Peter Roskam is an Enemy of Democracy

On October 17, 2009, in Foreign Policy, Honduras, Human Rights, Peter Roskam, by RSR
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Imagine this scenario:

It is the late summer of 2009. There is growing unease in Corporate America. Popular Democratic President Obama has signed into law the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and is pushing a legislative agenda that includes healthcare reform, cap & trade, employee free-choice, and employment non-discrimination. On top of it all he has had the nerve to appoint a “pay czar” to oversee executive compensation at the huge banks that benefited from the Bush bailout. Corporate shills like Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck and astroturf efforts like the Tea Parties  and the Town Hall riots have damaged Obama somewhat but haven’t dealt a crippling blow. It is time for more forceful action.

Representatives of the U.S. Chamber and the big oil companies meet secretly with friendly generals at the Pentagon and a plan is devised. Early in the morning on Sunday, September 6th, a large contingent of special forces enters the White House grounds and quickly overwhelms the Secret Service detail. President Obama, his wife, and his daughters are dragged from their beds in their pajamas and forced to board a helicopter which takes them to Andrews Air Force Base where they are placed on jet and whisked off to Ottawa. A member of President Obama’s own party, Senator Joe Lieberman, is immediately installed as interim President, to serve until the scheduled end of Obama’s term in 2013. Lieberman immediately declares martial law and imposes a curfew, “temporarily” suspends the bill of rights, and shuts down “unfriendly” news organizations such as NPR, the New York Times, and MSNBC. A number of Democratic Representatives and Senators are arrested and detained. The military is used to quash demonstrations in favor of  Obama’s return and a number of civilians are killed while others are arbitrarily arrested and beaten and tortured. Some just disappear.

The coup is immediately condemned as illegal by the United Nations, the Organization of American States, NATO, and the European Union. The Prime Minister of Great Britain, Gordon Brown issues a call for Obama’s reinstatement which goes unheeded. Instead, the corporate-friendly Supreme Court, in a 5-4 decision, declares Obama’s ouster constitutional because of his “crimes against free enterprise” and affirms Lieberman’s presidency. Still, not a single country in the world recognizes the Lieberman junta as the legitimate government of the United States. No matter for some conservative M.P.s from Britain who, friendly to British corporations such as B.P. operating in the U.S., journey to Washington to meet with Lieberman and other members of the junta, and then return home praising the Lieberman government in contradiction to Britain’s official policy as articulated by Gordon Brown.

This could never happen here, you say. Perhaps not. But something much like this happened in Honduras over the summer and our own Republican Congressman, Peter Roskam, has endorsed it as a model of democracy.

This past June, Manuel Zelaya, the democratically elected President of Honduras, was overthrown by a right wing military coup. The President was kidnapped by the military and flown out of the country. Roberto Micheletti was installed as “interim President” and he immediately moved to suspend constitutionally guaranteed freedoms and to suppress those elements of the media unfriendly to the takeover. The coup was immediately branded as illegal by the United Nations, the Organization of American Stat, and the European Union. President Obama quickly decried the coup as illegal and insisted that Manuel Zelaya was still the rightful President of Honduras. The administration held off on a formal declaration that the seizure was a coup, in hopes that diplomatic actions could return Zelaya to office. Mediation efforts by Oscar Arias, a Nobel peace laureate and the President of Costa Rica, came to naught, and the Obama administration announced a termination of non-humanitarian aid to Honduras in early September.

Enter Roskam. So Peter Roskam flies off to Honduras in early October in the company of Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Illinois Congressman Aaron Schock and some other dude whose name escapes me at the moment. They meet with the members of the illegal government who can’t figure out why they’re getting such a bad rap since it has historically been U.S. policy to support ruthless rightwing thugs in Central America.  They make no attempt to meet with Manuel Zelaya, the legitimate President, who is holed up in an embassy having recently returned to the country. They also meet with the U.S. Ambassador who Roskam complains is a little defensive (can’t understand why with all these nice Republican Congressman coming down to interfere with U.S. policy).  So Roskam and the delegation give encouragement to the illegal government that is so badly misunderstood and quickly fly back to the U.S., Roskam apparently having developed a serious man crush on DeMint during the trip.

