#Pat Tiberi

[afknows]

The House Committee on Ways and Means has the authority to request Trump’s taxes. Of the 24 Republicans on the committee, all but one voted no. All the Dems voted yes.

[maswartz]

Contact info for the Republicans who said Americans don’t care about Trump’s Taxes. Let’s tell them they do NOT speak for us.

[djbcadventures]

DJBC Tumblr Summer Flashback - Reynoldsburg July 4th Parade (2011)

For this Sunday Bonus, we’re going to the Reynoldsburg July 4th Parade.  2011 was the only time that DJBC Adventures went to the Parade, due to Parades being spread out throughout the weekend.

[am7news]

Trump blows up GOP's formula for winning House races

Trump blows up GOP’s formula for winning House races

The vote breakdown in Ohio’s special election this week amplified a trend that’s been building in the suburbs during the Trump era — and illustrated how the traditional Republican path to victory has been upended in key congressional districts. Deep suburban antipathy toward President Donald Trump has turned the old GOP electoral coalition inside-out in many areas in 2017 and 2018 — like Ohio’s…

[cnnnewsnetwork-blog]

Dems Look To Ohio For Another Election Upset

Dems Look To Ohio For Another Election Upset

CNN Paper: Democrats are hoping a special election this summer in Ohio will become the latest in a string of upset wins ahead of the midterms.

While Democrats admit they’re the underdogs in Ohio’s 12th District — left open by GOP Rep. Pat Tiberi’s surprise resignation in January — there’s optimism the party can mount another strong effort to flip a GOP House seat.

The district is the most…

[ustribunenews-blog]

House: New Bill Introduced by Pat Tiberi - "Broader Options for Americans ActTo amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow the premium tax credit with respect to unsubsidized COBRA continuation coverage."

House: New Bill Introduced by Pat Tiberi – “Broader Options for Americans ActTo amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow the premium tax credit with respect to unsubsidized COBRA continuation coverage.”

New bill introduced: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow the premium tax credit with respect to unsubsidized COBRA continuation coverage.

Republican Representative Pat Tiberi from the state of OH, without any cosponsors, introduced bill H.R.2579 on May 19, 2017. The bill is mainly related to these subjects Religion, Health care costs and insurance, Income tax credits, Health care…

[racingtoaredlight]

Opening Bell: October 20, 2017

The U.S. Senate voted on a nearly straight-party line vote to approve a budget bill which includes the first steps in a tax overhaul, one of the many legislative accomplishments sought both by Congressional Republicans the Trump White House. The sole Republican to vote against the bill was Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky). The bill closely matches a version agreed upon with House Republicans earlier this week, which means it will likely avoid lengthy negotiations in a conference committee. While the GOP-controlled House and Senate have failed to come together on other previous legislative priorities—the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court remains the only clear achievement which their caucus can point to—passage of this budget measure significantly increases the chances that Republicans will be able to send signature legislation to President Donald Trump’s desk before the end of the year.

Virginia and New Jersey share the distinction of having the first two gubernatorial elections in the year after a presidential election. They are often seen as a measure of how the citizens in the two states view the national political scene, including the party in power in the White House. New Jersey, which is weighed down by the deeply unpopular Republican incumbent Chris Christie—who is also term limited—is seen as definite Democratic pickup. Virginia, however, is a closer call. Current Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam is considered the favorite against Republican nominee Ed Gillespie, but polls have shown a surprisingly tight race, with low voter turnout considered likely. Virginia limits to its chief executive to one four-year term, and historically, has elected the opposite party to whoever is in the White House, a pattern broken when current Gov. Terry McAuliffe, a Democrat, was elected four years ago during Barack Obama’s second term. The election of Ralph Northam would reintroduce this historical pattern.

 In a surprise move, Rep. Pat Tiberi (R-OH) announced yesterday that he would resign his seat and leave Congress before the next election in 2018. Tiberi, a senior member of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, represents a solidly Republican district and was seen as either a candidate for future House leadership or as a challenger to Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in the next election. Instead, through his resignation, Tiberi is demonstrating a profound dissatisfaction with how business is conducted in Washington in general and in Congress in particular. Tiberi represents yet another resignation, something which political handicappers look for in the majority party as midterm elections loom; large-scale resignations and retirements can, but do not necessarily, presage large-scale losses for the party in power.

In the aftermath of the 2016 election, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) sought new leadership as it looked to recover from the shocking loss by Hillary Clinton to Donald Trump in the presidential election. Former chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz resigned during the campaign after alienating numerous factions within the party and was replaced by former Al Gore campaign manager Donna Brazile on an interim basis. After the election, Brazile stepped down and a faceoff between former Obama administration Labor Secretary Tom Perez and Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn) developed, with Perez representing the Democratic establishment and Ellison carrying the banner of progressivism and gaining the support of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). Perez ultimately prevailed, but immediately extended an olive branch by bringing on Ellison as Vice Chair of the party. This week, however, Perez purged several rivals in the upper echelons of the party in a move which is widely considered an attempt to consolidate his own position within the DNC.

The U.S. Army has halted the enlistment of legal residents—i.e. green card holders—into the Reserve and National Guard, while pausing the entry of such men and women into the basic training until a background check is complete. This is an abrupt departure from previous policy, which allowed immigrants and non-citizens to enlist in the military as a means to develop an attachment to the United States. There is problematic legal ground for this policy change, as U.S. law requires that the military accept the enlistment from certain territories. The policy, announced as a means to prevent infiltration of the U.S. military by foreign agents, also potentially dries up a previously fertile recruiting ground.

In Spain, the budding constitutional crisis between the central government in Madrid and the province of Catalonia grew in intensity. In the aftermath of a referendum in which 90% of voters approved an declaration of independence—albeit with voter turnout at less than half of the region’s eligible population—Catalonia’s regional government declared the validity of its independence, but then suspended it almost immediately as calls for a dialogue with the government of Prime Minister Mario Rajoy were instead emphasized. Instead, Rajoy ordered the Catalan government to disavow the call for independence and ordered the arrest or two provincial officials on charges of sedition. Rajoy has threatened to invoke Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which allows the central government to suspend the sovereignty of regional governments and rule them directly. As this article has ever been invoked, no one is sure of what form its application will take.

Quietly this week, Brazilian President Michel Temer, who himself took office only after his predecessor was impeached for charges of corruption, escaped similar charges when a congressional committee voted narrowly to reject submitting such charges to the national congress. Temer, whose popularity polls in the single digits, is now likely to remain in office as his case is no longer slated to be tried before Brazil’s supreme court. Temer, a conservative, took office when Dilma Rousseff, a progressive, was ousted for corruption just prior to the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio. Temer has instituted a number of policies which seek to retrench the populist, interventionist actions of his predecessor, thus contributing to his unpopularity.

Many international crisis think tanks identify the Baltic nations as the likely ignition point of a war between Russia and the West. Military policy and affairs blog War is Boring looks at NATO policy in the region in recent years and notes that, while NATO has a qualitative overall advantage over Russia, Moscow has a prominent conventional military advantage in that corner of Europe.

In 2014, former CIA employee Kevin Strouse ran as the Democratic nominee in Pennsylvania’s 8th Congressional District. Strouse ultimately lost to GOP Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick, and in the aftermath he wrote an informative, interesting, thought-provoking piece on why the skills of a CIA analyst do not translate to the campaign trail. A short read, but an interesting one. 

In March 2003, then Army Maj. Gen. David Petraeus was commanding the 101st Airborne Division as it advanced on Baghdad during the invasion of Iraq. At one point that month, while his division was stalled due to catastrophic sandstorms and the unexpected ferocity of attacks by irregular Iraqi militia, Petraeus openly mused “How does this end?” The thought-provoking questions—made all the more so by the intervening fourteen years—is examined by War is Boring in the context of how the U.S. military recovered in the years following Vietnam.

The Brookings Institution looks at how NAFTA affects American jobs and considers that leaving the trade agreement altogether will be distinctly worse for the American economy. That this analysis comes out at the same time that news from the renegotiation attempts is negative, is not a coincidence.

Foreign Policy looks at how Iran has a constrained, and yet distinctively active form of democracy. This view is not popular in the West, which prefers to view Iranian politics as dictated from on high by the ayatollah and his various executive councils who certify and decertify candidates. The truth, it seems, is somewhat more complex.

In Britain, pub dogs are apparently a thing. They range from guard dogs to companions of the owners and patrons. Here are some of Britain’s best pub dogs.

 Welcome to the weekend.

