Lampson's lame voting record debated

Houston Chronicle:

Democratic U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson pleaded for bipartisanship and compromise, and Republican challenger Pete Olson delivered a withering criticism of Lampson's legislative votes Monday night in their only debate over a seat that has drawn the national spotlight.

Olson, a former Senate aide and Navy pilot, said repeatedly that Lampson talks good sense in the 22nd District while voting for tax increases and wasteful spending in Congress.

"Broken promises and failed leadership" was Olson's refrain.

Lampson said Olson was distorting his record and that he has voted the consensus of the Republican-friendly district, sometimes by opposing the Democratic leadership in the U.S. House.

Commenting on the hundreds of town hall meetings he attended that drew 60,000 constituents, Lampson remarked: "Could I not hear what you said? I voted the way this district asked me to."

He said he has pioneered centrist compromises on legislation and that Olson was unfairly picking select language from objectionable bills that Lampson opposed.

Turning to Olson, the congressman said, "You've been distorting my record ever since you moved to Texas."

Olson grew up in the Houston area and moved back here last year to run for Congress after serving in the military and on Capitol Hill.

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Lampson favored unionizing every business in Texas, the challenger said, and added, "I have pointed out, I hope in a respectful way, that Nick Lampson has contributed to many of the serious problems facing America today."

For instance, he said, Lampson voted against NASA funding and sending military units to back up border agents along the boundary with Mexico.

Lampson said that as a key legislator on NASA, whose Johnson Space Center is in his district, he actually led the way in the House to secure NASA funding. He repeatedly mentioned that he has congressional seniority, experience and connections that help fund some of the district's needs.

Lampson declined to address many other legislative votes Olson cited, saying instead: "Mr. Olson has talking points. I have action." He bemoaned "a partisan divide that has torn this country apart and torn this district apart."

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Olson went too easy on Lampson's lamest vote--backing Nancy Pelosi as Speaker. That is a vote that insures that sound energy legislation is never brought to a vote. It resulted in over 60 votes for defeat in in Iraq by an awful Democrat Congress. It is hard to get around the fact that voting for a Democrat speaker is bad for America and for Texas. Chet Edwards makes the same mistake. I hear his ads about energy policy and off shore drilling and know he does not mean it because he votes for a Speaker who will prevent those policies from being effected. Any Texan who votes for a Democrat is voting against Texas. There is a reason why this country has such a low regard for Congress and it is spelled Democrats.

While I am on this subject, what is with the Chronicle endorsing Obama. He would be a terrible President who will be anti energy and will also screw up the war effort with defeatist policies. Obama has been dead wrong on Iraq and if he had been President the last four years we would have lost that war and be in much worse shape everywhere. There is just no excuse for supporting Obama.