MLN Welcomes Jim Himes

Happy New Year Jim (4.00 / 1)

I know 2007 was a roller coaster for you.  What were some of the highlights during your first year as a candidate?  

Also, do you have any resolutions for 2008?

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by: CGG @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:36:42 PM UTC

rollercoaster (4.00 / 1)

CGG,
Happy New Year! Still can't believe we're losing you in 08!

Rollercoaster is a really good analogy. Running for office is hard, really hard. But I think that's probably how it should be. Those you seek to represent need to know you'll work your tail off on their behalf. They need to see what your underlying values and principles are (as challenging as that sometimes is in the face of spin), and they need to decide whether your positions are consistent enough with theirs to warrant their support.

But . . . it has also been really wonderful. I've had the opportunity to speak with thousands of people from all walks of life, with all sorts of ideas, and all sorts of hopes. Now that's a privelege!

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:48:08 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Are there specific experiences that stand out for you? (4.00 / 1)

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by: CGG @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:51:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Sure (4.00 / 4)

Celebrating Christmas with Amanda Brown, Bruce Morris and their congregation at the Macedonia Church in Norwalk, and listening to the stories of redemption offered up by some of the congregants was moving beyond belief.

Dropping sheets and towels at the Homes for the Brave facility in Bridgeport, and listening to the stories of the homeless vets there was also incredible, and a powerful reminder that those whom we too quickly characterize as the "downtrodden" or "the vulnerable" are often full of hopes, plans, and optimism.

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:02:55 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Some recent picture highlights for fun (4.00 / 3)

Last week, Jim and his family visited the Homes for the Brave, a transitional housing facility for homeless veterans in Bridgeport...

...where he talked with residents about the needs of returning veterans, addressing the crisis of homelessness in our district, and affordable housing...

...and also delivered a huge stack of over 50 towels and nearly 50 sets of brand-new twin sheets that were donated by Himes for Congress volunteers and Jim and his family:

Earlier this month we had a blast at the pub quiz:

Earlier that week, in the middle of snow and freezing rain, Jim joined SEIU 32BJ at their Justice for Janitors rally and delivered a rousing speech in Spanish!

Just a typical hectic couple of weeks on the campaign trail!

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by: Maura @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:01:14 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Welcome! (4.00 / 3)

Hi Jim,

Thanks for being with us today. It's a pleasure to have you at MLN.

I'm going to start this thing by passing along a couple of questions for you from a previous diary announcing your visit. Here's the first one:

Jim
what four bills (the four you feel were most important) before this last Congress that Chris Shays voted on would you have voted the other way, and why?

 

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by: CaptCT @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:37:15 PM UTC

Bills (4.00 / 5)

CaptCT-
Thanks very much for hosting this morning. In the interest of brevity, let me answer your questions with two topics, which I think encompass four bills total:

1) Early in the new Congress, Shays voted against permitting Medicare to negotiate pharmaceutical prices with the drug companies. This despite the fact that the VA and private insurers do so as a matter of course. That vote was nothing less than a payoff to the drug companies, and was a big step in the wrong direction in terms of reforming our train-wreck of a health care system.

2) Shays voted several times against bills which included timelines for a redeployment from Iraq, despite saying he would support them in August of 06, a statement which was important to his narrow victory over Diane Farrell. He claimed the timelines were "partisan" as though the redeployment sought by a healthy majority of Americans were somehow a DNC dirty trick. Again, a vote which damaged our long term interests in the ME.

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:54:15 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Please Explain Why MLN Is The Best (4.00 / 3)

source for campaign staffers?

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by: Jon Kantrowitz @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:38:10 PM UTC

MLN's bench is deep. (4.00 / 1)

Hence, it's the best.

The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

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by: connecticutyankee @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:41:58 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Fair question! (4.00 / 5)

Jon,
Good morning, and Happy New Year to you! Drawing talent from MLN does feel a little cannibalistic, considering the great work done here advancing the progressive cause.