[jazzplusplus]

Woody Herman sur scène pendant la Grande Parade du Jazz de Nice en 1983. Avec notamment Pat Coil (p), Mark Vinci, Frank Tiberi, Jim Carroll (ts) et Mike Brignola (bs).

Photo Pascal Savelon.

[legmanns-moved]

REPRESENTATIVES THAT STILL ARE EITHER NEUTRAL OR FAIL TO SUPPORT NET NEUTRALITY, BY STATE

Hey! Do you still care about net neutrality? Great! Check out this list of politicians that are still allegedly not opposed to its removal, and contact them stating your concerns. I’m sorry that the list is so long. Also: If you want to see how much ISP’s donated to your rep, check here- https://www.theverge.com/2017/3/29/15100620/congress-fcc-isp-web-browsing-privacy-fire-sale

*If you need help finding your district, just google search your zip code and/or the town/city you live in, and add “congressional district”.

DELAWARE: None! Good job! PENNSYLVANIA:

Robert Brady (1st District) https://brady.house.gov/contact-me

Mike Kelly (3rd District) https://kelly.house.gov/contact-me

Scott Perry (4th District) https://perry.house.gov/contact/

Ryan Costello (6th District) https://costello.house.gov/contact

Patrick Meehan (7th District) https://meehan.house.gov/contact

Brian Fitzpatrick (8th District) https://fitzpatrick.house.gov/contact-me

Bill Shuster (9th District) http://shuster.house.gov/contact-bill/

Tom Marino (10th District) https://marino.house.gov/contact

Lou Barletta (11th District) https://barletta.house.gov/contact/email-me

Keith Rothfus (12th District) https://rothfus.house.gov/email-keith

Charlie Dent (15th District) https://dent.house.gov/contact

Lloyd Smucker (16th District) https://smucker.house.gov/contact

Pat Toomey (Senator, former rep of 15th district) https://www.toomey.senate.gov/#

NEW JERSEY:

Frank Lobiondo (2nd District) https://lobiondo.house.gov/contact-me

Tom MacArthur (3rd District) https://macarthur.house.gov/contact

Chris Smith (4th District) https://chrissmith.house.gov/contact

Josh Gottheimer (5th District) https://gottheimer.house.gov/contact

Leonard Lance (7th District) https://lance.house.gov/contact

Albio Sires (8th District) https://sires.house.gov/contact

Rodney Frelinghuysen (11th District) https://frelinghuysen.house.gov/contact-us/

Bob Menendez (Senator, former rep for 13th district) https://www.menendez.senate.gov/contact

GEORGIA:

Buddy Carter (1st District) https://buddycarter.house.gov/Contact

Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (2nd District) https://bishop.house.gov/contact

Drew Ferguson (3rd District) https://ferguson.house.gov/contact

Rob Woodall (7th District) https://woodall.house.gov/contact

Austin Scott (8th District) https://austinscott.house.gov/contact

Doug Collins (9th District) https://dougcollins.house.gov/contact-doug

Jody Hice (10th District) https://hice.house.gov/Contact/

Barry Loudermilk (11th District) https://loudermilk.house.gov/contact

Rick W. Allen (12th District) https://allen.house.gov/contact

David Scott (13th District) https://davidscott.house.gov/Contact/

Tom Graves (14th District) https://tomgraves.house.gov/contact/

Jonny Isakson (Sentator, former rep for 6th district) https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me

David Perdue (Senator) https://www.perdue.senate.gov/connect

CONNECTICUT:

John Himes (4th District) https://himes.house.gov/contact

MASSACHUSETTS:

None! Good job!

MARYLAND:

Elijah E. Cummings (7th District) https://cummings.house.gov/contact

SOUTH CAROLINA:

Mark Sanford (1st District) https://sanfordforms.house.gov/contact/

Joe Wilson (2nd District) https://joewilson.house.gov/contact/email-me

Jeff Duncan (3rd District) https://jeffduncan.house.gov

Trey Gowdy (4th District) https://gowdy.house.gov/contact

James E. Clyburn (6th District) https://clyburn.house.gov/contact-me

Tom Rice (7th District) https://rice.house.gov/contact/

Tim Scott (Senator) https://www.scott.senate.gov/contact

Lindsey Graham (Senator) https://www.lgraham.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

NEW HAMPSHIRE:

None! Good job!

VIRGINIA:

Rob Wittman (1st District) https://wittman.house.gov/contact/

Thomas Garrett (5th District) https://tomgarrett.house.gov/contact

Bob Goodlatte (6th District) https://goodlatte.house.gov/contact

Dave Brat (7th District) https://brat.house.gov/contact/

Morgan Griffith (9th District) https://morgangriffith.house.gov/contact/

Barbara Comstock (10th District) https://comstock.house.gov/contact

Tim Kaine (Senator, former Governor) https://www.kaine.senate.gov/contact

NEW YORK:

Lee Zeldin (1st District) https://zeldin.house.gov/contact

Pete King (2nd District) https://peteking.house.gov/contact

Gregory W. Meeks (5th District) https://meeks.house.gov/contact

Dan Donovan (11th District) https://donovan.house.gov/contact

John J. Faso (19th District) https://faso.house.gov/contact

Elise Stefanik (21st District) https://stefanik.house.gov/contact

Claudia Tenney (22nd District) https://tenney.house.gov/contact

Tom Reed (23rd District) https://reed.house.gov/contact

John Katko (24th District) https://katko.house.gov/contact/email

Chris Collins (27th District) https://chriscollins.house.gov/contact

NORTH CAROLINA:

G. K. Butterfield (1st District) https://butterfield.house.gov/contact/email-me

George Holding (2nd District) https://holding.house.gov/contact/get-in-touch.htm

Walter Jones (3rd District) https://jones.house.gov/contact-me

Virginia Foxx (5th District) https://foxx.house.gov/Contact

Mark Walker (6th District) https://walker.house.gov/contact

David Rouzer (7th District) https://rouzer.house.gov/contact

Richard Hudson (8th District) https://hudson.house.gov/contact-me/

Robert Pittenger (9th District) https://pittenger.house.gov/contact

Patrick McHenry (10th District) https://mchenry.house.gov/contact

Mark Meadows (11th District) https://meadows.house.gov/contact

Ted Budd (13th District) https://budd.house.gov/contact

Thom Tillis (Senator) https://www.tillis.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me

Richard Burr (Senator, former rep for 5th District) https://www.burr.senate.gov/contact/email

RHODE ISLAND:

None! Good job!

VERMONT: None! Good job!

KENTUCKY:

James Comer (1st District) https://comer.house.gov/contact

Brett Guthrie (2nd District) https://guthrie.house.gov/contact-brett/

Thomas Massie (4th District) http://massieforms.house.gov/contact/

Hal Rogers (5th District) https://halrogers.house.gov/contact-hal

Rand Paul (Senator) https://www.paul.senate.gov/connect/email-rand

Mitch McConnell (Senator) https://www.mcconnell.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactform

TENNESSEE:

Phil Roe, M.D. (1st District) https://roe.house.gov/Contact

John Duncan (2nd District) https://duncan.house.gov/contact

Chuck Fleischmann (3rd District) https://fleischmann.house.gov/contact

Scott Desjarlais (4th District) https://desjarlais.house.gov/contact/email-me

Diane Black (6th District) https://black.house.gov/contact

Marsha Blackburn (7th District) https://blackburn.house.gov/Contact

David Kustoff (8th District) https://kustoff.house.gov/contact

Lamar Alexander (Senator) https://www.alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Bob Corker (Senator) http://www.corker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactinformation

OHIO:

Steve Chabot (1st District) https://chabot.house.gov/contact

Brad Wenstrup (2nd District) https://wenstrup.house.gov/#

Joyce Beatty (3rd District) https://beatty.house.gov/contact

Jim Jordan (4th District) https://jordan.house.gov/Contact/

Bill Johnson (6th District) https://billjohnson.house.gov/Contact

Bob Gibbs (7th District) https://gibbs.house.gov/contact

Bob Latta (8th District) https://latta.house.gov/contact

Mike Turner (10th District) https://turner.house.gov/contact

Dave Joyce (14th District) https://joyce.house.gov/contact-me/

Steve Stivers (15th District) https://stivers.house.gov/Contact/

Jim Renacci (16th District) https://renacci.house.gov/index.cfm/contact

Rob Portman (Senator, former rep for 14th district) http://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Pat Tiberi (12th District) https://tiberi.house.gov/Contact

LOUISIANA:

