112th Congress gets off to unethical start, thanks to Pete Sessions

On Wednesday, Pete Sessions got back to business as usual, embarrassing his own party with a lapse of judgement. Seems he attended a fundraiser instead of the swearing-in ceremony, and cast votes before he was officially sworn in. From Huffington Post:

WASHINGTON -- Two House Republicans have cast votes as members of the 112th Congress, but were not sworn in on Wednesday, a violation of the Constitution on the same day that the GOP had the document read from the podium.

The Republicans, incumbent Pete Sessions of Texas and freshman Mike Fitzpatrick, missed the swearing in because they were at a fundraiser in the Capitol Visitors Center. The pair watched the swearing-in on television from the Capitol Visitors Center with their hands raised.

"That wasn't planned. It just worked out that way," said Fitzpatrick at the time, according to local press on hand, which noted that he "happened to be introducing Texas Congressman Pete Sessions while glad-handing his supporters in the Capitol Visitor Center that he secured for them when the House swearing in began."

House ethics rules forbid fundraising in the Capitol.

But no matter--even though John Boehner made everybody read the Constitution aloud (costing taxpayers $1.1 million), promising more transparency and so forth, the new GOP House had to pass a "fix" to cover for one of their own. H. Res. 27 threw out all the votes Pete Sessions cast before being sworn in, but leaves in tact anything that happened during meetings he attended--as a member of the Rules Committee. The text of H. Res. 27 is available at Scribd.

For related articles, see They Don't Say Pete Sessions is Bright from The Atlantic, and Rep. Sessions' office explains big goof:

Republicans think their legislative fix will solve the problem, but it also will bring yet another embarrassment.

The resolution to correct the record is the same one that will set debate rules for the signature Republican legislation next week: repeal of the new law that changed health care insurance coverage in the nation. Democrats can now mix in the question of improper Republican voting with their vigorous opposition to the repeal.

We at Sessions Watch would just like to remind the GOP that "we told you so," and would like to remind voters in TX-32 that we're no longer interested in hearing from Republicans who want him out of office. Y'all voted him in again at 60%--the first time he's ever gotten over the 50% mark, so he's yours. You own him. So quit yer bitchin' and if you really don't like him, hope for a good outcome at redistricting time.

Pete Sessions seeks 2nd term as NRCC Chair

From Politico:

Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) announced Monday that he’s not seeking to be House majority whip in the new Congress and would angle instead for another term as head of the National Republican Congressional Committee, clearing the way for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to ascend to majority whip.

House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), the presumptive speaker, also is tasking Sessions to lead a group that will help develop the newly elected House GOP freshmen. The news was first reported by ABC News.

“Our Republican Conference needs Pete Sessions’s steady hand of leadership next Congress, and I am very pleased that he has decided to seek another term as NRCC chairman,” Boehner said in a statement. “Additionally, I’ve asked Pete to take the lead for new-member development.”

So, once again, Pete Sessions will be in charge of throwing the annual Las Vegas strip club fundraisers, recruiting Nazi sympathizers and, on top of that, he'll be in charge of instructing the new crop of teabagger insurgents in the ways of Congress. Break out the popcorn--it's going to be an entertaining couple of years.

Pete Sessions' best winning strategy: doing nothing

He didn't campaign, he didn't debate, he didn't put many signs out, he didn't open his mouth once this time, and finally hit the over 60% mark that's eluded him his whole career.

Pete Sessions slid under the radar and claimed 62.61% percent of the vote, climbing over the 60% mark for the first time ever, aided, no doubt, by the Keep Fear Alive brigade.

The results, from Dallas County Elections:

Pete Sessions (REP 62.61% 79,181
Grier Raggio (DEM) 34.90% 44,134
John Jay Myers (LIB) 2.50% 3,159

Our 2010 PSA: "Don't Vote for an Idiot"

This year's PSA is a video mashup of the trailer for "Dinner for Schmucks" mixed with Pete Sessions on "Meet the Press." The final titles say it all--don't vote for an idiot, vote for somebody else in 2010.



