Goodlatte: the 6th District's Fool On the Hill

Yesterday the House Judiciary Committee was working an anti-abortion bill that may pass the House of Representatives but has almost zero chance to become law. Representative Bob Goodlatte took to the mike in support of the bill making a completely asinine statement. Bobblehead Bob said restricting abortion is good for the economy because "having a growing population and having new children brought into the world... ahh... is not harmful to job creation, it very much promotes job creation...."

Looking at the experience of other nations reveals no direct correlation between abortion laws, job creation, or unemployment.

If we apply Bobblehead Bob's job creation logic into other legislative policy arenas, perhaps our fool on the hill will support opening the borders to immigrants with small children who need daycare, pediatricians, teachers, and playgrounds.

The best job creation I can imagine would be for this mis-representative to retire (voluntarily or otherwise) so folks in the 6th District will have a voice of commonsense and reason in the people's house.

How will Bobblehead Bob vote?

Twin Sons of
Different Mothers

The vote on the CR that will reopen the United States Government and avoid default is on the floor as I type. What will Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte do? Vote for the good of his constituents and the American people or with his twin son from a different mother, Ted Cruz?

There is no winning choice for these clowns who held the American Government and people hostage for two weeks.

My prediction is that Bobblehead Bob will pussy out and vote "No." Why? Well all, or nearly all, Democrats will vote yes. They will be joined by a couple dozen common sense Republicans to forge a majority to get Americans back to work and short-circuit the GOP-engineered default. Our lovable Bobblehead Bob can vote "No" and cozy up with the tea partiers with full confidence that his vote won't matter.

How is that for courage? How is that for looking out for everyday Americans? How is that for representing constituents?

We should expect more of Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte, but unfortunately over the years he's torched those expectations along with many bridges.

Washington food fest

Even while the government is shut down and default threatens, lobbyists make sure they get want they want from their bought and paid for politicians. Guess who picks up the tab?

Tell your congressman and senators to represent us, because corruption is so unAmerican.

Goodlatte to furloughed workers: Let them eat BBQ

Bobblehead Bob...
overdosed on tea.

Bob Goodlatte is hosting a BBQ at the Rockingham County Fairgrounds this rainy Sunday afternoon. I thought about going and asking how he could be hosting a social event when so many federal workers are furloughed and when businesses and federal contractors throughout the 6th District are severely impacted. Shouldn't our congressman be in D.C. trying to figure out a way out of this Republican/tea party ignited mess?

But, prudence took over when I re-read the letter I recently received (a friend got an identical one) from him. It doesn't take a genius to understand that our representative lives in Republican La-La Land where all blame is heaped on Senate Democrats and President Obama. Bobblehead Bob failed to address a single point in my original communication to him. Apparently his staffers just scratched through the Boehner & Friends book of "Tea Party Talking Points" and cobbled together a generic letter to send to anyone who asked him to please drop unreasonable demands and end the shutdown while moving away from the brink of default.

Looking at the invitation I realized today is not a BBQ for constituents where our congressman would listen to all points of view. Nope, not even close - this is a campaign event (the RSVP goes to his campaign) that he'll use to pick pockets of adoring lemmings for his next election (once again breaking his term limit promise). Our congressman won't do any listening this afternoon. Instead, he'll be railing against our President and against any Democrat he can find while taking irresponsible positions to make sure he doesn't get challenged from the right. I could show up but my words would fall on deaf ears and I'd risk being run out on a rail.

Better to stay home and check out what prudent steps to take as Congress Attacks America. Then maybe I'll call some family and friends who are among the groups taking the brunt of this GOP shutdown and offer some empathy or maybe a meal. Then I'll do a little reading, maybe to reassure myself that, in spite of the group gathered at the fairgrounds, Americans as a whole are pretty much a practical, common sense people. Three-quarters of us know the current impasse is driven by Republicans. As one of the pollsters in the recent NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll noted,“These numbers lead to one inescapable conclusion: The Republicans are not tone deaf; they are stone deaf.”

Government is the enemy

"Government is the enemy

until you need a friend."

