) |
Yes |
Minnesota - 2 |
Rep. Favored |
| Jim Ramstad (R) |
No |
Minnesota - 3 |
Tossup* |
| Betty McCollum (D) |
Yes |
Minnesota - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Keith Ellison (D) |
Yes |
Minnesota - 5 |
Safe Dem. |
| Michele Bachmann (R) |
No |
Minnesota - 6 |
Rep. Favored |
| Collin Peterson (D) |
No |
Minnesota - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| James Oberstar (D) |
Yes |
Minnesota - 8 |
Safe Dem. |
| TRAVIS Childers (D) |
No |
Mississippi - 1 |
Lean Dem. |
| Bennie Thompson (D) |
No |
Mississippi - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Chip Pickering (R) |
Yes |
Mississippi - 3 |
Safe Rep.* |
| Gene Taylor (D) |
No |
Mississippi - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| William Clay (D) |
No |
Missouri - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Todd Akin (R) |
No |
Missouri - 2 |
Safe Rep. |
| Russ Carnahan (D) |
Yes |
Missouri - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Ike Skelton (D) |
Yes |
Missouri - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Emanuel Cleaver (D) |
No |
Missouri - 5 |
Safe Dem. |
| Sam Graves (R) |
No |
Missouri - 6 |
Lean Rep. |
| Roy Blunt (R) |
Yes |
Missouri - 7 |
Safe Rep. |
| Jo Ann Emerson (R) |
Yes |
Missouri - 8 |
Safe Rep. |
| Kenny Hulshof (R) |
No |
Missouri - 9 |
Lean Rep.* |
| Dennis Rehberg (R) |
No |
Montana - AL |
Safe Rep. |
| Jeff Fortenberry (R) |
No |
Nebraska - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Lee Terry (R) |
No |
Nebraska - 2 |
Rep. Favored |
| Adrian Smith (R) |
No |
Nebraska - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Shelley Berkley (D) |
No |
Nevada - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Dean Heller (R) |
No |
Nevada - 2 |
Lean Rep. |
| Jon Porter (R) |
Yes |
Nevada - 3 |
Tossup |
| Carol Shea-Porter (D) |
No |
N.H. - 1 |
Lean Dem. |
| Paul Hodes (D) |
No |
N.H. - 2 |
Dem. Favored |
| Robert Andrews (D) |
Yes |
New Jersey - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Frank LoBiondo (R) |
No |
New Jersey - 2 |
Safe Rep. |
| Jim Saxton (R) |
Yes |
New Jersey - 3 |
Tossup* |
| Christopher Smith (R) |
No |
New Jersey - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Scott Garrett (R) |
No |
New Jersey - 5 |
Rep. Favored |
| Frank Pallone (D) |
Yes |
New Jersey - 6 |
Safe Dem. |
| Mike Ferguson (R) |
Yes |
New Jersey - 7 |
Tossup* |
| Bill Pascrell (D) |
No |
New Jersey - 8 |
Safe Dem. |
| Steven Rothman (D) |
No |
New Jersey - 9 |
Safe Dem. |
| Donald Payne (D) |
No |
New Jersey - 10 |
Safe Dem. |
| Rodney Frelinghuysen (R) |
No |
New Jersey - 11 |
Safe Rep. |
| Rush Holt (D) |
Yes |
New Jersey - 12 |
Safe Dem. |
| Albio Sires (D) |
Yes |
New Jersey - 13 |
Safe Dem. |
| Heather Wilson (R) |
Yes |
New Mexico - 1 |
Tossup* |
| Stevan Pearce (R) |
No |
New Mexico - 2 |
Lean Rep.* |
| Tom Udall (D) |
No |
New Mexico - 3 |
Safe Dem.* |
| Timothy Bishop (D) |
Yes |
New York - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Steve Israel (D) |
Yes |
New York - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Peter King (R) |
Yes |
New York - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Carolyn McCarthy (D) |
