First, he called out Senator Marco Rubio for voting against the Sandy Relief act that recently passed in the House and Senate. What's even more offensive is that Senator Rubio had the nerve to travel to New York recently for his own fundraising events, but he voted against aid to New York. He not only singled out Senator Rubio, but he pointed out how most Republicans in the House and Senate voted against the bill. What is so shocking about this is that many of the senators and representatives that voted against the bill are from states who have needed relief from the federal government for disaster relief in recent history. Here is the breakdown:
The Senate
- 52 Democrats voted in favor of the bill, 0 voted against it, 1 did not vote.
- 9 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, 36 voted against it, 4 did not vote.
- 1 Independent voted in favor of the bill, 1 did not vote.
The House
- 192 Democrats voted in favor of the bill, 1 voted against it, 7 did not vote.
- 49 Republicans voted in favor of the bill, 179 voted against it.
Of the 36 Republican senators who voted against the bill, many have come from states who have had devastating hurricanes and needed federal aid in recent years. Senator Marco Rubio, of Florida, is one of them and we know how often Florida gets hit with hurricanes. Senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott of South Carolina voted against it, yet South Carolina has also needed federal aid for hurricane relief in recent years. Senators Jerry Moran and Pat Roberts of Kansas voted against it. Didn't Kansas recently need federal aid after being leveled by tornadoes?
On a positive note, Senator David Vitter of Louisiana voted in favor of the bill. I guess he doesn't suffer from short term memory loss and knows what it means to have his constituents in need of the basic necessities of life.
As for the House, the numbers are staggering. All of the Republican representatives from Kansas, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Tennessee and many of the Republican representatives from California, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Pennsylvania voted against the bill. It's interesting that coastal and gulf states and states in Tornado Alley would vote against such relief. As a resident of Los Angeles, I sure hope New York and New Jersey don't retaliate when California needs aid when the big one hits...because anyone who lives in earthquake territory knows, it's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when" the big earthquake hits.
Personally, I am highly offended by the Republican congress' overwhelming abandonment of New York and New Jersey. I grew up in Staten Island, NY, one of the hardest hit areas. My parents now live near the Jersey Shore, another area devastated by Sandy. My loved ones are all okay, but I have friends who lost their homes in Staten Island. The people of these affected areas are honest, hard-working, blue-collar people. They pay into the system and they deserve their government to be there for them when something tragic like this happens. These are not people that take from the government on a regular basis. These are people who support themselves and their families.
Why did the House and Senate Republicans feel it was okay to ignore the needs of Northeasterners when they jump to aid those in the South and Midwest. Is there a divide between the rural and urban areas? Is that divide so strong that spite overpowers moral conduct? Does our party take the northeast for granted as Congressman King suggested in his interview? Have we become a party of north vs. south, coastal states vs. inland states, big city vs. small town?
Another topic covered in Congressman King's interview was CPAC's failure to invite Chris Christie to the CPAC convention, because he asked for aid for his state. He called CPAC's snub of Governor Christie "a suicidal death wish." He pointed out that Christie is a successful, conservative, pro-life Republican governor who has balanced the budget and has a 74% approval rating in a blue state. He stated that if the Republican party doesn't think he's conservative enough, then the party is doomed to lose again in 2016. I couldn't agree more. This is why I started this blog. It was nice to hear a member of Congress agrees and is standing up to the extreme right that has hijacked our party.
Thanks for listening,
The Urban Republican
As for the House, the numbers are staggering. All of the Republican representatives from Kansas, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Tennessee and many of the Republican representatives from California, Florida, Louisiana, Texas, and Pennsylvania voted against the bill. It's interesting that coastal and gulf states and states in Tornado Alley would vote against such relief. As a resident of Los Angeles, I sure hope New York and New Jersey don't retaliate when California needs aid when the big one hits...because anyone who lives in earthquake territory knows, it's not a matter of "if", it's a matter of "when" the big earthquake hits.
Personally, I am highly offended by the Republican congress' overwhelming abandonment of New York and New Jersey. I grew up in Staten Island, NY, one of the hardest hit areas. My parents now live near the Jersey Shore, another area devastated by Sandy. My loved ones are all okay, but I have friends who lost their homes in Staten Island. The people of these affected areas are honest, hard-working, blue-collar people. They pay into the system and they deserve their government to be there for them when something tragic like this happens. These are not people that take from the government on a regular basis. These are people who support themselves and their families.
Why did the House and Senate Republicans feel it was okay to ignore the needs of Northeasterners when they jump to aid those in the South and Midwest. Is there a divide between the rural and urban areas? Is that divide so strong that spite overpowers moral conduct? Does our party take the northeast for granted as Congressman King suggested in his interview? Have we become a party of north vs. south, coastal states vs. inland states, big city vs. small town?
Another topic covered in Congressman King's interview was CPAC's failure to invite Chris Christie to the CPAC convention, because he asked for aid for his state. He called CPAC's snub of Governor Christie "a suicidal death wish." He pointed out that Christie is a successful, conservative, pro-life Republican governor who has balanced the budget and has a 74% approval rating in a blue state. He stated that if the Republican party doesn't think he's conservative enough, then the party is doomed to lose again in 2016. I couldn't agree more. This is why I started this blog. It was nice to hear a member of Congress agrees and is standing up to the extreme right that has hijacked our party.
Thanks for listening,
The Urban Republican
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