A reader in Park Cities also suggests that Republicans review the PSA from 2008 called Bailout. Apparently, some people who are struggling with impending foreclosure are blaming the Obama Administration for bailing out the banks instead of helping people like themselves. Remember, it was Bush who asked for the bailout of the banks, and Pete Sessions was one of only 65 Republicans who voted for the bailout. He got booed for blaming the financial crisis on "community organizers,"--and that was in Richardson at an event packed with Republicans.

Early Voting Starts Today!

Starting today, you can cast your vote against Pete Sessions at any one of the early voting locations listed at Dallas County Elections.

In response to the Dallas Morning News' endorsement, there was only one letter in response, in favor of Grier Raggio:

In the editorial board's biennial endorsement of Pete Sessions, it called opponent Grier Raggio "too far to the left," then proceeded to list a number of things Raggio opposes -- like the 2008 bailout -- with which constituents agree.

All facets of the political spectrum phoned, faxed, emailed and gathered at Sessions' office asking him not to support the bailout, but our efforts were ignored; his letters in reply gave the usual canned Washington-insider rhetoric without acknowledgement of our point of view.

Grier Raggio, on the other hand, believes that big business should be just as fiscally responsible as small business, rising or falling on its own merits, without asking the government for a handout.

Raggio will bring fiscal sanity to the district and the nation, and he'll work for us instead of the lobbyists.

So far, there have been no other letters published in favor or against any of the candidates, except for candidate John Jay Myers letter expressing dissatisfaction with the editorial board's exclusion of third party candidates:

Is The Dallas Morning News a source of journalistic integrity, or is it just a shill for the establishment? I ask after learning of my exclusion from the interview when the newspaper chooses which candidates to recommend.

I can't imagine why Libertarians lack electoral success when media have already chosen to marginalize them. Meeting challenging ballot requirements should be sufficient for the media's consideration -- it is for voters. But I have done even more, as evidenced by my television ads, fundraising, press releases and appearances throughout Dallas.

A Dallas Morning News columnist recently wrote that Americans want to "decrease the size and scope of government, cut spending and taxes, balance the budget, reduce the federal debt, reduce the power of special interests and unions, repeal and replace the health care legislation, and decrease partisanship." I am the only candidate who will do any of this, and yet I am the only candidate in my race excluded from consideration.

A big-government Republican or a big-government Democrat is no choice at all. Why even bother interviewing when you aren't interested in evaluating true alternatives? The News should interview all candidates or none of them.

Sessions Watchers can vote Libertarian or Democratic in early voting through October 25, or on Election Day, November 2.

Pete Sessions backs Nazi Reenactor

From Burnt Orange Report:

When the GOP picked Pete Sessions to chair the NRCC, residents of the gerrymandered 32nd congressional district wondered, "Has the Republican Party completely lost its mind?" We broke out the popcorn, sat back, and waited for the GOP to implode. Pete Sessions' latest lapse in judgement: backing a candidate who likes to dress up as a Nazi.

It's Rich Iott, running against incumbent Marcy Kaptur (Oh-9) who told the press that being a Nazi reenactor is a "father-son bonding thing." So, naturally, Pete Sessions recruits him into the "Young Guns" program. What else do you expect from someone who thinks the Taliban is a good role model?

Once again, DMN endorses Sessions

In this climate of ethics investigations--first with Eddie Bernice Johnson, followed by an ongoing series about Rick Perry's tech fund donors--we were hoping Dallas Morning News would realize that it's time for a change in our district and endorse someone else. Glad we didn't make bets on it. True to form, the Dallas Morning News editorial board endorsed their favorite congressman Pete Sessions.

The editorial board supports its statement that Grier Raggio is "too far to the left" by citing the fact that he opposed the 2008 bailout--which was only supported by 25% of Americans--and that he wants to get out of Afghanistan, a position supported by 58% of Americans. Sounds like the Dallas Morning News is the one who's out of step.

And, of course, we learned recently from John Jay Myers' own letter to the editor that the board doesn't even bother interviewing Libertarians. They gave him the standard mention:

Libertarian John Jay Myers, 41, president of a promotional items wholesale firm, also is seeking this seat.

As always, Sessions Watch endorses Somebody Else for TX-32 and invites readers to either vote Democratic or Libertarian in 2010.

