According to his own blog, Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Drill, Drill, Drill) pumped gas for some Delta Township residents on Tuesday.
If you’ll notice from the pictures, Rep. Walberg didn’t really do the whole Politician Rolling Up the Sleeves Thing like a Good Politician Should. You know the kind of photo ops where a politician stands around in rolled-up sleeves surveying the destruction around him or shoveling something. The whole point is to make the politician look like they’re doing some work on behalf of the citizens.
Walberg didn’t even bother to roll his sleeves halfway up the arms like a professional. In this case, he looks like he’s either doing the talking about how there are no excuses for high gas prices or the nodding as the driver complains about high gas prices. (None of the cars appear to be of the fuel-efficient type.)
But the real fun, people, is imagining what he is saying to the recipients of his pumping services. Join me below the fold.
I still remember, with great amusement, the first few months after Nick Smith went to Washington to represent my old hometown of Jackson. He not only gave Spy magazine a long, eloquent discourse on what U.S. policy towards the country of Freedonia should be, but he was also spotted crawling on either the wall or roof of his office building because of a locked bathroom door (the specifics of the story escape me).
And, I can't say that I was at all surprised that the 7th put in office Tim Walberg. The entire district is filled with pockets of Walberg-like folks, who have slipped the surly bonds of reality and orbit somewhere in their own strange fantasy world. Tim Walberg, as far as I can tell, is one of these people.
Walberg won his primary in spite of heavy opposition from his own party. How did he do it? Through the heavy contributions of the Club for Growth. They gave him something like 86 percent of the $1.184 million he needed to unseat Joe Schwarz, one of the few remaining moderates in the Republican Party. In exchange ... Walberg essentially admitted in the Jackson Citizen Patriot that he's their boy.
Most of us remember Walberg for other colorful remarks. There was the comparison of Baghdad to Detroit. There was also this, the reasoning behind Walberg's protest vote against a resolution recognizing Ramadan:
To offer respect for a major religion is one thing, but to offer respect for a major religion that has been behind the Islamic jihad, the radical jihad, that has sworn war upon the United States, its free allies and freedom in Iraq, is another thing.
In short ... Freeeeeeeedom!
You'd think that almost a full year of spoken blunders would take the edge off his blade. You'd think wrong. Here is Walberg, less than a month ago, talking about the mortgage crisis:
(Who's "pro-life" now? Not these three. - promoted by ScottyUrb)
As a Catholic I love this. As a Catholic Democrat I love this. As a Liberal Catholic Democrat I love this. Ok, I'm pro-choice but this is a great ad.
Ad Campaign Criticizes Pro-Life Members of Congress for Voting against Children's Health Insurance
Washington, DC- Catholics United will launch a radio advertising campaign targeting ten members of Congress whose opposition to the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) have compromised their pro-life voting records.
U.S. Rep. Tim Walberg joined the ranks of bloggers with his own official blog. Although it appears to do little but regurgitate press releases written by the GOP House Communications team and his own press secretary, it does allow comments, which is very unusual for so-called Republican leaders such as Saul Anuzis. We know he does not write on it, but hopefully he reads it so we can let him know our positions on the issues.
Cleary, this is in response to the good folks over on Walberg Watch who have done an excellent job in keeping on eye on what Walberg and Michigan's 7th Congressional District, and they are certainly holding his feet to the fire. In the short time it has been up more than 20,000 people have visited the blog to make it the best news source for what's really going on in the 7th District. Congratulations.
It's also heartening to see the excellent Democrats lining up to make Walberg a one-term Congressman like our favorite son Dick Chrysler over in the 8th Congressional District.
If you haven't seen this video, I would encourage it, especially if you like science fiction about totalitarian societies. But mind you, this isn't science fiction.
I'd heard some of Blackwater before seeing this video, but the video really made it hit home.
The following is what I wrote to Stabenow, Levin, and Walberg (with a couple of tiny cosmetic/grammatical edits):
"Thank you for contacting me regarding your support for H.R. 1070, the Constitution Restoration Act . . ."
Upon reading further down in the letter, I found that Walberg does support this act, but I do NOT support it.
I think I figured out the confusion though. The ACLU sent out an Action Alert not long ago, urging us to call our Senators and Rep. to tell them, among other things, that we support the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007, which is an entirely different, nearly opposite in some ways, bill from the Constitution Restoration Act. The former is about civil liberties vis-a-vis checking the Executive branch, while the latter would curtail the Federal Judiciary (but for SCOTUS) from hearing many separation of church and state cases.
In other words, not only did my support for civil liberties go unrecognized, but it was taken as support for a position on an anti-civil liberties bill! In all honesty, I think the ACLU is partly to blame for this since the Restoring the Constitution Act of 2007 is being considered by the Senate, yet they also had us call our Rep. about it via this link: https://secure.aclu....
For those of you who got a letter like this, you might want to contact Walberg, as I did, and straighten it out. It's tough enough dealing with Congress when communication is good, but you certainly don't want to be chalked up as a constituent that supports something you don't.
Congressman Tim Walberg will hold a community meeting in Hillsdale 1 to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Gathering Coffee House,located at, 2 N. Howell St., downtown Hillsdale.
