Proud of my congressman Nick Rahall

I'm listening to the News Hour to my congressman Nick Rahall who was one of 8 house members to oppose the resolution supporting Israels bombing in Lebanon.

He's hitting all the important points. How when he was in Lebanon in 82 and bombs were falling how Reagan called Israel  and stopped the bombs. How this is creating more terrorists down the line, and most of all he's not coming off as an apologist for the bad guys but as a critic of this misguided policy that will NOT help in the LONG run.

I couldn't ask for a better congressman. He's strong for mine safety, pro 2nd Amendment, pro worker, VERY pro wilderness and environment and anti war.

Most of my elected officials when I meet them I talk to them about issues, but with Rahall I just shake his hand and say "you are doing a great job"

•  Glad to Hear THIS

  He's my congressman too.  Glad to see Nick take a strong stand as I hadn't heard this.  I also like the fact that he is quick to respond to letters and emails too.  I got to meet him in Charleston when Howard Dean was there.  I don't think he will have any problem getting re-elected in November.

  by petestern on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:38:55 PM PDT

  •  Where were you setting?

    I might have met you I was on the front row to the right.

    by Hollowdweller on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:51:39 PM PDT

•  I like him too.

   Instead of always carping on what bad things our reps do.

  We should also remember to thank him when they do great things.

  You should post a link so we can thank him.

  I have to say I agree.

  IMHO Israel's invasion of Lebanon and their continued pounding of the country into the ground, is going to end up, if possible of being as WORSE MISTAKE THAN THE US INVADING IRAQ.

  by missliberties on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:40:01 PM PDT

  •  I don't think it is worse than Iraq.

    How could it be?

    by Lefty the playwright on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:41:55 PM PDT

    •  They are galvanizing Shiites

      against Israel and the US.

      If all Shiites unite because of the  overreaction in Lebanon, then Iran, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon will be more controlled by radical Arab elements not less.

      Israel needs to stop pounding THE other democratic country, Lebanon.

      If they keep it up they will be looked at as bullies.

      Meanwhile in Iraq, there are 130,000 US troops caught in a hostile situation controled by Shiites now more sympathetic to Hezballah not less. Iran now has in a sense an army of US troops trapped in a horrible situation.

      Israel's self defense and reaction while justified is no excuse to totally destroy Lebanon. IN the end, this is a gift to unite radicals against us even more.

      by missliberties on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 07:39:47 PM PDT

  •  Here's a link you can thank him if you want

     http://www.rahall.house.gov/...

    I think that will work.

    by Hollowdweller on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 05:08:35 PM PDT

•  Hollowdweller

  I like him too. He's a good one.

  by Carnacki on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:41:01 PM PDT

•  Rahall was on Ed Schultz today too

  I think it was him. He was very good.

  by Lefty the playwright on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:42:53 PM PDT

•  He also voted against the

  Patriot Act back in 2001 (only 75 other Democrats did so).

  But I'm still shocked that nobody's posted a diary bitching about how Nick Rahall is a DINO, since he was one of the 7 Democrats who voted for the Federal Marriage Amendment and against overriding Bush's veto of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act (the other 6 were Jerry Costello, Lincoln Davis, Jim Marshall, Mike McIntyre, Collin Peterson, and Gene Taylor).

  by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:44:21 PM PDT

  •  Perhaps it's

    because he's neither black, Jewish, or female?

    (only somewhat snarky).

    by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:45:57 PM PDT

  •  He's socially conservative

    but as far as West Virginia Dems go, he's pretty mainstream.  He'll probably be a Senator someday.

    by Skaje on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:54:35 PM PDT

    •  It looks like he voted to protect

      the pledge of allegiance from activist judges.

      by melvin on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 05:10:17 PM PDT

      •  He also met with Arafat to try to promote peace

        By my judgment that makes him not a DINO but his own man

        by Hollowdweller on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 05:13:43 PM PDT

  •  Because those of us in WV

    Know his whole record AND the district he represents.

     Personally he has done so many good things I would hate to see somebody get the fundies all riled up against him on those issues, so I'm half glad he has "inoculated" himself.

     A lot of his district is very religious but also come from the New Deal.

    by Hollowdweller on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:58:21 PM PDT

    •  I'm glad West Virginians are

      smarter than the elitist moronic purity trolls that are all too common here (at Daily Kos).

      by DemocraticLuntz on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 05:04:26 PM PDT

      •  Politics

         Is all about the art of the possible and keeping yourself in the game till the time is right to do good things. Look at LBJ for instance voting AGAINST civil rights and the being a major mover of civil rights legislation. Sometimes you have to make lemonade when you get lemons and sometimes as Ramakrisna said that when a nut is raw it is impossible to remove the fruit but when it is right only a tap will dislodge the kernel.

        by Hollowdweller on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 05:17:08 PM PDT

      •  I'm more than a little...

