Local DUers: COMPARE NOTES -- Did your Congressman vote to "reform" Social Security?

[Leopolds Ghost]

Here in the DC area:

Chris Van Hollen (who represents most of the Democratic policymakers in the DC area) voted for the bill.

He is widely considered an up-and-coming figure in the party, a bagman who inherited the post
and is beloved by his wealthy constituents for his claims to represent the progressive values
of urban Blue America, much like Pelosi.

Moran (who represents liberals in the urban parts of Northern Virginia) voted against it. He
is an older, liberal career politician who is often under attack by party insiders.

Donna Edwards (who represents the liberal majority-black eastern suburbs of DC) voted against it.
I've heard she is one of the more principled members of the Progressive Caucus, but have no idea.

How about your area?

[DURHAM D]

1. What bill is supposed to reform SS? nt

[TheWraith]

2. When did anyone vote on Social Security? Or is this more made-up imaginings? nt

[Leopolds Ghost]

7. Some of these replies are fascinating.

"Perhaps you are imagining things, Sam." --GERTY

?1253658940

[lordsummerisle]

3. What's a good site to see the voting results n/t

[Rabblevox]

4. Bill # and links, please. /nt

[Leopolds Ghost]

6. For House Vote breakdown, see THIS thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1638222&mesg_id=1638390

[JDPriestly]

5. My representative, Xavier Becerra voted for it.

And I e-mailed to thank him for his vote.

[Leopolds Ghost]

8. So I take it the majority of Democrats outside of DU support this vote and view it as Progressive.

Or they think liberals are a bunch of crazies and merely dislike the Republicans worse, take your pick.

[arendt]

9. The roll call of house dems was 95-95..

and that happened after they saw it was going to pass.

Contrary to your assertion, the House Dems were deadlocked on this. The Rich-man's Senate of course, had no problem looting the people.

[Leopolds Ghost]

10. No, I'm talking about the average, uninformed voter who claims to be Progressive.

Most of them get all their news from PBS or CNN and think that is the "ultra liberal" perspective and that they are supposed to take it with a grain of salt. After all, their jobs depend on them being sensible people, unlike those wacky liberals in Washington right?

Many DUers have relatives of this sort who will believe this and will defend the Social Security cuts and introduction of individual retirement accounts after they've been made, because "something had to be done and Obama did it" and a vocal minority of DUers (many of whom claim to represent the moral majority of Democrats) feel this way about any such proposal. Why they spend all their time on DU when they feel that way, I leave up to you to figure out. It's not like they EVER express frustration about Obama but tell us to stick with him, they actively lobby for his policies and deride the majority of DUers as ignorant fools who are too far left for America.

Remember, Obama has 70-80% support among self-described liberals for his anti-liberal policies. That's how uninformed most people are about civics.

[JDPriestly]

16. Explain to them that this deal is robbery.

The special group of members of Congress who will be designated to suggest further cuts will quietly propose cuts to Social Security and Medicare. It will be done almost in the dead of the night, almost in secret.

Most Democrats, the kinds you are talking about, won't hear it happened.

Unless we stay alert and make sure that they find out. That's our job here on DU.

Many of us are not particularly important voices on our own. But when we join together on DU we can do a lot of research and find out details that are never mentioned in the news.

Then we can take our information to our families and friends and educate them about what is going on.

This is a new kind of democracy. DU is what democracy really looks like.

You have to carry the facts to your friends, your neighbors and your family. Don't argue. Just discuss the facts.

The debt owed to the Social Security trust fund is a huge part of the debt. See the chart here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1628111

And not repaying that debt is a way of converting the Social Security FICA taxes into a regressive tax pouring revenue into the general fund.

The real horror of this is that it converts the FICA savings of the poor and middle class into general revenue taxes and makes our tax system even more regressive than it is. This is just an ugly, inhuman thing that is going on.

[Pigheaded]

20. Ask the next 20 people you see

What is DU?

Not a single one will know.

We are screwed!

CP

[JDPriestly]

14. The majority of Democrats outside DU just follow the leader

and don't know much about politics. Ignorance is the key to the lack of utter disgust in some people.

[Kat45]

11. Mine voted against the bill,

as did the reps from the nearby districts. (I'm in MA.)

[mmonk]

12. Most in my area voted against the bill with my rep being one.

I intend to make the effort to vote for him again if he hasn't been gerrymandered out with the new legislature.

[Rabblevox]

13. My evil cousin voted for the bill (serious business, Greg Walden, OR-2nd is my cousin)

I hope someday "Anonymous" exposes him for just what an evil fuck he is.

[Adsos Letter]

15. Solano County, CA

John Garamendi (D) Yea

George Miller (D) No

[Le Taz Hot]

17. Interesting split:

CA 19, Denham (R), voted "yes" as did CA-21 Costa (D-Sellout Blue Dog) but CA-20 Nunes (R) voted "no."

[MineralMan]

18. Betty MCollum, MN CD-4 voted against the bill.

She's my congresswoman.

[Liberalynn]

19. Our congressional "representative" is a puke who voted for it

I dislike him intensely.

He doesn't really "represent" me so I hate to even use that word in conjunction with him. I din't vote for him either. I voted for the Dem opponent. So no it is not my own fault, I didn't stay home, I voted.

I am so mad at Eric Massa for his actions. We had finally gotten a democrat in that seat, and then he pulled what he pulled, ensuring that we got stuck with a PUKE again. Oh well seperate topic.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

21. Donna Edwards doesn't only represent majority-black suburbs, she also

represents parts of wealthy Montgomery County, mostly middle to upper-class and very liberal (parts of Takoma Park, Long Branch, and University City). Her district is more liberal than Van Hollen's (my district)or Steny Hoyer's district. Both Van Hollen and Steny voted for the debt ceiling deal. Donna and Jim voted against. All essentially did the bidding of their districts, as they should.

Elijah Cummings essentially represents large swaths of Prince George's County, fairly liberal, majority-black district. He is reliably liberal, voted against, as he should.

[Buns_of_Fire]

22. My congresscritter voted "no" -- but I can't figure him out yet...

He's a rebubbalickin (that's two strikes against him right off the bat). He even signed Grover's pledge. But he's also been pro-choice. He just defeated a long-term conservadem (who basically had his nose up the coal companies' butts and who opposed HCR and any Public Option) for the seat.

Then you have that progressives were opposed. But then, so were teabaggers, for different reasons.

This is going to take some sorting out, to say the least.

[sinkingfeeling]

23. What bill are you talking about? The link is to the vote on the debt ceiling which did

not include anything about Social Security.

[CTyankee]

24. My rep is Rosa DeLauro and she voted against. But we live in the People's Republic

of New Haven, a pretty progressive city and she is of course in the Progressive Caucus. I haven't checked on the other members from around CT.

[flamingdem]

25. UNREC for the implication we should target Chris Van Hollen and other good dems

whose side are you on?

[socialist_n_TN]

26. Of course, Blue Dog that he is.........

Jim Cooper voted for it.