Oops, He Did It Again
by Holden Watch
In a written statement excerpted and published by the Pottsville Republican & Herald on the morning of November 7, 2009, Rep Tim Holden ""¦said he is for health care reform "" "the rising cost of it, the pre-existing conditions, the doughnut hole, all that needs to be addressed' - but he plans to vote against the current bill"¦"
Americans, including many in Holden's district, have made it clear that the reforms they want are simple. Congress should improve access to private insurance, reduce costs and expand choices.
So what actually happened later in the day on Saturday, November 7; how did Tim Holden vote; and what does it all mean for local constituents?
Six Roll Call votes were taken in the House concerning HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, alternately known as ObamaCare. ObamaCare is wildly unpopular in Central Pennsylvania, so Tim Holden's vote against the final bill was a foregone conclusion, a necessary act of political survival.
In addition to the final vote on the bill, three votes were taken to advance the bill for a floor vote. Two others were to amend the bill or replace it with an alternative bill.
You might think that a representative who claimed to have taken a principled position against a bill would stand on principle and oppose it at every opportunity, right?
Think again.
Tim Holden voted three times with Nancy Pelosi to advance the bill to a floor vote, including once against recommitting it to committee for reconsideration. We know that opposing leadership on these procedural votes is seen as an act of political disloyalty, but 15, 10 and 13 more-principled Democrats, respectively, had the guts to stand up to Mrs. Pelosi on these three votes. Tim Holden's name was not among them.
Once again, as he did earlier this year on cap-and-trade, Tim Holden voted FOR something before he voted against it. John Kerry is smiling. Cluelessness loves company.
What's more, Tim displayed his affliction with Holden Truth Inversion Syndrome. After telling the Pottsville paper what he wanted in a bill, Holden voted against the Boehner Amendment to HR 3962 which would have replaced it with a 200 page alternative bill that addressed all of the concerns Holden claimed to have with the original and at significantly less than 10 per cent of the cost of the Democrats' government-controlled 2000+ page power grab.
Tim Holden's almost feral instinct for self-preservation guides him. But political expediency is not an acceptable substitute for principle. Every time Holden makes that substitution, he cheats his constituents and he cheapens the office he holds.
Though we see his leadership on television and in the newspapers, Tim Holden is the face of the Democratic majority in our area.
There is a palpable sense of despair among many in a country and an economy run by Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and Barak Obama.
And there is despair here, too, where the government's face is Tim Holden's.