Altmire's recent votes

By Dave Anderson:

I've been tough on Altmire and I still think that he faces an uphill battle for re-election as I have a very hard time seeing where he will get his doorknockers to rouse an apathetic Democratic base in a Tea Party friendly district.  He has voted against unions, healthcare, progressive organizations (Move-On and ACORN), the stimulus, and choice.  He does not have a lot of friends left, but his basic argument is that he is the best that the Democrats can expect out of a rapidly trending Republican district. 

However, he actually voted in a reasonably decent manner this week on two major issues.  He voted for final passage on the House Wall Street reform act and he voted against the Minnick Amendment which would have gutted a good chunk of the act.  

Beating up on Wall Street should be an easy vote for pretty much anyone, Democrat or Republican as they screwed up royally last year, and have been a parasite upon the US economy for my whole life.  However they are a source of campaign funds and have a significant amount of regulatory and political capture.  So a vote to beat up on Wall Street was a "tough" vote and I am glad that Altmire decided to do the good and the self-interested smart thing in beating up on Wall Street.