William Cohen, Republican Senator from Maine, 1996

Hey Bobblehead Bob, under current Republican leadership, government has become the enemy: of tourists and small business, of farmers, and indeed of all Americans.

Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte, it is long past time to represent your constituents. It is long past time to represent the American people. NOW is the time to sever your perverted subservience to the tea party terrorists.

INEQUALITY FOR ALL

INEQUALITY FOR ALL, the Robert Reich film about the exploding income gap in the United States, is on the big screen. It is playing in a number of major cities and will be opening at more locations, including the Regal Downtown Mall 6 in Charlottesville, VA within days. Hopefully other theaters in western Virginia, perhaps the Visulite in Staunton, will schedule it too.

INEQUALITY FOR ALL is currently playing at the E Street Cinema in our nation's capitol. General admission is $11.50 but, since he's not doing much of anything right now, maybe Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte can catch the bargain matinee for just $8.50! He might just learn a few shocking things about America the Beautiful (for some but not for all):

• The 10 richest men in America make more than the entire U.S. government housing budget.
• The poorest 47% of Americans have zero wealth.
• Out of 141 countries the United States ranks 4th in the highest degree of wealth inequality trailing only Russia, Ukraine, and Lebannon.

Reich advocates (and tells us how to get these things done) raising the minimum wage, giving workers a stronger voice, reforming Wall Street, fixing the tax system, investing in education, and getting the corruption of money out of politics.

Hey Bob, make it fun afternoon. Invite your obstructionist buddies Eric Cantor, Randy Forbes, Robert Hurt, Morgan Griffith, and Robert Wittman to join you. Enjoy a bitter tea party afterwards!

Blue Ridge Parkway closes during prime time

Every October the autumn leaves light up our mountains with stunning hues of reds, yellows, and oranges making this month one of the busiest (estimated to be an average of 70,000 per day) for the Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway. With the House Republicans holding America hostage and forcing a shutdown, many who love to visit those stunning national treasures will find themselves turned away at the gate.

The Blue Ridge Parkway announced that all park programs and events have been cancelled. Campers and visitors in lodges must vacate by 6:00 pm on October 3. It is lights out for those wishing to experience the beautiful fall colors on the parkway.

Oh well, people can see the colors in their own neighborhood or catch a glance from one of the I-64 overlooks on Afton Mountain. No lasting harm, no foul.

Not so fast - beyond missing the views and the experience of the great outdoors, there are real human consequences to the Blue Ridge Parkway closure:

• 195 Park Service employees are on furlough and an estimated 200 employees of concessionaires will lose their jobs forcing them to dip into savings or use credit cards to pay for food and mortgages;
• The Blue Ridge Parkway will lose approximately $450,000 per day in fees;
• Communities along the parkway, like Waynesboro and Roanoke, will see fewer visitors and small businesses (and their employees) catering to tourism will take an hit - it is estimated that losses along the 469 miles of parkway could total as much as $76 million per day;
• Because of reduced tourism there will be less Virginia sales, gas, and meals taxes collected.

Do the national math: 401 parks and other sites x 20,000 Park Service employees furloughed x how many (??) concessionaire jobs lost x lost tourist dollars in thousands of communities = a huge hit to the American economy. Could Republicans actually be gleeful that a rise in unemployment is a good thing since it might reflect in the President's poll numbers?

Now you may be saying "hey, the House sent a bill to fund the Park Service and exempt it from the shutdown." How convenient - cherry picking a few programs to appease constituents hoping to keep the heat off the politicians who are still collecting their paychecks. Nothing new about public "servants" serving their own interests first.

Bobblehead Bob
Listening to people or party?  

At the core of the shutdown are approximately 75-80 tea party wingnuts from safe (gerrymandered) districts who have little interest in the hard work of governing but a great passion for tearing down the people's government. Many looked forward to and encouraged a government shutdown. It seems that Speaker John Boehner and representatives like Bob Goodlatte lack the gonads to stand up to these terrorists thereby enablin the crazies in their own party. The inevitable result is a scruffy tail is wagging a mongrel dog known as the House of Representatives.

