Democratic Party giving plug to Lincoln Chafee

[brooklynite]

The Democrats ‏@TheDemocrats 3h3 hours ago
RT if you agree with Lincoln Chafee.



...for those that insist that the Party bosses are rigging the game for Hillary Clinton...

[hrmjustin]

1. I always liked him.

I think debate and primaries sre good.

[elleng]

2. Glad to hear it, hrmjustin;

so have I. Lots of grumbling around here, tho.

[hrmjustin]

3. I think when someone else gets in it will take some of the edge off.

There are some who are convinced there will be no primary. There will be.

[leftofcool]

6. Not Lincoln, please

Yes to Sanders, yes to Warren, yes to O'Malley, and maybe even Jim Webb (sort of) but Chafee voted for and supports the privatization of social security.

Sorry, forgot the link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-russell/so-how-about-lincoln-chafee-for-president_b_7042058.html

[KoKo]

21. Article says he voted AGAINST John Bolton as Ambassador to the UN...

It doesn't mention him voting for him more recently..

From the article:

In his past life as a senator, he voted against the inadequacies of the Bush Medicare Part D expansion, unnecessary Senate filibusters and the appointment of John Bolton as Ambassador to the UN.

[hrmjustin]

22. Thanks for the correction.

[tblue37]

35. I also recoiled at his nasty comments about Hillary being a "cold" policy wonk, as

though being serious, intelligent, and well-informed at her job is somehow a character flaw in a woman.

[blkmusclmachine]

4. http://tbo.com/storyimage/TB/20131210/ARTICLE/131219923/AR/0/AR-131219923.jpg

[MannyGoldstein]

5. It's like when Tsongas ran for President

Bill Clinton talked him up, until Tsonga's started doing well... then the claws and fangs came out.

[Thinkingabout]

8. He is rated as a Libertarian Leaning Democrat.

[onecaliberal]

9. He is a republican

[brooklynite]

11. Like Elizabeth Warren?

He changed parties. So did she.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

12. Warren changed parties twenty years ago...

If you love Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, sans the IWR vote, you'll love Lincoln Chafee though.

[Historic NY]

33. Chaffee just changed....

& he was defeated by Democrat when he quit. So far he has tried both parties, and even independant

[DemocratSinceBirth]

34. I am not going to bang Warren over the head unless provoked....

Twenty years is long enough not to be questioned...

But Chaffee's epiphany certainly deserves scrutiny...

And as I said his votes on most issues were virtually indistinguishable from Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, the other New England Republicans...

[hack89]

13. He never won an election as a Democrat

after his first term as govenor, he switched to become a Dem and then decided not to run due to abysmally poor approval ratings. He was mediocre governor at best - we can do better.

[yeoman6987]

27. I'd still like him in the primary

Ok so we don't want 20 in like the Republicans but 7 would be good. The more the better variety and hard questions for them all to answer. Chafee won't win but maybe he has a thought of two that could help our eventual candidate.

[Bluenorthwest]

16. I am not fond of any of the 'cross over kids' but Chafee did not change Parties 'like Warren' at all

He was an elected Republican, and has never been elected as a Democrat. He was a Republican for many, many decades up until just recently. She was a Republican for a very long time ending 15 or 20 years ago. He comes from an extremely wealthy and powerful Republican family, full of elected Republicans. She comes from red dirt Oklahoma, her family had no wealth or power to speak of. When she changed Parties, she was wealthy and connected of course, but she was not in fact an active or official Republican.
Oregon has a past Senator who changed Parties. Not like Chafee. Also not like Warren. Wayne Morse was elected as a Republican, left the GOP while in office in disgust related to the ascendency of Nixon in that Party. He became an Independent and literally put his chair in the middle aisle. LBJ, they say, convinced him to join the Democratic Party, which he did. Morse was then elected to the Senate as a Democrat. He became a strong critic of the Vietnam War, a vote against the Gulf of Tonkin resolution. He was in both Parties, at odds with both Parties, clear and very verbal about his reasons for each action he took. His Party changes were no mysteries. Morse did not mince words.
Compared to him, Warren is soft spoken. Compared to him Lincoln Chaffee is a Republican.

