Congressman Tom Davis of the 11th District (Northern Virginia) bravely met the voters of his District in a series of town halls this past weekend. I have to give him credit? many of his colleagues do not have the intestinal fortitude to meet an unscreened group of their constituents during this winter of scandals, rising casualties in Iraq, Katrina aftermath, wiretapping, and so on. I attended the hour and a half meeting in the Council Room of Fairfax City Hall. Clearly, the citizens of Fairfax were anxious to meet their congressman face to face since it was SRO (Standing Room Only), with people even outside in the hallway, peeking in.What was bothering this gathering of average American voters? A wide variety of things, it turned out: the Alternative Minimum Tax and its impact on strapped middle income taxpayers; environmental degradation and Davis? low rating from environment groups; our dependency on foreign oil; concerns about cuts in Medicaid and the general cost of health care, with a request for a national health care plan; who was Davis supporting to replace Tom DeLay (blunt no-compromise answer: Blunt); illegal immigration problems, including stealing of social security numbers by illegals to get jobs; questions about how Metro can sell land it owns around Metro stations without public hearings or input, and about disabled access at Metro stations; a request to shave off the tops of hills to improve line of sight on a road outside the City of Fairfax, and so on.
Almost without exception, Mr. Davis gave a reasoned non-answer when he ?answered? the questions. I had to admire his footwork, his apparent sincerity, and his masterful deflecting of tough questions... not exactly dodging, but generally not forthcoming. It was a great political performance which also carefully separated himself from any wrong doing by his Republican congressional colleagues. Example: constituent said the high cost of health care is killing companies, which might indicate need for a national health care plan, to which Davis responded in Republican mode, blaming the problem on malpractice suits and indicating a bill to help small business meet health premiums was stalled in the Senate (i.e., not his problem). Tom Davis is generally seen as a likeable guy.
Two questions were asked relating to our current Middle East war. First, someone asked why the government has not yet reimbursed at least 90 percent of the soldiers who paid for their own body armor when Congress directed that they be paid? Second was a plea for help from a soft-voiced father who described the deficiencies in training his son, evidently a new recruit, was suffering through, such things as a total lack of mortars and ammunition with which to practice, antiquated rifles, missing equipment, and so on. The audience was rapt, as silent as a stone, the only time it was absolutely quiet during the meeting. Davis appeared to be as appalled as I was, and in attempting to address the question related an empathetic story from his days in a mortar platoon (?you have to fire mortars to get it right, one always went off at an odd direction?), then offered to look into it, maybe hold a hearing. I thought to myself that we actually drilled with broomsticks at the start of World War II, after being blindsided by Pearl Harbor. But today, four years into a war of choice, we still didn?t have body armor or ammunition? Where, I wondered, was the vaunted American business efficiency? We can give billion dollar no-bid contracts to Halliburton, but we can?t support our troops when we send them into harm?s way? Well, what else can you expect from draft-dodging armchair warriors like Bush and Cheney, Rumsfeld, and most of the Republican leadership?
Time was running out and I was dismayed to realize that no one had really challenged our Congressman on the scandals and the no-warrant wiretapping. He was going to be able to go back to his Republican leaders and say, ?we?re getting away with it all, no one said anything
about that tempest in a teapot Abramoff or the President?s wiretapping. It?s not even on the radar.?
WHAT I SAID TO THE CONGRESSMAN
First came an explanation that I was deeply insulted when my President and Vice-President told me I should ?be afraid, be very afraid.? Mr. Davis smiled at the audience and said, ?Oh, I don?t think they ever said that,? but to his surprise the audience shouted him down as I replied, ?Oh, yes they did, Mr. Cheney said exactly that... THIS IS NOT LEADERSHIP.? (Cheers and applause, to my surprise). ?You do not take a free people to war by telling them to be afraid.? This statement was made at the beginning in order to reduce the perceived traditional Republican advantage of being strong on national security and making us ?safe,? before I presented a bill of particulars.
Second, ?I am fed up, really fed up with what?s going on at both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue,? noting that every day another Senator or Congressmen revealed he had sold America down the river. ?The Abramoff mess is just a small tip of the iceberg, we are convinced there?s a lot more going on besides that.? (Applause, also boos and catcalls) To give Mr. Davis credit, he let me continue, saying ?Teddy?s been around a long time, she can say what she wants to.?