Steve Scalise (1st District) https://scalise.house.gov/contact-me

Cedric Richmond (2nd District) https://richmond.house.gov/contact-cedric

Clay HIggins (3rd District) https://clayhiggins.house.gov/contact

Mike Johnson (4th District) https://mikejohnson.house.gov/contact

Ralph Abraham, M. D. (5th District) https://abraham.house.gov/contact

Garrett Graves (6th District) https://garretgraves.house.gov/contact

John Kennedy (Senator) https://www.kennedy.senate.gov/public/contact

Bill Cassidy, M. D. (Senator, former rep for 6th district) https://www.cassidy.senate.gov/contact

INDIANA:

Jackie Walorski (2nd District) https://walorski.house.gov/contact/

Jim Banks (3rd District) https://banks.house.gov/contact

Todd Rokita (4th District) https://rokita.house.gov/contact-me

Susan W. Brooks (5th District) https://susanwbrooks.house.gov/contact/email-me

Luke Messer (6th District) https://messer.house.gov/contact

Larry Bucshon, M. D. (8th District) https://bucshon.house.gov/contact

Trey Hollingsworth (9th District) https://hollingsworth.house.gov/contact

Todd Young (Senator, former rep for 9th district) https://www.young.senate.gov/contact

MISSISSIPPI:

Trent Kelly (1st District) https://trentkelly.house.gov/contact

Bennie G. Thompson (2nd District) https://benniethompson.house.gov/contact

Gregg Harper (3rd District) https://harper.house.gov/#

Steven Palazzo (4th District) https://palazzo.house.gov/contact

Roger Wicker (Senator, former rep of 1st district) https://www.wicker.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Thad Cochran (Senator, former rep of 4th district) http://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

ILLINOIS:

Bobby L. Rush (1st District) https://rush.house.gov/contact

Robin Kelly (2nd District) https://robinkelly.house.gov/contact

Luis V. Gutiérrez (4th District) http://gutierrezforms.house.gov/contact/

Peter Roskam (6th District) https://roskam.house.gov/contact

Mike Bost (12th District) https://bost.house.gov/contact

Rodney Davis (13th District) https://rodneydavis.house.gov/Contact/

Randy Hultgren (14th District) https://hultgren.house.gov/contact

John Shimkus (15th District) https://shimkus.house.gov/contact

Adam Kinzinger (16th District) https://kinzinger.house.gov/contact/

Darin LaHood (18th District) https://lahood.house.gov/contact

Dick Durbin (Senator) https://www.durbin.senate.gov/contact/

ALABAMA:

Bradley Byrne (1st District) https://byrne.house.gov/contact

Martha Roby (2nd District) https://roby.house.gov/contact

Mike Rogers (3rd District) https://mikerogers.house.gov/contact-mike

Robert B. Aderholt (4th District) https://aderholt.house.gov/contact-robert

Mo Brooks (5th District) https://brooks.house.gov/contact-me

Gary Palmer (6th District) https://palmer.house.gov/contact

Terri Sewell (7th District) https://sewell.house.gov/email-me

Luther Strange (Senator) https://www.strange.senate.gov/content/contact-senator

Richard Shelby (Senator, former rep for 7th district) https://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactsenatorshelby

MAINE:

Bruce Poliquin (2nd District) https://poliquin.house.gov/contact

MISSOURI:

Wm. Lacy Clay (1st District) https://lacyclay.house.gov/contact

Ann Wagner (2nd District) https://wagner.house.gov/contact

Blaine Luetkemeyer (3rd District) https://luetkemeyer.house.gov/Contact/

Vicky Hartzler (4th District) https://hartzler.house.gov/contact-me

Emanuel Cleaver, II (5th District) https://cleaver.house.gov/contact-me

Sam Graves (6th District) https://graves.house.gov/contact

Billy Long (7th District) https://long.house.gov/contact-billy/

Jason Smith (8th District) https://jasonsmith.house.gov/contact

Roy Blunt (Senator, former rep for 7th district) https://www.blunt.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-roy

ARKANSAS:

Rick Crawford (1st District) https://crawford.house.gov/contact

French Hill (2nd District) https://hill.house.gov/contact/email

Steve Womack (3rd District) https://womack.house.gov/Contact

Bruce Westerman (4th District) https://westerman.house.gov/contact

John Boozman (Senator, former rep of 3rd district) https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Tom Cotton (Senator, former rep of 4th district) https://www.cotton.senate.gov/?p=contact

MICHIGAN:

Jack Bergman (1st District) https://bergman.house.gov/contact

Bill Huizenga (2nd District) https://huizenga.house.gov/contact/

Justin Amash (3rd District) https://amash.house.gov/contact

John Moolenaar (4th District) https://moolenaar.house.gov/contact

Fred Upton (6th District) https://upton.house.gov/Contact

Tim Walberg (7th District) https://walberg.house.gov/contact

Mike Bishop (8th District) https://mikebishop.house.gov/contact

Paul Mitchell (10th District) https://mitchell.house.gov/contact

Dave Trott (11th District) https://trott.house.gov/contact

Gary Peters (Senator) https://www.peters.senate.gov/contact/email-gary

FLORIDA:

Matt Gaetz (1st District) https://gaetz.house.gov/contact

Neal Dunn (2nd District) https://dunn.house.gov/contact

Ted Yoho (3rd District) https://yoho.house.gov/contact

John Rutherford (4th District) https://rutherford.house.gov/contact

Al Lawson (5th District) https://lawson.house.gov/emailal

Ron Desantis (6th District) https://desantis.house.gov/contact

Stephanie Murphy (7th District) https://stephaniemurphy.house.gov/contact

Bill Posey (8th District) https://posey.house.gov/Contact/

Daniel Webster (11th District) https://webster.house.gov/email-me

Gus Bilirakis (12th District) https://bilirakis.house.gov/contact

Charlie Crist (13th District) https://crist.house.gov/contact

Dennis A. Ross (15th District) https://dennisross.house.gov/Contact/

Vern Buchanan (16th District) https://buchanan.house.gov/contact

Thomas J. Rooney (17th District) https://rooney.house.gov/contact

Brian Mast (18th District) https://mast.house.gov/contact

Francis Rooney (19th District) https://francisrooney.house.gov/contact

Alcee L. Hastings (20th District) https://alceehastings.house.gov/contact

Lois Frankel (21st District) https://frankel.house.gov/contact/

Frederica S. Wilson (24th District) https://wilson.house.gov/contact

Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District) https://mariodiazbalart.house.gov/contact-mario

Carlos Curbelo (26th District) https://curbelo.house.gov/contact/

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (27th District) https://ros-lehtinen.house.gov/contact-me

Marco Rubio (Senator) https://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

TEXAS:

Louie Gohmert (1st District) https://gohmert.house.gov/Contact/

Ted Poe (2nd District) https://poe.house.gov/connect

Sam Johnson (3rd District) https://samjohnson.house.gov/contact-me/

John Ratcliffe (4th District) https://ratcliffe.house.gov/contact

Jeb Hensarling (5th District) https://hensarlingforms.house.gov/contact/

John Culberson (7th District) https://culberson.house.gov/Contact/

Kevin Brady (8th District) https://kevinbrady.house.gov/contact

Michael McCaul (10th District) https://mccaul.house.gov/contact

Mike Conaway (11th District) https://conaway.house.gov/#

Kay Granger (12th District) https://kaygranger.house.gov/contact-kay

Mac Thornberry (13th District) https://thornberry.house.gov/contact

Randy Weber (14th District) https://weber.house.gov/contact

Bill Flores (17th District) https://flores.house.gov/contact/

Jodey Arrington (19th District) https://arrington.house.gov/contact

Joaquin Castro (20th District) https://castro.house.gov/contact

Lamar Smith (21st District) https://lamarsmith.house.gov/contact

Pete Olson (22nd District) https://olson.house.gov/contact-us

Will Hurt (23rd District) https://hurd.house.gov/contact

Kenny Marchant (24th District) https://marchant.house.gov/contact/

Roger Williams (25th District) https://williams.house.gov/contact

Dr. Michael C. Burgess (26th District) https://burgess.house.gov/contact

Blake Farenthold (27th District) https://farenthold.house.gov/contact/

Henry Cuellar (28th District) https://cuellar.house.gov/Contact

Gene Green (29th District) https://green.house.gov/contact

Eddie Bernice Johnson (30th District) https://ebjohnson.house.gov/contact

John Carter (31st District) https://carter.house.gov/email-john2/

Pete Sessions (32nd District) https://sessions.house.gov/contact

Marc Veasey (33rd District) https://veasey.house.gov/contact

Filemon Vela (34th District) https://vela.house.gov/contact

Brian Babin (36th District) https://babin.house.gov/Contact

Ted Cruz (Senator, Time Traveling Witch, etc. ) https://www.cruz.senate.gov/?p=email_senator

