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Massie Implicated In Plot Against House Leadership

Thomas Massie who continues to push a Ron Paul type unorthodox agenda in Congress has now been implicated in a plot against House leadership.  According to a report in the National Journal, a small band of House members is "scheming to infiltrate the GOP leadership next year".

While intra-House battles are usually not made so public this one is expected to erupt into a breakdown of the conservative coalition which the GOP represents as a bulwark against liberal policies.

The masterminds of this mutiny are trying to stay in the shadows for as long as possible to avoid putting a target on their backs. But one Republican said the "nucleus"of the rebellion can be found inside the House Liberty Caucus, of which he and his comrades are members. This is not surprising, considering that some of the key players in that group—Justin Amash of Michigan, Raul Labrador of Idaho, and Thomas Massie of Kentucky—were among the 12 Republicans who refused to back Boehner's reelection in January 2013.

Boehner isn't the only target. The conservatives find fault with the entire leadership team. [National Journal]

Credit Where Credit Is Due

My disdain for the lack of honesty exhibited time and time again by Thomas Massie doesn't mean that I will not support ideas that he supports.  That would make no sense.  His position on the sale of raw milk deserves support, even if he does not.

[A] bipartisan coalition of House members is pushing for the overturn of a decades-old ban on the interstate sale of raw milk. A controversial topic within the food industry, it has slowly evolved into a pet cause that’s bringing together some of the most anti-government libertarians and left-leaning liberals.

In a statement on his two bills, Massie... highlighted the right to choose argument. “Today, many people are paying more attention to the food they eat, what it contains, and how it is processed. Raw milk, which has been with us for thousands of years, is making a comeback among these discerning consumers,” he said. “Personal choices as basic as ‘what we feed our families’ should not be limited by the federal government.”

Massie’s bills already have nearly 20 co-sponsors, including Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Jared Polis (D-Colo.) and Tom McClintock (R-Calif.).

It’s a strange alliance.

And do you know what is particularly strange about it?  The fact that it is a bi-partisan effort being made by a TEA party guy who enjoys the fawning support of people who rabidly decry bi-partisanship, reaching across the aisle and the whole notion of compromise.  In fact, they openly express their hatred for Mitch McConnell for such things.

And what also struck me as strange is this question: "I wonder how many other "freedom of choice" issues Massie might secretly harbor?"

Celebrating Palestinians With Thomas Massie

Conservatives for Palestine is the title of the article in which certain like minded elected officials were celebrated for their anti-Israel vote.  One was a speaker at a pro Palestine summit, the other referred to as a "kindred spirit".  The speaker was Cynthia McKinney.  Her "kindred spirit" was Thomas Massie.

Now lest we forget our ally in the region is Israel.  The "summit" questioned that alliance and blamed our woes and our wars on our relationship with Israel.

"Research indicates the U.S.-Israel "special relationship" is a major factor in foreign hostility towards Americans. Some experts suggest that Israel has been central to U.S. wars in the Middle East."

One of the topics addressed at the summit was Is Israel really a U.S. ally?  

I wonder if free tinfoil hats were included in the price of admission?

Massie Pegged As Anti-Semite/Anti-Zionist

One blog called the Progressive Zionist had this to say about Thomas Massies lone dissenting vote against a bill strengthening the US/Israel alliance:

It has been a subject of vicious debate whether anti-Zionism in America can be seen as a liberal phenomenon - one that in the US is aligned with elements of the Democratic party - or whether it is solely on the extremes.

Today the House of Representatives voted on the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act, a bill that declares Israel to be a “major strategic partner” of the United States, enables further US-Israel economic, scientific, and cultural exhange, and contains some perks for Israeli citizens regarding travel to the US. The bill is sufficiently substantive that it has the antisemites anti-Zionists at Mondoweiss freaking out.  What can todays roll call vote tell us about where anti-Zionism lies?

The bill passed the House 410-1 (yes, you read that right).

[W]hich of the far-left whacked-out Democrats was the one "no" vote?  Was it Barbara Lee of Oakland / Berkeley, who has flirted with Trutherism?  Was it Keith Ellison, the only Muslim on Congress, who has in the past said some stupid things regarding Gaza?  Was it Bill Pascrell of New Jersey, who defeated a Jewish opponent in a primary and who we were told was a secret anti-Zionist.  

Actually, Lee, Elliison, and Pascrell all voted yes.

It turns out the sole "no" vote came from a Republican - Thomas Massie of Kentucky.

"But I thought that anti-Zionism had infected the Democratic party, while the Republican party is full of people who understand the moral and historical case for Israel."

Well, if you thought that, on this one you thought wrong.  

