Toon Town

The recent flap over Mike Rogers' energy plan -- local and national Arab-American groups are upset with the video's animated portrayal of anonymous, threatening Arabs -- made me wonder why he would spend his money on such a poor-quality vid in the first place.

As expected, Mr. Rogers dismissed the groups as (gasp!) politically-motivated:

Rogers said he questions the motives of the letter's release to his office Tuesday, when primary elections were held. While he did not receive a copy of the letter until Tuesday, Arab-American leaders were speaking out against the video to media outlets as early as July 29.*

Not to brag, but here in The Neighborhood we picked up on the demeaning portrayal (a/w/a the cheesy production values) waaaaaaay back in May:

Moving along to Mr. Rogers' website, we find a perky,
content-free animated (!) version of The Plan, complete with marching barrels of foreign oil, a green tree snuggled up to an oil derrick, and scary foreign leaders (look out -- it's an Arab!).

Here's the funny thing: I found another Republican exercise in crappy drawing and crude stereotypes!

Thanks to the ever-alert and shiny-maned Princess Sparklepony, you too can peruse the comic book mailed out by incumbent Oklahoma County Comissioner Brent Rinehart.

Toga-wearing gays, political figures, trench coat-clad henchmen, concerned residents and Rinehart make up the rest of the comic's characters.

In one sequence, Satan says: "If I can get the kids to believe homosexuality is normal!"

The angel replies: "Hey Satan, not with Brent around you won't!"

WOW! How can ominous Arab bad guys compete with this kind of offensive stereotype?

Seriously, though, since Mr. Rogers has shared talking points in the past... could this be a harbinger of a tsunami of cheapo GOP election-season 'toons?

It's enough to make one long for the golden days of classic animation, like Johnny Quest and Speed Racer.
===================
*You have to wonder why the reporter didn't ask the logical follow-up:

Mr. Rogers, you were unopposed in the primary. The letter was delivered on the day of the primary -- not the day before. Please explain how this adds up to "politically motivated timing."

Oh, well -- probably just another exercise in Rogers' office putting out a written statement and the local paper printing it verbatim...

Gotcha! Um, never mind...

In an extra-special burst of party loyalty -- and no doubt hoping for a little more national attention -- Mr. Rogers was at his fact-free best today. Amazingly, some political writers are calling him on it.

Wiggling like a kid with a lunchbox full of Twinkies, Rogers sat in on an NRC conference call to mock Barack Obama's crazy, ridiculous, extreme idea.

Seems that Obama suggested that Americans should keep their tires properly inflated to improve gas mileage and save money on gas.

Oh.

Would it be rude to point out that Mr. Rogers mentions the importance of properly inflated tires on his own website? In addition to handy hints about clean air filters and correct grades of motor oil, he helpfully notes that

You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

Fuel Economy Benefit: up to 3%

Equivalent Gasoline Savings: up to $0.09/gallon

Correct tire pressure has also been promoted by extreme leftist wackos such as NASCAR and Governor Charlie Crist of Florida.

Over at HuffPo, Sam Stein quotes Rogers opining, a la Eddie Haskell:

"Again, it is one of those very populist things that, instead of being a service as it was intended on sites like mine, it becomes part of his energy policy. And that is a sham on the American public."

The Carpetbagger Report says that the GOP is "practically giddy" at the thought of those wimpy Democrats and their properly inflated tires. They also point out that

In order for an attack to work, it has to be plausible. McCain’s “giddy” toy is a little too stupid to actually work.

A little too stupid?

P.S. Inquiring minds want to know: did Mr. Rogers wear cargo shorts for the call?

Shorts or no, if this is the best the RNC can trot out then this is a clear sign that McCain is in deep kimchee.

UPDATE: Jon Soltz of VetVoice has a reminder that conservation and energy policy are no joke -- they have a very real impact on our national security and our troops.

Too Casual Friday

Mike Rogers is already on summer vacation... he's dressed for it, anyway.

According to the CBS/Politico, Mr. Rogers showed up in a fetching summery ensemble:

Michigan Republican Mike Rogers returned to the House floor in shorts and sandals to take his turn at the podium, as the Republican talkathon continues on the House floor, hours after the chamber formally recessed for the week.

