RUTHFULLY YOURS

President Barack Obama has indicated he will again attempt to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed into the U.S. for a federal trial after the midterm elections. The good news is the House Armed Services Committee cut off the funding this past spring when poll after poll showed a strong majority of the American people are opposed to the plan. If the House shifts to a Republican majority, it is unlikely the funding will be restored. We will be watching for the reelection results of those Democrats who first voted, in a non-binding vote on October 1, 2009, against authorizing the President to bring Guantanamo detainees into the U.S. for trial and then, when it counted a mere two weeks later, they switched their votes.

Two-thirds of these flip-flopping Democrats are in toss up, leans GOP, or likely GOP races with Election Day nearing. One particularly arrogant Congressman, Baron Hill of Indiana’s 9th District, is in a leans GOP race against Todd Young, a former Marine and Deputy Prosecutor in Orange County, IN. Congressman Hill had this to say last October after switching his vote:

“I haven’t had one person ask me about Guantanamo,” said Rep. Baron Hill, D-Ind. He added that he does “not in the least” fear it as an issue in next year’s elections.

Maybe Hill is correct; his votes for the health care, stimulus, and energy bills are perhaps why he is behind in the polls.

Yet in comparatively liberal New York, Congressman Daniel Maffei (NY-25) made those same votes, including switching to allow civilian trials for terrorists, and he has lost his lead against challenger Ann Marie Buerkle. Maffei had this to say about his Gitmo switch:

“It’s a non-issue. Inside the beltway stuff,” said first-term Rep. Dan Maffai [sic], D-N.Y. “People care about jobs, the economy, health care.”

A third example is Congressman Brad Ellsworth (D, IN-8) in a likely GOP race for that open Senate seat against Dan Coats. While Ellsworth voted for both the health care bill and TARP, Coats slammed Ellsworth for his Gitmo vote in his very first television advertisement.

There are others, like Melissa Bean (IL-8) in a tight race against Joe Walsh, Gabrielle Giffords (AZ-8) in a toss up race against Marine veteran Jesse Kelly, and Ron Klein (FL-22) in a leans GOP race against retired Army veteran Lieutenant Colonel Allen West.

To be clear, we would like to see every Congressman who voted to afford the enemy a civilian trial voted out of Congress. But for now, we will be watching the Gitmo flip-floppers listed below (on the left). We urge our fellow Americans to vote for their opponents (listed on the right).

Michael Arcuri, NY-24, versus Richard Hanna

Melissa Bean, IL-8, versus Joe Walsh

Tim Bishop, NY-1, versus Randy Altschuler

Sanford Bishop, GA-2, versus Mike Keown

John Boccieri, OH-16, versus Jim Renacci

Rick Boucher, VA-9, versus Morgan Griffith

Dennis Cardoza, CA-18, versus Michael Berryhill

Russ Carnahan, MO-3, versus Ed Martin

Ben Chandler, KY-6, versus Andy Barr

Jim Costa, CA-20, versus Andy Vidak

Jerry F. Costello, IL-12, versus Teri Newman

Henry Cuellar, TX-28, versus Bryan Underwood

Kathy Dahlkemper, PA-3, versus Mike Kelly

Lincoln Davis, TN-4, versus, Scott DesJarlais

Peter DeFazio, OR-4, versus Art Robinson

Brad Ellsworth, IN-8, versus Dan Coats (for U.S. Senate)

Gabrielle Giffords, AZ-8, versus Jesse Kelly

Alan Grayson, FL-8, versus Daniel Webster

Debbie Halvorson, IL-11, versus Adam Kinzinger

Martin Heinrich, NM-1, versus Jonathan Barela

Brian Higgins, NY-27, versus Leonard Roberto

Baron Hill, IN-9, versus Todd Young

Jim Himes, CT-4, versus Dan Debicella

Paul E. Kanjorski, PA-11, versus Lou Barletta

Larry Kissell, NC-8, versus Harold Johnson

Ron Klein, FL-22, versus Allen West

Suzanne M. Kosmas, FL-24, versus Sandy Adams

Daniel Lipinski, IL-3, versus Michael A. Bendas

Stephen Lynch, MA-9, versus Vernon Harrison

Daniel Maffei, NY-25, versus Ann Marie Buerkle

Betsy Markey, CO-4, versus Cory Gardner

Jim Marshall, GA-8, versus Austin Scott

Jim Matheson, UT-2, versus Morgan Philpot

Kendrick B. Meek, FL-17, versus Marco Rubio (for U.S. Senate)

Mike Michaud, ME-2, versus Jason Levesque

Scott Murphy, NY-20, versus Christopher Gibson

Patrick Murphy, PA-8, versus Michael Fitzpatrick

Glen Nye, VA-2, versus Scott Rigell

Ed Perlmutter, CO-7, versus Ryan L. Frazier

Tom Perriello, VA-5, versus Robert Hurt

Collin Peterson, MN-7, versus Lee Byberg

Earl Pomeroy, ND-1, versus Rick Berg

Mike Ross, AR-4, versus Beth Anne Rankin

Bobby Rush, IL-1, versus Ray Wardingley

Loretta Sanchez, CA-47, versus Van Tran

Mark Schauer, MI-7, versus Tim Walberg

Kurt Schrader, OR-5, versus Scott Bruun

Allyson Schwartz, PA-13, versus Dee Adcock

Heath Shuler, NC-11, versus Jeff Miller

Ike Skelton, MO-4, versus Vicky Hartzler

Adam Smith, WA-9, versus Richard Muri

Dina Titus, NV-3, versus Joe Heck

Charlie Wilson, OH-6, versus Bill Johnson

John Yarmuth, KY-3, versus Todd Lally

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