Massie is a Rand Paul devotee from the "libertarian" wing of the Republican party.  ("libertarian" is in quotes because I'm sure, like all Republican-aligned "libertarians" he doesn't support true personal liberty like drug legalization or abortion rights).  Massie even goes so far as to supposedly live "off the grid" in a log cabin, which is hilarious considering his district consists of the Northern Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati, truly one of the most anonymously suburban wastelands in the world.  The closest his constituents ever get to being "off the grid" is when the credit card reader breaks at Applebees and they have to go to TGI Fridays instead.

But I digress.  The point here is that a Republican, and a conservative one at that, was the sole no vote on this important piece of pro-Israel legislation, because he is from the emerging Paulite wing of the Republican party that basically lives by the motto "F the world, including Israel".  Does this represent an emerging trend in the Republican party?  Does it mean that "Republicans have let antisemitic anti-Zionism in to their tent"?  We shall see...

The Massie Mistake, Update

First he joined with House Democrats applauding John Kerry making a deal with Iran.  Now this:

The House of Representatives passed the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act by a 410-1 vote today. The legislation, a major priority for the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), designates Israel as a "major strategic partner"--a first for any U.S. ally. AIPAC members lobbied Congress to approve the bill on Tuesday, in addition to asking elected officials to sign letters stressing that Congress should be informed of the nuclear negotiations with Iran. Only Thomas Massie of Kentucky voted against the bill. [eWallStreeter]

He voted against sanctions on Iran and Syria and was one of only two votes against condemning North Korea for a recent nuclear test.

As one of his constituents said this morning:

As a Massie constituent, I believe his position is another demonstration of his consistency. He's a grandstander dancing like a monkey to the tune of far right-wing extremists who have taken over the Kentucky Tea Party - and a continuing embarrassment to me (accustomed to my former visionary Republican congressman). I suppose "intellectuals" may be able to rationalize Massie and admire his "independence" and "courage" to vote his conscience. Guess I'm not that smart, for I think he's an embarrassing nobody - going nowhere, and dragging his district down with him.

Massie's votes against sanctioning Syria, Iran and North Korea were shocking enough.  Now he stands alone voting against the rest of the House in his solo opposition to strengthening our alliance with Israel.

Oh, and the House also passed a resolution expressing its support for

"the democratic and European aspirations of the people of Ukraine, and their right to choose their own future free of intimidation and fear...condemns all acts of violence and calls on the Government of Ukraine to bring to justice those responsible for violence and brutality against peaceful protesters...supports the measures taken by the Department of State to revoke the visas of several Ukrainians linked to the violence, and encourages the Administration to consider additional targeted sanctions against those who authorize or engage in the use of force."

Of course Thomas Massie was one of only two votes in the House opposing these sentiments as Russia amassed its military in and around the Ukraine in what many saw as a Hitler like threat to the peace of the entire world.

Can't say I didn't try to warn you.

Massie Joins Dems In Praise Of Iran Deal

The last time there was a vote to impose sanctions on Iran it passed the House 400-20 and the Senate 100-0.  This time when talking about sanctions 100 House dems wrote a letter to the President opposing them and praising John Kerry's embrace of Iran, despite Iran's statements that the deal is meaningless. 

Oh, and Thomas Massie (one of only four republicans) joined those 100 democrats and signed the letter too.

In the letter written to President Obama by Massie and 100 democrats he had this to say about the Kerry deal:

"[W]e commend you and your designees for the developments in Geneva. Should negotiations fail or falter, nothing precludes a change in strategy. But we must not imperil the possibility of a diplomatic success before we even have a chance to pursue it." [The Hill]

Of course the "developments in Geneva" to which they refer is being touted by the Obama administration as a diplomatic success.  But here is how the Iranian's see it:

The Iranian government is framing a new pact to scale back its nuclear program as an act of surrender by the international powers that brokered it, including the U.S.

Subsequent negotiations in Geneva questioned how international powers would be able to ensure Iran's compliance with any agreement, and whether restricting only some aspects of the nuclear program would amount to a tacit endorsement of other parts.

America's international allies, particularly Iran's rivals in Israel and Saudi Arabia, have staunchly opposed easing any sanctions against Iran. [US News]

Iran cannot be trusted.  In fact, just as the deal was being supported by Massie, Iran took the unprecedented step of ordering its warships to advance on the United States maritime borders.

Massie is once again not only at odds with the united republican front, but now has gone over and joined ranks with the democrats. 

But it's not his first time.  Back in September when the government was facing a shutdown, Massie knew that his vote would hurt republicans, but said he didn't care.

