Nice to see the government is cutting back.
More on this later, kids.
Category: Rob Wittman
Requesting one ‘Rob Wittman translator’ please.
These are Representative Rob Wittman’s comments — as quoted by the Richmond Times-Dispatch — regarding Israel’s response to Hamas’s rocket attacks:
Rep. Robert J. Wittman, R-1st, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said the attacks give Obama a new opportunity to talk directly with Israel.
“We need to be in a position to have candid conversations about strategic actions in the Middle East,” said Wittman, who recently returned from an eight-day trip to Kuwait, Iraq, Bahrain and Afghanistan.
Wittman called for the world community to “bring more political and diplomatic solutions” to the region.
Seriously, someone tell me what the heck he just said.
At least Eric Cantor (who’s a Jew, as the RT-D so diligently pointed out) had the guts to say that Israel had the right to defend itself; Wittman couldn’t even be bothered to say that.
What “strategic actions in the Middle East” does Wittman want to have “candid conversations” about?
Withdrawing from Iraq or Afghanistan?
Screwing over Israel?
Or is just empty platitudes that sound like something a ninth grader would write for an English paper?
And if Wittman is relying on the world community to “‘bring more political and diplomatic solutions’ to the region”, then Israel is really screwed. When you have the majority of the coward Europeans condemning Israel for defending its citizens, there’s something seriously wrong in this world.
Amazing, both the Palestinian Authority (via Mahmoud Abbas) and the Egyptian government condemned Hamas. But that has more to do with realpolitik, than with any support for the state of Israel: the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt — which Hamas is an offshoot of — is constantly fighting with the Egyptian government and Mahmoud Abbas and his Fatah party is the rival of Hamas for the control of the Palestinian territories.
99th HoD (House of Delegates) Watch: Lee Anne Washington still has an open candidate committee.
At the end of the February 20th – June 30th reporting period, Lee Anne Washington — who lost 42.39% to 57.58% against Albert Pollard in the February 19th special election to fill now-Congressman Rob Wittman’s former seat — still had an open campaign committee with a $292.68 balance.
Of course, she also has $761.38 in debt for advertising from the Lakeway Publishers of Virginia (publisher of The Caroline Progress amongst others), Northern Neck Buyers Guide (one of those real estate listing publications, I believe), and The Journal Press Inc. (owner of the King George-based The Journal).
Since when did newspapers set up payment plans for advertising, out of curiosity?
It should be noted that just because someone still has an open campaign committee isn’t necessary an indicator that they plan on running for a seat. Right now, Rob Wittman’s House of Delegates campaign committee is still open and has a $19,876.94 balance as of June 30th.
It’s also interesting that Wittman didn’t bother donating any money to Lee Anne Washington’s campaign as well when he has a $19,876.94 balance on a committee he has no need for; especially when the money can’t legally be used on his Congressional race…
Rob Wittman is supporting bailout-palooza.
Of course he is. He also manages to prove that he doesn’t know jack about economics.
I mean come on, you didn’t seriously expect him to find any budget cuts (as he promised) to pay for those $132,500,000 in earmarks that he requested, did you?
Now he’s supporting a $700,000,000,000 bailout proposal (I think that’s the right amount of zeros).
You know, I don’t know jack about economics (don’t really care to, either), but at least I know to keep my mouth shut about the situation.
Forget the Obamessiah; Rob Wittman will save us all!
There have been cracks made about the media’s relationship with Barack Obama and the fact that they portray Obama as a messiah.
Well, apparently Rob Wittman gets the same treatment from certain people (The Free Lance–Star):
A silver lining? Yes, with Rob Wittman
America is in a time of foreboding, we are told. Global warming is catastrophic, the economy is in a nose dive, our president should be tried for everything, and only more taxation will fix our troubles.
Last summer, the nation’s 1st District had a dark cloud hanging over it, and, try as we might, we could see no silver lining.
But by the middle of December, we had found and elected Rob Wittman to fill our vacant congressional seat. Now, after a close check of his voting record and legislative efforts, we can definitely see the silver lining to last year’s ominous cloud.
The silver lining doesn’t lessen the darkness of the cloud and the hurt it presented, but it does give us hope for the future.
Recently, Rep. Wittman was here talking about energy, and he’s got it right [“Wittman: Congress ‘must get it done’,” July 5].
