About John Sweeney

The Twentieth Congressional district is one of those gerrymandered abominations, spanning ten counties without including a single city above 30,000 (Glens Falls: 14,203 (down from 1990), Saratoga (27,000), Hudson (7,200). The twentieth, instead, is a blob of (mostly economically depressed) rural towns stretching from Lake Placid in the north to Union Vale in the south (220 miles), and Masonville in the west (about 150 miles). The poverty rate in our district is about 8%, buoyed by some pretty wealthy (by upstate NY standards, not downstate ones) suburbs in Saratoga County. Sweeney tends to run as one of those 'wrapped in the flag' Carl Rove types. However, he does absolutely nothing for his constituency. He is mostly has been going for the high PR, apple-pie issues, and dodging the any question that requires any more intelligent discussion than a Rush Limbaugh rant. Here's what he's done (or not done) lately:

• Hob-nobbing with celebrities on whether we should allow the slaughter of horses.
• Feigning dismay over steroids in sports
• Avoiding talking about Social Security.
• Voted to repeal the Paris Hilton (estate) tax
• Missed a critical vote on health care for veterans
• Tried to get GE off the hook for polluting the Hudson
• Waffled on keeping Amtrak running

This is the typical GOP stuff. Demagoguery on emotional issues, but when it comes to really doing what his constituents need (economic security, good jobs, infrastructure, investment in education, environmental preservation), he's nowhere. Yesterday he was to have attended a 'town hall meeting' on Social Security. I can't wait to see how that turned out: stay tuned for more.

John Sweeney (t d f)