[brooklynite]

17. Can you name a republican policy Chafee has asserted as a Democrat?

[onecaliberal]

18. He is for privatizing social security and has not

Changed his position that I'm aware of.

[brooklynite]

19. "I am committed to.....not putting Social Security benefits at risk

Q: Will you support or oppose using Social Security taxes to fund private accounts?

A: It is estimated that to deliver the full promised Social Security benefits for the next 75 years will cost roughly $4 trillion above what the system currently takes in. This is a significant challenge, and it is prudent to tackle this problem now, rather than putting it off for future generations.

The Social Security program has served this country well for six decades, and has helped keep seniors, disabled people, and families out of poverty. I am committed to ensuring that we maintain those standards as we go forward, and in particular, to not putting Social Security benefits at risk.

http://www.ontheissues.org/governor/Lincoln_Chafee_Social_Security.htm

[onecaliberal]

20. Only thing missing in answer to that question is NO. All

The republicans talk that line.

[KoKo]

23. "Open Secrets: ...has him Against Privatizing SS...

but the report is a bit confusing. Here's what they have:

http://www.ontheissues.org/governor/Lincoln_Chafee_Social_Security.htm

THIS is from a TABLE AT THE LINK: DU Doesn't have TABLE FORMAT...so this is the way it comes out on cut and paste:


Don’t put Soc. Sec. benefits at risk

Using Social Security taxes for private accounts

AARP Opposes

Lincoln Chafee Opposes

Sheldon Whitehouse Opposes


----------------

Q: Will you support or oppose using Social Security taxes to fund private accounts?

A: It is estimated that to deliver the full promised Social Security benefits for the next 75 years will cost roughly $4 trillion above what the system currently takes in. This is a significant challenge, and it is prudent to tackle this problem now, rather than putting it off for future generations.

The Social Security program has served this country well for six decades, and has helped keep seniors, disabled people, and families out of poverty. I am committed to ensuring that we maintain those standards as we go forward, and in particular, to not putting Social Security benefits at risk.

Source: 2006 AARP Senate candidate questionnaire , Sep 29, 2006

----Then OPEN SECRETS has this making it seem he "Supports Privatizing..but Statement says No:----

Supports privatizing Social Security

Senator Chafee believes that the Social Security and Medicare programs are the bedrock foundation of stability and security for millions of senior citizens across America. While both programs face significant challenges in the coming years, it is clear that we can and we must preserve Social Security and Medicare for current recipients and for future beneficiaries.

http://www.ontheissues.org/governor/Lincoln_Chafee_Social_Security.htm

[onecaliberal]

25. Yes that is confusing. IMO it's a yes or no question.

When they start triangulating about "protecting" SS it gets my radar going. "Protecting" is double speak for republicans meaning privatize. It's like republicans saying they want to save the postal service. By their actions demonstrate anything but.

[tblue37]

36. Yep--just as "reform" means "gut" and "privatize" when they

go after things like education.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

30. He is a nice enough fella but he is not remotely progressive ...

He is a nice enough fella but he is not remotely progressive if we use the same measure we use for other candidates.

[bullwinkle428]

10. Pretty obvious he's running for a cabinet position.

Hillary wants to have her own "team of rivals".

[dembotoz]

14. we must treat him as a candidate

Cause he seems to b one

[Bluenorthwest]

15. He's a huge Free Trader, for those who object to Hillary on that basis to support him is absurd

Would like to privatize Social Security, ARA rates him at 30%, suggesting an 'anti senior' voting record. 31% by AFL-CIO indicating an anti Union voting record. Cato Institute loves his Free Trade stance, gives him a 92%. Hillary gets a 17% from them.

Never in a million years.

[KoKo]

24. See Post #23 about his stand on SS

Do you have a link to the Cato report on him being a "Free Trader?"

[onecaliberal]

26. Do more than see 23 but read both links.

it's a yes or no question that he doesn't answer. He talks about protecting SS like they talk about protecting the postal service. Do you buy that too?

