Jimbo the moderate

Some people here in the 3^rd Congressional District are fond of saying, boy, that Jimmy Ramstad! He sure is a moderate, middle-of-the road fella. Not like somma those extra-chromosome Republicans.

If you're one of those people, Spotty suggests you sit down before reading on.

Jimbo likes to play the moderate for the folks back home. For the upcoming election, Ramstad sounds, well, almost Wellstonian. Asked to identify their legislative priorities, here's what the two major party candidates had to say in an October 10^th story in the Star Tribune:

RAMSTAD:

One of his top priorities is passage of the Paul Wellstone Mental Health Equitable Treatment Act, stalled in Congress since 1997. [The next time you run into Ramstad, by the way, ask him to tell you, grasshopper, what he did to get the bill unstalled, and ask for proof.]

WILDE:

She lists as her top issues: The $8.5 trillion national debt, the environment, foreign relations, education and affordable housing.

But if Jimbo is a moderate, Spot's a bloodhound. Jimbo, just like Geoff Michel, is the Great Pretender. Ramstad has supported a number of congressional efforts to undermine democracy and destroy the separation of church and state. Let Spot mention just a couple of them boys and girls.

Federal Election Integrity Act of 2006. Right. This stinker would be an amendment to the Help America Vote (Republican) Act. It has only passed the House so far, with Jimbo providing his reliable 'aye.' This legislation requires a voter to produce a "government issued" photo ID to vote or register to vote. In 2010 and thereafter, only an ID issued after proof of citizenship will be sufficient.

How do you prove citizenship? Ordinarily with a birth certificate. Who do you think that will advantage? A lot of people don't drive or have the means or opportunity to get a birth certificate. Spotty got one some time ago to renew his passport, and it took several weeks. There is some provision in the bill to subsidize state expenses of issuing IDs to indigents, but it doesn't say anything about the expense of the birth certificate.

This is just a transparent attempt to disenfranchise poor people. It is a disgusting, low and mean. And entirely unnecessary. When you see him, boys and girls, ask Jimbo for all of the cases of voter fraud that were presented to the Congress that led him to support this anti-democratic trash. Then wait for the blank stare.

This isn't about election integrity, any more than the "tests" that used to be put to blacks requesting voter registration in the South. This is the opposite of election integrity and democracy. And there is a broad seam of racial bigotry in it, too.

Pledge Protection Act. Also passed by the House, with Jimbo's support, this one would deprive the courts of jurisdiction to decide the constitutionality of Pledge of Allegiance cases. The "destroy the separation of church and state" crowd is worried, of course, about the "under God" language in the pledge. This is one of at least a few initiatives to destroy court jurisdiction over First Amendment issues.

There are more, but Spot will save them for later posts. Stay tuned.

Tag: Jim Ramstad