Congressman Jim Himes is a true politician, who can please crowds without shame for his contradictions.
On Money In Politics: “It’s appalling, it’s disgusting, it’s wasteful and it opens the possibility of conflicts of interest and corruption. It’s unfortunately the world we live in.”
Actions: In May, Himes, a former Goldman Sachs banker and a member of the House Financial Services Banking Committee, introduced a rollback of provisions of the Dodd Frank bill exempting (from regulatory scrutiny) certain derivatives trades. It has been reported that the bill’s language was lifted directly from Citibank documents. According to MapLight, lawmakers who supported the changes received twice as much in contributions as those who opposed them.
Himes recently appeased the Ridgefield League of Women Voters by lamenting the influence of money in politics. “We really have got to work overtime to reduce the amount of money in the system.” Actions: Jim Himes has been working overtime to increase the amount of money in politics….for himself. During the second quarter, Himes raised $317,923 in campaign cash, outpacing the Democratic Party’s standard bearer, Nancy Pelosi, who raised only $316,057. Why the sudden success? Himes lobbied heavily to become the national finance chair for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC). In February, 2013, he was awarded with this coveted post. Himes may poormouth the influence of money in politics, but that hasn’t stopped him from selling access, especially to Wall Street.
On NSA Surveillance: When the NSA surveillance scandal broke in June, Congressman Himes lamented the assault on privacy. “It is becoming uncomfortably clear that the privacy of the American people is being compromised by intrusive and over-zealous intelligence gathering and law-enforcement activity.” Actions: On July 25, the House of Representatives voted on the Amash Amendment, which would have defunded the NSA’s surveillance program. The vote lost 205-217, but the measure showed bipartisan backing. Connecticut representatives DeLauro, Courtney, and Larson voted in favor. However, Jim Himes voted to continue to spy on Americans. Congressman Himes was recently named to serve on the House Intelligence Committee, another coveted position for which he lobbied.
On Obamacare: All during 2009, Himes lobbied aggressively for passage of the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), based on the promise of lower premiums for most Americans and deficit reduction. “ACA will reduce our deficit by more than $100 billion.” Actions: The White House has approved a deal that will exempt members of Congress and their staffs from provisions of Obamacare that would have resulted in raising their premiums. They will continue to receive premium subsidies at taxpayer expense. It is projected that health insurance premiums for citizens will increase 30% or more in 2014. Meanwhile, the cost of Obamacare has tripled, from $900 billion to $2.7 trillion.
This column is supplied by the Republican Town Committee.