OH-13: Being Class President Just Isn't Good Enough

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Being Class President Just Isn't Good Enough

Strongsville, Ohio - Class President. That's the reason Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Copley Township) told the Cleveland Plain Dealer editorial board she should be re-elected: she's her congressional class president. That, and she sits on the Ethics and Rules committees and she voted to raise the minimum wage. Here's why Sutton should not be re-elected:

The Ethics Committee. Democrats promised that the 110th Congress would be the most open and ethical Congress ever. So why, then, is Pelosi refusing to force ethically challenged Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) to step down as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee? Otherwise known as the tax-writing committee, Rangel is under an ethical cloud for failing to report to the IRS and the Clerk of the House at least $75,000 in income derived from luxury property in the Caribbean for which he received an interest-free loan. All of that has been confirmed by Rangel's attorney. This follows information that Rangel has been using four rent-controlled apartments in New York City, which is in violation of House rules, and state and federal laws.

The Rules Committee. Known as the Speaker's Committee, the Rules Committee determines the procedure by which bills are brought to a vote in the U.S. House. In the Democratic manifesto "A New Direction for America," Pelosi made this claim: "Bills should generally come to the floor under a procedure that allows open, full, and fair debate consisting of a full amendment process that grants the Minority the right to offer its alternative, including a substitute." But this is what has actually happened, thanks to Sutton's Rules Committee:
"Democrats are wielding a heavy hand on the House Rules Committee, committing many of the procedural sins for which they condemned Republicans during their 12 years in power. So far this year, Democrats have frequently prevented Republicans from offering amendments, limited debate in the committee and, just last week, maneuvered around chamber rules to protect a $23 million project for Rep. John P. Murtha (D-Pa.)." - "Dems Bend Rules, Break Pledge," The Politico, May 17, 2007

"But instead of allowing Republicans to fully participate in deliberations, as promised after the Democratic victory in the Nov. 7 midterm elections, Democrats now say they will use House rules to prevent the opposition from offering alternative measures, assuring speedy passage of the bills and allowing their party to trumpet early victories." - "Democrats to Start Without GOP Input," Washington Post, January 2, 2007

The Minimum Wage. A high-priority campaign pledge from Democrats but somehow, a company headquartered in Pelosi's San Francisco was exempt from having to pay it. An Investor's Business Daily editorial noted this:
"The minimum wage bill at the top of the Democrats' agenda was, in the words of Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, simply 'a matter of doing what's right, what's just and what's fair' - what's right, just and fair, that is, as long as employees affected don't work for a company in Pelosi's congressional district. The minimum wage bill passed by the House last week curiously exempts American Samoa, where thousands of people are employed in a packing plant owned by Del Monte Corp., parent of StarKist Tuna. Del Monte just happens to be headquartered in Pelosi's San Francisco." - "Blundered Hours," Investor's Business Daily Editorial, January 16, 2007

Class President. While this may give Sutton a nice talking point during editorial boards, can she point a single benefit this has given the 13th Congressional District? The U.S. House of Representatives isn't high school - you don't get extra points for being class president.

She's the class president for the Congress that has the lowest approval rating in history and she thinks that's a good reason to send her back... Ya gotta love the hubris of Ohio Democrats...