The difference between hell yes and hell no

I guess I’m not surprised.

Last week, Rep. Ron Kind told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that constituent reaction in his district to the $700 billion bailout ranged from "no" to "hell no."

And yet, Kind joined fellow Democrats Dave Obey, Gwen Moore, and Tammy Baldwin along with Republican Paul Ryan in voting "yes" on the deeply unpopular bill.

What gives? You might consider the fact that Kind, Obey, Moore, Baldwin or Ryan are not facing anything like a competitive election in this cycle.

So, compare that to the race between Democrat Steve Kagen and Republican John Gard in Green Bay. One of the pair put out this statement yesterday, via WisPolitics:

“While the politicians in Washington work to bail out Wall Street, families in Northeast Wisconsin are making sacrifices just to make ends meet – and no one is offering them a bail out.

“I appreciate and support the need to provide stability to our financial markets, and believe some steps in the right direction were made on the final package. However, Congress should have do more to protect the taxpayers and do more to hold those responsible for this mess accountable for their actions.”

Who said that, Kagen or Gard?

Who do you think said this:

“It’s time to get back to the basics. Let’s bring those who have broken the law to justice, clean up the mess and write laws that favor families who work hard and play by the rules.”

Pretty hard to tell, eh?

That’s John Gard in the first statement channeling his inner Bernie Sanders. Meanwhile, Kagen is echoing one of former President Clinton’s lines. But both of them have clearly seen the specter of an election day disaster in deciding not to touch the bailout plan with a 10-foot pole.

There’s a lesson in this, for sure, about something, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. The importance of competitive elections? The need to say “hell no” loud enough?

Whatever it is, it’s pretty clear that really listening to what the constituents think is only an every other year occurrence for some members of Congress. And even then, it’s only under certain circumstances.