Arcuri Votes Billions More For Corrupt War
It’s difficult to argue that the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq aren’t corrupt. Bribery has been a standard practice among military contractors in both nations. Recently, in Afghanistan, it was revealed that military contractors were paying huge amounts of redirected money from the American taxpayer in protection fees that ended up funding the Taliban they were supposed to be working to defeat. With the revelations coming out of the Wiki Leaks documents about the war in Afghanistan, the corruption we know about has only gotten worse.
And then there was yesterday. On the same day:
- Auditors reported that the Pentagon cannot account for 8.7 billion dollars in Iraq.
- Trumansburg’s U.S. Representative, Michael Arcuri voted in favor of sending the Pentagon an extra 59 billion dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Whether you’re a liberal against war or a conservative against wasteful spending, that kind of vote is difficult to justify. As a Blue Dog, Mike Arcuri long ago lost the support of the Democratic liberal base. With his many votes, like yesterday’s, in favor of wasteful spending, I don’t see how Arcuri will make up the difference with conservative voters.
Hey Jon,
Like you, I’m frustrated and disillusioned with him. Bottom line: it’s a Republican district and a Republican disguised as a Democrat happened to win. He’ll lose this time . . . unfortunately to a Republican. We’ll just have to make a strategic decision to give it up and work for positive results in districts that have more potential.
Richard, keep in mind that redistricting is about to happen. So, what the 24th district is now isn’t what it will be for much longer.
Also, electoral politics is a tool for bringing about change, not just passively accepting what is. I believe a progressive Democrat could win in the 24th district, if the candidate was strong and effectively managed. Michael Arcuri isn’t progressive, he’s not a strong leader, and he’s ineffectively managed.
The best option right now in the 24th district is to allow the Republicans to win the House race in 2010, and find a better candidate for 2012.
Agreed!