John Cornyn (Senator) https://www.cornyn.senate.gov/contact

IOWA:

Rod Blum (1st District) https://blum.house.gov/contact

David Young (3rd District) https://davidyoung.house.gov/contact

Steve King (4th District) https://steveking.house.gov/contact

Joni Ernst (Senator) https://www.ernst.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Chuck Grassley (Senator, former rep for 3rd District) https://www.grassley.senate.gov/contact

WISCONSIN:

Paul Ryan (1st District, Speaker of the House) https://www.speaker.gov/contact

Jim Sensenbrenner (5th District) https://sensenbrenner.house.gov/contact

Glenn Grothman (6th District) https://grothman.house.gov/contact

Sean Duffy (7th District) https://duffy.house.gov/contact

Mike Gallagher (8th District) https://gallagher.house.gov/contact

Ron Johnson (Senator) https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

CALIFORNIA:

Doug Lamalfa (1st District) https://lamalfa.house.gov/contact

Tom McClintock (4th District) https://mcclintock.house.gov/contact

Ami Bera, M.D (7th District) https://bera.house.gov/contact

Col. Paul Cook (8th District) https://cook.house.gov/contact

Jeff Denham (10th District) https://denham.house.gov/contact/

David G. Valadao (21st District) https://valadao.house.gov/Contact/

Devin Nunes (22nd District) https://nunes.house.gov/Contact/

Kevin McCarthy (23rd District) https://kevinmccarthy.house.gov/contact

Steve Knight (25th District) https://knight.house.gov/contact/

Julia Brownley (26th District) https://juliabrownley.house.gov/contact

Pete Aguilar (31st District) https://aguilar.house.gov/contact

Norma Torres (35th District) https://torres.house.gov/contact/email

Linda Sánchez (38th District) https://lindasanchez.house.gov/contact

Mimi Walters (45th District) https://walters.house.gov/contact

J. Luis Correa (46th District) https://correa.house.gov/contact

Dana Rohrabacher (48th District) https://rohrabacher.house.gov/contact/email-me

Darrell Issa (49th District) https://issa.house.gov/contact

Duncan Hunter (50th District) https://hunter.house.gov/contact-me

Juan Vargas (51st District) https://vargas.house.gov/contact

MINNESOTA:

Jason Lewis (2nd District) https://jasonlewis.house.gov/contact

Erik Paulsen (3rd District) https://paulsen.house.gov/contact-me

Tom Emmer (6th District) https://emmer.house.gov/contact

Collin C. Peterson (7th District) https://collinpeterson.house.gov/contact-me

OREGON:

Greg Walden (2nd District) https://walden.house.gov/contact-greg/email-me

KANSAS:

Roger Marshall (1st District) https://marshall.house.gov/contact

Lynn Jenkins (2nd District) https://lynnjenkins.house.gov/contact-me/

Kevin Yoder (3rd District) https://yoder.house.gov/contact

Ron Estes (4th District) https://estes.house.gov/contact

Pat Roberts (Senator) http://www.roberts.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=Contact

Jerry Moran (Senator) https://www.moran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/connect

WEST VIRGINIA:

David B. McKinley, P. E. (1st District) https://mckinley.house.gov/contact/

Alex Mooney (2nd District) https://mooney.house.gov/contact

Evan Jenkins (3rd District) https://evanjenkins.house.gov/contact

Joe Manchin (Senator, former Governor) https://www.manchin.senate.gov/contact-joe

Shelley Moore Capito (Senator, former rep for 2nd District) https://www.capito.senate.gov/contact/contact-shelley

NEVADA:

Mark Amodei (2nd District) https://amodei.house.gov/contact

Dean Heller (Senator, former rep for 2nd District) https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

NEBRASKA:

Don Bacon (2nd District) https://bacon.house.gov/contact

Adrian Smith (3rd District) https://adriansmith.house.gov/contact-me

Ben Sasse (Senator) https://www.sasse.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Deb Fischer (Senator) https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

COLORADO:

Scott Tipton (3rd District) https://tipton.house.gov/contact/email

Ken Buch (4th District) https://buck.house.gov/

Doug Lamborn (5th District) https://lamborn.house.gov/contact/

Cory Gardner (Senator) https://www.gardner.senate.gov/contact-cory/email-cory

NORTH DAKOTA:

Kevin Cramer (At-large District) https://cramer.house.gov/contact

John Hoeven (Senator) https://www.hoeven.senate.gov/contact

SOUTH DAKOTA:

Kristi Noem (At-large District) http://noem.house.gov/index.cfm/email-kristi

Mike Rounds (Senator) https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

John Thune (Senator) https://www.thune.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

MONTANA:

Steve Daines (Senator) https://www.daines.senate.gov/connect/email-steve

WASHINGTON:

Rick Larsen (2nd District) https://larsen.house.gov/contact-rick

Dan Newhouse (4th District) https://newhouse.house.gov/contact

Cathy McMorris Rodgers (5th District) https://mcmorris.house.gov/contact/

Dan Reichert (8th District) https://reichert.house.gov/contact-me

IDAHO:

Raúl Labrador (1st District) https://labrador.house.gov/contact-me/

Mike Simpson (2nd District) https://simpson.house.gov/contact/

Mike Crapo (Senator, former rep of 2nd District) https://www.crapo.senate.gov/contact

James E. Risch (Senator, former Liutenant Governor) https://www.risch.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

WYOMING:

Liz Cheney ( At-Large District) https://cheney.house.gov/contact

John Barrasso (Senator) https://www.barrasso.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

Mike Enzi (Senator) https://www.enzi.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

UTAH:

Rob Bishop (1st District) https://robbishop.house.gov/contact

Chris Stewart (2nd District) https://stewart.house.gov/contact

Mike Lee (Senator) https://www.lee.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

OKLAHOMA:

Jim Bridenstine (1st District) https://bridenstine.house.gov/contact

Markwayne Mullin (2nd District) https://mullin.house.gov/contact/

Frank Lucas (3rd District) https://lucas.house.gov/contact-me

Tom Cole (4th District) https://cole.house.gov/contact

Steve Russell (5th District) https://russell.house.gov/contact

James M. Inhofe (Senator, former rep for 1st District) https://www.inhofe.senate.gov/contact

James Lankford (Senator, former rep for 5th District) https://www.lankford.senate.gov/contact/email

NEW MEXICO:

Steve Pearce (2nd District) https://pearce.house.gov/contact-me

ARIZONA:

Martha McSally (2nd District) https://mcsally.house.gov/contact

Paul Gosar, D.D.S (4th District) https://gosar.house.gov/contact

Andy Biggs (5th District) https://biggs.house.gov/contact

David Schweikert (6th District) https://schweikert.house.gov/contact

Ruben Gallego (7th District) https://rubengallego.house.gov/contact

John McCain (Senator) https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

Jeff Flake (Senator) https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact

ALASKA:

Dan Sullivan (Senator) https://www.sullivan.senate.gov/contact

Lisa Murkowski (Senator) https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/contact/email

HAWAII:

None! Good job!

District of Columbia

None! Good job!

What should I say?

Good question, concerned reader. When writing to your representative/senator, speak from the heart. Explain how this issue could hypothetically negatively impact your part of the world (prices for stuff going up, possible reduced accessibility, small businesses not being able to compete with bigger ones, being able to definitely access schools’ online educational materials, LGBT+ kids who need support, etc. ), and if you’re 18 or older, do the thing that always works. Let them know you will not be voting for them these midterm elections if they can’t get their life together. Thank you for reading this.