Looking like he was ready for the links in a pair of cargo shorts and a short-sleeve shirt, Rogers said he was preparing to drive back to Michigan when he pulled a U-turn and headed back into town.

"I had gotten in my car to drive home and I realized I didn't have enough money to pay for the first tank of gas," said Rogers.

Oh, where to begin?

Let's leave the whole issue of cargo shorts to the Fashion Police.

We need to ask, though, why someone who makes $165,000 PLUS pension and benefits is poor-mouthing and complaining about the price of gas...

... especially since he voted against cracking down on gasoline price gougers on four separate occasions (H.R. 1252 - 2007, H.R. 6346 - 2007, H.R. 3893 – 2005, H.R. 4568 -- 2004), and he voted against cracking down on oil speculation and energy fraud (HR 4503 – 2004, HR 6 -- 2003).

Anyone out there know if Mr. Rogers actually drives his car back and forth to D.C., or was it just another cutesy Rogers anecdote?

UPDATE: How much does it cost to buy a protest on the floor of the House? Over at Gristmill, David Roberts answers this age-old question. For Mr. Rogers, the price tag is $55,650.

The Hobgoblin of Little Minds

... that's how Emerson defined "foolish consistency."

For an example of hobgoblins right here in MI-08, look no further than Mike Rogers' thoughts about privacy.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is expected to vote this week on legislation aimed at creating a nationwide system of electronic health records and protecting patient privacy, but the bill's fate remains unclear, CongressDaily reports.

Some legislators think that patients need more protection, especially in terms of security breaches. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) thinks there should be stronger patient consent provisions, given his concerns about the thousands of complaints about HIPAA violations ignored by the Bush administration. Waxman wants to give state attorneys general the right to sue on behalf of patients whose privacy has been violated.

Mike Rogers, on the other hand, thinks that the bill's patient consent provision is too much of a burden. Funny, that's what he thinks about warrants for wiretaps, electronic surveillance and intel collection without civilian oversight.

Hey, at least he's consistent!

(For a full description of patient privacy bills and their effects, visit PatientPrivacyRights.org)

Summer Fiction List

After a few days off (complete with several good volumes of summer fiction), I returned to find an email newsletter from Mr. Rogers. I don't know if there's an award for Boldest Use of Inaccurate Facts, but if there was such a thing I'd be the first to nominate Mr. Rogers!

In the interest of fair play, I'll stick to reviewing the substance of his letter... no comment on the icky earth-tone graphics or run-on sentences found therein.

Each item in the newsletter reflected Rogers' amazing ability to spin the issues. Check out the things he takes credit for when he's back home, and compare it with what he actually did while in Washington:

He's Extending Unemployment Benefits for Michigan Workers!

Despite his repeated insistence that all unemployed folks need is a few hundred dollars' worth of a stimulus check,

U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, said Friday that Congress should not spend more on government programs like unemployment compensation, but instead should quickly get the rebate checks into the hands of taxpayers.

Mr. Rogers got a little nervous as spring wore on into summer, since the jobless rate didn't improve with the "stimulus." So he whistled his usual weaselly tune and voted against extending unemployment comp, all the while tossing out a constant stream of excuses to make it sound as though he cared.


He's Fighting Medicare Cuts for Michigan Seniors!

Rogers says that even though he didn't want to see doctors take a 10% cut, he couldn't "support this fix" at seniors' expense.

Well, it wasn't at seniors' expense -- it was a cut to Medicare Advantage, a program that benefits private insurance companies. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that between 2007 and 2017, spending on MA will total $1.5 trillion -- more than 25% of all spending for benefits under traditional Medicare. (Click here for a previous post on the wasteful Medicare Advantage program.)

He's for Energy Independence by 2015!

