This would leave anti-war voters with little choice then to vote for Hall again. Though he started out opposing the war, corruption and nukes, he was so beholden to the business-as-usual Dems in Congress, he largely followed the pack, voting with Pelosi 97% of the time. This is the game - he hopes to get re-elected, build his own influence and perhaps eventually distinguish himself. For now, his letters describe how pleased he is to have helped pass legislation such as the minimum wage bill as he prepares to gear up his campaign all over again.
Hall may be in a difficult spot, unable to cater to the issues he's spent a lifetime working for. But he values keeping his seat even more and blocking a Karl Rove-backed neo-con from taking it over.
Meanwhile Eliot Engel in the much bluer 17th district has no opposition in sight. Though this should enable him to side with the anti-war Democratic base, he has instead aligned himself with big corporations, including big media, voting against net neutrality and signing his name to a Congressional list recommending approval of the proposed satellite radio mega-merger.
Strategy wise, Hall may be doing the best thing for his future. Time will tell, although if he loses his next run, he will surely be sorry he didn't act more decisively against corruption when he had the chance. Though Bush/Cheney may never be impeached, I'll always be able to tell my children that the village in which we live stood together and unanimously voted for impeachment investigation. I think history will show those who just stood by were frozen by fear, just as these DC criminals intended.
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(OpEdNews Contributing Editor since October 2006) Inner city schoolteacher from New York, mostly covering media manipulation. I put election/finance reform ahead of all issues but also advocate for fiscal conservatism, ethics in journalism and (
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