[phroyd]

Here is a handy list of the names and office phone numbers of the #WallOfShame members

U.S. Representative Devin Nunes (CA-22)

Phone: (202) 225-2523

U.S. Representative Kevin Brady (TX-08) Phone: (202) 225-4901

U.S. Representative Sam Johnson (TX-03)

Phone: (202) 225-4201

U.S. Representative Pat Tiberi (OH-12)

Phone: (202) 225-5355

U.S. Representative Dave Reichert (WA-08)

Phone: (202) 225-7761

U.S. Representative Peter Roskam (IL-06)

Phone: (202) 225-4561

U.S. Representative Vern Buchanan (FL-16)

Phone: (202) 225-5015

U.S. Representative Adrian Smith (NE-03)

Phone: (202) 225-6435

U.S. Representative Lynn Jenkins (KS-02)

Phone: (202) 225-6601

U.S. Representative Erik Paulsen (MN-03)

Phone: (202) 225-2871

U.S. Representative Kenny Marchant (TX-24)

Phone: (202) 225-6605

U.S. Representative Diane Black (TN-06)

Phone: (202) 225-4231

U.S. Representative Tom Reed (NY-23)

Phone: (202) 225-3161

U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (PA-03)

Phone: (202) 225-5406

U.S. Representative Jim Renacci (OH-16)

Phone: (202) 225-3876

U.S. Representative Pat Meehan (PA-07)(resigned in disgrace)

U.S. Representative Kristi Noem (SD-AL)

Phone: (202) 225-2801

U.S. Representative George Holding (NC-02)

Phone: (202) 225-3032

U.S. Representative Jason Smith (MO-08)

Phone: (202) 225-4404

U.S. Representative Tom Rice (SC-07)

Phone: (202) 225-9895

U.S. Representative Dave Schweikert (AZ-06)

Phone: (202) 225-2190

U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski (IN-02)

Phone: (202) 225-3915

U.S. Representative Carlos Curbelo (FL-26)

Phone: (202) 225-2778

Bottomline folks, #NoTaxReturnsNoBallot is a win-win fight for Dems because it puts the GOP in the unenviable position of defending a public official(Trump) who promised to release his tax returns while campaigning but now chooses to hide them, even as questions about his corrupt business practices continue to pile up. Dem State Reps across the country must introduce bills like the one in Rhode Island so as to get Republicans go on the record with a vote to hide Trump’s tax returns–a vote for lack of transparency in government. Dems can rest assured that midterms 2018 voters will not be happy with pro-secrecy in government candidates–the GOPers hiding Trump’s tax returns.

Folks see if one of these #WallOfShame bums is your Rep in Congress and if they are, make sure to vote them out this Midterms 2018!!

Read All

Phroyd

[theliberaltony]

via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

When Ohio Republican Rep. Pat Tiberi announced in October 2017 that he would resign from the U.S. House of Representatives to become president of the Ohio Business Roundtable, Doug Jones and Conor Lamb were not yet household names, and Democrats had yet to flip a Republican-held seat in a special election. What a difference 10 months make. Ohio’s 12th Congressional District will finally elect Tiberi’s successor on Tuesday, and the race is following a very similar script to previous special elections.

1. The players

Just like in Georgia’s 6th District and Pennsylvania’s 18th District, Democrats in Ohio’s 12th District picked as their nominee a fresh-faced 30-something: Franklin County Recorder Danny O’Connor. And just like in Georgia and Pennsylvania, Republicans chose a 50-something veteran of state politics: state Sen. Troy Balderson.

Like his Democratic antecedents, O’Connor has outraised his opponent in campaign cash, deploying that advantage early on TV ads burnishing his centrist bona fides: He tied himself to Republican Gov. John Kasich and explicitly promised not to vote for Nancy Pelosi for speaker. (Although he may have given back some of that yardage on July 24 when he said on MSNBC that he would support “whoever the Democratic Party puts forward” instead of allowing Republican control of the House.) Meanwhile, in keeping with special–election tradition, some Republicans have anonymously complained about their candidate, although others have publicly embraced him: Kasich (albeit after some initial reticence) endorsed Balderson and cut an ad for him, and President Trump flew in Saturday for a rally.

As in past special elections, Republican super PACs have also come to their candidate’s aid; the top spender is the Congressional Leadership Fund at $3.2 million, and many of its ads have been negative. The good news for Republicans is that they have a sizable overall spending advantage — the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is the only progressive outside group that has spent more than $90,000 (investing $630,000).

2. The partisanship

Ohio’s 12th District is traditionally Republican. According to FiveThirtyEight’s partisan lean metric,1 it is 14 percentage points more Republican-leaning than the nation as a whole. But most districts (along with the one state) that have hosted federal special elections since Trump’s inauguration leaned strongly toward Republicans, and most of those races were decided by single digits. In other words, Democratic enthusiasm, Trump’s unpopularity and the normal mean-reversion tendency of midterm election cycles have transformed normally safe Republican seats into nail-biters.

How will Democrats perform in Ohio’s 12th District?

U.S. House and Senate special elections this cycle, by the seat’s partisan lean and final vote margin

Year Date Seat Partisan Lean Vote Margin Dem. Swing 2017 April 4 California 34th* D+69 D+87 +18 April 11 Kansas 4th R+29 R+6 +23 May 25 Montana at large R+21 R+6 +16 June 20 Georgia 6th R+9 R+4 +6 June 20 South Carolina 5th R+19 R+3 +16 Nov. 7 Utah 3rd R+35 R+32 +3 Dec. 12 Alabama Senate R+29 D+2 +31 2018 March 13 Pennsylvania 18th R+21 D+0.3 +22 April 24 Arizona 8th R+25 R+5 +20 June 30 Texas 27th* R+26 R+21 +5 Aug. 7 Ohio 12th R+14 ? ?

Partisan lean is the average difference between how the constituency voted and how the country voted overall in the last two presidential elections, with 2016 weighted 75 percent and 2012 weighted 25 percent.

* Results are from either an all-party primary or an all-party general election, both of which include multiple candidates of the same party; vote margin is the total vote share of all Democratic candidates combined minus the total vote share of all Republican candidates combined.

Sources: Daily Kos Elections, secretaries of state

Lo and behold, the special election in Ohio’s 12th has evolved into a toss-up race too, with perhaps a slight tilt toward Republicans. But this should come as no surprise: Since 2017, the margins of federal special elections have shifted leftward from their partisan leans by an average of 16 percentage points (calculated from the rightmost column in the table above). If Ohio holds an average special election on Tuesday, that would suggest a 2-point O’Connor win.2

3. The polling

An O’Connor win could very well happen, but it’s worth noting that the Democrat has led in only one poll of the race. An average of the four polls taken in the final two weeks of the campaign puts the race at Balderson 47 percent, O’Connor 45 percent.

The latest polls in Ohio’s 12th District show a close race

Start End Pollster Pop. O’Connor Balderson Margin 8/2 8/4 Emerson College LV 47% 46% D+1 7/26 7/31 Monmouth University* LV 45 47 R+2 7/27 7/29 Public Policy Polling^ V 44 48 R+4 7/23 7/25 GBA Strategies† LV 45 48 R+3 7/10 7/13 GBA Strategies† LV 43 48 R+5 6/13 6/16 JMC Analytics LV 35 46 R+11 6/9 6/12 GBA Strategies† LV 41 48 R+7 6/7 6/10 Monmouth University* LV 38 48 R+10

* Monmouth University polls are an average of three likely voter models: the “low turnout,” “standard midterm” and “Democratic surge” models.

^ Poll conducted for liberal group End Citizens United.

† Internal poll conducted for the O’Connor campaign.

V = voters; LV = likely voters

Democrats might make a few points to argue that their candidate will outperform the polls. They might point out that O’Connor has closed the gap significantly over the past couple of months. The implication there is that O’Connor will continue to surge — perhaps right into the lead — in the race’s final “poll” on election day. But as we’ve shown in the past, this concept of “momentum” in general-election polling is a myth. Democrats also might trot out early voting statistics, which appear favorable to O’Connor: As of July 26, 54 percent of early votes had been cast by Democrats compared with 31 percent by Republicans. But in Ohio, a voter “registers” for a political party by simply voting in that party’s primary election — an unreliable indicator for one’s true partisan feelings. Plus, the early vote is accounted for in polls, so we shouldn’t give it any weight above and beyond that. In fact, the decision to vote early may be correlated with other vote-deciding factors like enthusiasm, so the election day vote could look substantially different. As a result, early voting data has often led would-be predictors astray. (Remember this if and when O’Connor jumps out to a big lead in the initial returns Tuesday night.)

No, the best argument that Democrats have on their side is that polls of U.S. House races have high margins of error, and polls of special elections have margins of error that are higher still. If the polls say Balderson has a 3-point lead, then a realistic reading of their uncertainty would suggest that any outcome from O’Connor+10 to Balderson+16 is possible.3 This was elegantly demonstrated by Monmouth University in its last poll of the race. Monmouth modeled three possible electorates for the special election and arrived at a different outcome for each: one in which Balderson led by 5, one in which Balderson led by 1 and one in which O’Connor led by 1.

4. The political geography

If, as the polls suggest, O’Connor does fall short of Democrats’ 16-point average overperformance in special elections, demographics could be one reason why. Despite a (fading) narrative that affluent suburbia would sweep Democrats to victory in 2018, Democrats have actually overperformed the least in those types of districts in 2017-2018 special elections.4 By contrast, areas that swung hard for Trump in 2016 (compared with how they voted for Mitt Romney) have seen the biggest swings back to the Democratic Party.