That said, no one's arm was twisted, and no one joined up for the pay and/or benefits! (Although I am very proud to note that we are offering health insurance.)

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:57:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Welcome, Mr. Himes (4.00 / 1)

I can't stay. I have to get food for tonight's party at our house. Although I live in the CT's 3rd district, I do work in the 4th. So, I'll make sure I lend you and your team a hand next year.

Thanks for being here.

The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

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by: connecticutyankee @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:40:03 PM UTC

thanks! (4.00 / 1)

Connecticutyankee,
Thanks for the good wishes and the support. I really appreciate it. Please do spread the word. We need to build one heck of a wave in the next 11 months!

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:04:40 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

A great way to show support ... (4.00 / 1)

For all those who want to show their support for the Himes campaign, you can chip in at MLN's ActBlue page. We're looking to get to 500 donors by the end of the day.

We'd love to have at least 20 donors from MLN -- one donor for every year Chris Shays has been in Congress.  

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by: CaptCT @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:10:26 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thanks, CaptCT! 23 more to go by midnight tonight! (4.00 / 1)

We've had an amazing response since we put up this challenge on Friday, including four new donors on the MLN ActBlue page.  

But we still need 23 more to hit our goal by when the ball drops tonight!  

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by: Maura @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:16:27 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

MLN ActBlue page has Himes over the top. (0.00 / 0)

But will make sure to give more before the ball drop.

The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

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by: connecticutyankee @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 23:11:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Don't Go By ActBlue Numbers!!! (0.00 / 0)

Act Blue shows that Jim has over 500 donors, but I am pretty sure that is the "all-time" total.  

The goal above is the 4th quarter goal.

(I could be completely wrong, but I am pretty sure I'm not and don't want any potential contributors to be discouraged)

|Spazeboy.net|Spazeboy's Guide to Political Videoblogging|

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by: spazeboy @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 23:44:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

official number (4.00 / 1)

The official number is at the Himes for Congress website. It's at 492 -- 8 more to go.

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by: CaptCT @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 23:52:05 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Should be 493 by now. n/t (0.00 / 0)

The arc of history is long, but it bends toward justice. --Martin Luther King, Jr.

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by: connecticutyankee @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 23:54:39 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Contribute to Himes and you may appear in Saramerica's next book! (4.00 / 1)

Saramerica has kicked in a fun incentive to give -- she's offered to put the name or MLN handle of a  Himes donor in her next book!  See her diary for details!

You can't get an offer like that for donating to ANY other candidate, it's that simple!

Act now and you may get YOUR 15 minutes of fame!  (Be still my heart;)

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by: greenpeas @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:29:16 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Health care & campaign finance (4.00 / 1)

Thanks for joining us here for a dialogue.  I'm interested in legislation that gets to the root of public problems.  Would you be willing to co-sponsor bills that would establish
* single payer health care (eg, HR 676) and
* full public financing for federal elections (such as John Larson's Fair Elections Now Act)?

If not, why not?

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by: mikect @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:42:15 PM UTC

HC & CF (4.00 / 1)

Mikect-
Happy New Year, and thanks for your interest. I'm going to do the injustice of quick answers to huge questions:
1) Public financing for federal elections is critical, and no one feels that more personally than I do right now. Given the wreckage around us, might not have been on my list of top issues nine months ago, but is now. I'm not proud of the fact that I've had to spend more than half of my time in the last several quarters asking people for money. It's even worse to think that our seated legislators are doing so. This time has come at the expense of educating myself on the intricacies of complex issues like healthcare and at the expense of spending time listening to future consituents.
2)On HC, I'll say right up front that I have been working like a dog--talking to doctors, lawyers, insurance people, academic experts--to get my head around the system. But I've still got learning to do. I believe two things unequivocally: we need to move rapidly to universal coverage, and we need to find ways to take costs out of the system. I have a general belief that the private sector delivers products and services more efficiently than the government does, but that is clearly not the case in many corners of the health care industry. Whether that's fixable or not or whether it requires a move to single payer is something I am still educating myself on.