Tell Bob Goodlatte the GOP engineered shutdown is hurting people and communities in the 6th District. Tell Bob Goodlatte it is time to stop marching in lockstep with the party and put constituents first. Tell Bob Goodlatte a prolonged shutdown will undermine the national economic recovery. Tell Bob Goodlatte to join Rep. Scott Rigell (VA-02) and a growing number of Republicans who support passing a clean continuing resolution without unrelated stipulations.

I don't know where I'm a gonna go

With sincere apologies to Jimmy Buffett. Check out Jimmy performing Volcano in Jacksonville, January 2012.

Now I don't know

I don't know

I don't know where I'm a gonna go
When the tea party blow

Let me say now, I don't know

I don't know

I don't know where I'm a gonna go

When the capitol blow

Ground she's movin' under me

Tidal waves out on the sea

Sulfur smoke up in the sky

Pretty soon we learn to die

Let me hear ya now, I don't know

I don't know

I don't know where I'm a gonna go

When the U.S.A. blow

Now my girl quickly say to me

Mon you better watch your feet

Tea party bull shit come down soft and hot

You better pray for truth now or pray for truth not

Let me say now, I don't know

I don't know

I don't know where I'm a gonna go

When the tea party blow

"Mr. Utley"

No time to count what I'm worth
'
Cause I just left the planet Earth

Where I go, I hope there's rum

Not to worry, Mon soon come

Now I don't know

I don't know

I don't know where I'm a gonna go

When the GOP blow

One more now, I don't know

(Ah, he don't know)

I don't know

(He don't know, mon)

I don't know where I'm a gonna go

When the U.S.A. blow

But I don't want to land on no Speaker Boehner

Don't want to land near Ted Cruz

(No no no)

Don't want to land on no Bobblehead Bob

Don't want to see my country go low

(No no no)

Don't want to land in a closed National Park

Or anywhere in TexAss

(No no no)

Don't want to land in no Houston airport

Or the racist territory

(No no no)

Don't want to land in no Fox News swill

Don't want to land in the NRA

(No no no)

Don't want to land on no Bob Goodlatté

I got nothing more to say

I don't know

I don't know

I don't know where I'm a gonna go

When our economy blow

Just a one more, I don't know

(He don't know)

I don't know

(I don't know, man)

I don't know where I'm a gonna go

When our beloved country blow

when I blow, (hey)

when I blow (hey)

When I blow it smells
 BAD!!!

Augusta County needs data on nutrient pollution

The Augusta County Board of Supervisors is considering joining a nutrient monitoring program to get factual information on the amount of agricultural and non-point pollution entering the Middle and South rivers. This pollution, of course, travels downstream to other counties and eventually into the Chesapeake Bay.

The U.S. Geological Survey will provide equipment to monitor sediment, nitrogen, and phosphorus over a three year period. The EPA has assured officials that the program will be accepted in setting the watershed model for the Chesapeake Bay.

All sounds good, right? Free equipment and accurate data to drive future decisions. Well, some supervisors say not so fast. The hangup is the $85,000 annual cost to properly conduct the monitoring. One member of the board, Larry Wills, is seeking state funding and/or cost sharing with downstream Rockingham County but apparently he has come up dry so far.

Even Rep. Bob Goodlatte seems to support a monitoring program because of the up-to-date data it will provide. But, in typical Bobblehead Bob talking out of both sides of his mouth fashion, he doesn't want the data to actually accomplish anything, saying the Chesapeake Bay model is flawed.

With a 2025 deadline approaching for Virginia's blueprint for cleaning up the Bay, we need all the data we can get to make accurate, scientific decisions. Yes, the Commonwealth should be picking up some or most of the tab for localities but even without that funding Augusta County should move forward now. Costs of monitoring and restoring our streams and rivers will only increase in the future and decision makers need quality information sooner rather than later. Plus, plenty of Augusta residents fish, swim, and canoe in these popular local rivers.

Perhaps Mr. Wills can explore the possibility of working with organizations that have trained volunteers to do the water monitoring to help trim some costs. Organizations like Friends of the Shenandoah River and Friends of Middle River have been doing just that for years.

