25 years and ...nothing

Jim Tedisco’s lead in the 20^th district congressional race is down to a statistical dead heat. This in a district that has a 15 point Republican voter advantage over Democrats. Could it be that Tedisco, after 25 years in the minority, has no idea how to lead? Can it be that after 25 years of blaming the majority for all of the problems, he doesn’t actually have any solutions? Could it also be that his cupboard of accomplishments is actually bare? As I wrote on a previous post, his website still only contains under ‘accomplishments’ a bunch of legislation that he had nothing to do with passing? And that the big ticket items like real property tax reform, nothing has actually has come of it?

            The topic that is obviously been causing his candidacy to tank is the stimulus plan recently signed by Obama. Tedisco has consistently refused to reveal how he would have voted, had he been in office. This is political fence sitting at the worst. Every House Republican voted against the stimulus package, including 23rd district Congressman John McHugh. Of course, if he claims that he would have supported the stimulus package, and he’s elected, he has to face all of the congressional Republicans and explain why. And that would be real bad for his chances on getting on any good House committees, let alone any type of leadership post. And why would voters in the 20^th vote for someone who will not only be in the minority, but even the least powerful of the minority. The next pork he gets out of Washington will be a slab of bacon on a BLT. But, if he claims he’s against the stimulus, he’s going against the will of many of the people in his district. As much as taxpayers don’t want to see some screwball pork project, they do sure like that the stimulus package will keep school taxes and state taxes lower this year than they would have been. But, stonewalling is one thing. I think most people are realizing that he is just lying. Most people know in their hearts he would have voted against the stimulus package, and are turned off more by the fact that he is seemingly just making excuses as to why he hasn’t said what he would have done.

            Tedisco’s whole argument about not saying what he would have done is that ‘the legislation has been signed, their no use in taking  a stand on something all ready decided.  This gets me to thinking about other topics ‘Mr Tedisco, should abortion be outlawed’ – ‘That has been decided all ready by the courts’. Mr Tedisco, should we stay longer in Iraq?’ – ‘President Obama has all ready decided the timeline for withdrawal’ – ‘Mr Tedisco should we continue funding embryonic stem cell research?’ – “President Obama has all ready decided that we should. There’s nothing I can do about it, and I really shouldn’t give my opinion on it’. ‘Mr Tedisco, what do you think about letting the tax breaks from the Bush years expire on higher wage earning Americans’ – ‘Well, I’m not in Congress right now, so it wouldn’t be prudent of me to comment on a hypothetical, and if they did vote on this without me there, I shouldn’t be talking about something I didn’t vote on’

As a sitting assemblyman, his biggest asset, or so he claims, is what he has done on the record. As he continues to avoid taking a position on the greatest impactive  government package of our in our lifetime, what kind of Congressman would he make?