One Thing Jo Ann Emerson and Barack Obama Have In Common…

…both are running away from their records in Washington, DC.

Sadly, that’s not the only thing.

Like Obama’s attack on Bain Capital, Emerson’s campaign is disingenuously attacking her opponent over a comment regarding the failed Federal war on drugs. So, you have to ask the following question:

“Does Bob Parker advocate that laws should be changed such that residents of MO-8 can go out and buy marijuana for recreational use?”

No one in Emerson’s Campaign could honestly answer ‘yes’. The Staff knows it’s not true. Jim Limbaugh (Emerson’s Treasurer) knows it’s not true. Jo Ann Emerson knows it’s not true. As an answer to my question, I would get the same mumbo-jumbo-lawyer-approved argument that they hope will keep the voters’ focus off of the real issue in this election – her record.

The votes that Jo Ann casts are the most important things she does as a member of the House; it’s her record. So, why does Jo Ann Emerson want to keep the focus off her record?

Simple: Far too many of her votes are on the same side as Barack Obama^*

On TARP (the bailout of the big banks) Jo Ann Emerson voted with Barack Obama.
On bailing out the corrupt AIG Insurance giant, Jo Ann Emerson voted with Barack Obama.
On allowing the VPs and Presidents and CEOs to still get bonuses at the bailed-out banks, Jo Ann Emerson voted with Barack Obama.
On exposing taxpayer dollars to failing union pensions, Jo Ann Emerson co-sponsored it (to the delight of Barack Obama).
On Cash for Clunkers, Jo Ann Emerson voted with Barack Obama.
On the NDAA, that allows the government to imprison American Citizens indefinitely without trial, Jo Ann Emerson voted with Barack Obama.
On funding the business-crushing EPA, Jo Ann Emerson voted with Barack Obama.
On funding the Department of Education that centrally controls our children’s future with big-government edicts, Jo Ann Emerson voted with Barack Obama.
On funding for the Planned Parenthood abortion factory, Jo Ann Emerson voted with Barack Obama.
On funding Dodd-Frank and its business-crushing regulations, Jo Ann Emerson voted with Barack Obama.
On violating the 72-hour Republican promise for voting on bills, Jo Ann Emerson voted with Barack Obama.
After the Tea Party and millions of Americans screamed ‘NO!’ to more spending… …on raising the debt ceiling and enslaving your children to $2.4 Trillion more debt and deficit spending, Jo Ann Emerson voted with Barack Obama.

Jo Ann Emerson repeatedly votes with Barack Obama, and considering that she made these votes in the face of a renewed Conservative and Tea Party microscope, she will continue to vote with Barack Obama if she is sent back.

The Heritage Foundation^* has calculated a more than disappointing 44% Conservative rating for her Congressional Votes (Todd Akin = 82%). And, the Madison Project put her top-3 most liberal Republican voting record into their Hall Of Shame.^*

True Conservative?

In a recent flyer attacking her opponent, the claim is that she is the “TRUE Conservative”. Really? Ask yourself these questions:

Would a TRUE Conservative vote to fund the EPA?
Would a TRUE Conservative be the Vice Chair of Center Aisle Caucus?
Would a TRUE Conservative be a member of the liberal Main Street Partnership?
Would a TRUE Conservative be the Chair of the Tuesday Group, a meeting of House liberal Republicans?
Would a TRUE Conservative be a Founding Member of the Bipartisan Congressional Retreat?
Would a TRUE Conservative vote to fund the abortion factory that is Planned Parenthood?
Would a TRUE Conservative donate to the vile chair of the Democratic National Committee, Debbie Wasserman Shultz?
Would a TRUE Conservative vote for a $2.4 Trillion increase in taxes (debt ceiling)?

Clearly the answer is ‘No’ for each of these questions, yet your conservative Congresswoman Jo Ann Emerson voted or is responsible for each of the items above.

Defending Jo Ann Emerson = Defending Barack Obama:

Would a TRUE Conservative stand tall in front their constituents and defend their record or hide behind semantic attacks on their opponent? (Are we going to need a milk carton?)

You’ve seen the gotcha video of her opponent at a forum in Poplar Bluff, MO. Have you seen grainy cell-phone video of Jo Ann Emerson being asked tough questions by 2 of her constituents at the same time in a back-and-forth forum?

No.

Why?

