WA-8 The Scary (and True) Story of Dave Reichert

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Thursday October 26, 2006 · 10:31 AM PDT

2006/10/26 · 10:31

(WARNING: This diary contains depictions of children in peril. It may not be suitable for all audiences.)

Last week, I wrote about how Dave Reichert was the deciding vote for a bill to give George Bush the unchecked authority to hand over Washington's coast and other public lands to the oil companies. He simply decided to side with Bush and the oil companies over all other interests.

Just in time for Halloween, here's the true story of Reichert providing another one-vote margin to pass nightmarish legislation in the House of Representatives. The Republican leadership stitched together this Frankenstein's monster just a year ago. It slashed food stamps, Medicare, Medicaid, school lunch programs, foster care, and child welfare. It sold off treasured public lands, including national parks, to mining companies. No victim was so vulnerable, so pitiful, or so in-need, that this monster would spare them.

Read on to learn more about the simple and terrible spark that powered this monster, and how Dave Reichert brought it to life.
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WA-8 That's Not Exactly the Whole Truth, Is It Mr. Reichert?

FranklySpeaking

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Saturday October 21, 2006 · 3:04 PM PDT

2006/10/21 · 15:04

Dave Reichert likes to say he is an independently minded. He wants you to think that unlike the rest of the Republicans in Washington, DC, he is not captured by the oil industry. In fact, he practically says as much:

I stood up to Big Oil, demanding that oil companies pay to clean-up the harmful gas additive MTBE

He used the same line during the recent debate with Darcy Burner. He said that taxpayers should not be on the hook for cleaning up the MTBE contamination that big oil is responsible for.

MTBE is a nasty fuel additive which is very costly to clean up once it gets in ground water and surface water, and holding oil companies responsible for the damage done by their products makes sense. Reichert taking this position ought to be popular in the district. There is only one problem. It's not Reichert's true position.
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WA-8 Piercing Reichert's Smokescreen

FranklySpeaking

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Thursday October 19, 2006 · 11:09 AM PDT

2006/10/19 · 11:09

Dave Reichert is spinning a yarn he hopes you'll buy. He'd have you believe that he is the diligent investigator sleuthing out policy truths on issues from stem cells to global warming.

It's a critical part of his argument for reelection. During the recent debate with Darcy Burner, this was Reichert's principal argument for why his position on issues change all the time. Sure, he's both supported and opposed stem cell research, he said, but that's because of his detective work to uncover the facts.

This argument is a sham. It is his smokescreen that he hopes will keep voters from seeing his close alignment with George W. Bush and his negligence in Congress.

Read on and join me in piercing Reichert's smokescreen. Find out how his lack of apparent interest in performing even the most basic duties of a Congressman undercuts the image he attempts to portray of himself as Congress' investigator.
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WA-8 Who is Reichert Listening to on Global Warming?

FranklySpeaking

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Wednesday October 18, 2006 · 10:35 AM PDT

2006/10/18 · 10:35

Over the last two days, I have posted diaries exploring in some detail Reichert's positions in Congress on important energy issues.

On Monday, I discussed how he claims to support reducing the nation's dependence on oil, but voted against doing so at the urging of the White House. On Tuesday, I documented how Reichert decided to support giving President Bush unfettered discretion to provide public lands in Washington to big oil companies.

Today's diary is about his position on global warming. And as you examine each of these topics, you will see one dominant theme. While Reichert takes positions that are way out of the mainstream, they are consistent with the views of one person: George W. Bush.
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WA-8 Want to Know How a President Gets Unfettered Authority?

FranklySpeaking

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Tuesday October 17, 2006 · 10:22 AM PDT

2006/10/17 · 10:22

You have to love the Washington coast. Those of us who have scrambled along the dunes and picnicked in the driftwood on a crisp, clear day know that there is nowhere in the world like it. It's the kind of place you have to protect. And if you develop even a sliver of it, you'd want the most thoughtful, careful development you can have, because frankly, God isn't making any more of it.

What would you say if I told you that there was federal legislation designed to give George W. Bush the unilateral authority to hand portions of the Washington coast over to oil companies to build refineries? You'd probably be skeptical, thinking that such an idea would never be seriously considered. At the very least, you'd be sure Washington's congressional delegation would fight to the death against it. Sadly though, you'd be wrong.

Read on for the true story of what's going wrong in Washington, DC. There is such a bill, a bill proudly supported by Rep. Dave Reichert, a bill that passed the House of Representatives by just one vote. It's a bill that defies any rational thinking.
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WA-8 Dave Reichert Opposes Reducing the Nation's Dependence on Foreign Oil

FranklySpeaking

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Monday October 16, 2006 · 9:52 AM PDT

2006/10/16 · 09:52

In the past, Members of Congress have been able to serve their entire congressional career and never have the opportunity to cast a vote on reducing the nation's dependence on foreign oil. Major energy legislation has been considered maybe once a decade if that.

Dave Reichert is serving only his first term in Congress. But in 2005, he got his chance to take a stand on the nation's energy future. In April 2005, Congress debated and ultimately passed the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This was the Bush energy plan -- a pork barrel give away to the biggest energy companies -- that took no meaningful action on our country's biggest problems, dependence on foreign oil and global warming. Reichert voted for it.

Congress considered amendments to begin weaning the nation off of oil. Unfortunately, Dave Reichert opposed them all. Read on for the story of hypocrisy and how energy policy went wrong in 2005.
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