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:17:24 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

health care & resources (4.00 / 3)

Thanks for your responses.  I'm glad you're in support of public financing, and that you're investigating health care proposals.

The private sector most definitely does not finance and administer health care more efficiently than the public sector.  Only by cutting back the massive administrative and management costs of the private insurers can we reduce overall costs and insure everyone.  (Admin costs now consume nearly one-third of our health care dollar.)  And we can and should continue the role of private providers.

In your research on health care issues, I urge you to talk to the smart folks at Physicians for a National Health Program or to John Conyer's office about his single payer bill.

And Public Campaign is a great source on campaign finance reform.

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by: mikect @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:34:15 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Hi, Jim. A question (4.00 / 1)

I would like to point out that during this "successful" implementation of the "surge", hundreds of American troops have been and continue to be killed and wounded every month.  In the last week alone there were 50 young Americans wounded.

Your opponent Chris Shays, while now praising the "surge", was one of the most vocal proponents of invasion in the entire Congress.  Will you bring to the attention of voters in Connecticut the fact that Chris Shays was absolutely wrong on "weapons of mass destruction" (his opponent in 2002 Stephanie Sanchez certainly was not convinced that there were WMD's!)?  That he helped push us into this war which has absolutely no purpose?  And will you point out that Shays was a major cheerleader for Bush and Cheney's attempts to push America into another war, this time with Iran?

Last question (sorry): Will you point out the hypocrisy of Shays' voting to send other people's sons and daughters into that seneseless war in Iraq when he himself declared, as a conscientious objector, that he was a pacifist who believed that it was personally immoral for him to take up arms in defense of the United States in any circumstance?

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by: thomashooker @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:43:05 PM UTC

yes (4.00 / 1)

th-

Dead right. As I said over on FDL, the surge was the latest installment in the administration's shell game of expectations. That 30,000 American troops can quell violence should surprise no one. The STRATEGIC PURPOSE, ie. providing breathing room for Iraqi leaders to reach accomodations, remains unaccomplished.

Shays needs to be, and will be, held accountable for his disastrous support of this war. He himself admits that he was wrong on WMD, so he blunts the criticism, and adds to his "reasonable guy" facade. The key is pointing out that he says one thing and does another. And sometimes, he doesn't say much of anything on issues that require clear articulation of principles and leadership.

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:24:48 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

relaying another question (4.00 / 1)

Here's one more question from the previous diary:

Blackwater
Chris Shays has been an unapologetic cheerleader for Blackwater.  What initiatives do you think Congress needs to take to reign in currently uncontrolled, unregulated private mercenary armies like Blackwater?

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by: CaptCT @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:43:29 PM UTC

great question! (4.00 / 1)

How quickly we forget the most basic, underlying principles of government and history, ie. that one of the points of government is to monopolize the use of force, and that we owe our existence as a country, to some degree, to mad King George's use of mercenary armies!

The government should consider using non-combat personnel for things that are truly ancillary to the use of force: food service, admin, whatever else makes sense, but it must monopolize the use of force. One of my best friends and grad school roomates is a decorated armor officer. He is steeped in the ancient traditions, responsibilities and ethics embedded in his uniform. He is a sworn officer of the United States and feels that awesome responsibility. And he is current on things like the Geneva Convention. Not true of Blackwater security people.

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:32:20 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Property Taxes (4.00 / 1)

Property taxes pay for things like education, police and fire protection. Increasing health care costs for municipal workers drive up these costs, along with local property taxes.

1. What kind of policies would you support in Congress that would reduce health care costs for towns and businesses?

2. Do you think the federal government can spend more on education than it currently does (only about 12% of the total bill)?

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by: CaptCT @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:48:38 PM UTC

taxes (4.00 / 2)

CaptCT--
I sit on the finance board in my town, and see this up close and personal. When HC inflation grows faster than incomes, as it has for some time, you've got a real problem. Taxes go up, or you ask people to bear a greater share of the cost.

