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David Dreier’s Epic Fail: Who’s Rubber Stamping Whom?
David Dreier was first elected to Congress in 1980, was the Chairman of the Rules Committee from 1999 to 2007 and was even in line for a time to be majority leader (oops!), yet on the biggest issue of the day -- the economic turmoil and the proposed taxpayer bailout -- the closest thing to a public statement David Dreier has made is a political one, an expression of support for John McCain's pathetic stunt yesterday.
"Senator McCain is absolutely correct that the crisis facing our economy needs urgent attention. I applaud his decision to suspend his campaign and return to Washington to work on a bipartisan solution on behalf of the American people.
Of course, he can't be honest with his constituents on the issue because then he'd have to admit that the current crisis in the markets is a direct result of precisely the policies he's been advocating for the last 28 years.
Just a few benchmarks along the way:
- In 1994, David Dreier earned 100% on The Competitive Enterprise Institute's Deregulation Scorecard (the only year they had such a scorecard.)
- In 1995, Dreier was instrumental in pushing for deregulation of the banking industry that ultimately came to pass with the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act (co-sponsored by McCain's Sec. of Treasury in waiting Phil Gramm)
- In 2001, David Dreier's American Success PAC, was named one of Enron's "favored federal PACs"
- According to Open Secrets, in 2004 and 2006, Fannie Mae donated thousands of dollars to David Dreier's re-election. In fact, Dreier is one of the favorite sons of the entire finance/real estate sector -- although things did drop off after he lost his chairmanship (hmm.) In 2008 Dreier's American Success PAC's largest PAC donor was The American Bankers Association and the sector as a whole donated more than two and a half times that of any other sector to Dreier this cycle (254k) although that's less than half of what they gave him back when he was in the majority (590k in 2005-05.)
- In May, 2008, David Dreier voted NO on Housing Foreclosure Assistance Programs that would have "increased oversight and regulation of housing-related government sponsored entities." Sound familiar?
This is, of course, merely a partial list of Dreier's complicity in the epic fail that we find ourselves in right now and I will continue to document the atrocities as I dig more deeply into it. But I do find it ironic that, as much of a Bush rubber stamp that Dreier is, having voted with Bush 93.6% of the time since 2001, in some ways, George Bush's presidency has actually been one big rubber stamp of David Dreier's de-regulatory policies.
by Todd Beeton • (0) Comments
Tell David Dreier To Deny The Deniers
David Dreier pretends to be a champion of renewable energies and a crusader for cheaper gas prices but the truth is, on the question of how best to use energy to reduce carbon emissions to reverse the effects of global warming, Dreier is, yet again, nothing but a Bush rubber stamp.
Nowhere on either his congressional nor his re-election website does Dreier even mention the phrase "global warming" or "climate change" but what he does advertise, right there on the front page of his house.gov website, is an award he is oh so proud to have received: "The Friend of the American Motorist" Award. If it sounds Bushian -- a la "Clean Skies" or "Healthy Forests" -- it is. Just look who gave him the award:
Congressman Dreier’s award is based on AFP’s “Freedom from Foreign Oil” scorecard which ranks lawmakers based on a composite score of eight roll call votes and co-sponsorship of three initiatives that would positively or negatively impact gas and energy prices. For more information, visit www.americansforprosperity.org.
Surprise! Americans For Prosperity, in the guise of a small government advocacy organization, is really just a front group for big oil. AFP is chaired by David Koch, billionaire owner of Koch Industries, which wikipedia describes as
a conglomerate with major oil and gas holdings that is the largest privately held company in the United States.
It follows then that, as a close inspection of their scorecard makes clear, AFP would reward members of congress for voting as follows:
- FOR opening ANWR to oil exploration
- AGAINST repealing tax breaks for oil companies
- AGAINST tax subsidies and incentives for alternative energies
- AGAINST holding oil companies accountable for price gouging at the pump
- AGAINST a cap and trade system for reducing carbon emissions
David Dreier earned a 100% from the AFP and, for that, received this "award" which is essentially just a cloak of political cover for members of congress who actually vote AGAINST the interests of the every day Americans concerned about the health of our planet AND the cost of gas at the pump.
Once again, Dreier pretending to be something he's not.
But what makes Dreier's acceptance of this award particularly gauling is that AFP doesn't even hide its true feelings on global warming. They are proud global warming deniers, traveling the country in a hot air balloon to decry the "global warming alarmists."
Climate alarmists have bombarded citizens with apocalyptic scenarios and pressured them into environmental political correctness. It’s time to tell the other side of the story.