Mr. Rogers has been pushing HARD on this one -- he's been on WHMI, the Jack Ebeling Show, WXYZ-Detroit... he's even got a cartoon on his website to help 'splain the tricky parts. According to Rogers, the answer isn't conservation, technological innovation, alternative energy or even more efficient cars. Nope, what we need is to drill for oil in right here in America. Never mind that the U.S. Energy Information Administration (home to official U.S. energy statistics) says we won't see anything from the OCS [Outer Continental Shelf] for quite a while:

The projections in the OCS access case indicate that access to the Pacific, Atlantic, and eastern Gulf regions would not have a significant impact on domestic crude oil and natural gas production or prices before 2030. [snip] For the lower 48 OCS, annual crude oil production in 2030 is projected to be 7 percent higher—2.4 million barrels per day in the OCS access case compared with 2.2 million barrels per day in the reference case (Figure 20). Because oil prices are determined on the international market, however, any impact on average wellhead prices is expected to be insignificant.

Translation? It's going to take a while to get this out of the ground. When it does come out, it won't give us too much more than we already have. And it will be sold on the world oil market, which means our production is literally a drop in the bucket -- so no downward pressure on prices.

Oh, Mr. Rogers! Everyone enjoys a good work of fiction during the summer, but that doesn't mean we want to pay you $162,000 a year to tell stories.

Mr. Rogers' Next Job?

Politico had an interesting article comparing the happy state of the DCCC under Chair Chris VanHollen (D-MD) with the struggles faced by Tom Cole (R-OK) over at the NRCC:

Since assuming the chairmanship of the National Republican Congressional Committee last year, Cole has inherited a fundraising scandal and has had to deal with a historic wave of retirements. He has also seen traditional donors flee the party in droves.

The current buzz over who should succeed Cole has expanded to include our very own Mr. Rogers:

GOP House members and staff have complained frequently this year that their party lacks an enforcer to keep the team in line when members are acting out or aren’t raising sufficient funds to keep pace with the other side.

Those concerns have led some to float the name of Michigan Rep. Mike Rogers — a man who has shown a willingness to butt heads with colleagues — as a possible successor to Cole. [snip]

Rogers is a powerhouse fundraiser despite the bad environment, contributing more than $200,000 to 61 GOP candidates through his political action committee, $245,000 to the NRCC as a team captain for both the president’s dinner and the Battleground program, and $600,000 along with Sessions and retiring Louisiana Rep. Jim McCrery as part of the fundraising program to help Republicans running against incumbent Democrats or to fill open seats. (emphasis added)

But Rogers’ strength could also be his weakness because many lawmakers resent a colleague who challenges them in public or in private. In addition, his own ambition has centered on the whip post, where bruisers such as former Texas Rep. Tom DeLay have thrived.

Guess that's why Mr. Rogers voted against the GI Bill to help returning combat veterans (and why he didn't show up to vote on the unemployment extension to help Michigan families) -- he was too busy raising $$ to help his fellow GOPers.

Nice to know he's representing somebody in Washington...

Summer Plans

With summer vacation on the horizon, you might think that Mike Rogers was kicking back last week whilst in our nation's capitol.

But no -- Mr. Rogers was really busy. He was voting on some very important bills: things like Medicare improvements, price gouging protection, and AMT (Alternative Minimum Tax) relief.

Trouble is, he voted AGAINST these things.

Jeez-o-pete! I'm beginning to think that there's some kind of secret theme park where Rogers and his cronies go for their summer vacations. A place where they can kick back, relax with lobbyist cash and do favors for corporate donors. A place with really good golf courses, shiny flag pins and free shrimp cocktail.

Call it RogersWorld, a place where you can spout about your love of hard-working Americans while blissfully ignoring the needs of actual families.

For some wacky summer fun, let's hop on the RogersWorld shuttle and visit the theme park for out-of-touch members of Congress. Ooh, check out the latest RogersWorld rides!

Medicare Mashup A confusing health care maze, where doctors and hospitals are forced to take a 10.6% cut in payments... but private insurance companies get to keep every Medicare penny (and we all know how Mr. Rogers loooves the boondoggle that is Medicare Advantage). This ride will keep Grammy & Grampy (and you!) busy for hours as they try to navigate the bizarro world of Medicare Advantage, Medicare Part D, and other convoluted retiree health programs.

