Va. Rep. Tom Perriello, On Health Care Vote: 'He Didn't Come To Congress To Get Re-Elected' [UPDATE]

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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Comments

[DakotaMinnesota]

Oh my, oh my - a representative who understands what being a representative is all about!!

I wish more reps would have this philosophy. After all, it's not the end of your life if you get voted out of office, for pete's sake! Just move on and get something else done and be satisfied that you did something good even if the short-term slander gets the best of you.

We need more representatives who don't NEED to be representatives.

[dnegri]

I wish a few more Dems would take a stand based on "conscious" and not on reelection. Especially on critical issues. And I'd start with Blanche Lincoln on the Senate side.

As for Colorado 4, unless Markey can make some strong arguments for reelecting a Dem, it's quite
possible that the same rural constituency that kept this a GOP district will get the votes. Lots of tea party
activity there.

[Sean 6399]

I disagree with burning effigies. I don't see why they couldn't burn the real thing. I should think it'd be easy to get Pelosi to participate, just tell her that the crowd is full of illegal immigrants that want to hear her speak, and that they are losing 200 million jobs a month. She'd show up at the stake with bells on.

[oonamanoona]

Your post is an excellent example of the problem. What you have written makes no sense, seems to come from some fantasy world you live in. You speak in hyperbole (200 million jobs/month is a very strange number) and you flippantly suggest a violent action. Furthermore, Pelosi would never wear bells.

[Sean 6399]

Pelosi was on camera repeatedly claiming that failure to pass some stimulus bill or other was costing America 500 million jobs per month.

link with video:

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2009/02/04/will-media-report-pelosis-claim-500-million-lose-jobs-each-month

[oonamanoona]

Very nice information Mr Linkins but please save your "OH NOES!" for sites like Jezebel. Thank you.

[jasev01]

Thank you sir, I am glad someone feels like I do. Go to congress do what you need to and leave if you must.

[Rmath]

Perriello is a genuine hero and a patriot.

[mrtaylor]

Seconded.

[frappe]

Personally, I think his vote in favor of health care reform will, in the end, actually help his reelection efforts -- despite what the radical fringe on the right has to say about it.

[rockstar555y]

As a student of University of Virginia, I am proud to have this man as my representative.

[dnegri]

And he'll need help from students and young voters like you. More than we saw in the Guv election.

[swift goat pet for truth]

Good for him.
Now that I know about him, I will be watching.

[Littlewords]

Donate if you can, he'll surely need help to defend against ra9ing teabagger mania in his home state.

[DonBlv]

Wow, one representative of the people in all of DC...impressive. Maybe in the next millennial, we'll get two.

[Mark Twaine]

Maybe his experience in Africa gives him a distinct advantage in his particular district. Too bad Liberty University has been gerrymandered out of it. He could teach the Falwells a thing or two.

[gmknobl]

Dear Mr. Perriello,

Please come over to the 9th district where one representative, formerly proclaiming to be liberal but now apparently owned by the health care lobby, decided to vote against the health care bill, not for fearing about women's rights, but since it could "place at risk the very survival of our region's not–for- profit community hospitals." Gee, I didn't know the local Carilion clinic I go to was barely getting by or not charging me an arm and a leg. Let alone that they supposedly charge what they do or that my insurance costs what it does because it's only enough to make ends meet. I thought my rates are going up and the hospital bills I get plus all the clinic bills I get from Carilion plus all the other related bills were sky high because of for-profit health insurance. What a dummy I was! No, wait. I am right and Boucher is wrong.

So, Rep. Perriello, come over to Blacksburg, Abingdon or wherever if you are Gooded out of Danville, Martinsville and that region.

[MmeFlutterbye]

I'm shocked! shocked! A politician with integrity!

[Beegood]

Perhaps I am overreacting, but isn't burning somebody in effigy akin to proclaiming a death wish?

Imagine if liberals had burned Bush in effigy!

[gmknobl]

Why don't we? It's legal parody after all, right?

Well, okay. So, let's not. Instead, let's just kick him out of the country.

[Rmath]

Note to tea partiers:

Why not just go hang yourselves?

[ByersL]

I love this guy, and wish I had him as my Rep instead of that sku;nk Frank Wolf. I will certainly send him some money for his campaign!