[Jacoby365]

28. He was a guest on the Jeff Santos radio show yesterday

and while I was listening, he said he is all FOR the TPP. I heard it with my own ears.

[leftofcool]

29. What scares me is his standard Republican line on Social Security.

It is confusing but I am not willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on this.

[KoKo]

32. Yes..unfortunately, he seems to be...I found the link about CATO, etc.

http://www.ontheissues.org/Governor/Linc_Chafee_Free_Trade.htm


Rated 92% by CATO, indicating a pro-free trade voting record.


The mission of the Cato Institute Center for Trade Policy Studies is to increase public understanding of the benefits of free trade and the costs of protectionism.

The Cato Trade Center focuses not only on U.S. protectionism, but also on trade barriers around the world. Cato scholars examine how the negotiation of multilateral, regional, and bilateral trade agreements can reduce trade barriers and provide institutional support for open markets. Not all trade agreements, however, lead to genuine liberalization. In this regard, Trade Center studies scrutinize whether purportedly market-opening accords actually seek to dictate marketplace results, or increase bureaucratic interference in the economy as a condition of market access.

Studies by Cato Trade Center scholars show that the United States is most effective in encouraging open markets abroad when it leads by example. The relative openness and consequent strength of the U.S. economy already lend powerful support to the worldwide trend toward embracing open markets. Consistent adherence by the United States to free trade principles would give this trend even greater momentum. Thus, Cato scholars have found that unilateral liberalization supports rather than undermines productive trade negotiations.

Scholars at the Cato Trade Center aim at nothing less than changing the terms of the trade policy debate: away from the current mercantilist preoccupation with trade balances, and toward a recognition that open markets are their own reward.

The following ratings are based on the votes the organization considered most important; the numbers reflect the percentage of time the representative voted the organization's preferred position.
Source: CATO website 02n-CATO on Dec 31, 2002

-------------------------

Reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank.
Chafee signed Letter on Ex-Im Bank

Press release on Letter from 31 Governors to House Republican leaders:

We urge you to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) before its charter expires this year. In its role as the official export credit agency, Ex-Im is a vital export finance tool for exporters in our states, at no cost to American taxpayers.

Ex-Im allows our companies and workers to compete on a level playing field against our competitors. Without Ex-Im financing, US firms would have lost many sales campaigns to their overseas competitors.

Reauthorizing Ex-Im is the right thing to do for our economy, companies and workers. 41 GOP lawmakers and 865 business organizations have called for the charter's immediate renewal. And, House Democrats have already introduced legislation to reauthorize the bank. Speaker Boehner, it's time to act; quit jeopardizing the nation's economy and American jobs.

Argument in opposition from FreedomWorks:

Top Ten Reasons to Let the Export-Import Bank Expire
It Has Outlived Its Purpose: In the 2010s, US exports have been setting record highs--they don't need government help.
It Lets Government Pick Winners and Losers
Its Risky Loans Put it in Danger of Needing Taxpayer Bailouts
It Costs Taxpayers Money Annually, thanks to government accounting gimmicks
Most of Its Funding Goes to Big Corporations Who Don't Need the Money
It Lets Foreign Corporations Undercut US Competitors
It Only Benefits a Few States, but Every State Bears the Costs
It Is Prone to Corruption (like whenever you involve the government in handing out money)
There Are Better Ways to Help US. Manufacturers: the government should lower and simplify the tax and regulatory burden US companies face.
It Is Unnecessary. The Ex-Im Bank cannot justify its continued existence. It's also one of the easiest programs to retire, as its authorization expires in September 2014 if Congress simply does nothing.
Source: Letter from 31 Governors 14_Lt_ExIm on Jul 15, 2014

[tblue37]

37. +1. nt

[Zorra]

31. Bwaahaaahaaa! Perfect. Lincoln Chaffee was a lifelong Republican until 2006.

And for many years was a Republican legislator.

"...and the devil would call my name...I'd say, "Who do, who do you think you're foolin?" ~ Paul Simon