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Freshman Terror
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As Blue Dogs fret about health care, Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky can relate. The woman who cast the deciding vote on Clinton’s 1993 budget talks about holding all of Washington in your hands.
It has become clear that the fate of a health-care overhaul, the first major piece of legislation in the Obama administration, rests on the votes of a handful of nervous freshmen Democrats. And there’s perhaps no person in the world that understands their plight better than Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, who achieved 15 seconds of fame in 1993 when she cast a brave vote for Bill Clinton’s first budget—and then watched her political career go up in flames.
In an interview with The Daily Beast, Margolies-Mezvinsky recalled the climactic showdown over Clinton’s budget, which raised taxes and drew the ire of the constituents in her Pennsylvania district. “When I went to town-hall meetings, I had to be escorted by the police,” she said. “There were kids holding signs saying 'LIAR.' ... I just painted a target on my chest.”
Like many of today’s Blue Dogs, Margolies-Mezvinsky was a freshman who had won a surprise victory in a conservative district during a strong Democratic year. But Clinton's budget put her party loyalty to the test.
As Margolies-Mezvinsky cast the decisive vote, a Republican legislator jumped up and down and chanted, “Goodbye, Marjorie!”
She took the floor the day of the vote with the intention of voting against it. But as the ayes and nays came in and Democrats defected again and again to the Republican side, it soon become clear that her vote would be nothing less than crucial to its passage. President Clinton personally called her on the telephone to ask for her vote and convinced her to get on board.
As she walked to cast her vote, she received jeers from Republicans. None stuck with her as much as Rep. Robert Walker (R-PA), who she recalled jumping up and down and chanting, “Goodbye, Marjorie!”
“I tell you, it was just an incredible experience to watch this guy jumping up and down. But three things: One, he was right; two, he was a jerk; and three, he is a very good jumper,” she said. “I was just surprised at the level of divisiveness and immaturity... and I think it's the same thing with health care.”
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I can only hope that about a third or more of Congress is "un-elected" in 2010. This story gives me some hope that America might possibly come to it's senses.
Amen.
Why stop at one-third? How about all of the House and we replace the Senate over the next six years?
would it's senses be your senses perhaps
And her vote helped assure not only a balanced budget but also a surplus when Clinton left office - replaced by George Bush and his Republican friends who threw the American economy in the toilet.
Where is the Republican who shouted, "Goodbye Marjorie," now?
Johnny Walker ?
I think he got turned into an alcoholic drink !
The budget was balanced when Clinton left office only if Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security liabilities were not included. Dolmance, you are a liar and repeating that canard about Clinton's balanced budget reveals that you are not on the side of your country, but rather a political party. Sad.
Dolmance; now those are senses unlike rafter's i can relate too. a long vision, rather than the short she subscribes to that doesn't distend by the boundary of her sophistry.
Correct, those are my senses. Regarding why only a third? Gotta be realistic.
This is part of the problem, they are there to get reelected, not represent the people. Kudos to those freshmen who vote their conscience and not what the big contributors want to see.-
Exactly, byers1! Holding office should not be considered a career.
I pray these dogs come to their senses. I can't believe Nelson said that the public option will hurt private insurance bringing competion. Hard to swallow. This country is in trouble if these republicans don't calm down. What is going on is not democracy.
southernyankee - I don't know. Look at what the United States Postal Service has done to UPS and FedEx.
Don't you have that backward, whip? The USPS was here first. No one forced UPS and FedEx to go into business. Take you tinfoil hat off and put your thinking cap on.
AmiBlue - Humor escapes you at times, doesn't it? UPS and FedEx crushed the USPS in those areas that they were allowed to compete and chose to compete in. Hence the humor in my statement.
A public option, as long as it's an option among the free market choices, will increase competition and in theory will drive down costs as well as provide better service.
And if I want to wear a tinfoil thinking cap to keep out impure thoughts about Orly Taitz that would be my business.
Why, if they (right wingers, republicans, teabaggers, etc.) believe the free market resolves all its own problems through the competition of "the fittest" are they so opposed to the government getting into the act? If the private sector is so good at managing and running things and the government is so inept won't the free market quickly eliminate them from the contest? Or are they refusing to admit that this is just another debunked myth like "trickle-down economics" and the wisdom of deregulation out of spiteful belligerence?
Gooch1 - Exaclty.
One Day. One Voice. Aug 22st 2009.
For everyone who wants a public option and/or single payer, we need to make ourselves heard. The minority view is getting the headlines and that has to change.
We need a national day of solidarity. All of us, stopping everything and leaving no doubt who the majority of this country is and what we want.
Make Saturday August 22st the day everyone who supports a public option and single payer makes their voice heard.
Let our pols and the MSM have no doubt what the majority of this country wants.
One Day. One Voice. Aug 22st 2009.
Let's be heard!
A nation wide demonstration would be one of the few options left for any kind of recognition where we would actually be heard above the corporate interests of the news media. However you can bet that they would spin the story to suit their purpose. Just look at how detached from reality FAUX is. I say that the market protections that were in place in the 1960's concerning the news media really need to be brought back.
Start emailing CNN and Fox "News" like I do all the time. Explain to them that the public option is not socialized medicine or even a single payer system like Canada has. It has a means test of 300-400% of the federal poverty level, and as long as that's in place, then it can never become a truly universal system.
I wish it was a single payer system, but as corrupt as our system is, we'll be lucky to even get the public option.
Saying "I was not a good politician. I didn't last very long" is a revealing statement by Margolies-Mezvinsky. What I hear is "I am a decent human being who therefore can't do what is necessary to survive in the cesspool of politics."
Congratulations, Ms. Margolies-Mezvinsky - you got out before you completely lost your soul.
Second that, bpai99.
She was not a good politician, and a poor representative of her district. Many representatives like her will be out of a job in 2010.
"I was just surprised at the level of divisiveness and immaturity..." - Margolies-Mezvinsky
I'm not surprised. Not any more.
Isn't this the person who's soon going to be Chelsea's mother-in-law? [She's the mom of the guy Chelsea's marrying.]
Yes it is! Interesting that there was no mention in the article, right?
Clinton was re elected so I don't know if Margolies-Mezvinsky supported Bill during the farce that was the impeachment hearings or not but most democrats deserted their president at that time.
The elections in 2010 will not look like 1994 or 1980, even though the Republicans will not believe it until it happens.
They are in for a great surprise, since they think they are offering what the public really wants by being as conservative and free market as possible--or at least prtending to be.
If you pose as a fiscal conservative and vote for tax increases - you probably won't get re-elected. I know this must sound like profound knowledge...but it's just common sense.
Let this be lesson to so called Blue Dog Democrats, who do not bite. They just bark and bark and nobody pays attention. Finally they get tired of barking and follow big dogs in line,
Here's the thing that the people in Washington always forget...they are there only to represent the people back home. What your constituency wants is what you cast your vote in favor of.
Sorry, but this story isn't even close to accurate.
Margolies-Mezvinsky dropped out of her reelection campaign because her husband was one of the most crooked scamsters in america and it finally came to light during the campaign.
http://crab.rutgers.edu/~mchugh/nigeriamezvinsky.html
Comon guys, at least do your homework first.
Thank you.
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