Thank you, Mr. Davis. ?When I look down Pennsylvania Avenue at the White House we see the same parasitical vermin that infest K Street and Capitol Hill also infesting the executive branch, but what?s worse is we have a President who says he is above the law.? (Cheers, howls of anger) ?The President has surrounded himself with lapdog lawyers who tell him what he wants to hear so that he is comfortable with ordering torture? (this word alone caused what must have been every Republican present to erupt, but they were generally over-ridden by applause and cheers? talk about mixed reactions) ?...and sending people to secret prisons, and now we find out that for years he has been ordering massive, massive surveillance and no-warrant wiretapping of American citizens on American soil.? (Literally yells of outrage, screams of support) ?When he signed the no-torture bill he actually said he would not obey the law if it did not suit him? (Sit down! Shut up! What?s your question!) ?This man took an oath to uphold the laws of this country. And my question to you, Congressman, is 'What do you intend to do about it?'? (Uproar)
?What I want, Mr. Davis, is for you to arrange forthwith for a truly independent counsel, fully funded and fully empowered, to investigate whether or not the President OR the vice-President have broken any of our laws.? (More general noise). ?And I?d like a report before the November elections.? (Laughter)
The Congressman?s response, once he could make himself heard, began by pointing out that ?it?s not unusual for a President to be close to his Attorney General.? True, but what about all the other lapdog lawyers like Alito, eh? Never mind; Davis continued by saying he himself had never accepted any money from Abramoff (I reminded him I had never suggested that he did), that he was most shocked and disappointed at Duke Cunningham?s fall from grace. But, he continued, we have always had problems with this sort of scandal; he tried to tie the corruption (without using that word, which I had also avoided) to Clinton and Democratic Congresses - a tactic being used by Republicans to blur the lines of the mess. Then he affirmed that he did not think the President broke any laws, but that the question would play out in the Courts, and ?we may hold hearings,? at which I told him ?I would not trust a Republican Congress to investigate a Republican President.? (Laughter and boos).
Apparently the mess in Washington and the over-weening grab for power is of interest to the voters of the 11th District. I wonder how the Congressmen in other districts have fared?
If we want to get anything done, it won't be through Congressman Davis. He has to go.
Several of us from the Mount Vernon committee also greated Tom at his first Lorton Town Meeting. It was VERY well attended. We all asked some good questions. Tom was not a happy camper.
Sounds like you really gave it to him good in asking the question. In Lorton, one of the young ladies on our committee asked Tom about Iraq, in a much nicer, but still uncomfortable for him, manner. Laura asked about when she asked Tom before the invasion about what would happen, and he replied that it would be a "cakewalk". Last year he told her he meant the invasion would be a cakewalk, but not the "occupation" (his words). She asked him for an update, and said, "Congressman Davis, when will it end?"
At that point, one irrate and crazy man jumped and screamed at the TOP of his lungs, "We will leave when every last Arab is dead!!" Everyone was just so stunned, and had no idea what to say. He was apparently too embarassed to remain in the room, as he grabbed his jacket and started to leave, but on the way looked glaringly at Laura, and yelled "We're at war with Islam, people!"
Fortunately he was mets with gasps of disbelief and jeers of disapproval from everyone in the room---well, almost everyone. Tom Davis did not bother to denounce what the man exclaimed. That was just as jolting to me. All he had to say was something like, "Let's keep this civil, folks!"
Unreal. Hate really is part of these people's deal, and it's out there, and we should never pretend like it's not a factor.
What is Tom Davis's appeal to someone like Luann Bennett Moran?
Could Davis be helping the Morans real estate development interests?
He wants to make damn sure he wins reelection so he can then try to move up to the Senate when Warner retires in '08. But if he loses in '06, his political future is OVER!
Uh-huh.
Why doesn't some one ask him the zinger question about Safavian's wife. And maybe also, did he accept any money INdirectly from Abramoff's associates or "clients?"
Interesting he should be so specific as to say that he didn't "accept any money from Abramoff." I'm willing to believe he didn't get any money directly from Abramoff...
I can't say that I disagree with what you are saying, but it's also true that Mr. Davis may occupy the ONLY congressional seat in Virginia where Democrats can realistically expect to pick up a seat from Republicans, this year.
Tell me I'm wrong, but I don't see any other district, excpet PERHAPS the 10th, as winnable for Democrats this year. Not even close.
Back when I lived in Sterling, I had a good friend, Gil Heiman, a devout Catholic, tireless social justice advocate. He took me to a SALT (Catholic Social Justice organization) NoVA legislative wrap-up, and Jeanmarie, as well as Leslie Byrne, were there. I sat RIGHT in the front row, almost directly in front of Devolites, who sat next to her buddy Bob Marshall and made wisecracks and giggles in Bob's ear from the minute she sat down.
At any rate, as Leslie rose to the podium and began speaking, I couldn't believe what I heard. Jeanmarie leaned over into Bob's ear, and although she thought she was whispering, everyone in the first row could clearly here her say, "She is such a bitch!"
Well, needless to say, after that incredulous show of disrespect (in a church no less!) I was never a big fan of JD. She is gonna have a good fight on her hands to hold onto her Senate district, and I sure hope Chap kicks her ass!