We need to drill and build. Now what we need is a couple hundred more politicians just like him to get this situation turned around.
The nation’s 1st District is in good hands. We are indeed very fortunate to have Rob Whitman working for us in Congress.
Keith Angle
Stafford
What in the hell is this guy smoking?
Seriously, police need to obtain a search warrant for this guy’s house and search for meth and/or crack cocaine.
What the hell was this “dark” and “ominous cloud” that was hanging over the 1st Congressional District last summer?
This sounds like some stupid narration from the opening of a Star Wars movie:
It is a dark and ominous time for the Republican Party. The charismatic leadership of Senator Obama has put the Republican Party on the run. But from the shadows, comes a ray of hope: Rob Wittman, the former director of field operations for the Division of Shellfish Sanitation for the Virginia Department of Health. Etc., etc…
Sure, Jo Ann Davis passed away in October from breast cancer but that was the fall, not the summer.
And what exactly have Rob Wittman’s legislative efforts been composed of?
Putting a campaign contributor in for $3,125,000 worth of federal earmarks (link)?
Supporting a pork laden, $290,000,000,000, corporate welfare bill (link)?
Putting out information that the House Armed Services Committee held a “top secret briefing” on bombing Iran (link)?
The fact that Wittman thinks so little of our fighting men (and women) that they can’t decide for themselves what they should read and watch (link)?
And the only bill that guy has managed to pass so far was a bill renaming a bloody post office (link)!
Further, would the readers of The Free Lance–Star be interested in the fact the author of this letter, Keith Angle, is the Stafford County Republican Committee’s secretary and Chairman of their Finance Committee (link)?
That seems kinda relevant to the [supposed] independent nature of letters to the editors, right?
UPDATE: D.J. McGuire (The right-wing liberal) has his take here.
Rep. Rob Wittman (R-1st, VA): House Armed Services Committee holds “top secret briefing” on bombing Iran.
From one of his weekly update things:
The full House Armed Services Committee also received a top secret briefing on Iran. As many of you know, Iran is continuing to pursue nuclear development in the face of global opposition and is also engaged in activities to destabilize the Middle East. While the specifics of the briefing were Top Secret, I can report that we discussed the state of Iran’s air defense network, the extent of Iran’s hardening of nuclear-related and other facilities, and likely responses by Iran or Iranian proxies to possible actions against Iran.
Air defense network + hardening of nuclear facilities + Iranian response = Someone’s going to bomb Iran.
Not sure if you’re aware of this Rob, but you’re not supposed to talk about top secret briefings period, unless your name is Senator Patrick “Leaky” Leahy.
Moron.
Rob Wittman (R) to give Americans’ jobs to unskilled aliens at the behest of businesses.
Congressman Robert J. Wittman (VA-01) today announced that the Department of Labor recently issued new rules and regulations to reform the current process that applies to temporary worker visas.
The rules will improve the current system and make it easier for business to hire the employees they need. The action comes as businesses across the county are struggling to find enough workers.
Meanwhile, 144,200 Virginians and 7,626,000 Americans are struggling to find jobs (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Table 3 & Table A-1).
The Administration’s efforts may prove helpful but Congress must still take action to address limitations placed on H-2B visas. “Without prompt action by Congress to extend the existing H-2B cap, employers who rely on temporary and seasonal employees face severe worker shortages and the looming possibility of business closures in 2008,” said Wittman.
How about this amazing idea?: Hire Americans!
Workers with H-2B visas provide necessary labor for the seafood, tourism, hospitality, and landscape industries, as well as many other temporary and non-agricultural jobs in this country.
As opposed to hiring the American citizens in this country.
“As a cosponsor of H.R. 1843, the Save our Small and Seasonal Business Act, I urge Congress to take action to quickly pass legislation that would address this important issue impacting many businesses in my district and across the country.”
Instead of addressing issues impacting people seeking employment in your district and this country.
H.R. 1843 would increase the number of unskilled aliens in the country by up to 300% instead of effectively forcing businesses to hire American workers. Hooray.
Why is he supporting this bill?
I’m absolutely, positively, sure that it has nothing with Wittman receiving $5,600 from people affiliated with agribusinesses and $12,000 from agribusiness PACs for a total of $17,600 in campaign contributions from agribusinesses (OpenSecrets.org).
He has also received $3,500 from fishing related PACs as well, and that’s just doing a coarsely look through of his FEC reports. Another $1,000 from the President of the National Fisheries Institute. $500 from someone at Casey’s Seafood Inc. Another $500 from the owner of Shore Seafood Inc. $3,000 from the President and Vice President at Maritime Trading Co. (a seafood company). $1,500 from someone at Graham & Rollins (a seafood company). $500 from Little River Seafood Inc. $1,000 from an Executive at Mason Seafood Inc. $2,300 from someone at Five Seas Inc. (seafood company). $2,000 from the Vice President of Motivatit Seafoods (FEC).
Notice a pattern? Didn’t he just say that this bill would help seafood companies?
Surely, I’m just being cynical.
Contributor to Rob Wittman’s (R) campaign gets his organization awarded with $3,125,000 in earmark requests.
UPDATE: Total amount fixed in the title and body. Thanks D.J.
That would be Richard Pearce and Riverside Health System.
On August 29, 2007, Richard Pearce gave $500 to Rob Wittman’s House of Delegates reelection campaign despite not living in Wittman’s district (not that that is illegal or anything) (VPAP).
Missed this: On October 22, 2007, Richard Pearce gave $500 to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) (FEC). The majority of Wittman’s money ended up coming from the NRCC (FEC).
On December 14, 2007, Richard Pearce gave $2,000 (the maximum an individual contributor can give to a candidate is $2,300 [FEC]) to Wittman’s campaign for the special election to replace the late Jo Ann Davis (Contributions to Wittman’s campaign from the FEC).
Richard Pearce is the President/CEO of Riverside Health System (Riverside Health System).
Sometime this week, Rob Wittman finally got around to posting his requested earmarks on his website and lo and behold the following (Appropriation Requests FY 2009):
Project Name: Riverside Hospital Emergency Preparedness
Requested By: Riverside Health System
Amount Requested: $1,050,000
[…]
Project Name: Riverside Health System, Patient Navigator Program
Requested By: Riverside Health System
Amount Requested: $575,000
[…]
Project Name: Riverside Radiosurgery Center Synergy Project
Requested By: Riverside Health System
Amount Requested: $1,500,000
That’s $3,125,000 in earmarks for the organization of a major contributor.
How convenient…
The only other hospital to receive funding was Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters in the amount of $1,325,000. Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters isn’t even located in his district. It’s in Bobby Scott’s (D) 3rd Congressional District.
The right-wing liberal has more, by the way.
More to come kids.
What hypocrisy: Wittman condemns Speaker Nancy Pelosi for “rejecting” earmark moratorium while requesting $132,500,000.00 in earmarks.
File under: Chutzpah.
He also has yet to publish his requested earmarks on his website as he has promised.
First, one of Wittman’s press releases dated February 7, 2008:
Congressman Rob Wittman (R-VA) released the following statement after today’s procedural motion to force a vote on an immediate earmark moratorium.
“I am disappointed that Speaker Pelosi has rejected a Republican invitation to place an immediate moratorium on all government funded earmarks. I believe this is an issue that we must find common ground on, and that we must do so immediately. Unfortunately, congressional Democrats do not feel the same way.
Wittman’s views on “Wasteful Spending”:
I am committed to fight against wasteful spending and expose the fraud and abuse in Washington. We need to get back to the conservative principles of controlling spending, particularly when it comes to federal earmarks, commonly referred to as “pork barrel” projects.
From The Daily Press via the “VA GOP Network”:
About 65 people crammed into 40 seats and stood along the walls of a meeting room at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites in Newport News for about two hours. What they heard was U.S. Representative Rob Wittman and state Delegates G. Glenn Oder and Brenda Pogge discuss their legislative agendas while railing against excessive governmental spending and, frequently, the Democratic Party.
[…]
Wittman spoke of reforming the tax code and legislative earmarking, extending tax cuts and curtailing entitlement programs — particularly Medicaid, Medicare and defense spending, that he said would in five years account for 96 percent of federal government discretionary spending.
“If we don’t get our arms around these particular issues we’re going to have trouble, Wittman said. “We have to find ways of doing things without spending ourselves into oblivion.”
Uh…he wants to cut defense spending in the middle of two wars? Aren’t there five military bases in his Congressional District, as he is so happy to point out?
Comforting…
And from a document distributed by the Stafford County Republican Committee (.DOC file) touting Wittman’s “conservative record” (snort):
Rep. Wittman has joined the members of the Republican Conference to demand reform of earmarks by calling for a Joint Select Committee on Earmark Reform and an earmark moratorium until additional guidelines are recommended.
And now, from the Media General News Service:
As his colleagues debated a moratorium on congressionally-directed budget earmarks this month, Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., requested $132.5 million for local projects.
[…]
In his first budget cycle, Wittman sought funding for 52 projects. The largest is $17.5 million to replace a 40-year-old missile support facility at the Navy’s Dahlgren Division in King George Co.
Uh…didn’t he just say he was going to cut defense spending?
Did he vote for it before he voted against it?
[…]
Side-stepping the intra-party debate over new House earmark policies, Wittman said he made sure his requests were supported by local agencies, contained non-federal funding, and pledged to publish his requests on his Web site.
“What we try to do is step out in front and develop our own policy and be sure we are transparent,” Wittman said.
Funny, he hasn’t posted the information on either of his websites yet (Google search of his official website and his campaign website). I guess the media gets a list of his earmarks, but us lowly serfs in the First Congressional District don’t. And how exactly would a federal earmark not contain federal funding? Continued:
But critics said it would have been better for him to not participate in the earmark process at all.
“He’s not starting off very well,” said Paige. “If he’s already climbing on the runaway train that is the earmark culture in Congress, he’s going in the wrong direction.”Critics also say the earmark process increases spending, because lawmakers support each other’s pet projects.
Wittman said he will suggest “spending reductions in other places to offset spending for (his) earmarks.”
Um, yeah, sure, I believe that. Apparently he’s going to reduce spending by increasing spending to pay for people’s health insurance in the tune of $5,000,000 in FY09 and 10, increasing to $10,000,000 in FY11 and 12, and hitting $20,000,000 in FY13 as a cosponsor of H.R.5405. (I must have missed the part of the United States Constitution that includes the provision to pay for people’s health insurance.) Continued:
[Eric] Cantor [R-7th CD] made no appropriation requests for the second year in a row and has called on lawmakers to follow suit while Congress considers reforms to the earmark process.
In closing, to quote P. J. O’Rourke: “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”
And: “The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then they get elected and prove it.“
Follow-up: Representative Rob Wittman wants to ban the sale of Playboy and Penthouse at military PX’s.
Wittman is a cosponsor. (For details on the original story, click here.)
Apparently, Wittman (who has no military experience whatsoever) believes that men (and women) that have volunteered to serve in the military are incapable of deciding what they want to read.
They can apparently volunteer to serve in the greatest armed forces in the world with the possibility that they will make the ultimate sacrifice, but are unable to decide what is appropriate for themselves to read.
Men (and women) who serve in combat zones and see death on a routine basis will apparently have their precious minds, their virgin eyes and ears, warped by the likes of Penthouse and Playboy.
Does Wittman think that because some soldiers, sailors, airmen, or Marines see the likes of Penthouse and Playboy that, to quote the bill’s sponsor, Paul Broun of Georgia, it will “escalat[e] the number of violent, sexual crimes, feeding a base addiction, eroding the family as the primary building block of society, and denigrating the moral standing of our troops both here and abroad”? (see also: Straw man)
Is our military that out of control?
And as Wittman is so eager to point out, twenty percent (20%) of his district’s residents “are military or retired military personnel”, so how many of them support this stupidity?
Do the Marines at MCB (Marine Corp Base) Quantico think it’s a Congressional prerogative to control what they read? What about the soldiers (et al.) at Fort A.P. Hill? The sailors at NSWC (Naval Surface Warfare Center) Dahlgren? What about the airmen at Langley AFB (Air Force Base) which is right outside his district (and I’m sure some of the base personnel live inside his district)?
And how comforting that Wittman will be on the subcommittee that does the first hearing on the bill (that would be the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Readiness).
Welcome to the Republican Nanny State.
FYI: Randy Forbes (R) of Virginia’s Fourth Congressional District and Virgil Goode (R) of Virginia’s Fifth Congressional District are also cosponsors of this piece of stupidity legislation.