Kudos to Senators Bayh and Feingold!

Greetings from the Left Coast, where we here at Left Coast Blues do the heavy thinking for those who just can’t be bothered.

Lest you think that I never have anything good to say about Democrats, I am on record today as a fan of Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana. Senator Bayh has gone on record as opposing the $410 billion “Omnibus” spending bill that’s currently before the Senate. I’ve listened to an interview with him, and I’ve read his opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, and he is opposing the bill for precisely the right reasons…as is Democrat Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin. Thank you, Senators, for putting the nation before your own party and risking the Wrath of Harry for doing so.

Now…I’ve got a few words for some other folks out there. You may want to send the kids to their rooms before I get rolling.

To all of the Republicans in the Senate and House: grow some gonads, pull your earmarks out of the budget bills, and stand up and show some leadership! Stop trying to be “Democrat Light,” for cryin’ out loud.

To the voters in the State of Maine: Do us all a favor, and don’t send Olympia Snow and Susan Collins back to Washington again. To the voters in the State of Pennsylvania: Same goes for Arlen Specter. If you want Democrats to represent you, then elect Democrats. The last thing the Republican Party needs is Republicans who vote like Democrats.

To the voters of the State of Nevada: Have you looked around your state lately? Even healthy companies are cutting back and cancelling conventions and out-of-town meetings…because they’re afraid of coming under government criticism – from the ruling party that is being ruled in part by your Senator. I’ve heard estimates that the travel and hospitality industry may lose 400,000 jobs this year. How many of those jobs will be in Nevada? Do you really think that Harry Reid is looking after your interests?

To the voting public as a whole, if we’re smart, we will do the following: any legislator who voted for the $787 Billion stimulus package without reading it (which is most of them), should be voted out of office. Spending $787 Billion of our children’s and grandchildren’s money needs a better reason than “because Nancy/Harry said so.” And any legislator of either party who is still slipping earmarks into legislation should be voted out of office. Just stop it. Now. If you want to spend our money, put the bills out there where they can be publicly debated and voted on.

And finally, to President Obama: If this $410 billion monstrosity of a spending bill lands on your desk – and it probably will, because there are plenty of legislators on both sides of the aisle who care more about hanging onto their power than about doing what’s right for the country – veto it! This is your chance to prove that you actually do stand for some of the things you campaigned on.

Everything you’ve done so far since your election has confirmed my suspicions that you are exactly what your voting record indicated you would be: the most far-left Senator in the United States Senate (and that’s saying something), and someone who cares more about ideology than about truth (or anything else, for that matter). This is not “last year’s business.” It is, as Senator Bayh says, this year’s spending, and our children’s money. You campaigned for fiscal responsibility. You campaigned against earmarks – in fact, you said you would ban them – and for transparency and accountability. Veto it, or stand exposed as just another in the long line of politicians who were happy to tell the voters what they wanted to hear in order to get elected, only to be exposed as a liar once they took office.

I’d love to have you prove me wrong. But I’m not holding my breath.

Thanks for listening.