I sent the e-mail below to Dayton Daily News reporter, Jessica Wehrman, urging her to write a more in-depth article about Congressman Mike Turner’s recent mass mailing to citizens in the 3rd District, and about Turner’s surprising “Yes” votes supporting Dennis Kucinich’s impeachment resolution.
Ms Wehrman,
I read your article today in the DDN, “Congressional mass mailings helpful or wasteful.” There’s a lot more information that I want to know that the article omits. I’m wondering how many pieces of literature, using his franking privilege, that Turner actually mailed and if Turner sent this literature to every household in the 3rd District, or to every registered voter? What I received a professional looking, full color single piece on poster stock about 9 X 12 inches. The printing alone of this literature, I’m sure, was a big expense. In the literature that I received, there is picture of Turner photoshopped on a scene of large propeller type windmills. It doesn’t sound the same as the literature you describe, and I’m wondering if Turner mailed a variety of literature, targeted for various geographic regions?
I telephoned Congressman Turner’s Dayton office today and spoke with a very nice woman named “Marty.” I didn’t ask about the question about Turner’s mass mailings using his franking privilege. I asked Marty to confirm the Daily Kos article (below) that said that Turner had been one of nine Republicans who voted for HR 1345, a resolution written by Dennis Kucinich asking the Judiciary Committee to consider articles of impeachment. I then sent her the email below. Marty called me back and confirmed that yes, Turner did vote for the resolution but he did so, not because he actually wants a judicial investigation, but because he wanted to “get the debate off of the floor,” and he wanted to be consistent with the first vote on the same resolution, HR Res 1258. In HR Res 1258, 251-166 vote, 24 Republicans, including Turner, voted, “Yes.”
What is unexplained is why, when the first vote was taken on the resolution, 166 Republicans voted “No,” and 24 Republicans, including Turner, voted “Yes,” but on the second vote, the vote that counted, only nine Republicans stayed with the majority and 15 Republicans who originally voted “Yes,” changed their vote. Turner was one of the nine Republicans who stuck with his “Yes” vote supporting Kucinich’s resolution. This vote by Turner was a surprise. Marty’s explanation of why Turner stayed with the majority, to me, doesn’t add up.
I’ve not seen any article in the DDN concerning Turner’s surprising votes on the Kucinich resolution. I think these surprising votes by our congressman should be reported. And, I believe it is important that the article that you wrote today concerning Turner’s use of his franking privilege to send out a mass mailings should be expanded to answer questions about total costs and questions as to whether various geographic regions were targeted with different literature.
Thanks, Mike Bock
Marty,
Here is the link
Impeachment Hearings Fri. July 25
July 24th, 2008
Nine Republicans have broken ranks to vote to send Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s article of impeachment HR 1345 to the House Judiciary Committee, where Chairman John Conyers will hold hearings. 10 Republicans abstained from voting, while 6 Democrats abstained.
The Republicans are (Yea 238 – Nay 180):
Congressman Kevin Brady (TX)
Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (MD)
Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC)
Representative Don Manzullo (IL)
U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy(PA)
Congressman Ron Paul (TX)
Congressman Dave Reichert (WA)
Congressman Christopher Shays (CT)
Representative Mike Turner (OH)
Here is a second post at Daily Kos:
9 Republicans Vote for Impeachment Hearings, 10 Abstain
Wed Jul 16, 2008 at 01:10:01 PM PDT
In a stunning development which fell with the silence of a feather yesterday, 9 Republicans broke with their iron-fisted party to put country first, and voted to send Rep. Dennis Kucinich’s article of impeachment HR 1345 to the Judiciary, where Chairman John Conyers will hold a hearings on abuses of power by the Bush administration, according to the Congressional Quaterly’s CQToday. Ten Republicans abstained in this critical moment, while only 5 Dems did. The vote was neck and neck at many moments, with “Nays” pulling ahead twice.
Those Republicans are (Yea 238 – Nay 180):
Congressman Kevin Brady (TX)
Congressman Wayne Gilchrest (MD)
Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC)
Representative Don Manzullo (IL)
U.S. Congressman Tim Murphy(PA)
Congressman Ron Paul (TX)
Congressman Dave Reichert (WA)
Congressman Christopher Shays (CT)
Representative Mike Turner (OH)
Looks like another distancing tactic to me, much like the photos of Turner with George Bush and/or Dick Cheney which mysteriously vanished from his official and campaign websites shortly before the 2006 elections. Turner knows that the current administration is still box-office poison, so this is a risk-free way to have “opposition” and “bipartisanship” on record. It’s risk-free because an actual impeachment will never get off the ground, of course. It allows him to say “I voted to impeach my own party’s president,” while meaning exactly zero.
Len’s explanation appears pretty obvious and to write a speculative article in the paper about it wouldn’t be the most ethical thing to do unless it was an opinion piece. Politics as usual. Maybe Turner didn’t want to be labeled a “flip-flopper” or something to that affect, and it’s even more obvious why he would “stay with the majority.” Let’s just nitpick for anything to lambaste the guy on, OK? Damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.