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.

From AL.com:

Last week, U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Huntsville, announced he had won in an appropriations bill $1 million to raise Church Street between Williams and Clinton avenues.

Steve Dinges, an assistant director in the Planning Department, said the idea is to raise Church Street similar to the way Monroe Street was raised a few years ago.

…

Construction for the bridge has not been scheduled. Bush said that “very rough” cost estimates range from $3 million to $3.5 million.

“We’ll find a way to get it done” if the city gets the $1 million Cramer announced, Fanning said.

The money for the Church Street bridge and other projects is included in a 2008 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill adopted by conference committee members from the U.S. House and Senate, Cramer said.

The bill now must be approved by both houses and signed by the president.

Cramer said the bill also includes:

$1.25 million for the parking garage the city plans to build at Lincoln and Green streets and Holmes Avenue.

$750,000 for widening of Winchester Road from Old Dominion Circle to Naugher Road.

$500,000 for improvements to Wall-Triana Highway.

Next time you hear or read a story about how the federal government doesn’t have enough money to maintain bridges and other infrastructure on interstates just remember this article (and I’m sure identical ones in every congressional district).  Every project Cramer listed falls under the purview of the state or local municipality and are not federal concerns.

The Church Street bridge would doubtlessly be a fine and useful structure.  In fact I take the family to Big Spring Park frequently and walk across often busy Church Street.  But if the crossing is deemed dangerous then it should be up to the city, and the city alone, to resolve the situation.  It is most certainly is not a federal concern.  Moreover, the current street serves its intended purpose quite well - its not like this is a bridge intended to replace a deteriorating, dilapidated road.  If federal dollars for infrastructure maintenance are so tight that some think tax increases are necessary then maybe the federal government shouldn’t be funding unnecessary pork projects just so legislators can get some free, positive press.

The Tuscaloosa News criticized Alabama’s congressional delegation for voting against a bill that would have made it illegal for an employer “to fail or refuse to hire or to discharge any individual, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions or privileges of employment of the individual, because of such individual’s actual or perceived sexual orientation.”

The News specifically called out Alabama’s two Democrats, Artur Davis and Bud Cramer, while stating that it expected such votes from the Republicans.  They called it a “bow to bigotry.”

I have a different take.  We live in a free country.  That freedom includes the right to discriminate against others.  No one has a Constitutionally protected right to work a particular job and the federal government has no place telling private employers who they may or may not hire.  I don’t personally agree with such discrimination, but I’m confident that market forces will punish offenders over time without any government intervention.

So-called “progressives,” which are simply socialists without the gumption to properly label themselves, are looking to purify the ranks of the Democrat Party by attacking some of their own members whom they feel are not “progressive” enough.  Included on the hit list is north Alabama’s very own Bud Cramer.

Personally, I think that such actions are beyond foolish.  Cramer has emplaced himself for well over a decade in this moderately conservative district by largely voting near the center.  If “progressives” propped up up a far left challenger who happened to defeat him in the primary they would likely face a humiliating defeat against any reasonably capable Republican, or even an independent Cramer, in the general election.  Think Ned Lamont.

At least one “progressive” Alabama blogger is not quite so hostile towards Cramer.  I do recommend reading the post, it is both very informative and very telling.  One line that jumped out at me was that Cramer was moderately “progressive” on fair taxation “even though he supports permanent elimination of the estate tax.”  Remember, “progressives” believe that what you work hard to earn essentially belongs to the government.  If you dare work harder than others and earn more than others then a “progressive” will jump up and demand that the government confiscate your assets.

Personally, I think Cramer will become more vulnerable the longer Democrats retain control in Congress.  It will simply be too hard for him to vote against left wing legislation that nearly cost him his seat in 1994.  If a Democrat wins the White House next year expect local Republicans to begin salivating because Cramer would really have to oppose the powers that be in order to avoid hanging himself as he faces a torrent of left wing legislation.

From AL.com:

The anti-tax advocacy group Club for Growth analyzed 50 recent House votes and ranked members on their opposition to earmarks for special local projects. Each amendment would have stripped one or more earmarks from various bills.

Calling it their RePORK Card, the group found only 16 members, all Republicans, who voted for all 50 amendments, a 100 percent rating. There were 105 members who scored 0 percent, voting against all 50 amendments.