Yes |
New York - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Gary Ackerman (D) |
Yes |
New York - 5 |
Safe Dem. |
| Gregory Meeks (D) |
Yes |
New York - 6 |
Safe Dem. |
| Joseph Crowley (D) |
Yes |
New York - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| Jerrold Nadler (D) |
Yes |
New York - 8 |
Safe Dem. |
| Anthony Weiner (D) |
Yes |
New York - 9 |
Safe Dem. |
| Edolphus Towns (D) |
Yes |
New York - 10 |
Safe Dem. |
| Yvette Clarke (D) |
Yes |
New York - 11 |
Safe Dem. |
| Nydia Velazquez (D) |
Yes |
New York - 12 |
Safe Dem. |
| Vito Fossella (R) |
Yes |
New York - 13 |
Dem. Favored |
| Carolyn Maloney (D) |
Yes |
New York - 14 |
Safe Dem. |
| Charles Rangel (D) |
Yes |
New York - 15 |
Safe Dem. |
| Jose Serrano (D) |
No |
New York - 16 |
Safe Dem. |
| Eliot Engel (D) |
Yes |
New York - 17 |
Safe Dem. |
| Nita Lowey (D) |
Yes |
New York - 18 |
Safe Dem. |
| John Hall (D) |
Yes |
New York - 19 |
Dem. Favored |
| Kirsten Gillibrand (D) |
No |
New York - 20 |
Lean Dem. |
| Michael McNulty (D) |
Yes |
New York - 21 |
Safe Dem.* |
| Maurice Hinchey (D) |
No |
New York - 22 |
Safe Dem. |
| John McHugh (R) |
Yes |
New York - 23 |
Safe Rep. |
| Michael Arcuri (D) |
Yes |
New York - 24 |
Dem. Favored |
| James Walsh (R) |
Yes |
New York - 25 |
Lean Dem.* |
| Thomas Reynolds (R) |
Yes |
New York - 26 |
Lean Rep.* |
| Brian Higgins (D) |
Yes |
New York - 27 |
Safe Dem. |
| Louise Slaughter (D) |
Yes |
New York - 28 |
Safe Dem. |
| Randy Kuhl (R) |
No |
New York - 29 |
Lean Rep. |
| G.K. Butterfield (D) |
No |
N.C. - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Bob Etheridge (D) |
Yes |
N.C. - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Walter Jones (R) |
No |
N.C. - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| David Price (D) |
Yes |
N.C. - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Virginia Foxx (R) |
No |
N.C. - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| Howard Coble (R) |
No |
N.C. - 6 |
Safe Rep. |
| Mike McIntyre (D) |
No |
N.C. - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| Robin Hayes (R) |
No |
N.C. - 8 |
Tossup |
| Sue Myrick (R) |
No |
N.C. - 9 |
Safe Rep. |
| Patrick McHenry (R) |
No |
N.C. - 10 |
Safe Rep. |
| Heath Shuler (D) |
No |
N.C. - 11 |
Safe Dem. |
| Melvin Watt (D) |
Yes |
N.C. - 12 |
Safe Dem. |
| Brad Miller (D) |
Yes |
N.C. - 13 |
Safe Dem. |
| Earl Pomeroy (D) |
Yes |
N.Dak. - AL |
Safe Dem. |
| Steve Chabot (R) |
No |
Ohio - 1 |
Lean Rep. |
| Jean Schmidt (R) |
No |
Ohio - 2 |
Lean Rep. |
| Michael Turner (R) |
No |
Ohio - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Jim Jordan (R) |
No |
Ohio - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Robert Latta (R) |
No |
Ohio - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| Charles Wilson (D) |
Yes |
Ohio - 6 |
Safe Dem. |
| David Hobson (R) |
Yes |
Ohio - 7 |
Rep. Favored* |
| John Boehner (R) |
Yes |
Ohio - 8 |
Safe Rep. |
| Marcy Kaptur (D) |
No |
Ohio - 9 |
Safe Dem. |
| Dennis Kucinich (D) |
No |
Ohio - 10 |
Safe Dem. |
| Pat Tiberi (R) |
No |
Ohio - 12 |
Safe Rep. |
| Betty Sutton (D) |
No |
Ohio - 13 |
Safe Dem. |
| Steven LaTourette (R) |
