OH NOES! What is Representative Tom Perriello (D-Va.) doing, allowing his spokesperson to say stuff like this, in the wake of his vote for the House health care reform bill:
Perriello spokeswoman Jessica Barba said Perriello met with and respected those who oppose the health care bill but ultimately made the decision he deemed best for his district. Perriello's 5th District stretches from Charlottesville to Danville.
"A lot of the political pundits and all the conventional wisdom is saying that this is going to cost him the election next year," she said. "He didn't come to Congress to get re-elected."
Perriello won his seat in the House after defeating the incumbent Republican Virgil Goode by a razor-thin, 727-vote margin. He's generally seen as one of the most -- if not the most -- vulnerable Democratic incumbents. Sam Stein reported on Monday that the National Republican Congressional Committee immediately went to work on Perriello, sending out 16 separate emails about his vote for the health care bill, the first of which came with the subject heading, "BREAKING: The end of Tom Perriello's political career." And his spokesperson's comment came amid an AstroTurf outpouring of protest from Americans for Prosperity.
It's almost as if Perriello has "convictions" that are more important to him than doing whatever he can to preserve his Congressional career. Inside the Beltway, this behavior is generally regarded as insane. If Perriello was a fighter pilot, he'd be grounded, according to Catch-22.
UPDATE: Apparently believing that it is a sufficient substitute for cogent political thought or maturity, the Danville TEA Party will "will close their "Fired Up for Freedom" rally by burning Rep. Tom Perriello and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in effigy in response to the passage of landmark healthcare legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives.
That's all going down this Saturday at 5:30pm in Blairs, VA, and will obviously solve our health care problems forever.
RELATED:
Principle over politics [Politico]
PREVIOUSLY, on the HUFFINGTON POST:
Dems Challenge Theme That Health Care Vote Makes Members Vulnerable
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