Americans for Prosperity is working hard to bring you the missing half of the global warming debate. What will the impacts of reactionary legislation be for you, your family and our economy?
Join us at an event near you to learn more about climate alarmism and the looming Big Government "solutions."
Umm, as a wise man once and often says: "the debate is over."
But does David Dreier know it or does he, just like his buddies George W. Bush and Americans For Prosperity, think the jury is still out? Let's see. Will he renounce AFP and send back the award? Tell him to Deny the Deniers by signing our petition.
We'll be delivering the petition to him next week. If you'd like to exert additional pressure, call his office at (909) 575-6226.
by Todd Beeton • (1) Comments
Expose David Dreier’s Real Energy Record
Following George W. Bush's call to lift the ban on off-shore drilling, David Dreier has joined the "Drill Here! Drill Now!" chorus in congress ignoring the fact that Bush's own Department of Energy says the impact of any new drilling will be insignificant – promising only pennies per gallon a decade or two down the road.
In other words, it's all a scam, particularly considering Dreier's own record voting with Bush against the measures that congress has taken up to ease the price at the pump and help wean us off our dependence on fossil fuels.
Just this summer alone:
Dreier voted NO on the Consumer Energy Supply Act, H.R. 6578, which would have temporarily released almost 10 percent of the oil from the government's petroleum reserve.
Dreier voted NO on the Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands Act and on the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act, which would have encouraged oil companies to drill where they already have unused leases.
Dreier voted NO on The Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act which would have imposed strict penalties on companies that artificially inflate the price of gas.
Are you sick of David Dreier voting NO on real energy solutions while claiming that Drilling Here! Drilling Now! is going to solve all of our problems? And are you sick of people buying it? Join us in exposing the truth by writing a letter to the editor today.
All you'll need is at our Bush Rubber Stamp Letter to the Editor page.
by Todd Beeton • (0) Comments
Welcome Facebookers
Hi, all. Please take a look around. As you can see, we have a lot going on here including:
a list of Dreier's most egregious Bush rubber stamp votes
a compilation of articles and blog posts about Dreier
Please do sign up for continued updates from the Courage Campaign on our Dreier Bush rubber stamp campaign (way to the right of the page), don't forget to view our Bush rubber stamp ad and last but not least, join our Facebook group.
by Todd Beeton • (0) Comments
Dreier, Feeling the Heat, Uses Democrats to Spin Bush Rubber-Stamp Votes
Last week, David Dreier twisted some arms in the 26th district to get 9 local Democratic elected and business leaders to sign onto a letter endorsing him for congress. You can read a pdf of the letter HERE. The gist of why they're voting for him this year: they'd like us to believe that David Dreier is above the partisan fray.
Riiiiight. Let's take a look at this letter.
One of the problems facing our country is that so many elected officials back in Washington, D.C. put party loyalty ahead of problem solving. We see it on the news and read about it every day. Partisan attacks and party line votes persist while we miss opportunities for real solutions.
Congressman David Dreier is a different kind of leader.
Um, really? According to Congressional Quarterly (behind subscription firewall), David Dreier has voted with George W. Bush 93.6% of the time between 2001-2007. That includes 100% in 2001 and 2003. And even the San Gabriel Valley Tribune conceded that:
[Rep.] David Dreier...almost always vote[s] with fellow Republicans - more than 90 percent of the time in 2007.
Dreier is nothing BUT a partisan party line Republican. But the letter gets worse, going so far as to claim that Dreier's real priority is solving the 26th district's problems. If only.
What matters to David is that there are problems to solve and he is in a position to help. He knows that partisanship only stands in the way of progress - and he refuses to get caught up in it. [...]
David is exactly the kind of leader we need in Washington right now. He has the know-how to get things done. We are proud to support David in his campaign for Congress. His service and commitment to our communities will continue to benefit all of us in the district.
OK, let's take just one important issue to Americans: high gas prices. Most people would characterize that as a problem. So how has David Dreier voted to "solve" that problem and "get things done?" This year alone he's stood with George W Bush and the oil companies to oppose 6 bills designed to save consumers money at the pump and help wean us off our dependence on fossil fuels, including:
Dreier voted NO on the Consumer Energy Supply Act, H.R. 6578, which would have temporarily released almost 10 percent of the oil from the government's petroleum reserve.
Dreier voted NO on the Drill Responsibly in Leased Lands Act and on the Responsible Federal Oil and Gas Lease Act, which would have encouraged oil companies to drill where they already have unused leases.
Dreier voted NO on The Federal Price Gouging Prevention Act which would have imposed strict penalties on companies that artificially inflate the price of gas.
by Todd Beeton • (1) Comments