Check out CCC's earlier posts on the South River and Middle River.

How a bill doesn't become law

Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte and his Republican cronies are responsible for one of the greatest do-nothing Congresses in American history. Jimmy Kimmel offers a contemporary take on the old School House Rock cartoon, How a Bill Becomes Law, as he lambasts our dysfunctional legislators.

Bobblehead Bob's pathway to nowhere

Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte and his Republican cronies in the House of Representatives harken back to the days of "just say NO! In this case, Goodlatte (VA-06), chair of the House Judiciary Committee, and most other Republicans are applying that phrase to immigration reforms and are not even willing to consider any path to citizenship for persons currently in the U.S. illegally.

The Senate recently passed bipartisan legislation that substantially beefs up border security (to the tune of some $6.5 billion per year) and includes a "pathway" to citizenship. The term "pathway" is a bit misleading as the Senate bill actually creates a long and winding road filled with obstacles on the way to citizenship. It would take 13 years and require, among other things, for an individual to pass a criminal background check, pay a fine for violating the law, learn English, and provide proof of pay taxes. Not exactly a pleasant walk on a park pathway.

Over in the House they only see two things for immigration reform - higher fences and more guns on the border. Unwilling to consider any means to attain citizenship, the GOP would create a permanent underclass of "illegals" living, working, and paying taxes in the United States. In that shadow existence they'd live in fear, in a permanent subclass, and in a degree of desperation - not exactly characteristics of a healthy community. Goodlatte and the other bobbleheads would make our cities and towns less safe, less productive, less caring, and less just while trampling on the American Dream for everyone.

A majority of the House of Representatives - Democrats plus the few common sense Republicans in that chamber - would probably support immigration reform similar to the Senate bill. But with a fractured Republican Party, a serious lack of leadership from Speaker Boehner and others, gerrymandered congressional districts, and shortsighted congressmen who think only of the next election there is a good chance that Bobblehead Bob's Judiciary Committee and the entire House will do absolutely nothing.

Doing nothing isn't exactly new for the House. Doing nothing is getting old and hurting our nation as we prepare to celebrate Independence Day. It is time for Bob Goodlatte's tired world view to take an exit to the 1950s. It is time for new representation for the good people of Virginia's Sixth District.

Bobblehead Bob and K Street

Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte takes his marching orders from the powerful firm of C & K -- Cantor and K Street. In the meantime the wishes of the people he "represents" gets swept under the carpet. Maybe you'd like to take part in the K Street 5K but you just can't get to D.C. Not to worry, there are ways you can help.



Happy St. Patrick's Day, Bobblehead Bob -- our representative is rollin' in the wrong kind of green.

Bobblehead Bob shoots craps

Does he ever listen
to constituents?

Communicating with Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte is like talking to a pumpkin head - you can see light in the eyes but know nobody is home (or even in the neighborhood). I'd written him about some reasonable ways to curb gun violence in America. His canned response didn't directly address my letter (did the staffer even read it?) and it may have actually been penned by some hatchling at the NRA.

Usually I condemn his drool and dribble to the trash bin and forget trying to communicate with the GOP drone, but this time I felt the issue was important enough to the children and law enforcement officers of our great nation to respond. Below is my less than articulate email composed in haste but not conviction. I hope he will read it here since I am sure my email will never escape the clutches of his staffer.

Dear Congressman Goodlatte:

I received your reply to my previous email about gun violence. There are some areas where we find ourselves in agreement. Violence in culture, inadequacies in our mental health system, and loopholes in current state and federal laws all need to be addressed. But, with all due respect, your response was inadequate and read like it might have been drafted by the NRA. It totally ignored the common element in these horrific events - guns! 

I am a gun owner. Neighbors and members of my family hunt and own rifles and shotguns. We are all law abiding citizens and want to preserve our right to keep and bear arms for legitimate self-protection and hunting purposes.

But, neither I nor members of my family can see a justification for allowing assault-style weapons with huge ammo clips on the streets where, even if legally purchased, they can fall into the wrong hands. These guns are designed to kill people in large numbers. Assault weapons are a dangerous threat to school children and police officers alike. A couple of years ago a spate of gun thefts in our area resulted in these weapons now being bought and sold in the criminal underground. 

