DeGette 'Stems' the GOP Tide

After maintaining an uncharacteristically low profile for some time now, Congresswoman Diana DeGette is back in the national spotlight with her bill (along with Republican co-sponsor Mike Castle of Delaware) to lift restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research.

Ignoring President Bush's veto threat, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill Tuesday, 238-194, with the support of 50 Republicans who dared to defy Tom Delay, George Bush and, more importantly for them, Pat Robertson.

Hats off to DeGette for doing the right thing while picking a great issue to expose how beholden Bush and the GOP leadership in Congress are to the Pat Robertson wing of the party.  But their iron grip on the party is showing cracks, thanks to this issue.

Politically, I'm ecstatic Bush is going to veto the bill (but I'd prefer he didn't)!  When you look at the poll numbers, 63% favor embryonic stem-cell research while only 28% oppose it.

The contrast here is oh so yummy:  Dems are for medical and scientific research to find cures for difficult diseases affecting children and the elderly; the religious wing of the GOP -- through their leaders GWB and Pat Robertson -- opposes science in favor of religious dogma (except when they selectively misuse science to con us into thinking global warming is a myth and mercury from coal plants won't harm you).

Adult and umbilical stem cells cannot generate organs that could be critical in helping the sick and finding cures for a range of diseases.

DeGette's got a winner here, and she did some great outreach getting Republicans to support her bill.  Let's just hope the rest of the Democratic party can learn from her success in framing a great issue.

DeGette's been working on this issue for years, and getting it to the floor for a vote is a remarkable feat considering how opposed the GOP leadership is to the bill.  However, DeGette's bill would have gone nowhere if it was not for the significant help of a number of moderate Republicans like Castle.  In fact, it never would have gotten out of committee.

Of course, it also helps to have Nancy Reagan making phone calls to Republican members urging them to support the DeGette/Castle bill.  Obviously, without the help of key Republicans, and even some conservative ones like Duke Cunningham, DeGette's bill would have gone nowhere.

It's rare for Democrats to offer wedge issues that actually divide Republicans while accentuating the things Dems stand for.  Usually, Dems wander so long in policy-wonk-land they are virtually irrelevant to the every-day lives of average folks.  (Example:  rather than exposing how extreme Bush's blocked judicial picks are, the Dems in the Senate spent their time talking about procedure and comity in the Senate)

Because of the restrictions imposed by Bush/Robertson on stem-cell research in the U.S., scientists are fleeing the homeland to places like the U.K. to continue their work finding cures for diseases.  Even though Americans invented stem-cell research, we are well behind the rest of the world in this field.

Comments

[skibum]

DeGette really did a great job on this bill, although I would much rather Bush not veto it. We aren't running against GWB next time, and any Rethug's with tight '06 races can vote for it, with no real threat that there will be enough votes for an over-ride.

Having said that, this could hurt a few GOP'ers with tough '06 races coming up who won't dare piss off Dobson. Santorum in PA comes to mind; he has a very tough race against Casey, and suburban Philly could swing Casey on this issue, even though Casey is pro-life.

How did Beauprez vote on this? Could cause him primary issues if he voted for it, and general election issues if he voted against, although it's not likely to be a big issue in a gubernatorial race.

[Kenevan McConnon]

Every Republican member of the Colorado delegation that voted, voted against the bill. I think '06 will be about running against that corrupt weasel Delay and and out of control borrowing and spending in Republican controlled D.C. They just passed and signed a 2.6 trillion dollar budget and they are only expecting 1.85 trillion in revenues!

Colorado is getting screwed too. We only get .79 cents on every dollar we send to D.C. Only a few blue states do worse than we do.

Dobson Republicans are so worried about gay marriage and stopping science that they forget about the details of actually running a country. Intrusive, corrupt, fiscally insane and anti-science Republican government will be their undoing. It is the 21st century and the primitives need to get with the program. The vast majority of Americans are not interested in going back to the 1800s. Dobson Republicans, Islamists, and neocons are America hating freaks and they will lose.

[marshall]

Maybe Colorado would get more federal money if
Beauprez actually did his job instead of stroking his political ambitions. I wish Beauprez looked out for Colorado as well as he looks out for himself.

[ohwilleke]

Which GOP's are facing tough races in 2006?

Beauprez is getting out of Congress. Hefley, Musgrave and Tancredo have cake walks ahead of them. Allard isn't up until 2008 and may very well honor his commitment to step down after a limited term and give someone else (rehabilitated Bill Owens with his wife at his side?) a turn.

Diana DeGette herself has a safe seat, although an occassional win helps her ward of primary challenges like the one she faced from Ramona Martinez in 2000. The pathetic effort made to unseat Udall in 2004 shows how safe he will be in 2006, particularly when challenges know that if they wait until 2008 they can compete in an open seat when he runs for Senate as he has announced that he will (likely clearing the field by starting early).

The only Colorado incumbent in Congress who will have to fight for re-election in 2006 is John Salazar, and his record as one of the most moderate politicans in Congress is going to help him in the purple 3rd Congressional District.

[Kenevan McConnon]

I'm pretty sure Hefley is retiring or he just lose his ethics chairmanship under pressure from Delay.? Musgrave and Tancredo are beatable. Dean believes in the western stratedgy and there will be national money to help any viable Dem against Musgrave and Tancredo. If John Salazar can win the 3rd in '04, anything is possible.

