Early House Report Card - Page 8

TheEngineer · #71 08-04-2007, 11:26 PM

8/4 Update:

..................... Dem.....Rep
with us............114..... .15
neutral............107..... .73
against us.........17.... .114

TheEngineer · #72 08-05-2007, 04:34 AM

[ QUOTE ]
You're handing out As and A-s for cosponsoring? ..... We should be preparing to get votes and money ready for 08. Grades are for advocacy groups who have clout, we don't have that yet.

[/ QUOTE ]

Sometimes politicians have to see tangible proof of what's going on. My "Congressmen For and Against Online Gambling" article may help to have provided a visual aid of sorts. Sicnce the article was picked up by EOG, at www.eog.com/news/industry.aspx?id=28374 , and by OSGA, at www.osga.com/artman/publish/article_5630.shtml , it Googles well.

Now when I call my congressman, I don't have to say, "I think such and such". Rather, I can say, "when I Google the phrase 'Geoff Davis gambling', my articles are returned at #1, #4, and #10 prior to asking the question.

I think we can all use the guide for things like this. For example, when writing letters we can reference the guide when asking for positions on the issues. We can also say we'll vote based on the guide. This should help us get some answers.

Additionally, I plan to write a monthly update in article format. Perhaps we could raise awareness by getting this into some college and independent newspapers. I may even go for the longest of longshots and submit it to the 2+2 magazine.

Uglyowl · #73 08-05-2007, 12:10 PM

Engineer, I love this report card! Too bad your posts don't get much attention at PPA, it's a shame [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

Legislurker · #74 08-05-2007, 12:17 PM

Thats why we need our own site to start funneling people to. Discussing it in the other thread a little. And if we can get some backing financially from the sites or ad revenues, we could start engineering some low content websites along with the main one to simply come up in Google searches. Twoplustwo isn't actively helping the cause visibly, so I think we would accomplish more still posting here, but funneling active people to a new site, non competing with 2p2 revenue wise or who we take ads from of course. I think if we work hard by Christmas we could organize high 4 figures of people to call/write someone different every week. That should help yield then dozens of people who live and vote in targeted districts to start working to defeat incumbent House and Senate members so we really get noticed in 08. Oh, and a PHAT donor list.

TheEngineer · #75 08-05-2007, 01:58 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Engineer, I love this report card! Too bad your posts don't get much attention at PPA, it's a shame [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks! I'm hoping PPA will start working more actively with their members.

BluffTHIS! · #76 08-05-2007, 02:14 PM

[ QUOTE ]
8/4 Update:

..................... Dem.....Rep
with us............114..... .15
neutral............107..... .73
against us.........17.... .114

# of senators needed to totally block bill in senate *if* it passes the house --------1

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP

TheEngineer · #77 08-05-2007, 02:19 PM

8/5 Update, by Region:

..................... With Us.....Neutral/Unknown.....Against us
Northeast............40%.....................49%..................11%
West...................41%.....................41%..................18%
Midwest..............25%.....................45%..................30%
Territories............25%.....................25%..................50%
South..................18%.....................34%..................47%

The Northeast has 83 reps (plus one vacant seat), the West has 97 reps (plus the other vacant seat), the Midwest has 100 reps, the territories (Guam, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands) have four delegates, and the South has 154 reps.

As can be readily seen, the South is strongly against us. There are 284 non-Southern reps: 35% with us, 45% neutral/unknown, and only 20% against us. Of the 131 congressmen rated F, F*, or F-, 73 are Southern (56%).

TheEngineer · #78 08-05-2007, 02:22 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
8/4 Update:

..................... Dem.....Rep
with us............114..... .15
neutral............107..... .73
against us.........17.... .114

# of senators needed to totally block bill in senate *if* it passes the house --------1

[/ QUOTE ]

FYP

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If we all thought this way, we would have quit before we even started, as even the House looked insurmountable at that time.

As for the Senate, most legislation is not passed unanimously, so it's not like each Senator has veto power.

We're not going to give up just yet. Sorry.

BluffTHIS! · #79 08-05-2007, 02:28 PM

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so it's not like each Senator has veto power.

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Wrong. Any senator can place a secret hold on any bill. This hold is basically a threat to filibuster same if necessary, which means that if a bill doesn't have the support sufficient to break a filibuster (60+), the leadership won't waste the time holding committee hearings or having debate.

And please don't think that I believe the efforts are wasted in the house *as long as* one then has a politically realistic endgame plan which is using the language crafted in the house to try to get attached in conference committee to must pass legislation.

If you believe otherwise, and since there is a finite amount of time before the end of this Congressional session, then why aren't you making this effort and giving reports on the senate? *If* this bill passes the house, you won't have the months of lobbying/letter writing time, that you have expended here once that bill hits the senate. And since it is in fact likely you need 60+ support in the senate, it is all the more imperative to be working on the senate *now*.

Uglyowl · #80 08-05-2007, 02:37 PM

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Wrong. Any senator can place a secret hold on any bill.

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You are correct, but hopefully this changes real soon:
Senate May End Era of Cloakroom Anonymity

View Poll Results: BASTARD
Yes	18	36.00%
yes, infinity times	32	64.00%
Voters: 50. You may not vote on this poll