No |
Ohio - 14 |
Rep. Favored |
| Deborah Pryce (R) |
Yes |
Ohio - 15 |
Tossup* |
| Ralph Regula (R) |
Yes |
Ohio - 16 |
Tossup* |
| Tim Ryan (D) |
Yes |
Ohio - 17 |
Safe Dem. |
| Zachary Space (D) |
Yes |
Ohio - 18 |
Dem. Favored |
| John Sullivan (R) |
No |
Oklahoma - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Dan Boren (D) |
Yes |
Oklahoma - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Frank Lucas (R) |
No |
Oklahoma - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Tom Cole (R) |
Yes |
Oklahoma - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Mary Fallin (R) |
No |
Oklahoma - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| David Wu (D) |
No |
Oregon - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Greg Walden (R) |
Yes |
Oregon - 2 |
Safe Rep. |
| Earl Blumenauer (D) |
No |
Oregon - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Peter DeFazio (D) |
No |
Oregon - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Darlene Hooley (D) |
Yes |
Oregon - 5 |
Lean Dem.* |
| Robert Brady (D) |
Yes |
Penn. - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Chaka Fattah (D) |
Yes |
Penn. - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Philip English (R) |
No |
Penn. - 3 |
Lean Rep. |
| Jason Altmire (D) |
No |
Penn. - 4 |
Lean Dem. |
| John Peterson (R) |
Yes |
Penn. - 5 |
Safe Rep.* |
| Jim Gerlach (R) |
No |
Penn. - 6 |
Rep. Favored |
| Joe Sestak (D) |
Yes |
Penn. - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| Patrick Murphy (D) |
Yes |
Penn. - 8 |
Dem. Favored |
| Bill Shuster (R) |
No |
Penn. - 9 |
Safe Rep. |
| Christopher Carney (D) |
No |
Penn. - 10 |
Lean Dem. |
| Paul Kanjorski (D) |
Yes |
Penn. - 11 |
Lean Dem. |
| John Murtha (D) |
Yes |
Penn. - 12 |
Safe Dem. |
| Allyson Schwartz (D) |
Yes |
Penn. - 13 |
Safe Dem. |
| Michael Doyle (D) |
Yes |
Penn. - 14 |
Safe Dem. |
| Charles Dent (R) |
No |
Penn. - 15 |
Rep. Favored |
| Joe Pitts (R) |
No |
Penn. - 16 |
Safe Rep. |
| Tim Holden (D) |
No |
Penn. - 17 |
Safe Dem. |
| Tim Murphy (R) |
No |
Penn. - 18 |
Rep. Favored |
| Todd Platts (R) |
No |
Penn. - 19 |
Safe Rep. |
| Patrick Kennedy (D) |
Yes |
Rhode Island - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| James Langevin (D) |
Yes |
Rhode Island - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Henry Brown (R) |
Yes |
S.C. - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Joe Wilson (R) |
Yes |
S.C. - 2 |
Safe Rep. |
| J. Gresham Barrett (R) |
No |
S.C. - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Bob Inglis (R) |
Yes |
S.C. - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| John Spratt (D) |
Yes |
S.C. - 5 |
Safe Dem. |
| James Clyburn (D) |
Yes |
S.C. - 6 |
Safe Dem. |
| Stephanie Sandlin (D) |
No |
S.Dak. - AL |
Safe Dem. |
| David Davis (R) |
No |
Tennessee - 1 |
Safe Rep.* |
| John 'Jimmy' Duncan (R) |
No |
Tennessee - 2 |
Safe Rep. |
| Zachary Wamp (R) |
No |
Tennessee - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Lincoln Davis (D) |
No |
Tennessee - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Jim Cooper (D) |
Yes |
Tennessee - 5 |
Safe Dem. |
| Bart Gordon (D) |
Yes |