Piss poor performance doesn't play in Colorado, Republican or Democrat. The current set of Republicans are looking pretty weak. The Republicans were turned out of the state house and Colorado's delegation to D.C. is going to be changing in '06.

[Ter Ducken]

Hefley is supposed to retire, but Dems are getting that seat. They won't get Tancredo's seat, either, because of the voter registration numbers. I think every other seat in Colorado is winnable for a Democrat.

[Phoenix Rising]

John Salazar won in an independent-minded, GOP-leaning district; in contrast, Hefley's seat we'll pry out from GOP hands if and when they run an unrepentent anti-military lunatic convict (at the rate the party's going, that might just be a possibility...). There's a difference in level; we'd need a star to put up against a GOP trash-heap for CD-5.

CD-6 could be a Dem win, but again only with the right circumstances - a huge budget and ethics scandal could do the trick with this more business-oriented crowd.

CD-4 is winnable - against moderate/left candidates, Musgrave continues to pull out narrow victories (count the Green candidate in with Matsunaka in '04 and see what I mean...).

[unnamed]

I think that CD 5 will be a cakewalk for Hefley or whoever runs there on the Republican side and there is no getting around that. CD 6 is about the same story, though not nearly as bad. Musgrave keeps digging herself into a hole that she may not get out of by 2006. She can be beaten. And CD 7 can go Dem

[VulgusVexamen]

Weel it seems I've stumbled upon the alien post page, cuz most posters here can't be from MY planet, Earth. Musgrave is a national hero to about 40% of the country, and will continue to win. Likewise for Tancredo.
You all sound like Mengele, with the stem cell thing - it's wrong to create life to kill it for ANY reason (or incentivize its destruction) regardless of polls.
We Dobson Republicans (and DeLay supporters)are what's keeping the US FROM barbarism!
Your amoral, immoral minority positions are why you will continue to lose elections. Don't get all high on yourselves because some rich libs blew millions on small-fry State races and won a few seats.
Thank God (and yes, He is a conservative) that we'll have a Republican Governor to veto your culture of death and radical gay agenda.

[unnamed]

I think that it is funny that a barbarian is talking on this site about the evils of barbarism. BTW, if Musgrave is a hero to about 40% of this country then that means that she is not a hero to about 60% of this country.

You guys really give Christianity a bad name. You use it to control people. Honestly a world after your rapture might be bliss for the rest of us no matter what happens because you people will be gone.

[marshall]

Oh please Pat Tillman was a hero and we can't even find out what really happened to him. Musgrave is a hack that continues to ignore her district and that is the reason she is vulnerable. The people of her district want someone that will actually solve the problems they face instead of ignoring them like Musgrave continues to do.

To say that you know God’s political leanings is pure heresy. If you truly do have a direct line to God then why don't you ask Him why Jesus doesn't mention homosexuality once in the Bible? If this is such a big transgression according to you and Dobson then why didn’t God have his only begotten Son to preach on that topic? Jesus mentions the poor, how we treat others and even keeping the Church and the Sabbath Holy (not sure how running a political organization in it classifies, kind of reminds me of the money changers operating in the Church). Why don't people like yourself worry about following the teachings of Jesus instead of corrupting Christianity with your Dobsonite cult?

Marshall

[Ter Ducken]

You say God is a conservative, but is he a registered Republican or Independent? Or is he registered as a Libertarian? If God is registered in Colorado, does he get to vote in every precinct, or does he have to declare residency somewhere? Does he have to show ID at the polls?

I make jokes here because for anyone to say that they know the political leanings of God is about as insiduous and silly a comment that I can think of.

[heavenly]

"Thank God (and yes, He is a conservative) that we'll have a Republican Governor to veto your culture of death and radical gay agenda."

Where to begin... God is neither Republican of Democrat instead he is God. Someone both Republicans and Democrats believe in, and some Republicans and Democrats don't believe in. Religion is meant to be something to bring people together. Instead you want God to be another point to pull people apart. It's ridiculous.

Secondly, our Republican govenor is so great!! Why because he cheated on his wife? Had a baby by someone else? Listens to the people and shows that he can be a people person? He shouldn't even call himself a Republican. Yah like most Republicans he believes that being gay is wrong and so on, but if your Republican God saw the way he treated his wife and family he would probably throw lightning down and strike him (his fellow Republican).

Give me a break.

[pacified]

Hey, don't argue with Frist--I mean Dobson--and all the wacko, theo-con, Fristians.

[Kenevan McConnon]

Christianity is not a buffet. No abortion, no gay marriage, Iraq war is good, death penalty is good, forgiveness is for pussies, and turning the other cheek is for wimps.

Dobson, Musgrave, Frist, Caplis, et al are not Christians. They just use it as a tool to obtain money and power. If they were Christians, they would have listened to the Pope and Jimmy Carter when they pointed out that the Iraq War was immoral and illegal. Those that have the most to be forgiven for, sing the loudest in church.

Stem cell research is good science. The primitives need to get off their power trip and look at their own spirituality. How is stem cell research immoral and the war in Iraq is not? How do you justify killing another using the death penalty? How is using a clump of cells in a petri dish murder. What would Jesus bomb?

Bush is the Antichrist and Dobson, Caplis et al are his minions of evil. Stop legislating morality and focus on your own spiritual development. Government is egalitarian; not exclusive. What a bunch of assholes!