How can you tell the 2010 election is drawing near? How do you know that Tom Latham realizes he has a Democratic challenger with the courage and determination to fight in defense of hard working men, women, and their families? You know this because he is rapidly pretending to move to the middle. This political chameleon is changing color every day as he performs his election year ritual in the attempt to convince the people of the 4th Congressional District that he is something other than the far-right-conservative, narrow-minded, special-interest-catering, career politician who fails to represent the real interests of his constituents.
If it were not so shameless, it would be almost humorous. Tom Latham adheres to the philosophy that the voters don’t really pay much attention to what is going on, so when it comes time for the election, he can sell just about any bill of goods. In the old days, it was called “snake oil!”
In the last three weeks, Tom Latham has said, “I welcome the calls for bipartisan cooperation coming from the administration.” Seriously, what does this really mean coming from a congressman whose voting record is nearly 100% opposite from the current administration? Just watch, Latham will have some excuse for defaulting on this statement.
Tom Latham goes on to say, “What we need to do is pursue a positive agenda of jobs.” It takes a great deal of chutzpa to make this statement when you voted against the stimulus package that saved thousands of jobs in the state of Iowa.
Another interesting thing about Latham’s vote against the stimulus package involves the various projects in that package which are beneficial to the 4th Congressional District. In his usual underhanded manner, Latham will step forward to claim credit for projects that he voted against. We all know people like this - those who won’t do the hard work, but always show up for the picture.
Tom Latham’s recent proclamation about health care is blatant deception and classic double speak. Read the record up to this point, Tom Latham has been and clearly remains against a plan to bring quality health care to all Americans. But now, he thinks it is not too late. He even has a plan. Of course, his plan focuses more on the health care provider than the recipient of health care. He wants a bipartisan approach, but his plan involves a host of weasel words and phrases that make it possible for him to claim credit for success, or be exonerated from failure.
So now it all begins. The election season is upon us and the time is rapidly approaching when the voters of the 4th Congressional District must hold the incumbent accountable and the challenger to account. Tom Latham knows the voters are frustrated and angry with incumbents and especially career politicians. He knows that after all these years in Congress, he is as responsible as anyone for a broken government. However, he is counting on the voters of the 4th Congressional District to not check his voting record, which is the real test of any elected official. He is hoping all that matters are sound bites and election time rhetoric. The process is already underway as he quietly pretends to slide to the middle and claim innocence, trying to pull the wool over our eyes.
As we enter this election season, I encourage people to seek out the truth. Do a web search of Tom Latham’s voting record and look for sites that offer factual and objective information. I believe wholeheartedly in the ability of the people to make good decisions when given the facts. Let the facts speak for themselves and then answer the question, “Who is the real Tom Latham?”
~Bill