On his return, Roskam begins his own little public relations campaign for the illegal Micheletti regime. He does a couple of radio infomercials on friendly local stations. Here he is last week on WIND’s John & Cisco (You have to listen to him give an update on the status of Republican efforts to kill meaningful healthcare reform first – my audio editor is on vacation):

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On the same date, the Chicago Tribune published an op-ed piece by Peter Roskam on the Honduras situation entitled “Democratic Elections in Honduras Deserve American Support”.

Roskam starts out:

There is little debate about the value of Honduras as an American ally. As a democracy in an increasingly unstable region, Honduras has been a partner in the war on drugs, a necessary check against President Hugo Chavez’s aggressive regime in Venezuela and an important $5 billion export market for American manufacturers through the Central American Free Trade Agreement. A stable and democratic Honduras is unquestionably in America’s best interest.

Lets get this straight. Honduras ceased being a democracy on that day in June when the military junta deposed its democratically-elected government. And this b.s. about Chavez’s “aggressive regime”. Is Venezuela lobbing missiles across our borders? Are they quartering troops in Washington? Are they blowing up our ships in the Panama canal? Just how is the Chavez government aggressive? In fact, if anyone has been aggressive it has been the United States. You may remember that Chavez himself was the tempoarily removed from office by a right-wing coup in 2002 and there is evidence that the Bush administration was involved. Certainly Chavez’ ouster was tied to the same reactionary business interests that Roskam represents in Congress and that are behind Zelaya’s ouster in Honduras. Chavez is also a democratically elected president, having won over 63% of the vote in his last election. He enrages right-wing interests both at home and here in the United States because his policies favor the poor over big business and because of his sharing of the proceeds from the country’s oil wealth with the people.

Roskam writes further:

To be sure, Central America is a tenuous region and the Obama administration must carefully maintain the support of our allies. Moreover, Micheletti has made some very notable tactical errors, including forcibly making Zelaya leave Honduras and then temporarily restricting the freedom of the press.

These are serious mistakes, but they don’t make the case for democratic elections any less warranted.

There remains a solution that will satisfy American interests, provide stability to a region in short supply of it and, most important, give Hondurans what they deserve — fair elections. Even if the State Department will not recognize Micheletti’s interim government, it should support election monitors to observe the upcoming Honduran elections.

So Micheletti made some mistakes, but Obama and the U.S. government (the legitimate U.S. government that is, not DeMint and Roskam) should support him becuse this is all about obtaining free and fair elections, you know, democracy.

So lets take a look at democracy, Micheletti Style. Here’s some video of Micheletti’s police applying a heavy dose of democracy to some peaceful pro-Zelaya demonstrators in Tegucigalpa in June, ordinary folks who were a little upset that their President had been illegally removed from office. That’s tear gas you see in the beginning. A very useful tool for promoting democracy.

When tear gas proves ineffective at achieving democracy, sometimes you have to use bullets.

Making sure the press doesn’t spread “insurrection”, to use Roskam’s term, is an important aspect of promoting democracy. Here Micheletti’s masked police are shutting down a TV station, Channel 36, in September. Apparently this station didn’t understand that press freedom means the freedom to say what Micheletti wants you to say.

When I hear Roskam on the radio or read him in the paper defending this I think my heads going to explode. I used to think Roskam wasn’t such a bad guy though of a decidedly different ideological bent than my own. But now I have to say this man is a pig. He is evil. He does not understand right from wrong or just doesn’t care. Would not be surprised to learn when campaign contribution data becomes available that Roskam received some fat contribution for his P.R. work on behalf of the Honduran junta through one of its high-powered U.S. lobbyists.

Roskam needs to be unelected. Still hoping that we’ll get a strong candidate to step up and slug it out with him in 2010. Tammy, are you up for another go at this creep?