Smart HC reform will take costs out of the system by permeating technology into the system, by finding ways to reduce redundant and defensive medicine, by emphasizing prevention over treatment, by encouraging healthier lifestyles, and by finding ways to take overhead and admin out of the system, among others.

On education, all the experts point to smaller class size, more time on task, and a variety of other improvements that will not come free. But folks, this is investment--in our children and in our one enduring source of wealth as a country, our innovative capacity. Our choice: invest or not.

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:40:38 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The Rule of Law (4.00 / 2)

You already know that this is a subject I care very much about.  Would you comment on steps you would take to encourage Congress, going forward, to ensure that the Rule of Law is restored such that the current slippery slope cannot so easily return.  Thank you.

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by: Ann Galloway @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:50:50 PM UTC

rule of law (4.00 / 1)

Ann-
Happy New Year. Boy, what a big and important topic. I think this will fall heavily on the new President and Congress.

The new President must repudiate the "signing statements" so abused by President Bush, must immediately announce that he/she(!) will abide by the letter and spirit of all of the US international obligations, and should close Guantanamo and call for a reopening of the Bali discussions as signs of good faith. He/she should also explicitly reject the concept of the Unitary Executive and pledge to fully accept Congress' oversight role.

The new Congress must stand up and reject the many elements of the Patriot Act and other legislation that handed its powers to the President. We're starting to see that, for example, with Congress rescinding the Pres' ability to appoint US Attorneys without approval. And the Court has made some useful moves re habeas corpus, but this court will not lead the way.

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:47:25 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Harry Taylor (4.00 / 3)

From April, 2006.

Mr Himes, have you seen this clip before?

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by: Scarce @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:55:31 PM UTC

Taylor for Congress (4.00 / 2)

Last month Mr Taylor, who has no prior political experience, announced his candidacy for US Congress in NC-09 against Sue Myrick, yet another Bush apologist.

http://www.harrytaylorforcongr...

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by: Scarce @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:37:58 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

An idea ... (4.00 / 1)

In addition to increasing access to affordable education, what would you think about supporting Apprenticeship Programs.

In other words, offer incentives for local businesses to bring in and train young people in professions like construction, plumbing, landscaping, etc. These are great skills to learn, and for the non-bookish types, they offer step up to a stable and rewarding career.

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by: CaptCT @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:56:09 PM UTC

Neat idea (4.00 / 1)

Was talking about this the other day in the context of how to reintegrate ex-offenders. Is there some good research out there on it?

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:50:28 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Some programs in other states... (4.00 / 1)

Here's information about Illinois apprentice programs.

Here's information about a Maryland apprentice programs.

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by: CaptCT @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 18:10:11 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Iraq withdrawal (4.00 / 2)

What is your deadlines for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq?  Do you believe that all of them should be withdrawn?  Did you oppose the war before it began?

Will you vote against any bill that funds the Iraq war but has no withdrawal requirements?

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by: mikect @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 16:56:55 PM UTC

subprime mortgage crisis and federal in/action (4.00 / 2)

Hi Jim,

I'm hoping to tap into some of your skills and focus on affordable housing to get your take on what has been happening in terms of federal lack of oversight of financial services related to home buying, and where you would look to impact the unfolding situation we see.

I think there are a multitude of ways that foreclosures are, or will impact our communities.  Foreclosures in neighborhoods that have started to turn around may impact not just the foreclosed homeowners, but also those who live in the area (as their home values are affected and e.g. empty houses invite crime).

Chris Shays implied that people who have subprimes "never owned their homes anyway", but I have read that at least 15% of the people who have them qualified for better rates but were given higher rates because the broker had financial incentives to do so.  Some elderly people on fixed incomes who owned or largely owned their homes refinanced at onerous rates(some apparently did so due to high medical expenses) and are now losing them.  

