Robert Dold (R-Kenilworth) had a chance to prove us wrong. He had a chance to demonstrate independence, moderation, and compassion. Instead, it’s as if he’s gone out of his way to prove how out of step he is with the voters in the 10th Congressional District of Illinois. Dold has been in office nearly a year. Let’s take an objective look at his record.
Dold votes with the Republican Party 84% of the time. Want to make some quick money? Find someone who takes Dold’s campaign literature at face value. Pick a vote at random and bet that Dold voted the way John Boehner voted. You’ll win more than four out of five times.
Dold voted to deny women access to quality health care and voted for bills that the pro-choice community strongly opposed. On October 13, 2011, Dold voted for HR 358, the anti-choice Protect Life Act (known in the pro-choice community as the “Let Women Die Act,” because that’s what it would do). Even worse: When Rep. Lois Capps (D-CA) offered an amendment that would have fixed the provision that allows hospitals to refuse abortion coverage when a woman’s life is in danger, Dold voted against her amendment. The bill Dold voted for imperils women’s lives because it allows institutions and doctors to refuse to provide care even in life-threatening emergencies.
Dold has done nothing to create jobs, but he’s done plenty to endanger the lives of women. Here’s how NARAL Pro-Choice America described the bill Dold voted for:
The bill would allow a hospital to refuse a woman life-saving, emergency abortion care even if she will die without it. On top of that, it effectively would ban insurance coverage of abortion in state health-insurance exchanges, denying abortion coverage to millions of women. This creates jobs how?
”This bill is a collection of dangerous ideas that will undermine women’s health,” said Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Most devastating, the bill eliminates protections for patients seeking care in emergency circumstances, and would allow a hospital to deny lifesaving abortion care to a woman, even if a doctor deems it necessary.”
“House leaders just can’t keep their eye on the ball and focus on jobs and the economy,” said Richards. “In fact, this bill will increase the economic burden on already struggling American families by eliminating health insurance provisions that could save them from bankruptcy.”
On May 6, 2011, Dold voted for the anti-choice H.R. 3, which bans tax subsidies for private health insurance plans that include abortion as a covered service, prevents citizens from deducting abortion as a medical expense unless it was the result of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother, and invites the potential for the Internal Revenue Service to investigate how women who had abortions became pregnant and how they paid for their abortions.
“Robert Dold can try to appear moderate all he wants, but after [his May 6] vote there’s no way Illinois will buy it,” said EMILY’s List President Stephanie Schriock. “Dold showed his true colors by standing with his Republican leaders and against the women of Illinois. Dold may have run on job creation, but he has done nothing to create jobs since getting to Washington. Instead, he’s done plenty to take away women’s freedoms and their opportunities to keep themselves and their families healthy.”
Dold flipped on defunding Planned Parenthood. Dold (and Judy Biggert (R-IL)) first voted against defunding Planned Parenthood, but as Bill Beckman, Executive Director of the Illinois Right to Life Committee explained:
The irony is that when they had the final bill passage, they flipped. Both voted for [the bill that defunded Planned Parenthood]. We’re playing games here in reality. Which is better: that they voted against the amendment and for the final bill, or vice versa? I’ll tolerate those Republicans if they vote the final bill the right way, even if they want to throw a bone to Planned Parenthood that doesn’t count.
Dold voted to gut health care reform. Dold voted at least six times to gut health care reform (Roll Calls 97, 98, 99, 100, and 121, 141).
Previously, Dold voted at least 17 times to gut environmental programs that about 75% of 10th District residents support.
Dold voted against sensible gun control. Dold voted with the National Rifle Association to defund the program that requires the reporting of the sale of multiple shotguns or rifles to the same person. As Rep. Chakah Fattah (D-PA) said, “this has nothing whatsoever to do with hunting rifles or guns used in sporting activity. This has to do with long guns with detachable clips used for only one purpose, and that is, shooting large numbers of rounds and killing large numbers of people… I know that some may get paranoid about these issues, but I think we should have at least some paranoia about what this could portend if we don’t take reasonable action in the protection of the citizens that we’ve been elected to protect.”
Dold twice voted with his party against anti-Iran legislation. October 26, 2011, Dold and 236 other Republicans voted against a motion that would have stopped an American mining company from partnering with a London-based firm that has dealings with Iran. Adam Kredo reported in Washington Jewish Week that at a time when elements of Iranian government plotted to assassinate the Saudi ambassador on U.S. soil – not a single House Republican could bring him or herself to support a rational Democratic motion to keep American businesses out of Iran.
If House Republicans are going to be willing to put business interests over Israel’s interests that’s their prerogative, but then it’s the height of hypocrisy to be campaigning on Israel as an issue,” said one Democratic Hill staffer who tracked the vote.
One week later, on November 3, 2011, Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ) proposed language banning the issuance of securities to businesses that have Iran dealings. Dold voted no. Kredo quoted a Democratic Hill staffer in Washington Jewish Week who said that “The most important national security issue facing the United States and Israel is stopping Iran’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons. But for the second week in a row not a single Republican has been willing to support legislation on the House floor to keep U.S. dollars from going to Iran.”
We cannot afford another two years of Robert Dold. We cannot afford to be passive. The only way for us to combat Dold’s head start in fundraising and name-recognition is to start working now. Please—the outcome of the 2012 election is up to you. Get involved now.
—Tenth Dems