How your congressional delegates voted | Albuquerque Journal News

EPA SCIENCE ADVISORY BOARD: Voting 229 for and 191 against, the House on Nov. 18 passed a Republican bill (HR 1422) to reshape the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board to make it more industry-friendly.

The board provides independent evaluations of the scientific analyses upon which the EPA bases its regulations. Its 52 members are chosen by the EPA administrator and serve without pay.

This bill would diminish academic representation on the board while expanding corporate membership; permit experts with financial ties to EPA-regulated industries to serve if they disclose their conflicts of interest; give state, local and tribal governments a guaranteed number of seats on the board; and require the board to gather more public comments, among other provisions.

A yes vote was to send the bill to the Senate, where it is expected to die.

YES: PEARCE (Republican, oil millionaire); NO: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN (Democrats)

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: Voting 195 for and 225 against, the House on Nov. 18 refused to amend HR 1422 (above) in a way that would to deny membership on the Environmental Protection Agency’s Science Advisory Board to representatives of companies or trade associations having a financial interest in decisions that result from the board’s recommendations.

A yes vote was to adopt the Democratic motion.

YES: LUJAN GRISHAM, LUJÁN (Democrats) NO: PEARCE (Republican, oil millionaire)

How your congressional delegates voted | Albuquerque Journal News

Thoughts from a self-professed conservative. So many good thoughts. Follow the link to read it all. [hat tip and xo to Merri Rudd]

GOP Columnist: The VERY Bad News FOR THE GOP in the GOP’s Midterm Victory

Voter turnout was awful. It was more awful for the Democrats but the GOP won 52 percent of 35 percent of the vote: in other words their mandate is 17 percent of the registered electorate (and 13 percent of those eligible to vote). …

Every major Democratic ballot initiative was successful, including every minimum wage increase, even in the red states. AND every personhood amendment failed.

Half of the Republican Congressional delegation now comes from the former Confederacy. There are no more white Democrats from the South. All of the Dixiecrats are now GOP. …

The GOP will spend its time on: Climate denial, theocracy, thinly veiled racism, paranoia, and Benghazi hearings.

He closes his essay saying: “It is almost too late for Republicans to participate in shaping the next wave of our economic and political transformation. The opportunities we inherited coming out of the Reagan Era are blinking out of existence one by one while we chase so-called “issues” so stupid, so blindingly disconnected from our emerging needs that our grandchildren will look back on our performance in much the same way that we see the failures of the generation that fought desegregation. Something, some force, some gathering of sane, rational, authentically concerned human beings generally at peace with reality must emerge in the next four to six years from the right, or our opportunity will be lost for a long generation. Needless to say, Greg Abbott and Jodi Ernst are not that force. ‘Winning’ this election did not help that force emerge.”

GOP Columnist: The VERY Bad News FOR THE GOP in the GOP’s Midterm Victory

I wouldn’t bet on “some gathering of sane, rational, authentically concerned human beings generally at peace with reality must emerge … from the right.”

Why Democrats need rich people, too – The Washington Post by Dana Milbank

Yet there’s a limit to how far Warren, and the Democrats, can go with their little-guy theme, for one simple reason: They can’t afford it.

More than ever in America, elections are purchased, not won. And that money comes from corporate and wealthy interests. Run against corporations and you lose that money — and the election. …

In addition, the wealthy are finding more ways to exploit the 2010 Citizens United ruling and other campaign-finance decisions that give super PACs and unregulated “dark money” even more influence — further diluting the power of low-dollar contributions. …

This leaves Warren well-qualified to ask what she calls a “fundamental question”: “Who does the government work for?”

The answer is easy: The people who bought it.

Why Democrats need rich people, too – The Washington Post