Strike 3, Senator

Today, it's back to being a sheepdog. I thought about doing this post last week, but chose to cool off a little first. Last Thursday, we learned that U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander (R - TN) (pictured right) intended to support Mr. Obama's nomination of Judge Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court. I have previously addressed her nomination in this blog and asked readers to contact their Senators asking them to vote against her nomination based upon her record of deciding cases based upon her biases instead of the rule of law.

In less than a year, Senator Alexander has cast three votes that I have a problem with. They are :

1. He voted yes to the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 which bailed out the financial industry. The $700 billion went to Wall Street investors and banks who had made irresponsible loans to people who could not repay them. These bad loans directly lead to the current economic crisis the country is in. Now, we the taxpayers are footing the bill. In a free market economy, businesses must be allowed to be successful or fail on their own without the government interfering. The financial bailout amounted to socialism. Strike one Senator.
2. He voted no to allowing an individual with a concealed carry permit to carry a concealed firearm in national parks. People with carry permits have them because they want to be able to protect themselves and their families at all times. Apparently, Senator Alexander does not feel they should have that right even though he claims to support the right to keep and bear arms. In his 2008 re-election campaign, Alexander was endorsed by the National Rifle Association. With this vote, he stabbed the NRA and American gun owners in the back. Strike two Senator.
3. As I mentioned earlier, Senator Alexander voted yes to confirming Sotomayor. His reasoning was that "elections have consequences" (see complete text and video at this link http://alexander.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=PressReleases.Detail&PressRelease_id=1ab0fd73-87d7-4c9a-b2c9-28449277c6b9&Month=7&Year=2009). In other words, Obama can do what he wants because he won the election. Apparently, he needs to be reminded the Founding Fathers set up a system of checks and balances, the constitution, when the country was formed. The three branches of government (executive, judicial, and legislative) all have their role in keeping the other branches in check. Part of a U.S. Senator's job is to keep the executive branch, Mr. Obama, in check. He did not do his job in this confirmation process. Strike 3 Senator.

Before anybody says, "you're just another one of those Liberal Democrats beating up on a Republican." Nope. Sorry. Not true. Anyone that has been reading this blog or knows me will tell you that I'm not. I'm probably one of the most conservative people you'll ever meet and I tend to vote Republican. I'll admit I have voted for Senator Alexander a few times. However, as a sheepdog, my role with the blog is to lookout for the sheep. I do not care whether a legislator is a Democrat or a Republican. If their policies or votes do not line up with my core beliefs, I will call them on it. When I agree with them, they'll hear that, too. One thing I will always support is freedom and the values this country was founded on. I'm hoping that when Senator Alexander is up for re-election in 2014, a decent candidate runs against him. It appears as if it's time for him to go.