The Ohio 12th is indeed characterized by affluent suburbia. Stretching north and east of the state capital of Columbus, the 12th District encompasses Ohio’s wealthiest county (Delaware) and well-to-do suburbs like Dublin and New Albany. It is the classic home of the country-club Republican: It has been represented in Congress by only two men since 1983:5 the business-friendly Tiberi and Kasich, the face of never-Trump Republicanism. The district is predominantly non-Hispanic white (86.3 percent); 39.6 percent of its population over age 25 has a bachelor’s degree or higher (compared with 30.3 percent of the U.S. as a whole); and it has a median household income of $66,774 ($11,452 higher than the national median).

But here’s the twist: Ohio’s 12th District is the rare piece of affluent suburbia that voted (slightly) more Republican in 2016 than it did in 2012. According to calculations by Daily Kos Elections, Trump carried the district 53 percent to 42 percent, and Mitt Romney carried it by 54 percent to 44 percent. That barely perceptible shift hid some serious movement beneath the surface:

Partisanship by county in Ohio’s 12th District

Comparing 2012 presidential results with 2016 presidential results

County 2012 Margin 2016 Margin Swing Delaware R+23 R+16 D+7 Franklin* D+3 D+19 D+16 Licking R+14 R+29 R+15 Marion* R+26 R+48 R+22 Morrow R+24 R+50 R+25 Muskingum* EVEN R+29 R+29 Richland* R+13 R+29 R+16 12th District total R+10 R+11 R+1

* Results are only for the part of the county in the 12th District.

Source: Daily Kos Elections

Suburban Delaware and Franklin counties, which together are home to a majority of voters in the 12th District and therefore weigh most heavily in the district’s overall demographics, did indeed shift away from Republicans with Trump on the ticket instead of Romney. But the five remaining counties that the 12th District covers (either in part or in full) shifted toward Trump much more dramatically, canceling out the swing of the former counties. Drive east from Columbus on I-70 and you’ll reach Zanesville’s Muskingum County, which saw a margin shift of 29 points toward the GOP in 2016; north on I-71, the district reaches as far as the county seat of Richland County (which shifted 16 points rightward in 2016), the old manufacturing city of Mansfield. These counties are home to the same white working-class and rural voters who swung Ohio from Obama+3 to Trump+8. Will they snap back to Democrats as sharply as their brethren in other special elections have done? If so, it might be enough to negate any smaller-than-average leftward shift coming out of stubbornly Republican Delaware County (which hasn’t voted Democratic in a presidential election since 1916).

Ultimately, we don’t really know from where O’Connor and Balderson will draw their strength: the suburbs or the outer counties. That can make it challenging to follow the results in real time (polls close on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Eastern), as it won’t be obvious who is doing better than expected. To help you along, we’ve calculated county benchmarks based on two different paths to victory in the 12th District: the 2012-based path (Democrats win the outer counties, Republicans win the suburbs) or the 2016-based path (Republicans win the outer counties, Democrats win the suburbs). The numbers below represent how we would expect each county to vote if the race were exactly tied districtwide. If the counties are voting more Democratic than their benchmarks, then O’Connor is on pace to win. If the counties are voting more Republican, then Balderson should start warming up his victory speech.

County benchmarks for Ohio’s 12th District

How each county might vote if the race were tied districtwide, according to two different voting patterns

County 2016 Vote Share 2012-Based Benchmark 2016-Based Benchmark Franklin* 32% D+13 D+30 Delaware 27 R+13 R+5 Licking 21 R+3 R+18 Richland* 8 R+2 R+17 Muskingum* 6 D+11 R+17 Morrow 4 R+14 R+38 Marion* 1 R+15 R+37

Benchmarks are based on two different paths to victory in the 12th District: the 2012-based path (Democrats win the outer counties, Republicans win the suburbs) or the 2016-based path (Republicans win the outer counties, Democrats win the suburbs).

* Benchmarks are only for the part of the county in the 12th District.

Source: Daily Kos Elections

As you can see, the big difference is Franklin County,6 which is home to a plurality of 12th District residents and is its only true blue terrain. Under the 2016 path to victory, O’Connor needs to really run up the score there to offset losses pretty much everywhere else in the district. But the 2012 path to victory allows him to merely win Franklin comfortably while also winning Muskingum and breaking roughly even in Licking and Richland.

5. The bottom line

We’ll repeat the same thing we’ve been saying for every special election: Pay attention to the final margin, not necessarily who wins. A 1-point win for Republicans would obviously be nice for Balderson, but such a bad performance relative to the district’s partisan lean would still bode poorly for overall Republican chances in November.

Thankfully, we may be past the point where pundits have massive overreactions to special elections. Midterm season is well upon us — Election Day is 13 weeks from today — and it seems like there’s a new poll released every day to feed the nonstop narratives. Those distractions will help put the 12th District result into proper context: an interesting data point, but still only one of many.

Dhrumil Mehta contributed research.

Check out all the polls we’ve been collecting ahead of the 2018 midterms.

[highwaydiamonds]

So, this is silly, but I'm irked that I got redistricted from one congressional district to another in the last few years.

For more years than I want to note, I was part of the district that is getting the big deal special election on Tuesday. And in all the time I've lived here, it's never been held by a Dem, not even closely contested.

The seat up for grabs was John Kasich's seat for 17 years, and following him, it was his chosen guy's (Pat Tiberi's) seat for another 17 years. This district has been red longer than I have been conscious of politics.

So, the fact that there is a tight race right now, instead of the usual "not even a ghost of a chance" for Dems, and I don't get to vote in this election is killing me! I want to vote in that election for O'Connor so badly I can taste it! He's not even as liberal a candidate as I would usually be excited about, but a Dem as a real possibility in OH-12... That's the stuff dreams are made of.

[vagabondretired]

So long suckers..... On Tuesday, Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent joined fellow Republicans Pat Tiberi and Jason Chaffetz in washing his hands of the mess his party’s made and leaving the rest of us to pick up the pieces. Dent announced that he’ll resign “in the coming weeks,” following in the footsteps of Tiberi, who bailed in January, and Chaffetz, who up and quit last June. These Republicans aren’t joining the Trump administration, caught up in a sexual misconduct scandal, or having health problems, which are all conventional reasons for leaving office early. Nope. They’re just bored of their responsibilities as elected members of Congress and are looking for a quick and easy way out. Chaffetz was the first out the door to become a contributor for Fox News. Tiberi took a cushy job with the Ohio Business Roundtable. And Dent has been in talks to become a TV pundit, too—an easier and higher-paying job than representing the people of Pennsylvania. Of course, they all could have waited until January of 2019 to do these things, but that would have meant putting their constituents needs’ ahead of their own. A record-setting number of Republicans are retiring this year, but at least the rest of the lot are taking the importance of their office seriously enough to see out their term. These three, though—who asked voters to place their trust in them for two years until the next election—are bailing because they don’t want to bother anymore. They leave their constituents without representation for months and leave their state with the bill for a special election. But that doesn’t matter because they’re not enjoying Washington. Instead, they’re taking their proverbial ball and going home to play a more lucrative game. Is it more embarrassing that Chaffetz couldn’t make it six months before quitting, or that Dent faced, at most, 75 more days of Congress being in session and decided he couldn’t bear it? Yes, Trump is a disaster and the GOP house caucus is a shitshow, but whose fault is that? Maybe instead of walking away from his duties, Dent could have spent his remaining time in office trying to fix things and holding Trump accountable. But of course that might endanger his comfortable golden parachute. And if we’ve learned anything about these three, it’s that their personal comfort comes first.

[go-redgirl]

Trump’s Last-Minute Rally Pushes Republican Balderson to Ohio Win lifezette.com ^ | August 7, 2018 Republican State Sen. Troy Balderson, 56, eked out a win in Tuesday’s down-to-the-wire special election to fill Ohio’s 12th congressional district after trailing Democrat Danny Lawyer much of the evening.

“I thank the thousands and thousands of volunteers who worked in this campaign and I want to thank President Trump and Vice President Pence and the big shoes without whom I would not have gotten through this process, Congressman Pat Tiberi,” said Balderson

(Excerpt) Read more at lifezette.com 

==================================================

INDIVIDUALS COMMENTS/POSTS

To: Helicondelta

Balderson needs to remember that HE OWES PRESIDENT TRUMP.

3 posted on 8/8/2018, 7:21:07 AM by House Atreides

(BOYCOTT the NFL, its products and players 100% - PERMANENTLY)

=================================================

To: Helicondelta

A win is a win no matter how close. Ka-Sick must be held accountable for his treason in this district. There will be time to determine where the weak spots are and fix them before the general election. One thing for sure. Ka-Sick must be muzzled.