Rep.Thomas Massie acknowledges Republicans will face the brunt of the blame if the government shuts down at midnight.

But the freshman lawmaker from Kentucky's Fourth District says constituents have told him it is "not a big deal" if certain federal agencies and functions close.

"I’m certain we'll get blamed for it," Massie told WFPL this afternoon. "But that’s also (Senate Democratic Leader) Harry Reid’s motive for running out the clock today. And they’re hoping there is a shutdown for their own political gain."

"I have a lot of IRS employees in my district and I spoke with them. They told me ‘look we’ve been through these shutdowns before. It’s not a big deal. We go home. We come back a few days or a week later, and we still get paid,'" says Massie. [WFPL]

Hurt republicans, help the democrats gain a political advantage, pay government workers not to work and all of this is "no big deal".

No wonder the democrats didn't put up a stronger challenge to Massie this year.  They've already got their man in Congress.

Related articles

Has Thomas Massie Gone Completely Off The Rails?

Israel Slams Iran Nuclear Agreement, Calls it a 'Bad Deal'

Has Thomas Massie Gone Completely Off The Rails?

Do you know who Lyndon LaRouche is?

Lyndon Hermyle LaRouche, Jr. (born September 8, 1922) is a controversial American dissident, political activist and founder of the LaRouche movement. He has written on economic, scientific, and political topics, as well as on history, philosophy, and psychoanalysis. LaRouche was a presidential candidate eight times between 1976 to 2004, running once for his own U.S. Labor Party and campaigning seven times for the Democratic Party nomination.

LaRouche established contacts with Willis Carto's Liberty Lobby and elements of the Ku Klux Klan in 1974. Frank Donner and Randall Rothenberg wrote that he made successful overtures to the Liberty Lobby and George Wallace's American Independent Party, adding that the "racist" policies of LaRouche's U.S. Labor Party endeared it to members of the Ku Klux Klan. George Michael, in Willis Carto and the American Far Right, says that LaRouche shared with the Liberty Lobby's Willis Carto an antipathy towards the Rockefeller family. The Liberty Lobby defended its alliance with LaRouche by saying the U.S. Labor Party had been able to "confuse, disorient, and disunify the Left". [Wikipedia]

Well, when it comes to voting it seems Thomas Massie is one of only two Congressmen to vote the Lyndon LaRouche agenda.

On Tuesday evening, a corrupt U.S. Congress, with no concern for anything but its re-election, voted by a margin of 383 to 2 (with 50 not voting), to endorse a resolution supporting the fascist opposition in Ukraine, and therefore a nuclear war confrontation with Russia. LaRouchePAC representatives on the scene confronted particularly the Jewish members, and found them and others either ignorant, or totally craven. The two 'no' votes were by Reps. Walter Jones (R-NC) and Thomas Massie (R-KY) [LaRouchePAC]

Now let me try to be the voice of reason here.  Could Lyndon LaRouche be exaggerating the dire consequences of this vote?  Of course.

But considering that only two people toed the LaRouche line, one being Thomas Massie, is it possible the mask is coming off?

After all, Lyndon LaRouche is certainly NOT the kind of conservative the Kentucky Republican Party has historically supported.  But obviously Thomas Massie is one of only two reliable votes in Congress who supports the LaRouche view of the world.

If so, has Thomas Massie gone completely off the rails?  Or did he start out as a truly fringe nut job and only now, after he feels safe in his position, is he emboldened to push the envelope into LaRouche land?

You can't say I didn't try to warn you.

Democrat Peter Newberry Challenges Massie...From The Right

The headline says that Thomas Massie's democratic challenger thinks Massie isn't conservative enough.  Peter Newberry, small business owner, lawyer and farmer, admits that Massie will raise more money than he will, but he also points out that Massie isn't keeping true to his pseudo-conservative image.

“A lot of the things the tea party stands for, I believe in also,” Newberry said. “Some of the tea party people that get elected to office become like the people they vow to replace and change. Once in power, they stay in power.”

When asked why he’s running, Newberry said he didn’t feel the tea party candidates have gone far enough to eliminate government waste.

Newberry said he doesn’t plan on raising much money for his campaign and expects Massie to out-raise him “100 to one.” As of Dec. 31, Massie has raised $353,000 for his re-election, according to the filings with Federal Election Commission.

“What’s corrupting government are re-election campaigns,” Newberry said. “It costs millions and millions of dollars. Where do the candidates get that money? It’s special interest money.”

Peter Newberry is running as a Democrat for Congress in Northern Kentucky, but his platform doesn’t sound like the average Democrat’s.

