Defeated Dem University: Alumni Update
Rewarding Failed Policies: Updates from the DC Chapter of DDU Alumni Association
After pushing through Congress numerous reckless tax-and-spend policies that have left middle-class families under a mountain of debt and have skyrocketed the unemployment rate, defeated Democrats from 2010 are looking to find new employment and, unlike most Americans, they are being rewarded with top jobs: “The group, which includes members who lost their re-election bids as well as those who retired last cycle, first met during last year’s lame-duck session of Congress. They now huddle by phone once or twice a month with Israel and DCCC recruiting chair Allyson Schwartz (Pa.) leading the chat. Roughly 90 percent of the Democrats who lost in 2010 participate.” (Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake, “Steve Israel’s alumni association,” Washington Post’s The Fix Blog, 2/16/11)
Glenn Nye (Constituent Disservices, ‘10) Heads to Think Tank
After losing his re-election bid in November, the German Marshall Fund has announced he’ll become a Senior Fellow and will work on a variety of issues. This news might come as somewhat of a disappointment for DCCC Chairman Steve Israel, as Nye’s decision to take this position signals that Israel’s plan to turn alumni into candidates doesn’t look too appealing to some of the almuni: “[…]Former U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye has become a senior fellow in the organization’s Washington, DC, office…At the German Marshall Fund, Nye will work with the Economic Policy Program on development issues and with the Foreign Policy & Civil Society Program on matters related to the Balkans and post-conflict issues.” (German Marshall Fund, 3/16/11)
Debbie Halvorson (Bigger Government, ‘10) Looking to IL Government Position
Claiming that she’s “too young” to retire from public service, Debbie Halvorson has made it known that she wishes to stay on as a government employee. Despite voters saying “no, thanks” already, Halvorson is determined to stay in the government bureaucracy. Maybe she feels she didn’t do enough before… “Former U.S. Rep. Debbie Halvorson has asked Gov. Pat Quinn to consider her for the post of Secretary of the Illinois Department of Transportation. The Crete Democrat said she was in Springfield earlier this month talking to Quinn about ways she could work for his administration… Halvorson said she is only 53, too young to retire from public service. ‘There’s just so much that needs to be done,’ she said.” (Cindy Cain, “Halvorson seeks IDOT post,” Herald News, 3/22/11)
Outgoing Members (Fiscal Irresponsibility, ‘10) Use Taxpayer Money to Shell Out Bonuses
On his way out of Congress and into Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper’s administration, Salazar decided to reward both his official and campaign staff with hefty bonuses, squandering taxpayers’ money one more time: “On his way out of the House of Representatives, John Salazar doled out almost $100,000 in staff bonuses after a failed 2010 re-election bid — giving between $1,000 and $8,000 to loyal staffers, some of whom also worked on his campaign.” (Allison Sherry, “Salazar gave $100K in bonuses before bowing out.” Denver Post, 3/17/11)
Dina Titus Hands over $155,000 in Bonuses After Voters Fire Her for Spending Too Much
For an ousted Congresswoman who has yet to rule out another run for her old seat, Titus proves once again that she can’t handle taxpayers’ money responsibly after she hands out $155,000 to staffers: “Before leaving office last year, Rep. Dina Titus offered her congressional staff a parting gift: almost $155,000 in bonuses. Titus, a Democrat who lost a tight race for re-election to Republican Joe Heck, made the payments from the annual allowance members of Congress receive for staff and office costs. The payouts almost doubled Titus’ personnel budget.” (Delen Goldberg “Dina Titus gave staff $155,000 in bonuses on way out of office,” Las Vegas Sun, 3/17/11)
William Delahunt Gifts Over $100,000 of Taxpayer Money in Last Weeks in Congress
William Delahunt was spared a grueling campaign by retiring, but even retirement failed to instill fiscal responsibility after seven terms: “Delahunt, who retired in January after 14 years on Capitol Hill, gave his staff an additional $117,000 in the fourth quarter of 2010, which represented a 38 percent hike in his quarterly payroll, despite a spokesman’s claim that his staff was sharply reduced. Delahunt spokesman Mark Forest said the congressman gave ‘performance-based’ bonuses to staffers, whose workload increased once the Quincy Democrat announced his retirement.” (Dave Wedge, “Dem staffs praised for ‘performance’,” Boston Herald, 3/16/11)
NY Dem Michael Arcuri Forgets the Meaning of Fiscal Responsibility, Pays $117,000 in Bonuses
Before Michael Arcuri left office in January and joined Syracuse law firm Hancock and Estabrook, he showed that he had little problem with recklessly spending even more of his former constituents’ hard-earned dollars: “[H]e gave his staff some parting gifts in the form of salary increases and bonuses totaling about $117,000, according to a report by the government transparency group LegiStorm. Some of the bonuses ran as high as $15,000, the numbers show.” (Elizabeth Cooper, “Report: Arcuri gave big bonuses before leaving office,” Observer-Dispatch, 3/14/11)
One Expensive Consolation Prize: NH Dems Give Big Bonuses After Election Losses
Democrats Paul Hodes and Carol Shea-Porter left Washington in typical Democratic style–passing out hundreds of thousands of dollars of other people’s money and gifting it as hefty bonuses: “After his defeat in last fall’s Senate election, U.S. Rep. Paul Hodes put five members of his campaign staff onto his congressional office payroll for the remaining two months of his term and paid other staffers tens of thousands in taxpayer-funded bonuses before leaving office, newly released payroll records show. Former U.S. Rep. Carol Shea-Porter gave bonuses of at least $5,000 to a dozen members of her staff as she left office, though she did not move campaign staff wholesale onto the federal payroll the way Hodes did. The extra money Hodes and Shea-Porter paid their staffs would otherwise have been returned to the treasury, and to taxpayers. How members of Congress spend their office budgets is entirely at the discretion of the member.” (Fergus Cullen Op-Ed, “Hodes, Shea-Porter raised staff pay after defeat,” Union Leader, 3/12/11)
Baron Hill Takes Your Money and Runs
After being fired for the second time, Baron Hill gives out a hefty amount to staffers on someone else’s dime: “Rep. Baron Hill a Democrat, was defeated, but Legistorm records show he gave out $144,864 in bonuses to his staff in the fourth quarter of 2010, which was a 61 percent increase from the average of the first three quarters of 2010.” (“Congressmen Dole Out $580K In Bonuses To Staff,” Indy News Channel, 3/11/11)
Wondering y Steve Israel is recruiting defeated Dems? We don’t get it either. Check out what they’re up to in DDU Alumni Updates http://www.nrcc.org/default.asp?id=274&newsid=2798