Bud Cramer has responded to last week’s story about his extravagant spending habits of late.

Retiring U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer of Alabama says his recent campaign expenses on meals and travel were for political and district-related functions that the Federal Election Commission considers legitimate.

…

He said he also frequently hosts meals with civic and business groups to discuss issues in his district.

Among Cramer’s expenses was a $953 dinner at Ruth’s Chris - “one of several Ruth’s Chris outings.”

I’ll be in DC twice in the next month or so.  If any of Cramer’s staff happens to read this blog then consider this my request for a dinner at Ruth’s Chris at the congressman’s expense.  I promise that we can discuss issues in the district with others in my business group.

From AL.com:

Retiring Rep. Bud Cramer of Huntsville hinted Thursday that he might become a lobbyist after he leaves office in January.

In an interview with The Associated Press, the conservative Democrat said he has developed valuable relationships over his nearly 20 years in Washington and could take advantage of them to advocate for Alabama’s interests.

This is interesting.  During the Republican primary Cheryl Baswell Guthrie made a big deal about Wayne Parker being a lobbyist - even though none of his lobbying efforts were objectionable.  It didn’t help her gain any ground, but that won’t necessarily stop Parker Griffith from using the same tactic in the general election.  But with Cramer hinting he might become a lobbyist after leaving office its going to be awkward for Griffith to make such an argument.  He is basing his campaign on how great Cramer is and how he wants to walk in Bud’s shoes.  Griffith won’t be able to sling mud at Parker over lobbying without dirtying Cramer as well.

From the Associated Press:

U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer’s pending retirement hasn’t stopped him from spending thousands of campaign dollars on meals, gas, travel and other everyday expenses.

The Huntsville Democrat is still using campaign money to pay for a monthly Toyota car lease payment of $671.97, along with hundreds of dollars in gas and several car washes. Last month, the campaign paid $953.54 for a meal at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse in downtown Washington - one of several Ruth’s Chris outings - and $361.40 at Cafe Atlantico a few blocks away.

The campaign paid $3,108 for plane tickets and $304.73 for a Hilton hotel room in northern California’s wine country.

Must be nice.

I was poking through old campaign finance reports and found out Parker Griffith, the presumptive Democrat nominee for AL-05, previously contributed multiple times to Wayne Parker, the somewhat less presumptive Republican nominee for AL-05.  I’m guessing he isn’t going to be making a contribution this time.

According to OpenSecrets.org, in 1994 Griffith and his wife gave a total of $1,000 to Wayne Parker in his first bid to unseat Bud Cramer.  He also gave $250 to Parker’s Republican challenger, Hugh McInnish.  He did not contribute any money to Bud Cramer in that year.  That totaled $1,250 in the 1994 Congressional race - all to Republican candidates.

In 1995 - a non election year - Griffith donated $500 to Cramer and $500 to Sidney McDonald, a 1996 Republican candidate for U.S. Senate.

In the 1996 primary campaign Griffith gave another $250 to McDonald and $500 to Wayne Parker in his second bit to oust Cramer.  After the primary Griffith’s only contribution before the general election was $1,000 to Cramer.  He gave Cramer another $1,000 after the election.

In the 1998 election season Griffith was quite equitable, giving a total of $1,000 to both Cramer and his Republican opponent, Gilbert Monroe Aust, Jr.

Ever since the 1998 election Griffith has only given to Democrats and Democrat organizations, with the sole exception of $250 to Spencer Bachus in 2004.  Recipients included more conservative Democrats like Cramer, Harold Ford, Jr., Evan Bayh, and the Blue Dog PAC.  It also included notably less conservative Democrats like Harry Reid and Howard Dean.

Now it is not surprising to see a businessman hedge his bets and fund both opponents in an election.  It also isn’t surprising to see a member of a political party give primarily to his party.  What I did find interesting is that Griffith supported only Cramer’s opposition in 1994, notably a man Griffith may face in this year’s general election.  Clearly Griffith thought Wayne Parker was the best candidate for the House in 1994 - even better than the outgoing Cramer that Griffith now seems keen to emulate.  I don’t think it is a long trip out on the proverbial limb to assume that he does not think Parker is the best candidate this year, though.

Departing north Alabama congressman Bud Cramer has been praised by both Nancy Pelosi and Mike Hubbard.  You don’t see that happen every day.

Cramer is also being coy about who he might support.

U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer doesn’t expect to endorse a successor until after the June primary. And that endorsement, if he makes one, could go to a candidate from either party.

“I do not have a pick,” Cramer said on Friday, one day after he surprised political insiders with an announcement that he would not seek re-election after 18 years in Congress. “I’m going to wait and see.”

Also, additional names that have been mentioned as potential candidates include Huntsville attorney Stan McDonald (R), state Rep. Tammy Irons (D), state Rep. John Robinson, (D), Steve Raby (D), and even Ron Sparks (D).  You can follow the list on the Political Parlor’s AL-05 Big List.

One point I haven’t heard discussed much is how the higher positions on the ballot might affect this race.  For president John McCain should fare well here, with Redstone Arsenal being a huge chunk of the economy, due to his military background.  Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton will both be portrayed as far left liberals - and I think it will work here - and they will not have the military bona fides to court voters with affiliations to Redstone.  In the senate race Jeff Sessions is most certainly a lock and I seriously doubt that state Sen. Vivian Figures of Mobile will be a magnet for north Alabama Democrats at the polls.  Overall I think the shape of the top ballot races helps the eventual GOP nominee.

Here is my current prospective candidate ranking for replacing Bud Cramer based on very little thought.  I’m sure that I left off a few names on each side.  Let me know in the comments.