8 posted on 8/8/2018, 7:29:13 AM by tennmountainman

("Trust Sessions" Yeah Right.)

===============================================

To: House Atreides

“Balderson needs to remember that HE OWES PRESIDENT TRUMP.”

After watching the rally and last night, I have the feeling that Balderson is only lukewarm for our Donald.

10 posted on 8/8/2018, 7:32:38 AM by ryderann

===========================================================

To: Helicondelta

This was a huge win for president Donald Trump and a devestating blow to the deep state and the democrat socialist party , the DAZI party’!! Here is what it means. Collusion failed. Obstruction of justice failed, mueller failed . Comey failed. Rosenstein failed, sessions failed. Etc etc etc!! They all went down in ten flames like the Hindenburg . Oh the humanity, the pain , the suffering, the reality of defeat and the millions of dollars lost in the flames. It was a magnificent triumph by president Trump and to them” Suck it up buttercup!!

15 posted on 8/8/2018, 7:37:00 AM by raiderboy

====================================================

[meetnategreen]

The Republican Party has Made No Secret of Their Hatred for the United States Federal Government, and the Nation’s Democracy, Integrity or Accountability.

After 8 years of sexually harassing, demeaning and degrading one Secretary, and blocking all the efforts made by one President to rebuild the country’s collapsing infrastructure, invest in unrestricted access to education and healthcare, support American’s veterans, or pay for America’s Petro-imperialist oil wars... A generation of Republican Temporary Employees will be collecting their annual retirement check of $200,000, along with full federal health insurance and for life.

Here is a List of Traitors and Collaborators Responsible for Putting President Putin in control of the White House, Supreme Court and State Department.

Senate Republicans Retiring Outright

Bob Corker, Tennessee

2016 presidential election:     +26.15 Trump

2012 Senate election: +34.6     Corker 

The chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee opted against running for a third term and promptly intensified his criticism of the president, whom he had praised during the election. Trump alleged that Corker “begged” for his endorsement, while Corker said it was Trump who urged him to run again.

Jeff Flake, Arizona

2016 presidential election:     +3.57 Trump

2012 Senate election: +3.9     Flake

He decided to leave after a single term rather than wage what would have been a brutal fight for reelection, first in a primary against a hard-right Trump backer, Kelli Ward, and then, if he won, against a centrist Democrat, Representative Kyrsten Sinema, in the general election. Flake had lost his base in Arizona: His criticism of Trump in his recent book, Conscience of a Conservative, alienated the president’s GOP backers, while his conservative voting record put off Democrats.

Orrin Hatch, Utah

2016 presidential election:     +17.9 Trump over Hillary Clinton; +23.8 Trump over Evan McMullin

2012 Senate election: +35     Hatch

The 83-year-old incumbent announced in a video message in early January that he will not seek reelection next year, creating an opening for a possible Senate bid by Mitt Romney. With seven terms under his belt, Hatch is the longest-serving Republican in the Senate. He also serves as the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.

House Republicans Retiring Outright

Bob Goodlatte, Virginia 6th district

2016 presidential election:     +24.8 Trump

2016 House election: +33.56     Goodlatte

Goodlatte was nearing the end of his third and final term as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, where he aligned with conservative hard-liners on immigration and voting rights. He advanced bipartisan legislation on criminal-justice reform, but it never reached the House floor.

Jeb Hensarling, Texas 5th district

2016 presidential election:     +28.4 Trump

2016 House election: +61.21     Hensarling

Hensarling left the House leadership team in 2013 to head up the Financial Services Committee, and he passed up opportunities to make a conservative bid for speaker. His chairmanship will end because of term limits, but it was also marked by frustration: Hensarling’s proposals to wind down federal mortgage-lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as his overhaul of the federal flood-insurance program, proved too conservative to pass the full House.

Rodney Frelinghuysen, New Jersey 11th district

2016 presidential election:     +0.9 Trump

2016 House election: +19.15     Frelinghuysen

Frelinghuysen arrived in Washington with the Republican wave of 1994 and only reached the pinnacle of his career in 2017, when he became chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. But he has faced criticism from conservatives for voting against major GOP legislation, and he was facing the race of his life this fall in a highly competitive district. His retirement gives Democrats a seat they should pick up if they’re going to reclaim the majority.

Trey Gowdy, South Carolina 4th district

2016 presidential election:     +25.7 Trump

2016 House election: +36.21     Gowdy

Despite rising quickly up the ranks of House Republicans, Gowdy had made no secret of his dissatisfaction serving in Congress, and in January he announced he would give up the chairmanship of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee after less than a year. He’ll return to the justice system, where he served as a federal prosecutor.

Darrell Issa, California 49th district

2016 presidential election:     +7.5 Clinton

2016 House election: +0.52     Issa

Issa in January became one of the most recognizable House Republicans to announce his retirement. A former chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, he served as the chief congressional inquisitor of the Obama administration for several years. Issa is annually ranked as one of the wealthiest members of Congress, having co-founded the company behind the Viper car alarm (for which he famously provided the voice). But he was in for the fight of his life to win reelection after nearly losing in 2016 in a district that Hillary Clinton carried over Donald Trump.

Joe Barton, Texas 6th district

2016 presidential election:     +12.3 Trump

2016 House election: +19.31     Barton

The dean of Texas’s large Republican delegation, Barton was planning to seek a 17th term before lewd texts and photos he had sent to women with whom he had extramarital affairs leaked online. During the course of his long career in Congress, he served as chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

Lamar Smith, Texas 21st district

2016 presidential election:     +10.00 Trump

2016 House election: +20.56     Smith

His is another term-limits retirement. An arch-conservative first elected in 1986, Smith likely would have had nowhere higher to go after finishing his tenure as chairman of the Space, Science, and Technology Committee, which he used to fight policies and funding to combat climate change.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Florida 27th district

2016 presidential election:     +19.6 Clinton

2016 House election: +9.79     Ros-Lehtinen 

A former chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ros-Lehtinen never endorsed Trump and became one of his most vocal GOP critics in Congress. She retires after 28 years in the House. As a moderate, she voted frequently against top Republican priorities, including Obamacare repeal and the budget. Her South Florida district now becomes a prime pickup opportunity for Democrats.

Charlie Dent, Pennsylvania 15th district

2016 presidential election:     +7.6 Trump

2016 House election: +19.63     Dent

As co-chairman of the moderate Tuesday Group in the House, Dent was one of his party’s most vocal critics, often voicing his frustration either with the president or the influence of the conservative Freedom Caucus in steering legislation to the right. He said the lack of a governing coalition in Congress contributed to his decision to retire after seven terms.

Dave Reichert, Washington state 8th district

2016 presidential election:     +3.00 Clinton

2016 House election:     uncontested

A former leader of the Tuesday Group, Reichert is another moderate retiring after seven terms. Though he won his recent elections easily, his district was once one of the most competitive in the nation and could be again next year.

Pat Tiberi, Ohio 12th district

2016 presidential election:     +11.3 Trump

2016 House election: +36.73     Tiberi

Whereas others on this list retired after being term-limited out of committee chairmanships, Tiberi’s decision may have more to do with a post he never won. The veteran Ohio Republican lost out to Kevin Brady of Texas in his bid to lead the Ways and Means Committee after Paul Ryan left the job to become speaker. Tiberi was a close ally of former Speaker John Boehner, and he, too, became frustrated with the dysfunction in Congress. He won’t serve out the rest of his term, choosing instead to take a job as president of the Ohio Business Roundtable early next year.

Frank LoBiondo, New Jersey 2nd district

2016 presidential election:     +4.6 Trump

2016 House election: +21.99     LoBiondo

LoBiondo’s retirement after 12 terms gives Democrats a major pickup opportunity in New Jersey. First elected in the Republican wave of 1994, he broke with his party to oppose Obamacare-repeal legislation, the GOP budget, and the tax bill.

Lynn Jenkins, Kansas 2nd district

2016 presidential     election:  +18.4 Trump

2016 House election: +28.38     Jenkins

Jenkins’ announcement in January that she would not seek a sixth term in the House was one of the earliest and most surprising of the Republican retirements. She had served in the House leadership and was mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate in Kansas, but she said she would not run for any office in 2018.

Sam Johnson, Texas 3rd district

2016 presidential election:     +14.2 Trump

2016 House election: +26.63     Johnson

Johnson is revered in the House for his Air Force service in both Korea and Vietnam, where he was held—and tortured—as a prisoner of war for seven years. The 87-year-old is retiring from a safe Republican seat after more than a quarter-century in Congress.