There were no anti-pork crusaders in Alabama’s delegation, but there were a handful of interesting protest votes against small projects in California, huge projects in Pennsylvania and Alaska, and one each against lobsters and Christmas trees.

Three members scored goose eggs: Robert Aderholt, Bud Cramer and Mike Rogers. Aderholt, a Republican, and Cramer, a Democrat, are on the appropriations committee where earmarks are nearly sacred.

The 2007 RePORK Card can be read here.  Being a conservative group, the CFG takes great pains to point out how poorly the Democrats did.  I have a sneaking suspicion that Republicans would have ranked significantly lower over the last few years as they frittered away our tax dollars on all kinds of foolishness.  Not coincidently, the CFG only started their RePORK Card last year.

From the Madison County Record:

Thanks to a grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, families in Madison County will be better prepared for house fires.

U.S. Rep. Bud Cramer (D-Ala.) along with Madison County Commissioner Dale Strong and Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie visited the brand-new Legacy Elementary in Harvest Aug. 14 to announce that $300,000 had been granted to provide smoke detectors to homes throughout Madison County.

The Commission will use this funding to acquire 20,000 smoke detectors, which they will distribute to every kindergarten and first grade student in Madison County during “Fire Prevention Week” in October.

What an absolute waste of money.  96% of homes already have at least one smoke alarm.  That means that about 19,200 of those alarms will go to people who don’t need them.  With only 800 going to homes without smoke detectors that translates into a cost of $375 per needed smoke detector.  Nanny government at its finest.

This time they targeted the evil oil companies - you know, the ones that employ thousands of Americans and whose products are purchased everyday by Americans and others around the world.  Their cost basis for getting their product to market will increase if this bill becomes law, which means that you and I will pay more for gas and other petroleum products.  Just thank your local Democrat next time you fill up and you feel that pain in your wallet.  They really stuck it to the oil companies average Americans who eventually foot the bill.

The Alabama delegation was split along party lines with both Democrats (Cramer and Davis) voting for the tax hike and all Republicans opposing it.

I was just outside D.C. this past week on business and due to a slight change in my work schedule after I had booked my travel I found myself with a few spare hours on Friday morning.  I could have done some sightseeing or slept in, but I’ve seen most of the sights before and I’ll get all the sleep I need when I’m dead so I decided to be a good citizen and seek out my elected officials.  I actually found out about my free time a week early and was able to schedule a face-to-face meeting with my representative in the House, Bud Cramer.  I knew my time was short, so I didn’t try to schedule a meeting with Senators Jeff Sessions and Richard Shelby as well.

I arrived on the Hill a couple of hours before my meeting with Cramer was scheduled so I wandered between the various House and Senate office buildings in the slim hopes that I might be able to briefly talk with certain legislators.  Offices I stopped at included Jeff Sessions, John Linder, and Ron Paul.  I struck out on each and didn’t have time to visit Shelby’s as well.

I arrived a few minutes early for my meeting with Cramer and one of his staffers took me through the legislators’ underground transit system to a room that I believe was in the Capital, where Cramer was in a meeting.  He stepped out of his meeting and sat down with me for about twenty or twenty five minutes.  The topic du jour was the FairTax.  I’ve met with some of his senior staffers before about the FairTax, but this was my first opportunity to meet the big man himself.

I should say that it is easy to see how he has been reelected numerous times.  He comes across as an affable, sincere individual - he’s not the stereotypical slimy politician.  I personally don’t have any major qualms with his voting record.  He’s frequently shown the courage to break ranks with his party and vote on principle (principles I often agree with), which I personally find important.  I am, however, a strident supporter of the FairTax and I would like to see him share my opinion.

Our discussions were semi fruitful.  Simply agreeing to meet with me knowing that the FairTax would be the primary topic shows that he is interested in listening and engaging in dialog.  I didn’t get the opportunity to let him know that I write a blog (it all happened so fast!) so I’ll keep the particulars of the discussion outside of the public sphere.  I would not want to betray any confidentiality that may have been implicit since he likely assumed our conversation was private.  Suffice it to say that I thought it was a productive meeting, but I don’t expect him to sign up as a cosponsor in the near term.

