Kudos to Ohio Dem Reps For Voting "No" on Iraq and "Yes" on Ethics Reform

Although I'm trying to be philosophical on the Iraq funding vote, and the decision by Democratic Congressional leaders to let the bill pass doesn't bother me as much as it bothers many, I'm nevertheless pleased that a majority of Ohio's Democratic members of Congress joined 140 Democrats overall in voting "no." (Reps. Kaptur, Sutton, Kucinich, and Ryan voted "no," Tubbs Jones was absent due to a death in the family, and Space and Wilson voted "yes.") Symbolism is important, public statements of principle are important, and yesterday's voting revealed the predominantly Republican dimension of support for continuing the war.

Also heartening is the majority of Ohio Democratic members voting in favor or two bills on House ethics reform, even though the bills still don't go far enough. All of the Ohio Democrats except Reps. Kaptur, Kucinich, and the absent Tubbs Jones voted to require lobbyists to disclose "bundling," which means soliciting and collecting donations from several sources on behalf of a candidate. All but Kaptur and Tubbs Jones voted for another bill including a tighter prohibition on lobbyists' gifts, requiring disclosure of legislators putting "earmarked" projects into spending bills, and prohibiting pressure on lobbying firms to base hiring on political affiliations (i.e., disgraced GOP leader Tom DeLay's "K Street Project").

Kaptur told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that she voted "no" because the bills are incomplete, and Kucinich did not return calls about the votes.

Thirty-three Democrats voted in favor of a GOP procedural motion designed to harass the Democratic leadership by strengthening the first of the ethics bills, apparently in hopes that fewer Democrats would vote for the modified bill. Rep. Betty Sutton (D-Copley Township), who campaigned squarely on ethics reform, got a special mention on CQ Politics for her vote in favor of the GOP motion.