We should have nationwide background checks for all sales, gifts and other ownership changes of guns. No exceptions. No internet sales. Stiff punishments for those who violate the law. There is nothing about background checks that threatens the 2nd Amendment rights of law abiding citizens.

None of our rights are without limits or responsibilities. Just as 1st Amendment freedom of expression is not unlimited in all situations and 4th Amendment protections against unreasonable search and seizure are continually redefined by courts because of changes in society and technology, the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms is subject to reasonable limits. I believe the measures I've described are among those that are both reasonable and have some prospect of saving American lives from an epidemic of gun violence. 

I hope to see your leadership as my representative and chair of the Judiciary Committee bringing forth meaningful legislation to address gun violence in America.

Will this guy ever retire as he promised he'd do? Will he ever act with courage rather than blind partisanship?

Shame on Bobblehead Bob

Shameless
Bobblehead Bob

Our own Bobblehead Bob Goodlatte is a prominent member of the Republican Hall of Shame for voting against Sandy relief. The 6th District's #1 Bobblehead offered a pitiful explanation for his opposition to the $9.7 billion to pay for flood insurance claims saying some of the money would "not reach victims" and there would "not be offsets from other areas of government spending." The hypocrite didn't have these concerns when he advocated for emergency drought relief crop assistance.

Bob's bobblehead continues dancing in the back window of the tea party wingnut sedan. What doesn't he understand about "we the people?" What doesn't he get about "we take care of our own?" Bobblehead Bob is one of the people Jon Stewart was referring to when he asked, "Who are these assholes?"

The Daily Show

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Bob has a chance to pull his head out of his rectum by voting yes on the remaining Sandy relief legislation that will be taken up by the House on January 15. We shouldn't hold our breath - I suspect Bob will still be gazing where the sun don't shine.

Open letter to Goodlatte, Warner, Kaine

December 14, 2012

Dear Congressman Goodlatte, Senator Warner, and Senator-elect Kaine:

How many more tragedies have to touch American families before Washington gets serious about gun violence? As we have seen, guns and crazy assholes transcend state lines. It is a national cancer that must be treated with national, bipartisan action. Now!

Your flock is watching,
Belle Rose

Bland white guy with glasses...

Colbert would have
roasted Bobblehead Bob

Over the years I'd hoped that Representative Bob Goodlatte would join Stephen Colbert for his Better Know a District segment. It would have been fun to hear the congressman describe Virginia's sprawling 6th District and see our area emblazoned in gold on the big board map of the U.S. The fightin' 6th - or not. I imagine we all knew that Bobblehead Bob's staff would never in a million years permit such a stunningly unequal match of personality and wit to grace our TV screens.

It isn't quite the same as an interview, but there was a little justice (pun intended) as Bobblehead Bob and 18 of his clones, a.k.a. the House Committee Chairmen, came under the intense scrutiny of Jon Stewart on last night's The Daily Show:

As Stewart points out, House Republicans chose their chairs based on its badly worn out but time-honored tradition of seniority. “So it’s seniority. "Let me get this straight. The party that hates the teachers union gives chairmanships based on tenure?” Stewart asked. 

Schmookler/Goodlatte "debate"

The incumbent, Bob Goodlatte, and his challenger, Andy Schmookler, met in their second debate this morning at Turner Ashby High School in Bridgewater, VA. Rain showers were passing through as folks arrived at the school. The parking lot and sidewalks were lined with yard signs for each man - both use a blue/white theme - in about equal numbers. Inside the auditorium some rows were set aside for area high school students invited to attend - Eastern Mennonite HS, Spotswood HS, and Broadway HS - in addition to Turner Asby HS students who helped organize the event. I'd say the auditorium was about 85% filled and, based on the applause at the end, roughly equally divided between Schmookler and Goodlatte supporters.

