Did something happen to Gephardt? Why don't we hear anything from him?

[Indiana_Dem]

I'm sorry if he passed away or something and I haven't heard about it. I was just wonderin' :shrug: :blush:

I figured he'd be weighing in or be visual lately?

[Poll_Blind]

1. Eyebrow bleaching "accident". n/t

PB

[N4457S]

2. He Had...

...a bad reputation in the party for awhile as a chronic loser.

His brand of moderate politics isn't exactly in demand anymore.

[Indiana_Dem]

3. Well, I was wondering because of his strength with the unions and I liked his Apollo project idea in

2004.

[papau]

4. He was owned by the Ins co's in his state per the CEO of the largest - could not

be trusted.

[Mabus]

5. He's at DLA Piper (law firm) as a lobbyist

http://www.dlapiper.com/dick_gephardt/

But two congressmen-turned-lobbyists–former House Majority Leaders Richard Armey, the Republican from Texas, and Missouri Democrat Richard Gephardt–are working hard to block full congressional action against the Zenawi regime. The duo work with the firm of DLA Piper, which federal disclosure records show is being paid at least $50,000 per month by the Ethiopian government for “strategic advice and counsel.” source: http://harpers.org/archive/2007/07/hbc-90000631

[greenbriar]

6. he is helping a KS person beat Pat Roberts

but for the life of me, I can't remember the name of the candidate

[Mabus]

7. Slattery, the scoundrel

Figures, former lobbyist and current lobbyist working together.

Has Slattery explained why he lobbied congress for privatization of social security at a time when the Democratic party was trying to hold firm? I guess he was just proving to us that his New America Foundation buddies (like Republican (AZ) Kolbe - who left congress after it was revealed that he held back on disciplining Mark Foley for his late night IMs to pages) and their agenda meant more than listening to the Democratic leadership in Congress.

Has Slattery explained why "carbon intensity" is a more important metric than "reducing carbon emissions"? Carbon intensity is what Bush is pushing, that is, don't reduce carbon emissions instead we are supposed to maximize the dollar value per carbon emitted.

On the bright side, Slattery can just introduce legislation to protect his telecom buddies rather than having lobby Congress from the outside.

[greenbriar]

8. will be better than yes mr bush roberts

.

[Mabus]

9. and a yes to nuclear energy

I'd rather have Lee Jones. Or, and I can't believe I'm saying this, Pat again.

Every since Slattery teamed up with Sandy Praeger back in the 1980's to bulldoze part of Haskell Indian Nations University for his development buddies - Slattery walked the route and saw no problems with it - I haven't trusted him. He goes to the highest bidder every time. I see no reason to trust him now.

[Mabus]

10. Don't forget that Slattery was "No, Mr. Clinton" last time he was in congress

Back in 1994 Slattery helped kill Clinton's health care plan after pressure from NFIB (National Federation of Independent Business)

April 1994 - With the House back from Easter recess, Dingell resumes his meetings with individual committee members. By this time, he has taken personal charge of the rescue effort. As is customary, the bill is first referred to Waxman's Health Subcommittee. Anticipating trouble, Dingell sets a deadline for subcommittee action. When Waxman is unable to get a majority report on anything resembling the administration's proposal, Dingell reclaims the bill. With concessions to various interests and other backroom deals, he can count twenty-two of the twenty-three votes he needs to report a bill but he is running out of bodies. His search comes down to one man -- Jim Slattery of Kansas. Pressure on Slattery from Dingell, President Clinton, and others is not enough to overcome the overarching influence of the NFIB's grassroots lobbying effort. The NFIB puts out an "emergency alert" to its eight thousand Kansas members to inform Slattery that an "employer mandate of any type will be devastating" to their bottom lines.

April 15, 1994 - Democrats hold their own retreat in Williamsburg, Va., to discuss divisions within the party on health care reform. George Mitchell upstages Moynihan.

April 19, 1994 - The Finance Committee begins holding closed-door sessions to discuss health care reform and deal with a central problem: how to finance the program the President wants. That same day, Rush Limbaugh, echoing the Republicans strategy line, tells his listeners that "Whitewater is about health care."

April 21, 1994 - Jim Slattery announces he will oppose any bill that includes an employer mandate. No matter how restricted it might be, he says, it can ultimately be extended to include small firms. He also decides that a failback plan he had once deemed ready to endorse is unacceptable.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/may96/background/health_debate_page3.html

When it came time to count on Slattery to act as a Democrat he didn't. See, The Lost Chance at http://www.newsweek.com/id/108957/page/5 (It can be boiled down to one sentence in the article: "Slattery came out against universal (health) coverage."

[Indiana_Dem]

11. Wow. Thanks. I didn't know all that. I remember not wanting to vote for him about something.

But I was attracted to his Apollo project plan he wanted to implement regarding energy.

[Mabus]

15. And in 2005 he worked to privatize social security and undermine Congressional Dems

by working with his friends from that New America Foundation to further Bush's agenda.

http://hill6.thehill.com/leading-the-news/kolbe-works-for-dem-support-2005-06-07.html
Kolbe works for Dem support

By Patrick OConnor
Posted: 06/07/05 12:00 AM

With congressional leaders in both parties refusing to give ground in the debate over Social Security reform, Rep. Jim Kolbe (R-Ariz.) has turned to three former Democratic congressmen in an effort to build support for his bipartisan reform bill.

Kolbe will host a “Coffee and Conversation” this morning in the Capitol with Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) and Democratic former Reps. Tim Penny (Minn.), Charlie Stenholm (Texas) and Jim Slattery (Kan.) in the latest attempt to lure Democrats to the negotiating table.

Democratic congressional leaders have refused to consider any reform legislation that includes personal retirement accounts, the backbone of President Bush’s proposal, while Republican House leaders have shot down any suggestion that reform include an increase in the $90,000 ceiling on income subject to the tax.

With Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Bill Thomas (R-Calif.) quietly crafting reform bills, the pressure is on Republican leaders in both chambers to recruit Democratic supporters.

****

House Democrats, meanwhile, have lashed out at any members who appear to be willing to negotiate. Last month, Democratic leaders criticized Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.) for offering his own reform legislation, part of their ongoing effort to maintain unified opposition to Bush’s call for reform.

Kolbe, Penny, Stenholm and Slattery are all members of the New America Foundation's "Committee for Responsible Federal Budget". Slattery was the director. Part of the crfb's platform is privatization of social security. http://www.crfb.org/html/aboutBoard.htm

So, at a time when Dems were trying to stay unified, Slattery went to work with his pals from a think tank to undermine the Congressional Democrats. In other words, Slattery is a lot like Lieberman.

[sharesunited]

12. His endorsement of Hillary has hastened his obscurity.

[defendandprotect]

13. Glad he isn't around anymore . . .

odd guy -- one of the Catholic pro-lifers, as I recall/??

Former Rep. Patricia Schroeder told a story in her book that Gephardt and Speaker O'Neill decided
NOT to offer any challenge to Newt Gingrich for his seat in the USHR .... "because Newt was in favor
of a salary raise for Congress" . . . !!!

Newt went on, of course, to do plenty of damage to the Congress, government, citizens and
nation as a whole --- !!!

This is what makes sense to people like Gephardt --- :nuke:

[SoCalDem]

14. Milquetoasties fade away pretty soon

He was never all that impressive.