Déjà vu, Freudenthal endorses Gary Trauner

Yesterday Governor Dave Freudenthal endorsed Gary Trauner in his bid for our one Wyoming seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Like the race two years ago, the endorsement has come fairly late in the game. In fact, this whole race is a déjà vu to the congressional race in 2006.

First, Gary promised to run a clean campaign and he has, just like when he ran against our soon-to-be ex-representative Barbara Cubin. Some say it cost him the seat last time around, but it is a testament to his integrity.

Secondly, the Republican National Committee has begun a mailing blitz attempting to label Gary Trauner as an extreme liberal who doesn't share the interests of Wyoming citizens. The same thing happened two years ago, when they saw that Trauner was a contender. But it's malarkey. How "extremely liberal" can a guy with an A- rating from the NRA be? Gary defines himself as an independent thinker, and will not vote simply for party politics.

Thirdly, as mentioned already, Governor Dave has waited until the final throes of the race to give the nod to Gary. I know he is picky about his endorsements, but really, why couldn't he support Mr. Trauner earlier on? Gary is the same person, with the same viewpoints and positions, as he was two years ago. I do applaud the fact that our Governor criticized Cynthia Lummis for taking credit for the budget surplus. His support is appreciated, but I was hopeful, with his popularity in the state, that he would have been behind Gary throughout the election cycle.

Lastly, as in '06, this race is too close to call. With Republicans outnumbering Democratic voters two to one in Wyoming, getting any Democratic candidate to Congress is a uphill climb. People need to look at the candidates character, read their stances on the issues, and vote. Gary Trauner would be a great representative for our state. Look what we got from Cubin over the last two years...straight voting along party lines, when she bothered to show up. Gary deserves the opportunity to show what he can do for Wyoming. He deserves my vote and yours.

Full Endorsement Transcript

Veteran Report Card - Who supports our troops?

From thinkprogress.org:
During the first presidential debate, Sen. John McCain repeatedly emphasized his love of veterans — and their fondness for him in return. “I’ll take care of them. And they know I’ll take care of them,” he said. McCain frequently exaggerates his level of support for and from veterans groups, claiming to have “received the highest award from literally every veteran’s organization in America” and to have “a perfect voting record” on veterans’ issues.

Today, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America released its congressional scorecard for the 110th Congress, and awarded McCain a grade of “D” for his votes against veterans’ priorities. The grade makes McCain one of only four Senators to fall on IAVA’s “D List” — and marks a repeat performance for him, after receiving a “D” for his 109th congressional voting record as well.

These grades are based on a number of veteran based issues, which are explained in the report. So how did our Democratic candidates and Wyoming elected officials do on this little list? See for yourself:

Barack Obama = B
Joseph Biden = B
John McCain = D
Michael Enzi = D
John Barrasso = INC (not enough time in office for complete analysis)
Barbara Cubin = C

Looks like the Democrats ARE the ones who support our veterans more. View the .pdf file to see all the categories graded and scores for all legislators.