        ....sick of "sit down and shut up" tactics against the values that the Democratic Party is supposed to stand for. That's called integrity, not being a "purity troll." That said, I can understand when politicians reflect the values of the districts they represent. I have a lot more tolerance for someone like Nick Rahall, Ben Nelson, or Gene Taylor than I do for Joe Lieberman or Jane Harman. When you're in a really conservative district or state, I may not agree, but I can understand. But where we can, we should support the most progressive candidate possible. Otherwise, we prove true Ralph Nader's accusations that there's no difference between the two parties.

        by metal prophet on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 05:36:11 PM PDT

        •  You're right

           When we see an otherwise progressive Democrat in our area who has some non progressive votes I think it always pays to investigate

           1) Their personal convictions

           2) The voters in the area

           If the voters are pretty much Democrats in an area, but are socially conservative, and the rep is representing this, then I think that is a call for US to start talking to our neighbors and co workers about these issues, changing them from the grassroots rather than knocking our reps for merely reflecting the views of the voters.

           Somebody mentioned the Gay Marriage issue. After the 04 election I was talking about what a cheap ploy it was for the GOP to use this issue. When I did I was really surprised at how many otherwise progressive people I knew were against gay marriage or even civil unions.

            I discussed this with them some and did the best I could to give my views and educate them, but I'm not gay and don't really believe in marriage that much anyway (although I've been married for over 20 years) Anyway then I thought about how many gay people I either work with or HAVE worked with and never once have I heard them bring up the issue, and it made me think that the gay folks have a lot more grassroots work to do to make things go their way.

             When Dean was in Charleston at the event Petestern mentioned he said that it was easy for people to write off the arguments of political figures such as himself on issues, but their friends, their neighbors held more sway with them, and that it was up to us to spread the message in a down home way and change opinion in our own little sphere. That made a hell of a lot of sense to me.

          by Hollowdweller on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 06:50:30 PM PDT

•  I had the show on

  The host asked Rahall about Bolton's quote, "How do you have a ceasfire with terrorists?"

  Rahall responded (my best recollection): "I was encouraged by that. I was surprised that the word 'ceasefire' is even in the vocabulary of Mr. Bolton or the rest of the neocon gang that's in power now."

  by Elwood Dowd on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:47:32 PM PDT

•  Rahall

  He better watch out.  He'll be on AIPAC's hit list now.

  Anyone know who the other seven were?  I would imagine McKinney and Ron Paul would be two of them.

  by Paleo on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:47:45 PM PDT

  •  McKinney is still licking her wounds back home

    She didn't vote.

    by sanchez96 on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:51:32 PM PDT

  •  Vote

    Voting Against

    Abercrombie
    Conyers
    Dingell
    Kilpatrick (MI)
    McDermott
    Paul
    Rahall
    Stark

    Voting Present

    Kaptur
    Kucinich
    Lee
    Waters

    by Paleo on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:53:11 PM PDT

  •  I think he's already...

    ....been challenged by them several times in the 1980s and 1990s, but he has pretty easily escaped, if I recall correctly.

    by metal prophet on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 05:38:32 PM PDT

•  Rahall done good today

  he got "try"  Heard him on several shows.  

  by Eiron on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:49:08 PM PDT

•  Rahall is of Lebanese Ancestry

  "The grandson and namesake of a Lebanese immigrant who in 1903 settled in Beckley, West Virginia, Rahall approaches debates over Middle East policy from a unique perspective in a Congress with only a handful of Arab-American members. Proud of his ethnicity, Rahall frequently quotes a line from Lebanese-American entertainer Danny Thomas: "He who denies his heritage has no heritage."  

  http://www.thenation.com/...

  by sanchez96 on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:50:02 PM PDT

  •  WV has a pretty large amount of Lebanese folks

    Mostly Christians although a few of the more recent folks are Islamic.

    by Hollowdweller on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 05:25:00 PM PDT

•  Roll Call Vote

  http://clerk.house.gov/...

  The Nays:

  Abercrombie
  Conyers
  Dingell
  Kilpatrick (MI)
  McDermott
  Paul
  Rahall
  Stark

  The Presents:

  Kaptur
  Kucinich
  Lee
  Waters

  by sanchez96 on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:52:56 PM PDT

  •  Michigan, Ohio and California

    Is where most of the opposition came from.

    by Paleo on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:54:50 PM PDT

  •  Where's Darrel Issa?

    He's a Republican, but he's also of Lebanese descent and I heard he objected to parts of the resolution.

    by Skaje on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 04:56:05 PM PDT

•  Thanks for your attention to this

  I sent my Congressman (for whom I used to intern) a note asking why he endorsed blanket support for Israel.  Usually my rep, Ed Markey, is quite good on foreign relations (as well as everything else).

  by a517dogg on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 05:03:05 PM PDT

•  Rahall's been consistently good on mining...

  ...issues, too.  Pretty rare that elected officials give any thought to working stiffs anymore.  Doesn't appear to be absolutely in the pocket of industry.

  If - no, when - the House of Representatives changes hands, Rahall will take over the Chairmanship of the House Resources Committee.  That will be an immreasurable improvement over Richard Pombo (CA-11).  Rahall's minority site for Resources has some good stuff.

  by Land of Enchantment on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 05:19:51 PM PDT

•  I'm a neighbor in the next state to the south...

  but have been working on coalfield issues since the mid 1980s - have had the honor of meeting Mr. Rahall and have great admiration for him.

  by va dare on Thu Jul 20, 2006 at 07:48:13 PM PDT