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Peter Roskam’s Ex-Campaign Manager Launches New Firm to Lie to Latino Voters

On June 5, 2009, in Congressional Elections, Friends of Peter Roskam, Gay Rights, Latino Voters, Lobbyists, Peter Roskam, by RSR
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RSR notes with interest this item from Politico yesterday. Jason Cabel Roe, Peter Roskam’s former, campaign manager, has launched a new consulting firm, Revolvis Consulting. The firm “will focus on strategies to bring Latino voters into the Republican fold”. Revolvis’ initial focus is on a number of races in California.

Jason Roe’s bio on the Revolvis web site indicates that he was Chief of Staff for Republican Congressman Tom Feeney of Florida from 2003 to 2007. It fails to mention that Roe left Feeney in 2007 to work for Mitt Romney’s Presidential campaign, then abruptly resigned in April 2007, citing family obligations, after the FBI started questioning Feeney regarding his ties to lobbyist and felon Jack Abramoff. Feeney had accompanied Abramoff on that famous golf outing to Scotland. Roe memorably defended Feeney in an email message stating “Any assertion that this office knew Abramoff paid for the Scotland trip is a g–d—– lie.”

Roe previously founded Federal Strategy Group, a Washington lobbying firm that advertised its access to to politicians like Roskam.

Roe managed Peter Roskam’s famously dirty Congressional campaign against Iraq war veteran Tammy Duckworth 2006.  That campaign attacked Duckworth as wanting to give “handouts to illegal aliens”:

You may recall that Jason Roe & Peter Roskam made Keith Olberman’s “Worst Person in the World” list for Roskam’s infamous remark that Duckworth wanted to “cut and run” from Iraq (Duckworth, of course, lost both of her legs while serving In Iraq) and Roe’s subsequent distortion of what was actually said.

So anyway, now Roe wants to help bring Latino’s into the fold. The Revolvis web site actualy has a “Latino Services” page. That’s impressive. The Latino Services page states that “an effective Latino program is a vital component to any public policy and/or candidate campaign”.  (Isn’t that warm and fuzzy – a “Latino program”). But Roe is right, the current Republican “Latino program” – smearing the first Latina Supreme Court nominee as a racist and calling the National Council of La Raza a Latino “KKK” – is not proving to be working, if you believe the polls. (We wonder though whether this handiwork from the Revolvis portfolio will be typical of a Revolvis “latino program”.)

How does Revolvis plan to sway Latino voters, then? Wedge issues!:

Latinos, like other voters groups are not single issue voters. While immigration is an important issue, Latinos have consistently ranked national security, the environment, education, healthcare, and the economy as issues of greater importance to them. The Democrats do not hold sway over the Latino community on all of these issues. In California, we saw Latinos overwhelmingly supporting both Obama and the gay marriage initiative (Proposition 8). Avenues exist for Republicans to make inroads into these communities.

California’s Proposition 8 (Gay Marriage Ban), and additional survey data, illustrates that Republicans don’t have to change their principles, we just need to communicate with all voters, year-round.

Charming. Roe plans to win over Latinos by demonizing gay people.

These pricks, Roskam and Roe, and Limbaugh and all their kind , they just don’t get it. Until they do, the Republican Party will sink further and further into oblivion. Their program of lying to middle class people about caring for their needs while demonizing outsiders and sowing fear is bankrupt. It won’t work anymore.

Latinos aren’t stupid. If Republicans truly want to win Latino voters, and midldle class working people in general, then they need to start viewing them as people and not just votes -  they have to learn to start doing the right thing by ordinary people and not just for big business and the very wealthy:

  • Ensuring that workers are paid just wages, have safe working conditions, and their right to organize is protected
  • Ensuring that everyone has access to affordable quality health care
  • Ceasing to demonize immigrant workers and gay people
  • Supporting policies that give consumers a fair shake against giant corporations
  • Providing services for our returning servicemen who are strugling with health problems and unemployment

Until Republicans catch on, the party is going to continue to dwindle into a southern regional coalition of religious extremists and hate groups.