Tax Tornado You and 20 million middle-class families will spin helplessly in a vortex of zero relief from the outdated and expensive AMT... while hedge fund managers and oil companies float by without paying their fair share of taxes.

Gas-Gouger Gallery Oil and gas companies take aim at scurrying voters while the price per gallon zooms skyward, racking up record-breaking profits. See, in RogersWorld, the Federal Trade Commission doesn't need to protect taxpayers from price-gouging on gasoline and other fuels. (I do give him credit for consistency on this, though: he's voted against crackdowns on gas price gouging pretty regularly...)

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling pretty queasy after visiting this theme park.

Champion of the Middle Class?

Mike Rogers -- never one to leave a thought unexpressed when an audience is present -- characterization of Barack Obama's economic policies:

"This guy is completely out of touch with the average Michigan family," said Rogers, a Brighton Republican.

Rogers also said that Obama's energy policy proposals would increase taxes on coal & natural gas, and "lead to higher gasoline prices."

Oh, really?

Let's quickly review just how "in touch" Mr. Rogers is with the average Michigan family:

He voted against health care for children of working families

He voted against extending unemployment benefits for families who are weathering Michigan's painful jobless rate.

He has an "energy indpendence bill" with perks for the oil, coal and gas industries, a goofy cartoon on his website, and zippo for controlling skyrocketing gas prices...

... oh, and he's voted against outlawing gasoline price gouging.

Got kids going to college, or in college already? Not only did Mr. Rogers restrict their voting rights, but he also voted against increasing Pell grants, reducing interest rates on Stafford loans and other programs to help middle class families afford a college education.

So the next time you hear Mr. Rogers --

or, more likely, read something his spokeswriter Sylvia Warner has typed up --

be sure to ask exactly what it is that he's been doing to support the average Michigan family.

The Courage of his convictions?

Mike Rogers has held firm on his opposition to extending unemployment benefits for hard-hit states...

... sort of.

In yesterday's House vote (234-137), the

Republicans split, with 49 voting in favor and 137 against the extension.

All six of Michigan's House Democrats voted for the extension. Eight of its nine Republicans did as well. Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Brighton, did not vote.

[emphasis added]

Now, Mr. Rogers votes with the Republican majority 93.2% of the time. He's missed very few votes since arriving in Washington eight years ago (just 1.5% of the votes this session).

One has to wonder why this vote scared him.

He Works Hard for the Money

Seems as though Mr. Rogers' Energy Independence Plan (a/k/a the Special Interests Bonanza Plan) didn't get the kind of notice our attention-lovin' Congressman had hoped for, so he's found something else to scare you:

Chinese hackers.

Yes, that's right: for all of you Michiganders with the cash and the free time to head over to the Beijing Olympics, Mr. Rogers is verrrry concerned that Chinese cyberbandits will hack your laptop, cell phone or Blackberry. As soon as he and his colleagues were briefed on this, Rogers piped up, happy to share his opinions with WHMI and USA Today among others.

Make no mistake -- cyberattacks are real. They're costly and potentially disastrous. But is this really the topic that should be commanding the majority of Mike Rogers' time and attention?

Considering that a year ago DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff was questioned by Congress on the risks posed by cyberattackers, Rogers was conspicuously silent on this topic until a reporter called him this week for a quote.

Hey, Mr. Rogers! If you're so worried about our national security, why not work on filling all those vacancies at DHS, securing our container ports, or cleaning up the airline passenger watch list?

Oh, I forgot -- you're not on the Homeland Security Committee.

Perhaps you could get the attention you crave by supporting our active-duty service members, instead of voting against them.

You could support unemployed workers in hard-hit states like Michigan, instead of voting against them.

Or even -- this is really zany -- come up with a workable plan for energy independence instead of a marginal animated video, a few slogans and plenty o' taxpayer cash for oil and gas producers.

I shouldn't be so hard on Mr. Rogers, though. He has to hustle for the attention -- the poor guy "only" raised $770, 575 by the end of Q1 (61% of it from PACs).

Mike Rogers sure is working hard for the money. Too bad he's not working for us.