Braley, Hare Oppose Free Trade Deal

I am a teacher, my wife is a nurse, so you might think education or health care would be the top issue. However, I think our nation's trade policies are the most important issue at national level currently.

It was good to see this story in the Quad Cities Times today...

The two congressmen who represent the Quad-City region said Wednesday they will oppose a proposed free trade deal with South Korea, a pact backers say is the most far-reaching since the NAFTA deal of 1993.

Reps. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, and Phil Hare, D-Ill., as well as two other congressmen said at a news conference in Washington, D.C., that the agreement would exacerbate the U.S. trade deficit with South Korea.

“I just want our work force to be able to compete,” said Hare, who has emerged as a visible critic of the Bush administration’s trade policies.

Better Know Phil Hare (IL - 17) and the Out of Iraq Caucus

I just saw Rep. Phil Hare (IL-17) from the Quad Cities on the Colbert Report and then I saw this post from Prairie State Blue about what Phil Hare has been up to since getting elected. I have to say that I am pretty impressed.

Update: The interview can be found here. I can't embed it because Comedy Central is owned by Viacom and they are, like Robert Novak, a total douchebag.

Freshman Illinois Representitive Phil Hare (IL-17) has once again defied fellow Illinois Rep. and Chair of the Democratic Caucus Rahm Emanuel (IL-5).

First, he joined the Congressional Progressive Caucus, and while that wasn't strictly defying Emanuel, I'm sure Rahm is more comfortable around the Blue Dogs. Next thing you know, Phil Hare is in the Out of Iraq caucus. Those two things on their own had to have Rahm wondering why he didn't look harder for a primary challenger, but now Phil Hare has gone and stuck his finger right in Rahm's eye.

You see on the same day that Rahm Emanuel gave a big wag of the finger to Stephen Colbert, Phil Hare is going to have his district better known.

"I don't know what I'm going to look like tomorrow - foolish, I bet," Hare said. "But that's OK, I don't take myself too seriously." ... All joking aside, however, Hare valued the experience as one in which he could publicize the district and reach a segment of his constituency, unlike other representatives in Washington, D.C., who have told Hare they would be petrified to go on the show.

"There's a lot of people here who won't go on the show, no matter what," Hare said. "I think it's a great way to communicate with young people... My kids are totally addicted to it."

The real question on my end of things is how they're going to pull it all together. You see Phil Hare was already better known at the Kennedy School of Government 2006 Luncheon For Incoming New Members. Well no matter. I'm sure that everyone will join me to see Phil Hare eneagled latter tonight.

Hare did a pretty good job on the Colbert Report. It was funny and Hare didn't get taken, like some others have (example 1 and example 2).

I am impressed with the groups that Hare has joined since getting elected. He is speaking about progressive issues and associating himself with groups that stand for those issues. He is taking stands on the issues that he believes in. He isn't getting pushed by Washington insiders and the so-called Centrists like Rahm Emanuel. Hare is espousing views because he believes in them and because the people in his district believe in them.

After reading that Hare is a member of the Out of Iraq Caucus and the Congressional Progressive Caucus, I wonder why Iowa's two new Congressman, Bruce Braley and Dave Loebsack haven't joined the Out of Iraq Caucus. (I will give Loebsack credit for being a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.) Both Braley and Loebsack ran on getting out of Iraq and have spoken out about the need to bring our troops home then why not join the 73 other members of the House in the Out of Iraq Caucus?