Because to stand in front of such a forum and defend her record on the items above, she’d have to defend many items on Barack Obama’s march-to-socialism agenda:

To defend her record, she’d be defending Barack Obama and her vote to fund his EPA that regulates carbon dioxide, spilled milk and ditches on our farms.
To defend her record, she’d be defending Barack Obama’s attacks on the unborn and her vote to fund Planned Parenthood’s baby killing machine.
To defend her record, she’d be defending Barack Obama and her vote to take $Billions$ from taxpayers and hand them over to insurance giant AIG.
To defend her record, she’d be defending Barack Obama and her Cash for Clunkers vote to support the GM / Chrysler bailout that, likely illegally, handed the companies over to the UAW.
To defend her record, she’d be defending Barack Obama’s big-spending-agenda and her vote to increase the national debt by $2.4 Trillion (a tax increase) that is the largest increase in the history of the nation (that’s $7,000+ of debt she voted to give to every child born in 2012).

Union Support:

If the Tea Party urged you to cross the aisle and vote for a Democrat primary candidate, obvious that candidate is the best option to vote for items on the Tea Party agenda. Of course.

That is exactly what happened in 2010 when the IBEW Union sent a letter to their members urging them to, disingenuously, cross the aisle vote for Jo Ann Emerson in that primary.

The letter stated, “Over the past few years, myself and other labor representatives in the area, have sought out labor friendly Republican Candidates who will support our agenda and protect the legislative safeguards such as prevailing wage, immigration laws etc. that allow us to keep a level playing field with the non-union contractors.” [Emphasis Added]

Prevailing Wage legislation is what removes the level playing field; it doesn’t create it. In theory, unions are fine, but when they need special legislation to allow them to compete, they are not conducive to the Free Market that made this country great. If they are so great, they should be able to compete in the Free Market w/o special legislative safeguards.

I haven’t seen a 2012 version of that letter, but I suspect, with her union pension bill co-sponsorship, the sentiment is the same as it was in 2010.

Don’t Complain:

I certainly urge everyone who reads this discussion to study the issues and vote their conscious. This is not a diatribe against Jo Ann Emesron’s character or personality. It is simply a look at her record on some of the most important votes of the last 4 years.

However…

If you do vote for Jo Ann Emerson, don’t complain about the EPA, because she will vote to fund it.
If you do vote for Jo Ann Emerson, don’t complain about Planned Parenthood, because she will vote to fund it.
If you do vote for Jo Ann Emerson, don’t complain about the National Debt, because she will vote to increase it.
If you do vote for Jo Ann Emerson, don’t complain about Dodd-Frank, because she will vote to fund it.
If you do vote for Jo Ann Emerson, don’t complain about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, because she will vote to keep it.

Summary:

You’ve heard the tired cliché that the definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. Well, in southeast Missouri, surely we are not insane.

If you want more of the same in Washington, more spending, more big government, more business-strangling regulation, send Jo Ann Emerson back to Washington.
If you want far too many of your representative’s votes to support Barack Obama’s freedom crushing agenda, send Jo Ann Emerson Back to Washington.

For real change, if you want a Constitutional Conservative for a representative, you have to change who’s there. If you want small and limited government, you have to change who’s there.

If you want to change Washington, you have to change who’s there.

The only way to change Washington… …is to change who’s there.

I like Jo Ann Emerson. She has always been very nice to me, and Jo Ann Emerson is a fine woman. She loves her country and cares about Missouri’s 8^th District.

But, if a 16-year tenure is good enough for great TRUE Conservative Missouri State Representatives and Senators like Jason Crowell, Brian Nieves, Jane Cunningham and Jim Lembke, it’s good enough for our U.S. Congressional Representatives.

As the Chairman of the Cape County Tea Party, there was one vote that was most critical to me in the 112th Congress. Jo Ann voted to raise the debt ceiling guaranteeing that the Federal Government would deficit-spend another $2.4 Trillion. This is nothing more than a tax increase that you, me, our children, our grandchildren will have to pay for in countless measures of reduced standard of living.

This is the primary reason (along with others noted above) that I will vote this time for a chance to bring more a conservative voting record to our district; I will be voting for Bob Parker.

(This writing reflects my personal views and may or may not reflect the members of the Cape County Tea Party)

^*Sources include:

One response to “One Thing Jo Ann Emerson and Barack Obama Have In Common…”

Stop RINO’s Like Joanne

July 23, 2012 at 7:03 pm

Joann is a RINO and has fooled enough people in Mid Missouri to possibly win re election. Her name recognition is definitely there but most people never pay one bit of attention to her voting record.

I have been banned from posting on her face book account and she rarely responds to any letters or phone calls if your position on conservative issues do not agree with her ‘moderate’ viewpoint. Joann will always side with the GOP establishment leadership.

Joann deserves to be primaried out of her throne, I for one, will be voting for her opponent in the up coming primary.

What disgusted me the most about Joann was watching her take a envelope full of cash from the local big shot pharmacist in Rolla. To her, cash is king and with out it you never get so much as a boo.

Can’t stand her or her hypocrisy and liberal voting record.

The Rockin' Conservative!