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Peter Roskam’s 8 Part Plan to Halt Global Climate Change

On May 21, 2009, in Energy, Environment, Global Warming, Peter Roskam, by RSR
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roskam_plan

Peter Roskam has been conducting more of those taxpayer-funded dinnertime robo-calls, this time to roll out his new plan to address the threat of catastrophic global climate change.  You can expect to see a lot of Roskam around the district during the labor day recess, talking up his plan. RSR has a sneak preview for you.  The 8 part Roskam plan is staggeringly simple:

  1. Ignore it. Pretend global climate change does not present any threat.
  2. Burn more fossil fuels faster. Try not to be outpaced by China and India.
  3. Cut taxes on big business.
  4. Say no to anything President Obama or any Democrat in Congress proposes.
  5. Get reelected.
  6. Continue blind obedience to masters at U.S. Chamber and National Association of Manufacturers.
  7. Cut taxes on big business.
  8. Call Nancy Pelosi a threat to national security.

Jumping creepers, Peter, why didn’t we think of this.

Seriously Peter, saying no to anything anybody propses to address the problem of global climate change is not a plan.  If we listen to you, we’re all screwed.  You who would put the narrow  interests  of your corporate campaign contributors ahead of saving the planet – for your children.

Cap & trade may not be perfect and it isn’t going to solve all of our problems, but it is a start, a step in the right direction.  It may very well be expensive for us all. But nobody said saving the planet was going to be cheap. Its just something we have to do.

If you don’t want to do cap & trade, then you tell us how you’re going to save the planet, not just how you are going to save your donors on their taxes.  Put up or shut up.

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U.S. Chamber of Commerce Gives Peter Roskam Award for Voting Against Constituents Interests

On April 13, 2008, in AMT, Energy, Global Warming, Middle Class, Organized Labor, Peter Roskam, Peter Roskam's Corporate Agenda, SCHIP, by RSR
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The United States Chamber of Commerce recently honored Peter Roskam for proving in his first term to be “an effective ally to the business community”.

Sounds great until you realize what exactly “being an effective ally to the business community” means.

Put simply, it means consistently voting against the interests of the majority of citizens in your district and giving big business exactly what it demands.

It means means Roskam voting against reducing the dependence on fossil fuels that is threatening our national security and destroying our environment by requiring minimum standards for the percentage of electricity generated using renewable sources of energy.

It means Roskam voting against tax incentives for energy conservation and development of clean, renewable energy sources because they are funded by the repeal of tax breaks to big oil companies now enjoying huge profits at our expense every time we fill up our tanks.

It means Roskam voting against the Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 which would have insured that Illinois’ uninsured children receive the kind of health care that Roskam’s own kids get at taxpayer expense.

It means Roskam standing up for the interests of big drug companies rather than allowing the Medicare program to negotiate for better prices on prescription drugs.

It means Roskam voting against protection of his constituents right to equal pay for equal work. And their right to organize.

And it means Roskam voting against protecting middle class taxpayers from the Alternative Minimum Tax.

So congratulations on your big award, Peter, and thanks for nothing. Its time we had a new Representative in Congress who works for us and not for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

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Peter Roskam and Insurance Lobby to Have Major “Face Time” April 2nd

On April 1, 2008, in Peter Roskam, Peter Roskam's Corporate Agenda, by RSR
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Peter Roskam will be speaking at the 2008 Big I Legislative Conference and Convention tomorrow. That’s “I” as in Insurance. Big I is a nickname for the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, an insurance industry lobby group. They are having their convention in Washington and Roskam will be speaking at a luncheon meeting for young agents and for the InsurPac state chairpersons. InsurPac is IIAB’s political action committee. They gave $5000 in donations to Roskam’s campaign in 2007.On its website, InsurPac describes the reason behind it’s generosity:

“While contributions do not buy solutions to legislative debates, they do allow members of IIABA’s government affairs team significant face-time with elected officials. Through InsurPac, IIABA is allowed the opportunity to educate these members and develop working relationships with them. Lobbying and a well-funded PAC go hand-in-hand.”

