DEFEAT BLANCHE LINCOLN IN COMING DEMOCRATIC PRIMARIES IN ARKANSAS

The New York Times today runs a story today about the travails of Blanche Lincoln, conservative senator from Arkansas. Shaila Dewan writes that Lincoln is getting negative feedback from both the right and the left. But I argue that this is no justification for characterizing Lincoln as a "centrist Democrat."

Blanche Lincoln is more conservative Republican than true Democrat. She voted against Obama's health care as well as against almost every Democratically-inspired proposal. I say, good riddance to Blanche Lincoln at the coming primary elections.

Blanche Lincoln is of the same cloth as Cong. Jim Matheson of Utah. Matheson likes to call himself a "Blue Dog," meaning he likes to portray his voting record as fiscally conservative. But look at Matheson's sorry record. Matheson voted for Bush's tax cuts, for funding the war in Iraq, for authorizing Bush's unjustified and immoral invasion, for making it harder for desperate people to file for bankruptcy relief, for a constitutional amendment barring gay marriage, and on and on.

Just as Democrats in Utah should boot Matheson out of elected office, so too Democrats in Arkansas should put an end to Blanche Lincoln's quest for re-election. Democrats simply cannot afford elected officials who call themselves "Democrats" but who vote like Republicans.

BLUE DOG JIM MATHESON (2ND CONG. DIST. UTAH) VOTES FOR STUPAK AMENDMENT, YET VOTES AGAINST HEALTH CARE BILL

Some Democrats voted no to the health care reform bill last night in the House. Yet they voted for the Stupak amendment barring insurance companies from paying for abortions.

One of those Democrats was Jim Matheson, Democrat from the Second Cong. District of Utah, who prides himself as being a Blue Dog and fiscal conservative.

If Matheson knew that he would not vote for the final bill, why did he vote to deny abortion? It is as if he just wanted to be obstructionist as possible regarding health care reform.

Consider Jim Matheson's other votes in the past: voting to pass the Bankruptcy Reform bill in 2005 making it much harder for debtors to file bankruptcy; voting for Bush's military authorization to take action in Iraq; voting for all of Bush's tax cuts; voting for the federal Defense of Marriage Act; voting against setting a date certain for pull-out of American forces from Iraq; and now voting against health care reform.

Let's take away Jim's congressional health care and see how he reacts if he or one of his family suffer a catastrophic illness. Will he consider personal bankruptcy in such a case? Will he call upon United Healthcare for more political donations so that he can pay for all the attendant medical and hospital care? Perhaps he will change his mind about health care reform. Maybe then he will have some sympathy for those financially unable to pay for health insurance.

BLUE DOG REP. JIM MATHESON SECOND DIST. UTAH WILL VOTE AGAINST DEMOCRATS HEALTH REFORM BILL

I can't believe that the Democratic congressman from the Second District in Utah is going to vote against Pres. Obama's health reform bill. Jim Matheson calls himself a Blue Dog, but does that mean that Matheson should side with mean Republicans on health care reform? Does Matheson have any idea of the plight of the 40+ million Americans without any health insurance coverage?

But Matheson has always voted against the interest of the little guy. Over the past eight years, Matheson voted for Bush's tax cuts, for the war in Iraq, for the Defense of Marriage Act, for the onerous bankruptcy reform bill. against bringing U.S. troops out of Iraq, and many more similar mean and harsh bills.

Matheson is not really a Democrat, he is a mean Republican, a person who thinks that George W. Bush did the right things and that Barack Obama is doing the wrong things. We in Utah need someone more responsive to the people's needs than out-of-the-loop Matheson.