Paul Krugman recently wrote a column suggesting that there is a liquidity issue, not just a crisis of confidence in the market, and that it won't be clear for many years where all the financial impacts will be felt.  I understood him to be saying that it now appears that bailouts would be like draining a lake with a slotted spoon -- there is a tremendous problem that cannot be bandaged.

I'm interested in what you see as productive policy directions at the federal level, and any thoughts you have on whether there are other angles of approach to address various aspects of this situation?  

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by: greenpeas @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:04:19 PM UTC

subprime (4.00 / 3)

Greenpeas,
Shays is way wrong on this, both in principle, since an awful lot of people were taken in by unregulated purveyors of debt (quite apart from the particularly awful asset strippers), and as a practical matter, since foreclosures really hurt neighborhoods.

The problem, of course, is complex, in that subprime mortgages did allow a lot of people to become homeowners who might not otherwise have ever qualified, and not all of them, by any stretch are in trouble.

At the federal level, we need to see training and regulation akin to the Series 7 type training/regulation that is imposed on brokers selling assets (stocks, bonds) Note that this regulation is not carried out by the government, but by NASD. We also need to see better plain english disclosure laws, and certification by lenders that they have underwritten borrowers and concluded that said borrowers have the ability to repay.

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:57:12 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

my loan stats may be way low (0.00 / 0)

This Krugman column makes the following statement about how many subprimes made during the peak of the bubble (when most of these loans were made) were made to people who could qualify for better loans:

The Wall Street Journal found that more than 55 percent of subprime loans made at the height of the housing bubble "went to people with credit scores high enough to often qualify for conventional loans with far better terms."

What is not clear from this mention (no footnote) is whether they were offered such loans and chose to gamble on initial lower rates in hopes of refinancing, or whether they were never offered a better loan.

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by: greenpeas @ Tue Jan 01, 2008 at 23:52:29 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Signing off shortly (4.00 / 1)

Hate to do it, but family calls.

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:49:24 PM UTC

Thank you, Jim! (4.00 / 1)

And thanks to everyone who joined in or listened in on the conversation.

For those who wish to show their support for Jim Himes and help usher in a new generation of leadership in Washington, stop by the MLN ActBlue Page and toss in a donation. Any amount is appreciated.

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by: CaptCT @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 17:59:10 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thanks, CaptCT (4.00 / 1)

And thanks to all the MLNers who participated in the conversation today!   As you may remember, Jim liveblogged here at MLN on the very first day of his campaign, so it's really great to close out the year here as well.

As Jim said below, your financial support is very much appreciated, but your ideas, your criticism, your enthusiasm, and your volunteer efforts are absolutely essential to our success next year.  Please keep 'em coming.

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by: Maura @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 18:10:16 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

Thanks and Happy New Year (4.00 / 6)

Friends, regret that I must sign off here at the 90 minute mark. As usual, I really appreciate and enjoyed the conversation. And please, let's not limit this to the liveblogs. I need your ideas, thoughts and suggestions. Please keep them coming. Comments posted to www.himesforcongress.com will be read by yours truly!

I also need two other things: your criticism (constructive, I hope) in order to make this a world beating campaign, and your financial support, in order to win this thing. I know many of you have been generous, particularly with the latter, so thanks very much!

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by: Jim Himes @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 18:00:19 PM UTC

I'm sorry I missed the live blog (4.00 / 2)

but as always, reading Jim's thoughtful and reasoned responses to the important issues of our time make me proud to be supporting him for CT-4.

I encourage everyone to help us meet the new donor challenge before the ball drops tonight. The top donor gets immortalized in my next book, and Greenpeas and I are standing by to bake cookies for NEW donors to the campaign.

In 2006, Shays was the only Republican left standing in New England. 2008 is the year we're going to make New England True Blue.

This is a key campaign with a strong, progressive candidate. So give early, and give often!

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by: saramerica @ Mon Dec 31, 2007 at 18:13:14 PM UTC