Arkansas Traveller (Boozman Junkets)
Travel bags not Tea bags.*******************
Wow does this guy make me angry that I ever voted for him. It turns out that 3rd District Congressman John "Bailout" Boozman is quite the world traveler- when we are footing the bill. While the despised Senator Blanche Lincoln made no overseas trips last year (neither did Vic Synder) Boozman took trips to no less than 48 countries at taxpayer expense!
Destinations included a Valentines trip with his wife to Brussels, Belgium. They managed trips to France and Austria too. He ran up almost $3,000 just in unitemized expenses on that trip. And that does not include the $6,000 in spending for "incidentals". How do you have $3,000 in spending that is so vaguely documented that it does not even count as "incidentals?"
Republicans are idiots if they give this shockingly inarticulate man the nomination for US Senate. Should they be such mindless lemmings as to choose this dud they will again earn the designation of "the stupid party". Not only will nominating Boozman negate the bailout issue for them, but it also pits one Washington insider against another in a year when people are furious with Washington D.C. insiders. They forfeit the bailout card, they forfeit the anti-establishment card.
But the stupidity of nominating Boozman goes beyond that. Lincoln actually looks less corrupt than Boozman when one looks at issues like lavish spending on junkets. "Boozmans travel the globe at your expense while Arkansans are hurting." How's that gonna resonate with the swing voters?
posted by Mark Moore (Moderator) at Monday, March 15, 2010
12 Comments:
That is why Baker needs to be the nominee. Baker is not from Washington. And will tie Lincoln in knots.
Your logic is weak. None of the other GOP candidates is from Washington, and before Boozman got in, Baker was the favorite of the Rovian DC crowd.
Baker is closer to the avarage Arkansan. Being a state senator is more closer to the average people. He realizes what a big deal this is. Boozman should of known better. Shoot Snyer was smarter than that.
I think you should just start calling every post Why I love Jim Holt!
Its not about who you like, its about record,about who has proven we can trust him once he get to DC.
I don't yet know who I will vote for. I agree that record is important and, based on what I've seen, Baker's record is hardly something to hold up as a reason to give him the Republican nomination. We may as well send Blanche back up there.
If either Baker or Boozeman get the nomination I will have a hard time not voting for a third party.
How on earth could you vote third party? Anyone in the race will be an improvement over Lincoln. A vote for a third party will be a vote for Lincoln.
People are tired of "improvements." Slow death is still death-- often worse.
I don't accept your falacious premise. A vote for a third party candidate is a vote for a third party candidate,except, I concede, when it's a vote against another candidate. If Baker or Boozeman are nominated, and I do vote third party, my vote would no more be a vote for Lincoln than it would be a vote for the republican nominee.
This idea is a useful tool for the parties to push crap candidates on us.If the Republicans are incapable of producing an adequate candidate, one that is trustworthy, honorable, and unwaivering, I feel no obligation to prop them up out of fear that some greater devil may win. This way of thinking has contributed to a lot of the problems we are facing. The parties were not established by our constitution, are not necessary, and are not eternal. Do you think the same argument was made when voters moved from the Whigs to the Republicans well over a century ago?
Yes, the Democrats are horrendous.Yes, Blanche is a disgraceful, constitutionally ignorant, political whore who attempts to buy our votes with our own money. Yes, I want her to lose, badly. However, the Republicans do not deserve power simply by default.
If our elections have devolved into a time to choose the "lesser of two evils" we are already lost. As long as people abide by this philosophy of yours, then they are going to hamstring us and take away an option that can be used to hold the Republicans accountable. We sure can't vote for the Democrats and I refuse to let the Republicans exploit that fact.
Instant Runoff Voting would end the argument about "wasted votes". There is no good reason not to support it- unless you are more devoted to a party than the country and want to keep people locked into one of two choices that they often loathe.
I've seen you mention IRF before. I, honestly, am not well informed on the subject. What little I know doesn't seem objectionable. I'll read up on it.
Is there a move to establish IRF here in Arkansas? Does it have to be put on the ballot or does it require amending the state constitution?
If you've posted in depth about it, or have any resources on it, could you please point us toward it?
Thanks
I'd like to help start such a movement. Unfortunately most of the Tea Party folks are looking at the short term - this election cycle rather than system altering reform.
It could work by simply passing a law in the state legislature, or by ballot initiative.
Just Google it. You will find lots of good stuff.
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