I wrote my congress lady, Tammy Baldwin, a couple of days before the vote on the deficit reduction legislation. I asked her not to vote for the bill because it does not protect the middle class. To my surprise she did vote no. Today I received the following letter via email from her. After the jump you can see how a real liberal congress person should govern and vote.
She is also considering running for the Senate spot that is opening up next year because of Senator Kohl's retirement.
Dear Mr. xxxxxxx
Thank you for contacting me about protecting the middle class during efforts to reduce federal budget deficits.
Over the years, tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, spending on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan , and fallout from the financial crisis have created an unprecedented level of national debt. While there has been broad consensus that Congress must act to put in place a plan to reduce the nation's budget deficit, there has been vigorous debate over how to proceed. In this divided Congress, I have demonstrated my willingness work with my colleagues on the other side of the aisl e. However, I am unwilling to yield to political extortion and gimmicks that threaten our economic recovery and the full faith and credit of the United States .
Th roughout the debate over the default crisis , I held f ast to three essential criteria: I will support a deal that creates jobs, lowers the deficit, and protects middle class Wisconsinites. Unfortunately, the final package failed to meet that test. As such, I could not support the measure.
As you may know, t he final package requires a bipartisan Joint Committee to present a plan for further d eficit reduction to both houses of Congress by November 23, 2011. It is unclear at this time what these deficit reduction plans will look like. However, rest assured that I will not support measures championed by House Republicans that would end Medicare and Medicaid as we know them. Nor will I vote for a deal that makes drastic changes to Social Security eligibility or damaging cuts to benefits. Seniors and the middle class did not get the country into the current fiscal mess, and Congress should not try to balance the budget on their backs to get us out.
You may be interested to know that I have support ed proposal s that wou ld eliminate the deficit by 2021 without destroying Medicare and Medicaid as we know them, or threatening Social Security. By targeting the true drivers of our deficits in the next decade – the Bush tax cuts, the wars overseas, and the effects of the recent recession – we can lower the debt, put Americans back to work, and restore our economic competitiveness.
I am committed to ensuring that Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid remain strong now and into the future. Please know that I will keep your thoughts in mind as the debate over deficit reduction continues.
Again, thank you for sharing your views. Your opinion matters to me. If I can be of service to you in any other way, please do not hesitate to let me know. As a security precaution, all mail sent to Congress is first irradiated. This process causes significant delays. To ensure the fastest response, I encourage all constituents who have access to the internet to contact me through my website at http://tammybaldwin.house.gov .
Sincerely,
Tammy Baldwin
Member of Congress