One is left to wonder how much “significant face-time” would cost for the residents of Roskam’s district here in Illinois.. I imagine that at these rates, it would be out of reach for most of us.

In all seriousness, there is nothing nefarious about this particular contribution or this particular speech. My impression of Roskam is that he operates with deliberate transparency when it comes to campaign financial matters. He is not a crook.

But I do think that residents of the 6th should consider that Roskam is a member of the House Financial Services Committee, which oversees the banking, financial services, and insurance industries. As such, Roskam is courted by groups like IIAB and receives lots of PAC contributions from this sector. In fact, this is the largest sector for Roskam by far. Roskam has received over $236,000 in individual and PAC contributions from the Finance/Insurance/Real Estate sector during the current cycle. That’s a lot of face time.

Roskam has time and time again shown himself to vote in favor of corporate interests over those of the residents of his district. One wonders whether it’s the result of all this lobbying activity. One wonders who’s voice he really is on Capitol Hill. This is particularly troubling when one considers the upcoming issues that Congress is going to be dealing with relative to the mortgage crisis and the reevaluation of financial services regulation. Will Roskam be speaking up for us in those deliberations?

Perhaps in the interests of continued transparency, Roskam will post the text of his speech tomorrow on his website. He says he’s our voice in Congress. I for one would like to hear what that voice is telling the insurance industry.

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Roskam Again Supports Big Oil Interests Over Those of Constituents

On March 2, 2008, in Energy, Peter Roskam, Peter Roskam's Corporate Agenda, by RSR
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(Aside to Peter: I apologize, Peter, if I haven’t been paying as much attention to you lately as I should. Hanging on to my own job has been keeping me busy day and night and I just haven’t had much time for politics. But rest assured I’m going to keep doing my part to help send you back to your cushy personal injury attorney gig and leave this governing business to the ungrateful hoi polloi. BTW, thanks for the robo calls. Nice to know you care enough to have your machine call me.)

This past week, Democrats in the House passed a measure designed to give a boost to efforts to develop new sources of clean, renewable energy and promote increased energy independence while protecting the environment.

Peter Roskam, our Representative in the 6th Congressional district, was not on board.

The bill, Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008, H.R. 5351, would, if enacted, extend a number of tax credits, now set to expire, to support alternative technologies such as solar energy, fuel cells, and alternative-fueled vehicles, and to support making commercial and residential properties more energy-efficient. New tax credits would also be created for investment in clean renewable energy and energy conservation bonds.

The bill would fund these tax credits by fiscally sound means – repealing certain tax breaks given to Big Oil companies by the Bush Adminisistration, the same companies now making record profits selling us high-priced gasoline, natural gas, and heating-oil. Gasoline prices at the pump have more than doubled since George W. Bush took office. (The G.O.P. really isthe “Gas and Oil Party”). Looking out my window as I write I see the lowest price at the BP near me to be $3.23. That was probably a buck-fifty at the end of the Clinon administration.

When he voted on this bill, Peter Roskam had the opportunity to do take a bite out of the high costs of energy for his constituents while promoting new jobs for them in them green technologies industries, helping them upgrade to energy-conserving technologies, and enhancing their security by reducing our dependence on foreign sources of energy. At the same time, Roskam, who occasionally like to portray himself as an environmentalist, could have taken a small step toward promoting a cleaner environment and reducing the impact of global climate change.

Roskam chose not to do so.

Instead, he chose to protect the huge profits being earned by Big Oil and lend yet another “rubber stamp” of approval to the Bush administration’s project of promoting rule by corporations over rule by the people.

Roskam doesn’t explain his vote on his web site. (He doesn’t even list energy in the “Issues” section). But, like Bush, I don’t think he believes he has to be accountable to the voters. He believes he is in a safe Republican district. But I think we’ll show him this fall just how unsafe his district can be for a Representative who ignores the interests of the voters.

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