Tom Perriello is the first-term Democratic Congressman from the Charlottesville area of Virginia. He voted for the Democratic health care plan. Just as he promised when he ran against die-hard conservative 5th District incumbent Virgil Goode last year, and won by fewer than 800 votes.
Not only did he keep his promise, Perriello did some other very innovative things, like holding public meetings, seeking input from his constituents, and even explaining his vote publicly to his constituents, by way of a telephone town hall with 8000 participants.
As a consequence, Perriello’s become a special target of conservatives. Today tea-party-ers bussed into his district plan to burn him in effigy.
Perriello’s spokeswoman offered a refreshing explanation: “He didn’t come to Congress to get re-elected.” If he keeps saying outrageously honest stuff like that, Tom Perriello is going to need all the friends he can get.
In contrast, our 2nd District “Democratic” Congressman Glenn Nye met with health insurance salesmen at their convention, billed it as a “civil town hall meeting,” then voted against his party’s health care legislation. He didn’t meet with his constituents. He didn’t seek their input. He did not even come out of hiding when he broke his campaign promise to support health care reform, instead resorting to a press release and a one-sentence mumble about “cost control.” Apparently, Nye thinks voting like a Republican will prevent Republicans from mounting a strong challenge against him in 2010. Well, good luck with that.
Perriello’s courage is all the more admirable when contrasted with the abject cowardice and duplicity of Glenn Nye.
We have a modest proposal. Let’s trade representatives. Would it stop the 5th District tea-party-ers? Well, maybe not, but it would confound them as they try to figure out whose side Nye is on. And it sure would make those of us who got Glenn Nye elected in the 2nd District happy to have a principled representative in Congress–even for one term. Of course, a person of integrity won’t come cheap. So we may have to throw in a few things to make the trade more attractive.
What would it take to sweeten the deal and get them to take Glenn Nye off our hands and send Tom Perriello our way?
How about a scenic fishing pier, slightly damaged? Or a talkative, megalomaniacal televangelist, friendly with the new governor? (Comes complete with his own satellite dish and foot in mouth!) We could throw in a pair of souvenir presidential coattails, found in the bottom of a Congressman’s laundry hamper! An antique bridge or tunnel perhaps? Whaddya say, Charlottesville? Deal or no deal?
Filed under: Democrats, Glenn Nye, Health Care, Republicans, Tom Perriello | Tagged: Democrats, Glenn Nye, Health Care, Republicans, Tom Perriello
