Over at Daily Kos, a great idea has been born. Beginning in January (or possibly sooner), members of the DKos community (aka Kossacks) will begin monitoring every committee in Congress. From what I gather, the purpose of this project is to stay informed and up-to-date on all Congressional activity. I don't know about you, but I think this is a very important step in taking our country back. If we pay closer attention to what's going on in the committees, we will be better able to hold our representatives accountable to us rather than the lobbyists on K Street.
How does this impact Gus Watch? As soon as we know what committees Bilirakis will be sitting on, we will adopt those committees, or at least follow their findings. If you want more information on this project and/or would like to participate, here is the link:
http://www.dkosopedia.com/wiki/Congressional_Committees_Project
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Mama Helps Gus Find an Office
We know that Mama was always close by when Gus was campaigning, stepping in to call Busansky supporters "low class" when they asked Gus to have a public debate with his Democratic opposition. Heck, Mama even got nasty with Phyllis' campaign manager when the two candidates appeared together at WEDU. And from last week's St. Pete Times, we get the lowdown on Gus' search for a Capital Hill office. Oh, wait, did I say "Gus' search?" I should have said, "Mama's search" for a Congressional office for sonny boy. Here's the link to the St. Pete Times article, followed by some choice excerpts:
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/11/18/Worldandnation/For_House_newbies__of.shtml
...But compared to other freshmen wandering the halls of the U.S. House office buildings, looking for the perfect suite among the scraps still left for them, Rep.-elect Gus Bilirakis had a few secret weapons:
Some of his dad's most experienced staffers. And his mom.
...Freshmen get what sitting members don't want, through a lottery. The list of offices available to them came out Thursday, just a day before they had to pick, and Mrs. Bilirakis and some of her husband's top aides - executive assistant Jackie Troy, scheduler Doug Menorca, legislative assistant James Robertson and chief of staff Rebecca Hyder - were determined to find the best they could for the congressman's son, Gus, 43, who is taking his dad's seat.
...Menorca snapped away with his camera while Troy took notes and fretted about where the copier, the printers and other equipment might go. When they were finished, Menorca made a note on his list. "Ten-twenty-two. That's the best one yet."
But Mom had a question: "How far would he have to walk?"
Menorca showed her the map.
"That's too far!" Mrs. Bilirakis said. "Too far!"
...His team checked their list and headed toward the Cannon building, a tad farther from the Capitol, home to many junior members. "Gus," his mom told him, "you need to think about location."
...He chose 1630. The staff will be knee to knee. The view is of a gravel roof a couple of floors down; in the near distance is a wall. The windows, thankfully, are small.
But it is convenient, close to the elevators leading to the exit on Independence Avenue, making for a short walk to vote. His mom would be pleased. Constituents can find it easily. And Bilirakis didn't mind the size, 862 square feet.
Is is just me, or is this weird? This is a grown man, a Congressman, and his mama follows him EVERYWHERE! Even if I wanted my mother's input, I don't think I would allow her to be so prominent in the office search if a reporter were covering the process.
It absolutely makes me ill that this man is representing me in Congress.
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/11/18/Worldandnation/For_House_newbies__of.shtml
...But compared to other freshmen wandering the halls of the U.S. House office buildings, looking for the perfect suite among the scraps still left for them, Rep.-elect Gus Bilirakis had a few secret weapons:
Some of his dad's most experienced staffers. And his mom.
...Freshmen get what sitting members don't want, through a lottery. The list of offices available to them came out Thursday, just a day before they had to pick, and Mrs. Bilirakis and some of her husband's top aides - executive assistant Jackie Troy, scheduler Doug Menorca, legislative assistant James Robertson and chief of staff Rebecca Hyder - were determined to find the best they could for the congressman's son, Gus, 43, who is taking his dad's seat.
...Menorca snapped away with his camera while Troy took notes and fretted about where the copier, the printers and other equipment might go. When they were finished, Menorca made a note on his list. "Ten-twenty-two. That's the best one yet."
But Mom had a question: "How far would he have to walk?"
Menorca showed her the map.
"That's too far!" Mrs. Bilirakis said. "Too far!"
...His team checked their list and headed toward the Cannon building, a tad farther from the Capitol, home to many junior members. "Gus," his mom told him, "you need to think about location."
...He chose 1630. The staff will be knee to knee. The view is of a gravel roof a couple of floors down; in the near distance is a wall. The windows, thankfully, are small.
But it is convenient, close to the elevators leading to the exit on Independence Avenue, making for a short walk to vote. His mom would be pleased. Constituents can find it easily. And Bilirakis didn't mind the size, 862 square feet.
Is is just me, or is this weird? This is a grown man, a Congressman, and his mama follows him EVERYWHERE! Even if I wanted my mother's input, I don't think I would allow her to be so prominent in the office search if a reporter were covering the process.
It absolutely makes me ill that this man is representing me in Congress.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Welcome!
Welcome to a brand new blog created for the specific purpose of monitoring the actions/inactions/evasions of newly-elected Congressman Gus Bilirakis. As most of you know, Gus was MIA during most of his run for office, refusing to appear in public forums with our beloved candidate Phyllis Busansky.
I need your help with this blog. Any and all news about Gus needs to be gathered and categorized here at this site. We want to be ready to hit him hard in 2008 by presenting our research to the campaign of whoever decides to run against him. Let's get started. Here is a link to a post at the National Journal with Gus' profile:
http://election.nationaljournal.com/2006/profiles/fl09_bilirakis.htm
I heard a rumor that Gus and his mama were spotted looking for office space in Washington. Anybody know where that came from?
I need your help with this blog. Any and all news about Gus needs to be gathered and categorized here at this site. We want to be ready to hit him hard in 2008 by presenting our research to the campaign of whoever decides to run against him. Let's get started. Here is a link to a post at the National Journal with Gus' profile:
http://election.nationaljournal.com/2006/profiles/fl09_bilirakis.htm
I heard a rumor that Gus and his mama were spotted looking for office space in Washington. Anybody know where that came from?
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