Dallas Morning News Shuts Out Libertarians

Readers of Sessions Watch have been following the Dallas Morning News' election recommendations, anxiously awaiting their annual endorsement of our congressman, wondering what lame excuse they'll give this year for supporting him.

The current pattern this year has to endorse either the Democrat or the Republican, then mention at the end that there's also a Libertarian in the race.

We Sessions Watchers took it for granted that all three candidates went through the same interview process, but apparently that is not the case.

A reader sends along this link to a letter to the editor written by TX-32 Libertarian candidate John Jay Myers, in which he says he was excluded from the interview process:

Is The Dallas Morning News a source of journalistic integrity, or is it just a shill for the establishment? I ask after learning of my exclusion from the interview when the newspaper chooses which candidates to recommend...

...A Dallas Morning News columnist recently wrote that Americans want to "decrease the size and scope of government, cut spending and taxes, balance the budget, reduce the federal debt, reduce the power of special interests and unions, repeal and replace the health care legislation, and decrease partisanship." I am the only candidate who will do any of this, and yet I am the only candidate in my race excluded from consideration...

At Sessions Watch, we don't make endorsements, of course, we just want somebody else representing us in Congress, someone who'll actually work for us instead of lobbyists and billionaires. We find it shameful and disheartening that the Dallas Morning News is abdicating its responsibility to keep the citizens of our district informed about all the choices in this year's election.

Pete Sessions Votes No to Helping 9/11 Responders

Today, the House passed H.R. 847: James Zadroga 9/11 Health and Compensation Act of 2010. From Associated Press:

WASHINGTON – A bill to give up to $7.4 billion to workers sickened during the cleanup of World Trade Center site after the Sept. 11 attacks passed in the House on Wednesday after a passionate floor debate in which supporters said they were standing up for heroes.
"To the living victims of 9/11, we have good news: Help is on the way," said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., a lead advocate for the bill.
New York lawmakers have been pushing for years for such a measure, which passed 268-160.

Pete Sessions voted no. See Roll number 550.

Pete Sessions chickens out over Log Cabin appearance

Last week, we learned that Pete Sessions and John Cornyn had accepted an invitation to speak at tonight's annual dinner of the Log Cabin Republicans. Sure, Sessions and Cornyn are against gay marriage and the idea of gays serving openly in the military, but they are both united in their support of the rights of gay people to give money to the Republican Party.

But today, Pete Sessions has gotten cold feet, according to Dallas Voice: Dallas Congressman Pete Sessions gets cold feet about tonight's Log Cabin dinner. Supposedly, he need to attend an urgent meeting of the GOP caucus. Dallas Voice says:

Well isn’t that a convenient excuse? We’re sure Sessions’ no-show has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he and Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn, also slated to appear at the Log Cabin dinner, are being villified on right-wing websites for accepting the invitation.

...We called Sessions’ D.C. office to get further explanation about his decision to back out...But not surprisingly, Sessions spokeswoman Emily Davis mysteriously became unavailable after we identified ourselves as being from the gay paper, and she hasn’t gotten back to us.

Pete Sessions co-sponsors bill to change 14th Amendment

Sure, they swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, but they just want to "tweak" it a bit, and get rid of birthright citizenship--a right guaranteed by the 14th Amendment. For those of you who wondered whether or not Pete Sessions is a co-sponsor, yes, he is. For a look at their editing of the Constitution, check their revisions to the Amendment at the Library of Congress. A list of co-sponsors is available at this Gov Track link: H.R. 1868: Birthright Citizenship Act of 2009

The bill has been referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law.

Mitch McConnell is on record as wanting a "hearing" on the 14th Amendment, but not all conservatives agree, namely Lou Dobbs.

In the upcoming debates (unless Pete chickens out), listen for the latest right-wing fringe scare tactic: the "anchor baby" plot to take over America. :)

(And, if you submit a question, ask Pete if he'll considering "tweaking" the Second Amendment to exclude things like armor piercing bullets, since he's into changing the Constitution all of a sudden).