After sound checks and other preliminaries, the "debate" started on time. Yes, I guess it was a debate, but due to constraints of the rules and all of the questions being presented by student panelists from the various schools it was hardly a debate that shed much new light on issues. Each candidate gave opening and closing statements of three minutes in length. Questions were directed to candidates in an alternating fashion with a one minute answer, a two minute rebuttal, and a one minute rebuttal to the rebuttal. Not much time to delve into the questions with any depth! There were no followups nor could the candidates question each other. I applaud the students' presence and participation, but this format made it more a joint campaign appearance than a debate.

Goodlatte's opening statement sounded his theme for the day - promote jobs and the economy by cutting taxes and regulations and reducing the debt. In nearly each answer to every question Goodlatte returned to these themes even if it meant few specifics or dodging the essence of the question.

Schmookler's opening statement returned to his often repeated belief that dishonesty in politics and a government captured by the monied interests has damaged our government of, by, and for the people. He revisited these ideas as he talked about government's role in advancing social mobility, promoting equality, and supporting a strong middle class.

The student generated questions asked about the cost of higher education, Social Security, fracking and uranium mining in the commonwealth, defense spending, transportation, health care, and the Dream Act. Several of highlights from where my perch:

• Bob Goodlatte doesn't seem too supportive on much of a federal role to with the cost of higher education punting it mostly back on the institutions. Schmookler believes educational opportunity helps achieve the American Dream and upward social mobility.
• On Social Security Schmookler believes tweaking and adjusting the system will keep it viable for decades to come. Goodlatte did say he would not support privatization but most of his response was about the debt.
• Neither man addressed uranium mining but there was a clear difference on fracking with Goodlatte basically in the industry corner and Schmookler calling for an end to the Halliburton Exemption and (while responding to the next question on defense) pointing to Goodlatte as a climate change denier.
• Schmookler questioned why the U.S. spends as much as the rest of the world combined on defense. Goodlatte didn't seem overly interested in significant defense cuts but he used the opportunity to get a zinger in on entitlements.
• On transportation Goodlatte talked of "limited resources" and launched an attack on ObamaCare. Schmooker accused Goodlatte of voting against important transportation bills and said that, if elected, he'd understand the important difference between spending and investing - and he's support infrastructure investment as a way to create jobs now and a stronger country in the future.
• Schmookler accused Goodlatte and the GOP of dropping the ball and/or opposing heath care reform for the last quarter century. For his part the congressman only said that ObamaCare is a budget buster and he cited some examples of health legislation he'd supported.

One takeaway for me is that Andy Schmooker is a big thinker who does indeed transcend partisan politics. He sees and understands interconnections and causes and effects. Unfortunately, a "debate" such as this and political discourse in general is not conducive to discussing big ideas.

Bob Goodlatte spent considerable time, without saying it directly, of preempting criticism that he is a hyper-partisan member of Congress. On a number of occasions he bent over backwards (almost to the point of kissing his own butt) to talk about his bipartisan "creds." It sounded good but that was a hyper-imagination at work - there is good reason this blog has referred to him as Bobblehead Bob for a long time. On issue after issue he nods his agreement with his GOP puppet masters.

I was seated behind the area reserved for Goodlatte's family and close friends and the bobblehead thing must be dominant in the Republican gene pool - I smiled more than once as 4 or 5 of them would nod, in perfect synchronization, to Bob's talking points. Even more impressive was their ability to shake their heads in perfect choreography when Schmookler said something they didn't like. It put a bold accent on Schmookler's using the famous Will Rogers quote to emphasize his desire to work across party lines to find common ground, "I belong to no organized political party; I am a Democrat."

Schmookler/Goodlatte agree to debate schedule

Democratic challenger Andy Schmookler and Republican incumbent Bob Goodlatte have apparently agreed to debate three times in October:

• Saturday, October 13 at 1:30 pm at James Breckenridge Middle School in Roanoke County
• Monday, October 15 at 10:30 am at Turner Ashby High School near Bridgewater
• Tuesday, October 16 at 7:30 pm at Liberty University in Lynchburg

Bobblehead Bob has been dodging debates so it is good news that an actual debate schedule has been agreed upon even if it is compressed into just four days. Not yet known, and possibly not yet determined, are the length and format of the debates; will individual debates focus in certain issus; who will moderate each debate; how will questions be determined; and if there will be TV, radio, or internet broadcasts.