I did enjoy the opportunity to talk with him and I’m quite appreciative that he took time out of his busy schedule to meet with me in person.  I would encourage fellow constituents to contact his office to arrange a meeting if you visit D.C.

Now for a little “small world” story.  My return flights took me from Dulles to Atlanta and then on to Huntsville.  The flight from Dulles to Atlanta was delayed a little over an hour due to weather (we were already on the tarmac, which was not terribly pleasant).  The flight was delayed just long enough to cause me to miss my connecting flight in Atlanta.  I secured a seat on the next flight, but had a little time to kill so I went to the food court in Terminal A.  As I was walking towards my restaurant of choice who do I see sitting by himself eating a chili dog?  Senator Jeff Sessions.

I typically try to be respectful of well known public officials and celebrities during my infrequent encounters with them in public.  I figure that they get hassled enough and don’t need to be accosted by yet another random person.  But I just had to walk up to the senator and introduce myself and shake his hand.  I figured that since I did take the effort to visit his D.C. office that same day that it wasn’t out of line to interrupt his solitary dinner for a couple of minutes.  As it turned out his flight from D.C. was also delayed long enough to cause him to miss a connecting flight.  He was very polite and I tried to make haste so that he could return to his peaceful meal.

So, I ended up getting to talk to two of my three legislators that day.  Not too bad.

Attention all politicians: the FairTax is becoming increasingly popular.  Look at what happened in the Georgia congressional district previously represented by Charlie Norwood, who died in February.

Poorly funded physician Paul Broun Jr. scored a shocking 50.4% victory over former state Sen. Jim Whitehead, the establishment’s consensus favorite. Columnist Robert Novak says Dr. Broun’s victory has “terrified those incumbent Republican House members who had thought themselves safe for re-election in 2008″ primaries.

Adopting the FairTax was one of Broun’s signature issues.  A former editorial page editor for the Augusta Chronicle said that Broun’s victory should be a “wake-up call” for the party’s establishment.

Personally, I think that if the GOP wants to retain the White House - and possibly win back some seats in Congress - they will have to promote big ideas that excite voters.  Democrats are touting their own big (and expensive) ideas, but so far none of the leading Republican candidates have carved out a platform embraced by their base.  The solution?  The FairTax.

Fred Thompson is optimally positioned to make the FairTax one of his key policy components.  Because he has delayed his formal announcement for so long he has created the perfect opportunity to make a splashy entrance replete with a concise list of goals that energizes the faithful.

Here in Alabama’s 5th congressional district longtime incumbent Bud Cramer is heavily favored to win another term next year.  However his only announced challenger, Ray McKee, is running with the stated goal of working to implement the FairTax.  McKee is a political outsider who only chose to enter the political fray because Rep. Cramer has refused to endorse or co-sponsor the FairTax.  Without the war chest and name recognition that Cramer enjoys McKee certainly faces an uphill battle, but candidates who support the FairTax have done well nationally and I can personally attest that many in north Alabama strongly support the bill.  We’ll see if he can make the race competitive - or if Cramer will decide to support the FairTax.

From The Hill:

Department of Labor Secretary Elaine Chao is criticizing a House vote that cuts funding for an agency that oversees union financial disclosures and is aimed at preventing union corruption.

The House effectively approved cuts to the budget for the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) late Tuesday night when it rejected an amendment from Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.) that would have restored the budget to its current level. Kline’s amendment was defeated 186-237 on a mostly party-line vote, with eight Democrats breaking ranks.

Labor unions are notoriously corrupt.  One can’t even hear the word Teamsters without thinking about persuasion through aggression.  The corruption fighting statistics for the OLMS speak for themselves.

Since 2001, OLMS investigations have increased by 20 percent, according to DoL, and convictions are up 26 percent. Courts have ordered the restitution of more than $70 million in union member dues that DoL says were stolen by union officials. OLMS also obtained 760 convictions of union officers and employees, according to information from DoL.

The Democrats with the good sense to vote for the Kline amendment include my own representative, Bud Cramer, as well as other conservative Democrats like Dan Boren (OK) - Boren is a FairTax co-sponsor, by the way - and Heath Shuler (NC).  The only member of Alabama’s congressional delegation to vote in favor of increased union corruption was Artur Davis.  Sizteen GOP members also voted against the increased funding.