AL Senators Vote On CAFTA

Shelby does the right thing and votes NO. Sessions votes YAY.

Full Roll Call Vote: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/01/politics/01trade_side.html

I'm glad to hear this. At least some of these folks are getting the messsage, more and more people are paying attention!!!

I want a real Democrat. While Shelby is often at odds with the GOP, he is a better fit over there IMO.

I have a feeling Alabama could be sending Congressman Artur Davis (D) to the US Senate whenever either Shelby/Sessions decide to retire. I really like Davis and nothing would please me more for him to head to the US Senate.

Here's a look at Rep Davis' website: http://www.house.gov/arturdavis/

Years ago his office actually did a group I represented a favor, and it was a good group worthy of support (he had a very smart, closet liberal aid). I like Davis. He looks like a nuts and bolts guy who isn't doing anything they can beat him up over (saw he supports parental notification, which is politically smart; but not smart in general). Go for it! If he get's elected, you can come to DC and work for him. Then you can go to a GW or Georgetown, schools with real football programs (if you like "club" football).

I'd love to do an internship some day. I know someone that is currently an intern for Sen Shelby. Although he is a die hard Republican, he managed to get pictures with John Kerry and Hillary Clinton. I think he's in denial. ;)

education in the world! Plus, they'd like you and offer you a job. Doesn't have to be w/an AL rep, just someone who will accept the placement. Up here in No. VA, the HS kids can take political science as seniors and do a semester internship on the hill. My daughter was in the late Rep. Bob Matsui's office (D, CA) and had a great experience. Her boyfriend was in McCain's office and used to throw darts at the picture of W pinned to the dart board in that office.
DC is a fun city. Colleges have them from from day one from volunteer programs to full blown internships for credit. Some day you will!

It seems to me that when Shelby breaks ranks with the GOP it's usually over something that benefits him personally. Tort "reform" for example. I'm against the Republican idea of tort reform too. But I suspect that his opposition to it is not based on convictions regarding "the little guy," but rather on the millions his law firm rakes in. Obviously, I could be wrong. But I don't think I am.

As for Davis, he's obviously a huge improvement over Hilliard (who is a slimy little bastard!). I like him very much, and would vote for him for Senate or governor in a heartbeat -- and I did vote for him for his current office. My only problem with him is he seems a little bit too much in the bag for Israel. (I'm NOT anti-Jewish. I just think our foreign policy needs to be a little more balanced on the Israeli/Palestinian situation.)

Davis seems a little in the Harold Ford Jr. model. Can you imagine a Ford/Davis presidential ticket? That would be something.

I'm hoping that Alabama is ready to elect an African-American to statewide office, and I think we are.

I see him on television.

I'm very definitely not a fan of Richard Shelby (see above :)), but he doesn't embarrass me at the molecular level the way Jefferson Beauregard Sessions does.

... and votes like a ____________ (insert what you wish). ;)

But among the elves, I prefer:

Kucinich does too!

I'll go with option B...

and it turned out to not be much of a "discussion" at all. It was pretty much a cheer-leading event for CAFTA. I was quite surprised and disappointed. Not one person on their panel asked any serious questions about the problems with CAFTA. A few people from the audience tried, but most of the audience seemed to be pretty sympathetic to the CAFTA cheerleaders. I have found that any argument or discussion in which good statistical evidence is missing and lots of anecdotal evidence is used instead is usually a pretty weak argument. Anecdotes should be used as a way to personalize a point or a trend that statistics illustrate, not as the whole argument. There was lots of anecdotal evidence at this meeting, and most of the statistical "evidence" I saw was just projections on how many new jobs would be created by this treaty. Lots of stories about how some named individual I never heard of and will probably never meet benefited personally from CAFTA (and NAFTA for that matter) and how everyone should just jump on the bandwagon and be happy.

Shelby at least has a mind of his own some of the time. Sessions just seems to be a GOP sock puppet.