Stop by and give him an earful. Tim is use to people giving him things like this handmade clock pictured here by his friends from the Region 15 Wrecking Crew so don't be surprised if he doesn't respond well to what you might give him. The full article surrounding the photo can be found HERE if interested. Ain't the web FUN.
The Fix: Endorsement Elite: Michigan Republicans. Chris Cillizza lists the MI GOP endorsement elite: Dick and Betsy DeVos ("the unquestioned first couple of Michigan Republican politics" -- blech!), Pete Hoekstra, Teri Lynn Land, Candice Miller, Chuck Yob. Noticeably absent: Mike Cox.
Living Blue: An Invitation Rogers Probably Will Refuse. Mr. Rogers has been noticeably silent for most of the summer so far, and I don't think it's a stretch to say that it has something to do with all the heat he's been getting from groups like Americans Against Escalation in Iraq. They will be paying another visit to the Congressman's office in Lansing on Thursday this week.
WILX: Rogers Appropriations Requests. Mike Rogers has submitted a "complete" list of the appropriations project requests he's made for FY2008. This is good to have, but it's not quite what I asked for in this post on the Rogers Watch. I want every earmark he's ever requested while he's been in Congress. But, I'll give credit where credit is due... this is a nice start.
Walberg Watch: Congressman Tim to escape from bunker, make local appearance. Rep. Walberg will be visiting another friendly crowd at the Chelsea Commons Clocktower Building, Suite 200, from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m., this Saturday.
Walberg Watch: Nacht (D) Raises $160,000+. Nacht was the first one to release his Q2 numbers, and it's a pretty impressive haul (for a dem in this district). Berryman's totals are in too: $55k over five weeks. Sounds like a good start for both candidates (detailed reports here and here). I'll be curious to see what Walberg and Renier post (they have until July 15 to file).
Our Michigan: Ionia County Commissioners Vote to Fund Strong Families/Safe Children. Real family values at work: "Helping children and families makes sense. It is good public policy. It is fiscally responsible and provides longterm benefits to families and communities in which they live. The Ionia County commissioners could see this. Their sense of "we" included the least among them."
Conservative Media: South Carolina county GOP chair pulls an Anuzis. I think it's pretty hysterical that these state GOP party chairs keep trying to ban Ron Paul from their presidential debates, when the guy has more cash on hand than St. McCain ($2.4 mil > $2 mil).
Stateline: Governors are fair-weather Facebook friends. Gov. Granholm is featured in this Stateline piece about social networking sites like Facebook. It sounds like a lot of the candidates kept their profiles updated during the campaign season last yaer, but have let them stagnate since. Not so with our gov. Kudos to her for staying plugged in with the online community. Other Michigan politicians would be wise to follow her lead.
The Conversation: Mmmmm…Michigan! "Big Boy is asking a different question - 'What’s your favorite Michigan thing?' They have launched a statewide interactive campaign that gets people blogging about their favorite Michigan things. Big Boy, of course, is a proud Michigan-based company... So - what is your favorite Michigan thing?"
LSJ: MSU board will consider a 9.6 % tuition hike. 9.6% ain't 17%, but another increase could be in the works for the spring semester, if state funding doesn't come through. Sure glad I graduated last year.
DNews: Dingell's carbon tax is a shrewd stroke. "Rep. John Dingell is calling the bluff of his fellow lawmakers who love to pander, preen and posture in the name of environmentalism, just as long as it doesn't cost them anything." Not that we've seen the editorial writers at the News "pander, preen and posture in the name of" protecting Michigan residents from a tax increase or anything... but that's a separate matter. This line caught my eye: "'I sincerely doubt that the American people will be willing to pay what this is really going to cost them,' Dingell said of the carbon tax on C-SPAN." Is anyone else reminded of the scene in An Inconvenient Truth where Al Gore puts the picture of the Earth next to the sack of money?
Did I forget anything? Drop your links in the comments section...
Anyone following the run-up to the 2008 election in Michigan's 7th district can be glad to know that a serious contender has emerged. I have heard that David Nacht has raised $155,000 this past quarter. This is exactly what this race needs, a real challenger who can generate excitement and support. Through his actions and words, Tim Walberg has proven that the 7th district is a winnable district for Democrats in '08. Nacht's ability to raise money puts him in a strong position to challenge Walberg. Nacht not only has the ability to raise money, but he has also worked for John Glenn, gaining DC experience, and successfully unseated a Republican township board, showing his ability to build and sustain grassroots support. Fundraising success, grassroots support, and practical experience all serve as a great foundation for making a successful run at Congress.
(Who's going to be there? - promoted by LiberalLucy)
Representative Tim Walberg, R-Tipton will be having a constituent coffee meeting at Dennys on W. Saginaw Hwy in Lansing on Friday from 9:30am to 10:30am. I encourage all of our friendly democrats to stop by and let him know how you feel. Or if you prefer, feel free to call his district office at 877-846-6407.
I still remember, with great amusement, the first few months after Nick Smith went to Washington to represent my old hometown of Jackson. He not only gave Spy magazine a long, eloquent discourse on what U.S. policy towards the country of Freedonia should be, but he was also spotted crawling on either the wall or roof of his office building because of a locked bathroom door (the specifics of the story escape me).
