F. Jim breaks ranks on net neutralilty

Rep. F. Jim Sensenbrenner was one of only 11 Republicans to vote in favor an amendment to put net neutrality into federal law. CNET News reports:

The U.S. House of Representatives definitively rejected the concept of Net neutrality on Thursday, dealing a bitter blow to Internet companies like Amazon.com, eBay and Google that had engaged in a last-minute lobbying campaign to support it.

By a 269-152 vote that fell largely along party lines, the House Republican leadership mustered enough votes to reject a Democrat-backed amendment that would have enshrined stiff Net neutrality regulations into federal law and prevented broadband providers from treating some Internet sites differently from others.

The other Badger Republicans -- Mark Green, Paul Ryan and Tom Petri --all voted no, with all four state Dems -- Gwen Moore, Dave Obey, Tammy Baldwin, and Ron Kind -- in favor.

Sensenbrenner hears only applause

Constituents of F. Jim Sensenbrenner who oppose his total hardheaded, hard line approach on immigration need to speak up a little more loudly. He clearly is not hearing you, as this exchange with US News and World Report illustrates:

What are you hearing in your district about immigration?

A: I'm getting very strong support in my district. There are some church groups that are opposed to what the House of Representatives has done. But over Memorial Day, I did four parades in four distinct parts of my district. I got cheered in all four parades. There were more people that came out in the middle of the street, saying: "I want to shake your hand because you're doing the right thing on immigration."

Read it here.

Avoiding illegals: How F. Jim does it

Rep. F. Jim Sensenbrenner mostly gets a pass in a Chicago Tribune profile, which buys his line that he's "a workhorse, not a show horse."

Some have compared him to just one portion of a horse.

Folks in Wisconsin, or those who have witnessed his temper tantrums in Congress, may be surprised to see him described as a "low-key lawmaker."

How does he know he doesn't aid illegal immigrants himself -- which if he had his way would result in criminal charges?

A careful man, Sensenbrenner says he tries to live what he preaches, even as it relates to immigration. Asked how he avoids doing business with possibly illegal immigrant workers when, say, he goes to get his car cleaned, he said he uses an automatic car wash.

He asks contractors he hires about their legal status and that of their workers. His housekeeper in Washington is a naturalized U.S. citizen who was born in Nicaragua.

Do you think he asks to see the paperwork, or just asks if everybody's legal?

Flamingo Jones on F. Jim

Wisconsin Blogger Flamingo Jones, posting at The American Street, reminds us of an irony:

Gee…we’re not happy that the Justice Dept. and Executive branch are trampling over Constitutional rights, Jim? I wouldn’t have guessed that, based on your pissy attitude when Democrats tried to point out those exact dangers during the Patriot Act debate a year ago.

Maybe that's not irony. Maybe that's hypocrisy.

Or is the F. for Frequent Flyer?

Sensenbrenner in top 10 frequent flyers

A Medill News Service report:

WASHINGTON -- Outside groups representing interests as diverse as nuclear energy and telecommunications have paid nearly $50 million since 2000 to shuttle members of Congress and their staffs around the world, from Kazakhstan to Kansas City, Paris to Palm Springs.

In fact, staffers often outpace their bosses in the number and the costs of trips that they took to far-flung edges of the world.

Overall, members of Congress went on globe-trotting excursions costing $18.9 million. But private interests paid much more -- $30 million -- to finance the trips of congressional staff members, who often are instrumental in shaping policy.

Wisconsin's skinflint frequent flyer, F. Jim Sensenbrenner, who never travels on his own dime if he can avoid it, made the Top 10 list:

Rep. Gene Green of Texas and five other Democrats were in the top 10 traveler list among members of Congress as measured by overall cost. Green topped the list with about $175,000 worth of trips, but Republican Rep. James Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, chairman of the Judiciary Committee; Democrat Robert Wexler of Florida, and California Democrat George Miller were not far behind with about $170,000 each.