Tennessee - 6 |
Safe Dem. |
| Marsha Blackburn (R) |
No |
Tennessee - 7 |
Safe Rep. |
| John Tanner (D) |
Yes |
Tennessee - 8 |
Safe Dem. |
| Steve Cohen (D) |
Yes |
Tennessee - 9 |
Safe Dem. |
| Louie Gohmert (R) |
No |
Texas - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Ted Poe (R) |
No |
Texas - 2 |
Safe Rep. |
| Sam Johnson (R) |
No |
Texas - 3 |
Safe Rep. |
| Ralph Hall (R) |
No |
Texas - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Jeb Hensarling (R) |
No |
Texas - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| Joe Barton (R) |
No |
Texas - 6 |
Safe Rep. |
| John Culberson (R) |
No |
Texas - 7 |
Rep. Favored |
| Kevin Brady (R) |
Yes |
Texas - 8 |
Safe Rep. |
| Al Green (D) |
No |
Texas - 9 |
Safe Dem. |
| Michael McCaul (R) |
No |
Texas - 10 |
Rep. Favored |
| Michael Conaway (R) |
No |
Texas - 11 |
Safe Rep. |
| Kay Granger (R) |
Yes |
Texas - 12 |
Safe Rep. |
| Mac Thornberry (R) |
No |
Texas - 13 |
Safe Rep. |
| Ron Paul (R) |
No |
Texas - 14 |
Safe Rep. |
| Ruben Hinojosa (D) |
Yes |
Texas - 15 |
Safe Dem. |
| Silvestre Reyes (D) |
Yes |
Texas - 16 |
Safe Dem. |
| Chet Edwards (D) |
Yes |
Texas - 17 |
Safe Dem. |
| Sheila Jackson-Lee (D) |
No |
Texas - 18 |
Safe Dem. |
| Randy Neugebauer (R) |
No |
Texas - 19 |
Safe Rep. |
| Charles Gonzalez (D) |
Yes |
Texas - 20 |
Safe Dem. |
| Lamar Smith (R) |
Yes |
Texas - 21 |
Safe Rep. |
| Nicholas Lampson (D) |
No |
Texas - 22 |
Tossup |
| Ciro Rodriguez (D) |
No |
Texas - 23 |
Lean Dem. |
| Kenny Marchant (R) |
No |
Texas - 24 |
Safe Rep. |
| Lloyd Doggett (D) |
No |
Texas - 25 |
Safe Dem. |
| Michael Burgess (R) |
No |
Texas - 26 |
Safe Rep. |
| Solomon Ortiz (D) |
No |
Texas - 27 |
Safe Dem. |
| Henry Cuellar (D) |
No |
Texas - 28 |
Safe Dem. |
| Gene Green (D) |
No |
Texas - 29 |
Safe Dem. |
| Eddie Johnson (D) |
Yes |
Texas - 30 |
Safe Dem. |
| John Carter (R) |
No |
Texas - 31 |
Safe Rep. |
| Pete Sessions (R) |
Yes |
Texas - 32 |
Safe Rep. |
| Rob Bishop (R) |
No |
Utah - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Jim Matheson (D) |
No |
Utah - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Chris Cannon (R) |
Yes |
Utah - 3 |
Safe Rep.* |
| Peter Welch (D) |
No |
Vermont - AL |
Safe Dem. |
| Robert Wittman (R) |
No |
Virginia - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Thelma Drake (R) |
No |
Virginia - 2 |
Rep. Favored |
| Robert Scott (D) |
No |
Virginia - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Randy Forbes (R) |
No |
Virginia - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Virgil Goode (R) |
No |
Virginia - 5 |
Rep. Favored |
| Bob Goodlatte (R) |
No |
Virginia - 6 |
Safe Rep. |
| Eric Cantor (R) |
Yes |
Virginia - 7 |
Safe Rep. |
| James Moran (D) |
Yes |
Virginia - 8 |
Safe Dem. |
| Rick Boucher (D) |
Yes |
Virginia - 9 |
Safe Dem. |
| Frank Wolf (R) |
Yes |
Virginia - 10 |
Rep. Favored |
| Tom Davis (R) |
Yes |
Virginia - 11 |
Lean Dem.* |
| Jay Inslee (D) |
No |
Washington - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Rick Larsen (D) |
Yes |
Washington - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Brian Baird (D) |
Yes |
