The Biggest Threat To Obama's Agenda: Democratic Centrists

Half a dozen members of the Senate Democratic Conference pose the biggest threat to President Obama's agenda, giving Senate Republicans a fighting chance to block the administration's major expansions of government.

GOP leaders have begun reaching out to these centrists, hoping they will buck their party on Obama's two biggest initiatives: healthcare reform and climate change legislation.



The biggest threat to HC reform legislation is Conflict of Interest: 30 lawmakers on committees drafting reform legislation hold personal investments worth $ 26.8 million in stocks in the health care industry, are making a killing off Health Care:


SENATE:

Jeff Bingaman (D-NM)-$ 150,999
Thomas R. Carper (D-Del)-$ 125,000
Tom Coburn(R-Okla)-$ 15,000
Michael D. Crapo(R-Idaho)-$16,879
Judd Gregg(R-N.H)-$ 575,000
Kay Hagan (D-N.C)-$ 875,000
Tom Harkin (D-Iowa)-$ 60,000
Orrin G. Hatch(R-Utah), $ 15,000
Johnny Isakson(R-Ga), $ 467,002
John F. Kerry (D-Mass), $ 9.8 million
Jon Kyl(R-Ariz), $ 121,000
Jack Reed (D-R.I), $ 15,000

HOUSE:

Dave Camp(R-Mich), $ 490,000
Eric Cantor(R-Va), $ 92,000
Lloyd Doggett(D-Tex), $ 265,000
Jim McDermott (D-Was), $ 41,961
Allyson Y Schwartz (D-Pa), $ 15,000
John Tanner (D-Tex), $ 15,000
Mike Thompsom (D-Calif), $ 95,000
John Yarmuth (D-KY), $ 5 million (Stock held in brother's HC company)
Mary Bono Mack(R-Calif), $ 180,000
John D. Dingell (D-Mich), $ 80,000
Jane Harman (D-Calif), $ 7.7 million (owns stock in 30 HC companies)
Charlie Melancon (D-La), $ 17,000
Fred Upton(R-Mich), $ 525,000
Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y), $ 30,000
Peter Welch (D-VT), $ 15,000
Edward Whitfield(R-KY), $ 80,000
("Financial Disclosures," LegiStorm,

WaPo, 06/13/2009).

They also get huge campaign contributions.

It's the Blue Dogs who are standing in the way of CHANGE.

Democratic leaders in red states have to stop fearing the GOP. There's no 9/11 President Bush with a 90% approval rating to fear. The Republican Party is imploding. Americans don't trust Republicans.

Come on!

Snap out of it!!!!