There may be an explanation, but the October 15 mid-morning timing seems a bit odd - difficult for working folks to attend and since that is a school day parking and just who gets in the auditorium might be problematic.

Goodlatte playing dodgeball

Nearly every week there is a news story or editorial about Bob Goodlatte dodging debates with Andy Schmookler in the Sixth Congressional District election. Goodlatte has survived for 10 terms by doing little, meeting with constituents... err, I mean Republicans... mostly in highly controlled events, and representing us even less. Bobblehead Bob must figure that is a good recipe for electoral success in 2012. Unfortunately, it is a bad concoction for good governance.

Bobblehead Bob's campaign says he will debate but they won't even talk about when, or where, or how many. To many observers it is clear he wants to run out the clock by playing it personally safe even as he makes a sham of participatory democracy.

Coarse Cracked Corn's
Top Ten Reasons Bob Goodlatte is a Debate Dodger

• The GOP is so strong in the the 6th District that he has grown lackadaisical by getting a pass in previous elections.
• His opponent is a smart guy who has a good chance of embarrassing the incumbent in front of voters.
• We may discover his voting record serves GOP masters more than his district.
• Andy Schmookler may be seen debating an empty chair.
• He choked on BBQ while talking to Joe "you lie" Wilson at a recent Republican gathering in Rockingham County.
• Karen Kwiatkowski might show up and ask a question exposing Bobblehead Bob as a fraud.
• Voters may discover he sips weak tea.
• He might be asked to justify his repeatedly broken promise to serve only six terms.
• He hasn’t had time to sit down with Boehner and Cantor to memorize his talking points.
• He might actually be forced to engage with all constituents.

I'll wager you have other reasons Bobblehead Bob is virtually invisible to all except GOP activists. Add them in the comments!

Lies, damn lies and Bob Goodlatte

His nose is growing!

Rep. Bob Goodlatte joins a growing Republican liars' chorus in his recent comments about President Barack Obama being anti-small business. Joined by his crony, Chris Saxman, Bobblehead Bob criticized the president for saying that small businesses owe their success to government.

Thing is, that is not what President Obama said.

Bobblehead Bob and the former delegate deceptively cherry picked President Obama's July 13 speech in Roanoke to make it sound like small businesses can't claim credit for their successes. I guess we might give Bob and Chris a pass - after all their primary source of "news" is probably Fox "News"and it was this propaganda mill that first perpetuated the big lie.

Here is what President Obama actually said with what Fox reported in italics:

[L]ook, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something -- there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there.

If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business -- you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.

The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don't do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires. 

So we say to ourselves, ever since the founding of this country, you know what, there are some things we do better together. That's how we funded the GI Bill. That's how we created the middle class. That's how we built the Golden Gate Bridge or the Hoover Dam. That's how we invented the Internet. That's how we sent a man to the moon. We rise or fall together as one nation and as one people, and that's the reason I'm running for President -- because I still believe in that idea. You're not on your own, we're in this together.

Fox, the Romney campaign, and Bobblehead Bob have so little good to say about GOP candidates, that they are left with a pitiful strategy of lies and intentional distortion. I guess ginning up some controversy is a good way to distract voters from Romney's foot-in-mouth "diplomacy" where he did everything from insulting America's best friend, to offending Palestinians, and eventually going way off  the GOP message by praising Israel's government controlled health care system.

On July 25, in a segment called "Do We Look Stupid? Don't Answer That," Jon Stewart skewered Fox, the Romney campaign, and all the wing nut talking heads for their willful manipulation of facts:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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If, like me, you are sick and tired of Bobblehead Bob either (1) avoiding issues (the last two times I contacted him I got a off-topic form letter response sending the strong message he doesn't give a whit about constituents' views), or (2) marching in lockstep with Republican lies, or (3) just being a crummy representative, you should know there is a better choice for Virginia's Sixth District. A choice who will listen and give you some straight talk for a change. A choice who really believes in "government of the people, by the people, for the people." That choice is Andy Schmookler.