The Newport coffee shop owner, lawyer, and farmer says he’s a fiscal conservative who hates government regulations and thinks there are too many laws.[Kentucky Enquirer]

A recent survey of Congress by the National Journal ranked Massie as at position 233 out of 435 on the conservative scale.

UPDATED:Thomas Massie Update: The Error Repeats

Thomas Massie didn't draw a challenger and so, as in most cases where the incumbent feels safe, he is making it pretty clear that he is free to speak his mind, no longer fettered by the need to gather votes.  So where is his mind?  Take a look.

UPDATED: He didn't draw a REPUBLICAN challenger, but he does have a democrat to deal with, and look what that guy is saying. CLICK HERE

Massie has apparently thrown in the towel over making the I-75-I-71 Brent Spence Bridge the largest bottleneck in American commerce.  He admits he can't deliver the funding and is on board with tolls.

“People shouldn’t expect Washington D.C. in the next two years is gonna come in with a check of $3 billion to fund the Brent Spence Bridge. I just don’t see that happening,”  Massie said. “Since I don’t have the check to bring from Washington, D.C., it’s not my place to say you can’t toll this, you can’t do this funding mechanism.” [Cincinnati.com]

Massie roils over claims that Edward Snowden committed a criminal act by stealing and then revealing huge amounts of top secret data by giving it to a foreign press officer and then promptly hiding out in Russia.  According to Massie, the problem shouldn't be discussed in terms of whether Snowden broke the law, according to Massie the problem is is that the chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence, Mike Rogers, is complicit with president Obama in "withholding quite a bit of information from members of Congress". [reason.com]

And when it comes to arguing that the hemp legislation is just one more step closer to legalizing marijuana for recreational or even medicinal purposes, Massie just smiles real big and dodges the question because "people are listening".

Oh, and for my conservative friends who continue to think any criticism of Massie is misplaced or born out of some hidden agenda, let me make a point I've repeated many times.  He is not as conservative as you might think.  In fact he has many ideas which are very out of step with most conservatives.  According to the National Journal score of how they voted, Massie ranked 223, in the more liberal half of the Congress than the most conservative half of the 435 members.

WASHINGTON – Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., was not among the top most conservative members of the Senate in 2013, a National Journal vote analysis shows.

But McConnell’s positions on economic, social and foreign policy issues still generally ranked him more conservative than roughly three quarters of the Senate and placed him as the 100-member body’s 25th most conservative lawmaker, the analysis found.

In the House, Rep. John Yarmuth, D-3rd District, ranked as the 49th most liberal of 435 members.

Rep. Andy Barr, R-6th District, ranked as 74th most conservative; Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-2nd District, was 90th most conservative; Rep. Ed Whitfield, R-1st District, was 164th most conservative; Rep. Hal Rogers, R-5th District, was 173rd most conservative; and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-4th District, was 223rd most conservative. [Courier Journal]

Oh, and for those of you who think that a total repeal of Obamacare is what we need, well, Massie isn't with you either.

"He said at this point, total and immediate recall of the program is not practical, but instead Republicans should be looking for an incremental way to roll it back." [Daily Independent]

I know, I know, he's got a really big smile and his mannerisms seem so innocent.  But you see, I live a different world where sizing up people requires more study than falling for a personality.

It used to be that a bad guy wore a mask and carried a gun.  More often these days they wear a smile and carry a briefcase.  The error repeats.

$1T Farm Bill - How They Voted - What It Does

John Yarmuth and Rand Paul voted against the $1 Trillion Farm Bill.  All the rest of the Kentucky delegation voted for it.

So what do you need to know about what it does and doesn't do?

It is in essence a government perk for corporate farms. 

It props up the corporate food producers by spending billions of dollars each year buying food with taxpayer earnings for people who "qualify" for free food.

It drives the price of land downward benefiting big agri-business, and hurts the small farmer whose land could now be worth less.

It raises taxes on the backs of rural residents by adding a cost to their heating oil.

It opens the door to growing hemp.

It imposes some additional labeling requirements for certain foods.

Oh, and no pun intended, it is laden with pork:

[T]he 949-page bill is packed with pork and giveaways to favored groups.

For example, the bill includes $1.5 million in funding this fiscal year to strengthen and enhance “the production and marketing of sheep and sheep products in the United States.” It also creates a National Christmas Tree Board, funded through a 15-cent tax on every Christmas tree sold. The bill maintains the Department of Agriculture’s $17 million per-year catfish-oversight program, even though the Food and Drug Administration has a nearly identical program (which costs a mere $7 million a year!). The Department of Agriculture will also be establishing new federal standards for “the identity of honey.” Apparently even bees are helpless without the federal government. [NRO]