House members take recess cue to leave the country

[seafan]

Source: The Hill

Midway through the last series of floor votes before members left town for recess on Friday, a pair of young staffers navigating a pulley cart carrying two steamer trunks branded “CODEL BOEHNER” caught the attention of reporters and lawmakers taking care of business in the corridors outside the chamber.

The scene was a visual reminder that House members intend to spend time outside the country on fact-finding trips over recess, despite the debate over the president’s domestic agenda dominating Congress.
Citing security concerns, aides close to House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) would not disclose which countries the top-ranking Republican was visiting but noted that the congresssional delegation trip, or codel, is “dealing with issues surrounding the global economic crisis and national security.”

.....

Boehner’s second-in-command, House GOP Whip Rep. Eric Cantor (Va.), left town on Saturday with more than two dozen GOP lawmakers on a weeklong trip to Israel and the West Bank.

Cantor is the senior lawmaker on the delegation, which is sponsored by the nonprofit charitable organization American Israel Education Foundation (AIEF). House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) will serve in the same capacity the following week when AIEF sponsors a 31-member House Democratic delegation to go to Israel.

Read more: http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/house-members-take-recess-cue-to-leave-the-country-2009-08-03.html

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What an innovative way to cover cowardice in taking a progressive stand on reforming health care, when constituents come calling during August, than to flee the country!



Also mentioned were Rep. David Price (D-N.C.) and Rep. David Dreier (R-Calif.), who are heading to Peru, for issues related to the Democracy Assistance committee. (Does that worry anyone?)



Several Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee are leaving for Africa for trade issues. (These people were not named in the article.)

Wonder if some are Blue Dogs on the run? Actually, there are some suspects who happen to sit on this committee: Mike Ross (AR-4); David Scott (GA-13); Jim Costa (CA-20); Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8) (Too cowardly to meet with their constituents in August?)

[Warpy]

1. The last people the GOPs want to face are their angry voters

The GOP leadership is getting awful marks in nearly every state. Only in Dixie and Nebraska do they get even a C- per yesterday's CNN poll.

None of these obstructionists want to meet with constituents who want health care reform and want it now.

I sincerely doubt many Blue Dogs will dare to meet with their constituents, either.

[SeriousEbony]

2. Link to polls for congressional reps

Where can one find these polls showing the awful marks mentioned in your post? It would be nice
to see how our esteemed democratic reps are faring too. A good comparison between the good, the bad and
the ugly sounds like good reading.

[AwakeAtLast]

4. One can easily Google

Welcome to DU.

[kimmylavin]

10. One can also just post.

I tried googling, to make up for your being so rude.
Can't find anything, except a promise from CNN to deliver the grades from their polls on the 6th.
Would you deign to provide the proper search terms, or how about just providing a link, like the poster asked?

[damntexdem]

3. That would be fine ...

if they didn't come back. ;-)

[liberal N proud]

5. Can we "the people" revoke their passports while they are away?

And not let them back in the country?

[seafan]

6. Boehner leaves a video slamming Obama today, then flees the country.

WHAT A @#$*'ING COWARD!

CNN

WASHINGTON (CNN) – The House adjourned last week for the annual summer recess, but Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, left behind a video for President Obama.

Boehner’s office will release a Web video Monday morning splicing together Obama’s comments about health care reform with footage from a 1980’s television commercial of an actor declaring, “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.”

The Ohio Republican is seeking to promote the idea that Obama’s plan to have the federal government offer a health insurance option is bad policy.

“Like the old joke goes, President Obama isn’t a doctor, but he plays one on TV — giving Americans a discomforting glimpse of life under ObamaCare, with government leaders and bureaucrats dispensing medical opinions that are better left to doctors, medical professionals, and patients,” Boehner said in an email statement to CNN. “This is a lighthearted video, but it underscores a serious point that Congressional Democrats are going to hear throughout August as they travel outside of Washington: Americans want lower health care costs – not a trillion-dollar government takeover of health care that increases costs and lets Washington bureaucrats make decisions that should be made by doctors and patients.”

Updated with DNC response after the jump:

Campaign Media Analysis Group President Evan Tracey estimates that at least $50 million has been spent this year on television ads to try and influence the health care debate. Many more people will see a TV commercial than a Web video, but the videos are relatively inexpensive to produce. And the creators of such videos hold out hope that their video will go viral and become a major talking point on the blogs.

For the next month, the battle over health care reform moves from Washington out to the heartland as members of congress head back home to appear in front of their constituents at town hall meetings and forums.

Updated at 11:30 a.m. ET:
"John Boehner isn't an insurance company executive, but he sure plays one in the U.S. House of Representatives," DNC National Press Secretary Hari Sevugan said. "That's the only explanation for admittedly working to 'kill' health insurance reform while premiums for the average American family are rising three times faster than their wages, while small businesses are choosing between offering coverage and creating jobs, and when controlling runaway health care costs is necessary to get the economy fully back on track. John Boehner and the Republicans that would follow him may not officially be insurance agents, but in working to 'kill' reform they are proving that they are certainly agents of the status quo."

Maybe Boehner can *find some facts overseas* in August, because he sure as hell can't find any outside his own @$$ over here.

[kimmylavin]

11. Total coward.

And I cannot believe that this "Washington bureaucrats making your healthcare decisions" nonsense still gets ANY traction.

I'd prefer bureaucrats - subject to laws and oversight - over profit-driven accountants!

[bertman]

7. Please explain why we should worry that David Price and David Dreier are going to Peru?

According to the Democracy Assistance Committee website, they were the prime movers in getting the committee started, so it would be logical for them to check on its progress, IMO.

How long Rep. Price plans to stay would be my concern since he's my Rep. I'd love for him to be home for us to give him an earful at a town hall meeting or two. He knows well my feelings on most issues of import to me--especially health care reform.

[BumRushDaShow]

8. Remember last year at this time

after the House had adjourned, turned out the lights, and turned off the mics, these same gas-bag clowns were holding daily bitch sessions in the darkened chamber, entertaining tourists with their nonsense, and wasting news media time with daily press conferences?

Folks are right - they DON'T want to go home! :rofl:

[Bearware]

9. No to worry the Insurance Industry has released the brownshirts on the townhalls that are being held

According to Thom Hartman and others the Health Insurance companies are organizing groups of right wing brown-shirts to disrupt the the town halls being held by the congress people who want to hear from there constituents. :wtf: They are even providing the buses and the talking points to yell out. :mad:

Fascism is here and corporate rule will be with us a long time if we do not force this through.

Maybe it is time to harness twitter and youtube to report where all of our representatives and heads of government (Goldman Sacs & other to big to fail banks, Exxon, MSM, Health Insurance Companies etc. execs) are when they are out on the town. Follow the Blue Cross Dogs and Neocons everywhere and keep it updated on websites. It will drive them nuts. Where are you going to hide when your waiter, gardener, caddie etc. report wherever you go and do? :evilgrin: