Congressman Glenn Nye Continues to Disappoint

Spineless first term Democrat Congressman Glenn Nye continues to disappoint progressives who supported him and votes again as if he were Thelma Drake, except he lacks her backbone. Nye's latest betrayal is his decision to vote against health care reform. Nye campaigned promising "change" yet has failed to deliver and has done ZERO for LGBT voters whose money and votes he sought. My letters to him have been greeted with noncommittal, mealy mouthed form letter responses. He seems to have learned nothing from the hapless Creigh Deeds campaign of last fall where pretending to be a Republican alienated Democrats and did nothing to attract GOP voters. Should Nye find himself opposed to Scott Rigell this fall, the only thing to recommend him to Democrat and progressive voters will be that he's not a theocrat like Rigell who could prove to be another Ken Cuccinelli. Here are some highlights from the Virginian Pilot on Nye's disappointing betrayal of average families:
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U.S. Rep. Glenn Nye announced Saturday night he is voting against the Democratic health care bill today, saying it doesn't do enough to reduce the cost of health care, would make deep cuts in some hospital funding, and could cause problems for Tricare recipients.
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"I know there are some people who will be disappointed with my vote," Nye said, "but I believe that I have a firm duty to vote my conscience and represent the best interests of my district." While Nye - whose district includes Virginia Beach, parts of Norfolk and Hampton, and the Eastern Shore - had held off making his intentions known until the eve of the vote, his decision is consistent with his "no" vote on a similar health care overhaul bill that passed the House in November.
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President Barack Obama, in a politically charged visit to Capitol Hill, tried to rally support for the measure by telling the House's 253 Democrats to ignore the gloom-and-doom midterm election scenarios that Republican leaders and pundits have suggested if they pass the health care measure. "You're here to represent your constituencies, and if you think your constituencies honestly shouldn't be helped, you shouldn't vote for this," Obama said. "But if you agree the system's not working for ordinary families... then help us fix this system."
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The legislation would require most employers and consumers to obtain coverage by 2014 or face penalties. Families earning up to $88,000 a year would be eligible for help paying premiums. Consumers would be able to use new exchanges, or marketplaces, to easily shop for coverage.
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The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the plan would reduce the federal deficit by $138 billion over 10 years. It includes a series of tax increases, including higher Medicare payroll taxes on the wealthy and a new tax on dividend, interest and other unearned income.