John Duncan Jr., Tennessee 2nd district

2016 presidential election:     +35.4 Trump

2016 House election: +51.29     Duncan Jr.

Duncan will have served in the House for 30 years by the time he leaves next year. Though he votes with Republicans on domestic issues, he opposed the Iraq War and supports a non-interventionist foreign policy. His district should be an easy hold for Republicans.

Ted Poe, Texas 2nd district

2016 presidential election:     +9.3 Trump

2016 House election: +24.26     Poe

Now in his seventh term, Poe is a former Houston judge known for ending each of his floor speeches with a variation on Walter Cronkite’s longtime sign-off, “And that’s just the way it is.” He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2016.

Dave Trott, Michigan 11th district

2016 presidential election:     +4.4 Trump

2016 House election: +12.76     Trott

Trott was a first-time candidate when he won his seat in the House in 2014. He decided he preferred the private sector, however, announcing in September that he would return home after just two terms.

Tim Murphy, Pennsylvania 18th district

2016 presidential election:     +19.6 Trump

2016 House election:     uncontested

Murphy resigned the seat he held for 15 years in October after it was revealed that he allegedly asked a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair to get an abortion. Reports that he presided over a toxic work culture in his House office soon followed. A special election to fill his seat will be held on March 13.

Trent Franks, Arizona 8th district

2016 presidential election:     +21.1 Trump

2016 House election: +37.13     Franks

Franks is leaving for perhaps the most unusual reason: He abruptly announced in December that he would resign after acknowledging that he had asked two members of his staff to carry his and his wife’s child as surrogates, making them “uncomfortable.” His announcement came on the same day as the House Ethics Committee said it was opening an investigation into the situation.

Blake Farenthold, Texas 27th district

2016 presidential election:     +23.6 Trump  

2016 House election: +23.39     Farenthold

Farenthold announced he would not seek a fifth term after several former staffers accused him of harassment and of verbally abusive behavior in his congressional office. He initially resisted pressure to bow out even after the House Ethics Committee opened a new inquiry into his alleged behavior.

Bill Shuster, Pennsylvania 9th district

2016 presidential election:     +42.5 Trump

2016 House election: +26.68     Shuster

Shuster, the chairman of the House Transportation Committee, announced in early January that he’ll spend 2018 on developing an infrastructure plan instead of running for reelection. “I thought it was the best decision for me to focus 100 percent on my final year as the chairman of the Transportation Committee, working with the president and other Democrats and Republicans to pass an infrastructure bill, which is much needed to rebuild America,” he told The Washington Examiner. Shuster first won election to the House in 2001.

Gregg Harper, Mississippi 3rd district

2016 presidential election:     +24.5 Trump

2016 House election: +35.83     Harper

Harper, the chairman of the House Administration Committee, said he made the decision not to seek reelection over the holidays. “I never intended for this to be a career, and it will soon be time for another conservative citizen legislator to represent us,” he said in a statement in early January. Harper’s committee has recently received a great deal of attention as the panel charged with addressing sexual harassment in the lower chamber. The five-term congressman joins a number of other Republican committee chairmen who are stepping down.

Ed Royce, California 39th district

2016 presidential election:     +8.6 Clinton

2016 House election: +14.46     Royce

The chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Royce is yet another committee leader who chose retirement over a return to the back bench once his tenure with the gavel was up. Royce will finish his 13th term in 2018, and his departure creates a top pick-up opportunity for Democrats in Southern California.

Patrick Meehan, Pennsylvania 7th district

2016 presidential election:     +2.3 Clinton

2016 House election: +18.93     Meehan

Meehan announced in January that he wouldn’t run for a fifth term following the revelation that he settled a claim of sexual harassment made against him by a former staffer. The House Ethics Committee—a panel of which Meehan was a member—had already begun an investigation, and the congressman acknowledged that he had developed a deep affection for the woman while denying improper behavior. His departure opens up a strong pick-up opportunity for Democrats in what was already a competitive district.

House Republicans Running for Higher Office in 2018

Diane Black, Tennessee 6th district

2016 presidential election:     +48.9 Trump

2016 House election: +49.29     Black

First elected in 2010, Black served this year as chairwoman of the House Budget Committee before deciding not to seek reelection and run for governor instead. With the 2018 budget finally adopted, she may leave her seat early to focus on her next campaign.

Luke Messer, Indiana 6th district

2016 presidential election:     +40.3 Trump

2016 House election: +42.44     Messer

Now serving his third term in the House, Messer is facing off against fellow Indiana Representative Todd Rokita in a primary for the right to challenge Democratic Senator Joe Donnelly. He represents the seat once held by Vice President Mike Pence.

Todd Rokita, Indiana 4th district

2016 presidential election:     +34.1 Trump

2016 House election: +34.12     Rokita

Rokita entered Congress one term before Messer. He made a brief bid for governor in 2016 after Pence was named as Donald Trump’s running mate, but he was able to retain his House seat after Republicans picked Lieutenant Governor Eric Holcomb. He won’t have that luxury if he loses the Senate race because the primaries for the Senate and House are on the same day.

Steve Pearce, New Mexico 2nd district

2016 presidential election:     +10.2 Trump

2016 House election: +25.48     Pearce

After serving two separate stints covering seven terms in the House, the conservative Pearce is running to succeed Susana Martinez as governor of New Mexico. Republicans remain favored to keep his House seat.

Raul Labrador, Idaho 1st district

2016 presidential election:     +38.3 Trump

2016 House election: +36.36     Labrador

Labrador defeated a GOP establishment-backed candidate in a 2010 primary before beating a centrist Democratic incumbent during the Tea Party wave that November. His decision to run for governor may be a blessing for GOP leaders, as he was a frequent conservative critic and member of the House Freedom Caucus during his tenure. Republicans should hold his seat easily next year.

Jim Renacci, Ohio 16th district

2016 presidential election:     +16.6 Trump

2016 House election: +30.66     Renacci

One of the wealthiest members of Congress, Renacci originally announced plans to leave the House after four terms to run for governor of Ohio. But in January he decided to run for Senate instead after a leading Republican candidate, Josh Mandel, withdrew from that race.

Lou Barletta, Pennsylvania 11th district

2016 presidential election:     +23.8 Trump

2016 House election: +27.34 Barletta

Barletta was a Trump Republican before Trump and became one of the first to endorse the president’s campaign. A longtime crusader against illegal immigration, his Senate candidacy challenging Democratic incumbent Bob Casey will be a test of Trump’s brand in a formerly blue state that the president flipped red in 2016. Though it was held by a Democrat until Barletta won it in 2010, the 11th district is not currently expected to be competitive in the 2018 general election.

Kristi Noem, South Dakota at-large

2016 presidential election:     +29.79 Trump

2016 House election: +28.21     Noem

Noem defeated Democrat Stephanie Herseth Sandlin in one of the closest races in the 2010 Republican wave. She’s giving up her House seat to run for governor, and Democrats will have a tough time winning it back.

Evan Jenkins, West Virginia 3rd district

2016 presidential election:     +49.2 Trump

2016 House election: +43.91     Jenkins

Jenkins knocked off one West Virginia Democrat, Nick Rahall, to win his House seat in 2014. He’ll try to beat another, Senator Joe Manchin, in 2018. As with many of the seats Republicans are giving up to run for higher office, the 3rd district is less favorable to Democrats than it used to be.

Ron DeSantis, Florida 6th district

2016 presidential election:     +17.0 Trump

2016 House election: +17.13     DeSantis

A conservative in his third term, DeSantis announced in January he would run for governor, not Congress, in 2018. His decision came just a couple weeks after Trump offered him an unexpected endorsement in a pre-Christmas tweet.

Martha McSally, Arizona 2nd district

2016 presidential election:     +4.9 Clinton

2016 House election: +13.92     McSally

McSally launched her long-expected Senate campaign in January for the seat Jeff Flake is vacating. Serving her second term in the House, she had become famous as the first American woman to fly in combat during the 1990s. Republicans leaders see her as the best candidate to hold the Senate seat, but her departure gives Democrats another strong pick-up opportunity in the House.

Art by Hector Silva

[ustribunenews-blog]

New bill introduced in House titled "New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2017"

New bill introduced in House titled “New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2017”

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to permanently extend the new markets tax credit, and for other purposes.

Republican Representative Pat Tiberi from the state of OH, along with ninety-one cosponsors, introduced bill H.R.1098 on Feb 15, 2017. The bill is mainly related to these subjects Economic development, Income tax credits, Business investment and capital, Financial services and…