Pete Sessions votes "no" to oil drilling safety

On Friday, the House approved a bill to lift the ban on deep water drilling, while putting in place new regulations to prevent another disaster like the current oil spill in the Gulf. The bill passed 209-193, with Pete Sessions among those voting no. From Voice of America:

Republican Congressman Pete Sessions of Texas argued against the legislation, saying it will stifle job growth and hurt the economy. "The Obama moratorium on deep water oil drilling has already cost tens of thousands of jobs," said Sessions. "And this bill will eliminate even more American energy jobs, making it harder and more expensive to produce both energy on and offshore. Additionally, this legislation will only further enhance our economic troubles in the Gulf region and throughout the nation."

Jim McGovern, the Democratic Party congressman from Massachusetts disagreed. "My friend talks about jobs. How many jobs have been lost because of this oil spill? How many fishermen are out of business, how many hotels and restaurants have lost business because of this terrible crisis? So this is a good bill, and it is a smart bill. And if you want to apologize to big oil go right ahead, but the American people are not on your side on this one," said McGovern.

Roll call information is available at the Library of Congress: Roll Number 513 and you can read the bill and follow its progress as it goes to the Senate at Gov Track.

Dems to NRCC: Return your tainted cash

In today's Dallas Morning News, we learned that our new performing arts center is named for someone being investigated by the SEC:

SEC accuses Sam, Charles Wyly of secrecy, insider trading

The suit is the first formal accusation of wrongdoing against the Wylys after more than six years of subpoenas, grand jury investigations, congressional hearings and copious speculation about when the legal shoes might drop.

"The cloak of secrecy has been lifted from the complex web of foreign structures used by the Wylys to evade the securities laws," the SEC said in a statement, calling the Wylys' accounting an "elaborate sham system of trusts and subsidiary companies."

The suit names Wyly attorney Michael C. French of Dallas and stockbroker Louis J. Schaufele III of Dallas as cogs in an intricate global financial network that sold $750 million worth of stock.

And we got lots of email from our readers today alerting us that Pete Sessions and the NRCC were recipients of the tainted funds. From The Atlantic:

These Guys Owned the GOP, writes Marcus Baram at The Huffington Post: "Charles and Samuel Wyly, along with their wives, have donated $2.5 million to more than 200 Republican candidates and committees over the past 20 years, including over $1.3 million to the Republican National Committee, according to an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics. The top recipients of their largesse have been Texas Republicans. George W. Bush received at least $100,000 raised by the Wyly clan during the 2000 presidential election. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson has received $30,400 from the family; Rep. Pete Sessions, $29,000. Other Republican senators who've received their donations include John Cornyn of Texas, Sam Brownback of Kansas, Judd Gregg of New Hampshire, John Thune of South Dakota and Kit Bond of Missouri. Sam Wyly also funded the Swift Boat campaign that torpedoed Massachusetts Democrat John Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign."

And, from Wall St. Journal:

Friday, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, a national fund-raising arm for the party, said the National Republican Congressional Committee should return $160,000 it received from the Wyly brothers over the past two decades.

The Wylys, now in their 70s, made their name through computer, retail and hedge-fund ventures over four decades. They have been active in Republican political circles and, together with their wives, have donated nearly $2.5 million to more than 200 federal-level Republican candidates and committees during the past 20 years, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Now that the Wyly Brothers are in trouble, will Pete Sessions send them a love letter?

Pete Sessions votes "no" to extension of unemployment benefits

Our newly fiscally conservative congressman voted against the extension of unemployment benefits (we haven't forgotten your vote to fund the original bailout when Bush wanted it, Pete, or your votes to fund such things as the Iraq War without plans to pay for them).

From Congress.org:

On Thursday, the House passed this bill to extend unemployment benefits through November 30, making the extension retroactive to June 2 when the last extension expired. It was then sent to the president, who signed it the same day.

The bill passed 271-152; roll call information at this link:
Roll Call Vote No. 463 Tally

Pete Sessions joins Tea Party Caucus

Good news! Pete Sessions has joined the Tea Party Caucus

Both Texans in the House Republican leadership have jumped aboard the new Tea Party Caucus: Dallas Rep. Pete Sessions and Round Rock Rep. John Carter both announced today that they are joining the group, founded by tea party darling Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn.

