Remembering Tom Massie – Republican Congressman from Kentucky

From the Washington Post: "In Stamford, Conn., a 46-year-old resident pleaded guilty after putting a portion of $4 million in coronavirus aid toward the purchase of a Porsche. And a Mercedes. And a BMW. In Somerset, N.J., a 51-year-old woman allegedly invented employees, inflated wages and fabricated entire tax filings to collect $1 million in loans. And in St. Petersburg, Fla., a federal judge sentenced to prison a 63-year-old man who obtained $800,000 on behalf of businesses that did not exist. The cases and charges, each announced over the past month, count among hundreds involving a slew of programs enacted by Congress in the darkest days of the coronavirus pandemic — money dispatched with such an urgency at the time that it is now putting Washington’s watchdogs to the test." Chock full of fraud and the Congressmen / women who voted for the CARES Act avoided having a written record of who did and did not vote for this clusterfuck. They were cowards who did not want to have their names attached to the bill should it blow up in the face of the country - personally, I think that many of them did know that it was a fuck up but did not care enough to even try to prevent it from passing. Trump would have done anything to grease the skids to re-election - anyone who would sell "Trump Steaks" and "Trump University" would certainly go along with the bullshit known as the CARES Act if he or she thought it would help to get them another 4 years in the big chair.

It takes balls to stand up for your beliefs when everyone is telling you that you are wrong. Thomas Massie had balls and he was right to try to force a recorded vote on the CARES Act. He knew that this was going to be a bad deal in the long run and he tried to get the supporters for all of this pork barrel spending on the written record with a “yes” or “no” vote. Instead, he got steamrolled by Democrats, Republicans and former President Trump. It reminded me of when Ron Paul was part of a televised debate and warmongering John McCain viciously attacked him for not supporting the asinine idea of running around the globe poking our fingers into the chests of other countries and trying to tell them how to run their affairs. From POLITICO: "Led by President Donald Trump, both Republicans and Democrats lined up to whack the GOP lawmaker who tried to derail the bipartisan stimulus bill. “Looks like a third rate Grandstander named @RepThomasMassie, a Congressman from, unfortunately, a truly GREAT State, Kentucky, wants to vote against the new Save Our Workers Bill in Congress,” Trump wrote on Twitter. House Republican leadership had been concerned that Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) would move to demand a recorded tally as opposed to a voice vote on the historic measure, throwing a last-minute hurdle in the legislation’s path to the president’s desk. Two hours after Trump’s initial post, Massie confirmed that he would do just that, tweeting: “I swore an oath to uphold the constitution, and I take that oath seriously. In a few moments I will request a vote on the CARES Act which means members of Congress will vote on it by pushing ‘yes’ or ‘no’ or ‘present.’” Massie ultimately failed on Friday afternoon when the House approved the package. But his threat compelled dozens, if not hundreds, of lawmakers to return to Capitol Hill from their home districts, navigating across interstates and through airports at a time when public health officials have urged Americans to avoid nonessential travel and gathering in large groups. “He just wants the publicity. He can’t stop it, only delay, which is both dangerous ... & costly,” Trump tweeted of Massie. “Workers & small businesses need money now in order to survive. Virus wasn’t their fault. It is ‘HELL’ dealing with the Dems, had to give up some stupid things in order to get the ‘big picture’ done. 90% GREAT! WIN BACK HOUSE, but throw Massie out of Republican Party!” massie.house.gov