Republicans:

1. Mo Brooks - Seasoned veteran; will likely be the early odds on favorite if he decides to run.  Previously said there were “two million” reasons not to run.  Money will still be an issue, but he won’t have to fight the power of the incumbency as well.
2. Ray McKee - Single issue candidate advocating for the FairTax; has been actively making the rounds getting his name out for months. 
3. Dale Strong - If Brooks doesn’t run, then I would expect to see Dale toss his name in the hat.

Arthur Orr, who was mentioned as a possible replacement in a Huntsville Times article is a young, rising star in GOP, but according to his zip code he lives in the 4th CD, not the 5th.  I’m not aware of any big name Republicans from the east or west portions of the district.

Democrats:

1. Susan Parker - Seems to be the early favorite among Dems.
2. Parker Griffith - Age is an issue.
3. Tom Butler - Who knows, could put an “R” by his name.  Age also an issue.

I’d be a bit surprised if a hand picked successor on the Democrat side doesn’t surface quickly.  All indications are that Cramer’s announcement was a complete surprise, but surely he wouldn’t leave his party in the lurch.

Holy cow.

After 18 years in Congress, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer plans to step down as the representative of North Alabama.

As the surprising news spread among party officials this afternoon, Cramer sent an email announcing that he will not seek a 10th two-year term in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Should be quite a scrum to see who takes his place.  Ray McKee’s odds just went up a bit.

From AL.com:

The Congressional Management Foundation named the Web site of U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer a Gold Mouse Award winner.

The organization graded 618 congressional Web sites, including all House and Senate members, committees and official leadership sites and presented 36 Gold, 34 Silver and 34 Bronze Mouse awards.

The foundation cited Cramer’s “Constituent Services” section, “Frequently Asked Questions” page and “Featured Letter,” as well as its overall design and layout as top examples for other offices to implement.

You can visit Cramer’s site here.  The only other member of Alabama’s congressional delegation to be recognized was Robert Aderholt, who won a silver.  The full “Mouse Award” list can be seen here.

Tucked within the bloated omnibus spending bill recently passed by Congress and signed by President Bush were over 9,000 earmarks worth more than $7 billion. I took a few minutes to parse the list of earmarks provided by Sen. DeMint for all of the ones specific to Alabama and totaled them for all to see. The waste is profligate. Our tax dollars are being used to study catfish genetics, build a kitchen, and to renovate a theater just to name a few - and that is just in Alabama. The list also includes the recently announced project to tear up a perfectly good road in Huntsville and replace it with a bridge.

Senator Richard Shelby predictably led the pack with $27 million in earmarks. Sen. Jeff Sessions rang up a more svelte $3 million tally. The leading porkers in the house were Mike Rogers, Bud Cramer, and Robert Aderholt. Spencer Bachus, Terry Everett, and Artur Davis showed considerably more restraint with our money.

Remember folks, you just paid for their campaign advertisements!

A couple of days ago WVNN morning show host Dale Jackson hit on a key question about Bud Cramer (D), north Alabama’s U.S. congressman.  He pointed out that he frequently hears anti-Cramer comments from his presumably majority Republican audience, but he wanted callers to justify their opposition to Cramer.  I thought it was a very appropriate solicitation because from my perspective there just aren’t that many reasons for voters to oppose him other than the fact that he is a Democrat.

Cramer is among the most conservative of Democrats inside the Beltway.  He has shown significant autonomy in his voting record, often voting with Republicans on contested votes.  His position on tax issues has been largely commendable, but more on that later.  He isn’t a showy media whore like Chuck Shumer, always preening and demagoguing for the cameras.  His support of DoD and NASA on Redstone Arsenal has been significant and his considerable clout has most certainly benefited those operations.  And he is not bashful about bringing home the pork.  He has also been relentless in supporting his pet issue, helping abused children, which is both noble and popular.

Easily his most controversial vote - a vote to increase gun control - happened way back in 1994.  That vote nearly cost him his seat.  Since then he has consistently won by comfortable margins.  Some ardent Republicans contend that Cramer has recently cast anti-military votes, but that claim rings hollow based on Cramer’s obvious long term support of the military.

So, why oppose Cramer?  Give it your best shot.

Personally, I have one major beef with Cramer: his refusal to endorse and co-sponsor the FairTax.  There is broad support for the bill in his district and it fits in very nicely with his general philosophy on taxation.  I would guess that his refusal to get on board can be attributed a couple of things.  One, like most politicians he covets the power that the income tax offers him.  Two, he is hesitant to blatantly oppose Nancy Pelosi, who is rumored to have black listed the FairTax.

I’ll admit that the FairTax is my pet rock and I will likely vote for a challenger who supports the bill.  Fortunately there is such a candidate: Ray McKee.  If Cramer changes his tune then he’ll quickly get my unqualified endorsement.

I also take issue with Cramer’s propensity for pork, although he is no where near as shameless about it as our august senior senator.  But I probably share company with about four other people in the nation who oppose pork even when it comes to my neighborhood.  It’s not exactly an issue that will hurt him with many voters.

Other than those items I can’t find many positions of significant consequence that I disagree with him.

From what I’ve heard from local folks in the know, Republicans believe their best chance to unseat Cramer will come in 2010.  There is a pervasive belief within the party that a Democrat will take the White House in 2008.  If that happens there will be a torrent of liberal legislation flowing through Congress towards the waiting signature in the Oval Office.  Cramer will either have to really buck the party bosses - and face repercussions - or he’ll go along with much of the legislation and give would-be challengers ample opposition to use against him in 2010.

Update:  I intended to mention that the Alabama Line at Doc’s lists Cramer as a 1-12 favorite to be reelected in 2008.