On Sunday, President Obama ordered a successful attack on Osama bin Laden. You’d think that regardless of party, everyone would be acknowledging that President Obama did a good thing. But you’d be wrong. Here is the entirety of Rep. Robert Dold’s statement:
“The death of Osama bin Laden is a significant achievement in our fight against terrorism and strikes a blow to those violent extremists who seek to do our nation and all freedom loving democracies harm. On September 11, 2001, more than 3,000 innocent souls lost their lives and now justice has been served. I commend the men and women of our armed forces and intelligence community for their unwavering commitment to bringing Osama bin Laden to justice. Our fight against those who want to destroy democracies around the world continues but today we can press ahead, as confident as ever in our nation’s ability to confront and triumph over evil.”
That’s it. Not one word about President Obama. Dold just can’t bring himself to thank his Commander-in-Chief for (once again) doing exactly what he promised he’d do. Is it really that hard? President Obama ordered the elimination of the world’s most dangerous and wanted terrorist, and even that’s not enough for Robert Dold.
So what should Dold have said? Many of us feel that Rep. Jan Schakowsky is our de facto representative in Congress, at least until Dold is defeated in 2012. Here’s what Jan said:
Washington, DC (Monday, May 2, 2011) – Rep. Jan Schakowsky issued the following statement regarding the death of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Congresswoman Schakowsky is a Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.
“Last night Americans finally heard the long-awaited and hoped for news delivered by President Obama himself: Osama bin Laden is dead, killed as a result of a well-planned and brilliantly executed attack conducted by our intelligence community and the U.S. military.
“The President and the brave men and women responsible for this victory deserve our gratitude for their persistence and courage. Al Qaeda has suffered many defeats over the last ten years, but none as significant as the death of the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and the leader of the terrorist organization that declared war on the United States.
“It is my hope that this event will once again unite the world against the wholesale violence that we all witnessed nearly a decade ago and provide an opportunity to work together building a world in which people of all religions and beliefs can live in peace. We must remain vigilant, but this development should give all people of goodwill hope for the future.”
See Bob? It’s not that hard.
On Election Day 2010, Dold’s name ID was only 60%. That means many people who voted for him had no idea who he was—they just knew that they wanted to vote Republican.
But on Election Day 2012, a lot more people will know who Dold is, and that does not bode well for his re-election chances. In the short time that he has been in Congress, Dold has managed to vote against net neutrality, against sensible gun control, against environmental protections (at least 17 times), and against health care reform (at least six times).
But he still managed to find time to become one of only 38 (at this writing) co-sponsors of H.R. 497, the Ronald Reagan Commemorative Coin Act of 2011, which would require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of Ronald Reagan, whose misguided policies and rhetoric set in motion the culture of greed and anti-intellectualism that still plagues our nation.
Just what our district needs.
Here’s what our district needs: a new Congressman.
–Tenth Dems