Thank You Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky
Robert Waldmann
Let me join Brad DeLong in Saying
Let Me Join Pete Davis in Saying: “Thank You Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky”
Pete Davis expresses the sentiment very well:Thank You Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky: I’ve always wanted to thank Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky (D-PA) for her courageous deciding vote for President Clinton’s 1993 deficit reduction bill. Her Republican colleagues jeered her as she walked down the aisle to cast her vote with shouts of “Bye, Bye Marjorie!” Her crime — voting for the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 that reduced the FY94-FY98 deficits by an estimated $496 b., with $241 b. of tax increases and $255 b. of spending cuts. The bill capped a 12-year deficit reduction effort, leading to the budget surpluses of FY98-FY01. She paid the political price, losing her seat in suburban Philadelphia after her first term in office, but she set the U.S. economy on course for its strongest decade since the 1960s.
Unhappy is the country which needs heroines.
So she lost her seat, but who else’s service in Congress do I remember with such gratitude ? Answer, Senator George [ed] Mitchell*.
It is important that Marjorie Margolies-Mexvinsky’s political heroism is not forgotten. The fact that it is remembered might help some current Representatives find some courage.
* He turned down a seat on The Supreme Court and didn’t run for re-election so that he could concentrate on passing Clintoncare. No good deed goes unpunished. For his virtue he was sent to try to solve the damnable question of Northern Ireland. He succeeded. No great deed goes unpunished either and he is now in charge of mideast negotiations. In a just world, Newt Gingrich would be trying to get Israel and Hamas to make peace, and Mitchell would be cashing in** and appearing on TV to pontificate. But, in a just world we wouldn’t need Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky or George Mitchell.
** Of course he has cashed in, but that was long ago, and in another country (the USA).
George Mitchell, not Greg.
I have a Dukakis/Mitchell button on my desk from the 1988 Maine Democratic Convention….
If you’re going to quote Davis, try putting up the rest of what he stated as well. It was a two paragraph blog post.
Pete Davis actually said this:
“I’ve always wanted to thank Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky (D-PA) for her courageous deciding vote for President Clinton’s 1993 deficit reduction bill. Her Republican colleagues jeered her as she walked down the aisle to cast her vote with shouts of “Bye, Bye Marjorie!” Her crime — voting for the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 that reduced the FY94-FY98 deficits by an estimated $496 b., with $241 b. of tax increases and $255 b. of spending cuts. The bill capped a 12-year deficit reduction effort, leading to the budget surpluses of FY98-FY01. She paid the political price, losing her seat in suburban Philadelphia after her first term in office, but she set the U.S. economy on course for its strongest decade since the 1960s.” “Now that we face the hard choices on reining in 10% of GDP deficits and runaway health care costs, who in today’s House of Representatives will provide the deciding vote in favor of the Senate health reform bill, H.R.3590? Whoever it is may lose their seat. Charlie Cook recently said, “If current trends continue, the Republicans could take the House.” That’s what happened in 1994. As then, there is no easy bipartisan solution to our health care and deficit problems. The Senate version of H.R.3590 is flawed to say the least, but, in my opinion, it’s a lot better than doing nothing. We have to attack inefficient and ineffective health care and unsustainable deficits. If we shy away, we will suffer prolonged low growth and high unemployment. Sometime before the start of the Easter recess on March 26, 2010, we’ll find out whether another Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky can be found.”http://capitalgainsandgames.com/blog/pete-davis/1570/thank-you-marjorie-margolies-mezvinsky?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CapitalGainsAndGames+%28Capital+Gains+and+Games+-+Wall+Street%2C+Washington%2C+and+Everything+in+Between%29
If you’re going to quote Davis, put up the rest of what he stated. It was only a two paragraph blog post.
Pete Davis actually said this:
“I’ve always wanted to thank Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky (D-PA) for her courageous deciding vote for President Clinton’s 1993 deficit reduction bill. Her Republican colleagues jeered her as she walked down the aisle to cast her vote with shouts of “Bye, Bye Marjorie!” Her crime — voting for the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993 that reduced the FY94-FY98 deficits by an estimated $496 b., with $241 b. of tax increases and $255 b. of spending cuts. The bill capped a 12-year deficit reduction effort, leading to the budget surpluses of FY98-FY01. She paid the political price, losing her seat in suburban Philadelphia after her first term in office, but she set the U.S. economy on course for its strongest decade since the 1960s.”
“Now that we face the hard choices on reining in 10% of GDP deficits and runaway health care costs, who in today’s House of Representatives will provide the deciding vote in favor of the Senate health reform bill, H.R.3590? Whoever it is may lose their seat. Charlie Cook recently said, “If current trends continue, the Republicans could take the House.” That’s what happened in 1994. As then, there is no easy bipartisan solution to our health care and deficit problems. The Senate version of H.R.3590 is flawed to say the least, but, in my opinion, it’s a lot better than doing nothing. We have to attack inefficient and ineffective health care and unsustainable deficits. If we shy away, we will suffer prolonged low growth and high unemployment. Sometime before the start of the Easter recess on March 26, 2010, we’ll find out whether another Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky can be found.”
http://capitalgainsandgames.com/blog/pete-davis/1570/thank-you-marjorie-margolies-mezvinsky?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+CapitalGainsAndGames+%28Capital+Gains+and+Games+-+Wall+Street%2C+Washington%2C+and+Everything+in+Between%29
I guess having a Kennedy give you a profiles in courage award is better than getting a gold pen for a lifetime as a loyal foot soldier in the democrat mafia.
I have long thought that our national politicians should make decisions based on what is good for 1) the country; 2)their consituents; 3) their party; and 4) themselves in that order. Unfortunately you would be hard pressed to find any current examples that do not have the priorities exactly reversed.
Greg??????
Fixed.
And Marjorie got her reward in the end, though in a round-about way. Her son is engaged to Chelsea Clinton with marriage scheduled this summer.
Terry,
Maybe it’s because to some extent the priorities are aligned. If they against their constituents they don’t get reelected. If they are working for their consituents then they are at least trying to make decisions for the good for a part of the country and all the parts add up to the whole. Party adds a sense of coherence and continuity.
Don’t forget Karen Shephard D-UT also lost her seat. And what followed (Enid Greene) was unbelievably attrocious.
The 3M girl was always my hero. Of course it took a woman to have the courage to put country over job. Women have had a long history of looking at service to country as a way to change things, not a path to perpetual employment. Thank you Marjorie and congratulations on your son’s upcoming wedding.
FYI
But but but…Clinton was an eeevil maaaan!!