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Sunday, October 28, 2007

Boyda: Independent and They Know It

Just like my friends over at Blue Tide Rising predicted, though coming from one level higher than they guessed, the National Republican Congressional Committee has started frothing at the mouth over Speaker Nancy Pelosi's swing into Kansas to help Congresswoman Nancy Boyda raise money to beat back lying Republican spin.

The NRCC says this, clearly, means Nancy Boyda is no longer an "independent" voice for Kansas, and that's she's gone back on her word to the people of the state. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

First off, as to the fundraiser, like this blog has pointed out previously, it isn't going to be in Washington, DC or in New York City or San Francisco. No, it's going to be in Kansas, and it will be raising money from people right here- locally. Boyda's bringing in a big name to make people excited about coming, simple as that. Not one DIME of "Washington insider cash" will be raised in Kansas.

The only people who think Speaker Pelsoi flying in for a hour affects Congresswoman Boyda's independence are people who were pretty sure she wasn't already to being with.

We, however, know different. According to the Washington Post, Boyda does regularly vote against her leadership. On the other side of the coin, she votes with her leadership exactly as often as Rep. Todd Tiahrt does- something we should all expect because, in the end, we are all Democrats or Republicans for a reason.

The things the Democrats have done that Nancy has opposed are significant, however:

  • Congresswoman Boyda voted against the Amnesty bill the Democrats tried to shove through the House- one of only Democrats to buck leadership and do so.
  • Boyda voted against giving the District of Columbia a full seat in the House of Representatives (an almost certain additional Democratic vote) because she didn't feel the bill was Constitutional- again, one of the only Democrats to vote with the Republicans.
  • Finally, Congresswoman Boyda voted to expand off-shore oil exploration, something opposed vehemently by the Democratic Party and most liberal special interest groups.
Three big examples of the undeniably clear independent streak in Congresswoman Nancy Boyda. The NRCC can say whatever they want, but people in Kansas are tired of this kind of politics and, in the end, it won't matter- Kansas knows the truth about Nancy.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Boyda got elected using the same kind of scare tactics and partial truths that the NRCC is now using against her. (DC insider, mexican highway, etc.) What goes around comes around. Also you should comment on the DNCC having operatives on the ground during Boyda's election in 06. She denied this early, but then announced it in a national interview thanking them for the help in getting elected. Most people have no problem with Dems helping Dems, just be honest about it. Also your comment about Dems being Dems and R's being R's for a reason, Boyda is a Dem for a reason, quit calling her indenpendent, she is a DEMOCRAT, period. You can say she is right leaning versus left leaning, but quite saying she is an Independent. Joe Lieberman is an independent, not Boyda. Also are you claiming that Boyda has not had any fundraisers in Washington?

Anonymous said...

she is a Democrat, that's very true. When we call her independent (we, I mean Democrats) we mean she is a maverick, a centrist, a moderate, whatever....we aren't saying she doesn't have a party affiliation, and I don't think anyone is trying to make that point.

Anonymous said...

Voters' views of Pelosi, Congress have dimmed
By John Hill - jhill@sacbee.com

Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, October 27, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's own party is turning on her, apparently because of a perception among California Democrats that she has not done enough to shake up the status quo in Washington, D.C., according to a Field Poll released Friday.

Congress overall is doing even worse with California voters, with an approval rating sagging to 30 percent or below for only the seventh time in the past 15 years, the poll of 1,201 registered voters found. Both Pelosi, the San Francisco Democrat who became speaker this year, and Congress as a whole have fallen short of voter expectations since taking over both houses, poll director Mark DiCamillo said.

"I think the reason for her decline and the low ratings Congress is getting is that voters here are not seeing any change," DiCamillo said.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein's approval rating of 51 percent is down 10 percentage points since March, but consistent with her average over the years. Sen. Barbara Boxer's rating also has slumped, from 54 percent in March to 44 percent. Both Boxer and Feinstein, however, still enjoy the approval of more voters than disapproval of them.

For Pelosi, it was the first time the poll showed more people disapproving than approving of her performance – 40 percent to 35 percent, with 25 percent having no opinion.

Other polls since 2003 have shown larger numbers of voters with no opinion, but Pelosi always won more approval than disapproval. As recently as March, California Democrats approved of Pelosi by a 5-to-1 ratio, DiCamillo said. Now it's less than 2-to-1. Nonpartisan voters also have soured on her.

Only 22 percent of voters approve of the job Congress is doing, the poll found, while 64 percent disapprove.

The six other times that congressional approval has dipped to 30 percent or below can be tied to specific events, such as the impeachment of President Clinton or the economic downturn of the early 1990s that hit California particularly hard, DiCamillo said.

During tough times, he said, voters saw Congress as a convenient target. "They were taking it out on anybody and everybody," he said.

Still, the Democrats now in charge of Congress fared better than Republicans, with a 34 percent approval rating compared to 20 percent for the GOP. California Republicans are more critical of their own party, the poll found, with only 29 percent approving of the performance of congressional Republicans.

This blog is not affiliated in any way with the Kansas Democratic Party, the Democratic National Committee, Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, the Office of Congresswoman Nancy Boyda, or the campaign to re-elected Congresswoman Nancy Boyda. All commentary herein not directly attributed must be considered the opinion of the authors of this blog and not of any other individual, including Congresswoman Nancy Boyda.