Sessions chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee. Carter is GOP Conference secretary. Conference Chairman Mike Pence of Indiana also signed up, so far, so that's half of the elected House GOP leadership.

Since they're anti-incumbent, we hope Pete Sessions will be campaigning soon to throw himself out of office.

National Review: Sessions, Cornyn "halting to the point of being embarrassing"

From National Review Online:

Congressional Republicans who don’t think the party needs an agenda should consider the performance of Rep. Pete Sessions and Sen. John Cornyn on Meet the Press over the weekend. Asked about their affirmative program, the leaders of the GOP campaign committees in the House and the Senate sounded a very uncertain trumpet — indeed, one that was halting to the point of being embarrassing.

Sessions talked of balancing the budget, although without daring to mention anything close to a specific, and of reading bills before they pass. Out of desperation, Cornyn was forced to say he’d like to see the work of Obama’s fiscal commission before addressing spending. If GOP consultants who are advising the party to avoid embracing a substantive agenda prior to the November elections get their way, this will be the pitiful Republican dance for the next three-and-a-half months...

...Republicans should have confidence in their ideas. If they can’t offer an alternative to Obama...they should be in a different business.

NRCC struggles to explain what Sessions said yesterday

We Sessions Watchers should be used to interpreting Pete's rambling non-sequiturs by now, but we have to admit being stumped by one part of his Meet The Press appearance, where he seemed to be advocating a return to the fiscal policies of George W. Bush. Democratic Party pundits say he wants to return to the Bush policies, but the NRCC is vehemently denying that Sessions wants to go back to the Bush agenda:

Democrats are simply misrepresenting the facts. As the transcript reflects, Pete Sessions was clearly referencing the exhaustive report that was presented to the president by the Business Round Table, in which they stated that the 'cumulative effect' of President Obama's proposals have significantly hindered economic growth in this country.

Here's the quote in question that has both sides trying to figure out what he said:

We need to make sure that we allow employers, which was in that 52-page report that was presented to the president of the United States by CEOs in this country, we need to go back to the exact same agenda that is empowering the free enterprise system rather than diminish it.

We, at Sessions Watch, would like to welcome the rest of the nation to our world. One of the many reasons we want him out of Congress is his inability to articulate a direct thought without resorting to stump speech platitudes. Grammatical incorrectness aside, what does he mean, specifically, by "empowering the free enterprise system rather than diminish [sic] it"?

And we still want to know what's the deal with that blimp. :)

Tom Pauken: Pete Sessions is "not up to the job"

According to Tom Pauken, Pete Sessions should be removed as NRCC chair. From Dallas Morning News:

Although Republicans are poised to make serious gains in November, Pauken says Sessions – chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the party's House campaign arm – should be replaced after the midterm elections.

"He's not up to the job," Pauken said, arguing that no matter how well the GOP does this fall, Sessions should be replaced by "a smart conservative who knows what needs to be done."

With all due respect to Mr. Pauken, we disagree that Sessions should be replaced after the midterm election. We think he should be replaced on Election Day. :)

Pete Sessions takes his rambling non-answers to Meet the Press

This morning, Pete Sessions was on Meet the Press, alongside his counterpart in the DCCC, Rep. Chris Van Hollen, and fundraising chairs for the Senate, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and our own John Cornyn.

David Gregory learned what we've come to expect from Pete Sessions, that he has a "pretty gauzy agenda" when asked for specifics about what he'd do differently from what Democrats are doing. Sessions spoke in his usual roundabout manner, giving campaign platitudes instead of specifics; he said Republicans would "read the bill" when they get back to power (even though they passed such bills as the Patriot Act without reading it) and that "we'd live within our means," even though they ran up plenty of debt when they were in charge.

Republicans all over the country must be scratching their heads this morning, wondering how he ever got put in charge of building the party.

Pete Sessions votes "no" to small business lending

From Congress.org:

On Passage
06/17/2010
House Roll Call No. 375
111th Congress, 2nd Session

Passed: 241-182 (see complete tally)
The House passed this bill that would establish a $30 billion lending fund administered by the Treasury Department to invest in financial institutions, like community banks, with the intention of expanding the availability of credit to small businesses. The bill now goes to the Senate.

Pete Sessions was among those voting no.