Washington - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Doc Hastings (R) |
No |
Washington - 4 |
Safe Rep. |
| Cathy Rodgers (R) |
No |
Washington - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| Norman Dicks (D) |
Yes |
Washington - 6 |
Safe Dem. |
| Jim McDermott (D) |
Yes |
Washington - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| David Reichert (R) |
No |
Washington - 8 |
Tossup |
| Adam Smith (D) |
Yes |
Washington - 9 |
Safe Dem. |
| Alan Mollohan (D) |
Yes |
W.Va. - 1 |
Safe Dem. |
| Shelley Capito (R) |
No |
W.Va. - 2 |
Lean Rep. |
| Nick Rahall (D) |
Yes |
W.Va. - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Paul Ryan (R) |
Yes |
Wisconsin - 1 |
Safe Rep. |
| Tammy Baldwin (D) |
Yes |
Wisconsin - 2 |
Safe Dem. |
| Ron Kind (D) |
Yes |
Wisconsin - 3 |
Safe Dem. |
| Gwen Moore (D) |
Yes |
Wisconsin - 4 |
Safe Dem. |
| Jim Sensenbrenner (R) |
No |
Wisconsin - 5 |
Safe Rep. |
| Thomas Petri (R) |
No |
Wisconsin - 6 |
Safe Rep. |
| David Obey (D) |
Yes |
Wisconsin - 7 |
Safe Dem. |
| Steve Kagen (D) |
No |
Wisconsin - 8 |
Lean Dem. |
| Barbara Cubin (R) |
Yes |
Wyoming - AL |
Lean Rep.* |
Correction, Sept. 30: This list originally reversed the votes of Chet Edwards and Donna Edwards. Chet Edwards (D-Texas) supported the bill, while Donna Edwards (D-Maryland) did not.
-
sponsorship
See all Swift Boat Watch entries here.
Who They Are: Citizens for Open and Responsive Government
Purpose: To combat what they see as unfair attacks on candidates or unacceptable campaign activity. The group has opposed state-level Republican candidates in the past, but in this presidential election they support McCain.
Director: Carlton Saffa
Funding: Small individual donations.
Cost of the Ad: Prefer not to release.
Where It Ran: Colorado, Sept. 22-26
Related Groups: None
Claims: John McCain cannot use a keyboard or computer because of war injuries sustained in Vietnam. This is in response to the Obama campaign’s "Still" ad, which mocks McCain’s inability to use a computer or send an e-mail. The spot also quotes Joe Biden calling the initial Obama ad “terrible.”
Accuracy: The claim that McCain cannot use a computer because of his war injuries isn’t entirely true. In an interview with the New York Times, McCain said he is learning how to use a computer, which suggests he can use one, at least to a limited extent. (Plus, many people physically worse-off than McCain manage to use computers.) Biden did call the ad “terrible,” but later issued a follow-up statement saying that he had been reacting to press accounts without actually seeing the ad.
Background: Saffa says CORG decided to film the ad because it felt the issue was being ignored by the mainstream media. Lt. Col. Mike Fairhead, the veteran in the video, was also injured in the Vietnam War.
Swift Boat Rating: 
Using a veteran who also sustained war injuries is a bit melodramatic. Does he even know McCain? Obama’s ad did mock John McCain’s inability to use a computer, but it didn’t mock his disabilities. The ad was using his computer illiteracy, along with other examples, to argue that McCain is out of touch with Americans.
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