North Carolina Rep. Patrick McHenry received a low score for his environmental votes by the League of Conservation Voters. The Republican represents the 10th District, which was redrawn last year to encompass most of the city of Asheville.
McHenry earned a score of 6 percent, giving him the second-worst score in the state delegation. Democrat Rep. Heath Shuler, who represents the 11th District — which includes the western tip of Asheville — received a score of 71 percent. The contrast between North Carolina’s senators was even more stark: Republican Richard Burr received a score of 9 percent and Democrat Kay Hagan was one of the only senators in the country to earn a perfect score of 100 percent.
The scores are calculated by the League of Conservation Voters using an analysis of representatives’ votes on a variety of pertinent issues, ranging from public health protections and clean energy to land and wildlife conservation. Overall, the organization reported that the 2011 analysis “reflects the most anti-environmental session of the U.S. House of Representatives in history, featuring unparalleled assaults on our nation’s bedrock environmental and public health safeguards,” according to a press release.
“We applaud those members of the North Carolina delegation who opposed the countless attacks on vital public health and environmental protections in 2011, such as Reps. Watt and Miller, and Sen. Hagan,” said the North Carolina League Conservation Voter’s director of governmental affairs, Dan Crawford. “However, it’s deeply disappointing that Congressmen Foxx, McHenry, and Burr chose to put corporate polluters and other special interests ahead of the health and well-being of North Carolinians.”
Last month, the N.C. League released its scorecard of Statehouse representatives, giving Buncombe Democrat Reps.Patsy Keever and Susan Fisher high marks, while giving Republican Rep. Tim Moffitt a low score.
Keever is currently running for Congress in the 10th District, vying with other Democrats in the primary who are hoping to take on McHenry in the fall.
North Carolina’s 2011 congressional delegation scores:
• Sen. Richard Burr, 9%
• Sen. Kay Hagan, 100%
• Rep. G.K. Butterfield, 94%
• Rep. Renee Ellmers, 9%
• Rep. Walter Jones, 34%
• Rep. David Price, 94%
• Rep. Virginia Foxx, 3%
• Rep. Howard Coble, 11%
• Rep. Mike McIntyre, 54%
• Rep. Larry Kissell, 66%
• Rep. Sue Myrick, 9%
• Rep. Patrick McHenry, 6%
• Rep. Heath Shuler, 71%
• Rep. Mel Watt, 97%
• Rep. Brad Miller, 97%
Waitl’ll Ashevilleans discover that no matter how many people show up and vote in any race to get rid of representation as reprehensible as this, that people like this will still hold power, due to the redistricting. Well, at least for another 10 years. Close your eyes and imagine how much damage can be done through 2022.
I suggest that the League of Convervation Voters change its name to the League of Government Control Voters, which more fits their agenda.
Dick Smetana
I guess the Republican propaganda is working on somebody. The party that puts the almighty dollar above our planet’s health.
“Well, Grandson, we let the corporations have their way with this planet so there are no fish to catch in the French Broad River anymore, but you can go watch movies about them at the new Megaplex next to the Grove Park Inn.”
Wasn’t the Clean Water Act passed in 1972, and signed into law by Richard Nixon?
Wasn’t Ronald Reagan President when it was amended in 1987?
Wasn’t the Clean Water Act passed in 1972, and signed into law by Richard Nixon?
Wasn’t Ronald Reagan President when it was amended in 1987?
“Mr. Conservative” Barry Goldwater himself said this about our environment:
“While I am a great believer in the free enterprise system and all that it entails, I am an even stronger believer in the right our people to live in a clean and pollution-free environment.”
“The Conscience of a Majority (1970)”
Mr. McHenry needs to realize that conservation is not a Republican or a Democrat issue.
http://www.KenFortenberry.org
Don’t your own campaign positions for the Keystone pipeline and for development of natural gas also conflict with the goals of the League of Conservation Voters?
Some history. But it doesn’t matter. The district is rigged for a Republicon regardless of who runs and he’ll just be re-elected because of name recognition. In fact, this type of behavior is obviously supported…
http://shelbyactionnews.com/media/2012/01/12/gaston-gop-leader-insults-former-candidates/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/25/elizabeth-warren-patrick-mchenry-facebook-liar_n_866617.html
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/04/04/490108/-Rep-Patrick-McHenry-insults-US-soldier-serving-in-Iraq
Ah, the smell of despair in the morning.
Mr. McHenry, by the way, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America, and pushed legislation that led to the closure of most of the credit unions in his district. Without even glancing at his environmental record, you can make the case that he’s one of the most corrupt members of Congress.
But both parties do it, etc., and other rhetorical tropes of people who want to fail, who don’t really want to participate in democracy, etc.
The first order of business is to vote Mr. McHenry out and replace him with somebody honest, preferably not of the braindead-ignorant-nativist-it’s-just-that-simple variety. Then stay in their face, watch how they vote, etc. It’s a drag. Where’s the remote?
One would think that “a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America” would have supported the bank bailouts instead of voting against them the way McHenry did. Go figure.
For those republicons with short memories (and as far as I can tell, all have short memories) one of the very first things Saint Ronnie did when he became president (1980) was to remove the solar panels from the White House as this showed our “weakness as a country.” And they have been “for the environment,” (except for oil/air/coal/ deregulation, mountain top removal, watering down EPA) and “fiscally conservative” (well, except for deregulation and destruction of the middle class) and “better at defense against foreign attack” (well, except for 9/11) and “against the liberal media” (well, except for owning most of it) and “for health care reform,” (well, except for turning it over to the insurance companies) ever since.
Wasn’t Ronald Reagan President when the Clean Water Act was amended in 1987? Didn’t he generally support the bill, but had to veto it because of an overly expensive part of the bill during a time of difficult finances?
“Administration officials reiterated that the President supported clean water but objected to the expense of the sewage treatment program at a time of fiscal difficulty.”
http://www.nytimes.com/1987/01/22/us/senate-passes-clean-water-bill-reagan-compromise-is-rejected.html
And now the left derides Reagan for increasing the national debt during his administration.
As Doc Holiday said in “Tombstone”, “