One of the good guys
Sharing an e-mail from reader and fellow Coloradan Jayme, who writes about her congressman, GOP Rep. Mike Coffman. We don’t hear many stories of good guys in Washington these days. Coffman is one of them.
By way of background, Coffman enlisted in the Army at 17, served in the Army Reserve while in college, transferred to the Marines, served on active duty until 1983, served in the Marine Corps Reserve, became a small businessman, served in the Colorado statehouse for two terms, returned to active duty in Iraq during the Gulf War, came back in 1994 and again joined state government, returned to Iraq on active duty in 2005, and then came home again to serve as Colorado Secretary of State before winning congressional office. It’s an extraordinary record of public service — and he has the character to match.
Jayme writes:
Michelle -
I feel really down on almost all members of Congress, for good reason. Therefore when one of them does something right, I want to share it with everyone. Sometimes I think we are too quick to lump all of the Congressmen into the same boat, when in reality some of them are really in D.C. fighting for us. Mike Coffman is one of those Congressmen.
We attended a townhall meeting with him this summer. They were scheduled to start at 6:00 pm. By 5:00 the entire room was full and there were people outside waiting to get in. Mike Coffman was notified and got there as quickly as possible so that they could start early and hold multiple meetings. He held 3 separate meetings so that everyone that wanted to could attend. We attended the final meeting and it did not end until about 9:30 (if I am remembering correctly). He was great and listened to everyone’s concerns on all sides.
I then heard on the news the other night about how he was running on Christmas day and had an accident. He broke his foot. The news story said that while he was trying to get home to go to the hospital that one of his constituents stopped him and wanted to talk about healthcare. What did he do….he stopped and talked to them with a broken foot.
Then today, my husband received a call from a staff member from Mike Coffman’s office. You can imagine our shock. We have been diligent in calling Mark Udall and Michael Bennet with absolutely no response from their staff, even when we are talking to them on the phone. They always respond, “okay. We will pass along your concerns.” There has never been anyone that has listened to us or responded in any sort of meaningful way.
The staff member that called my husband stated that they had received an email from him with some of his concerns about the fed and they wanted to follow up on it. They talked to him for over 10 minutes. I was so impressed that they would take their time to contact my husband and really listen to what he had to say.
I will never say that I think we should throw everyone in Congress out again Not when we have people like Mike Coffman fighting for us. I hope you can throw a word in for him somehow.
Thanks!
Jayme
A nice contrast to the bizarro Colorado governor’s display this week, don’t you think?
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I wish we had a representative like that here in Pennsylvania!
May God Bless Mike Coffman and his family.
Sounds to me like Mike Coffman is a Great American. I can only hope there are more like him.
That’s great. Coffman is a rare breed indeed. And to Mike Coffman: Thank you sir for your service to our country!
Let me say this about the people that live Mike’s district, they are damn lucky to have a real patriot as their representative…I’m stuck with a one time admitted socialist here in deep blue Orygun. As soon as I can find a way out of here, I’m gone. Mr. Coffman’s district would be very tempting.
Good luck to Mr. Coffman in any of his future political endeavors.
We’ve got one like that here in Texas, GOP Rep. Michael Burgess, MD. He’s been a fantastic representative, and a commonsense voice in the debate over health care legislation. If anything, Dr. Burgess feels the leadership was not forceful enough in presenting the conservative solutions to the Democratic approach.
This is what it’s like to live a life of self respect and a clean conscience and not have to try cover up old lies with new ones.
There are a few Representatives and Congressmen/women who should be retained.
Oklahoma is blesses with two keeper Senators, Coburn and Inhofe and four out of five acceptable Congressmen.
We are helpless here in the People’s Republic of Hawaii.
Dan Inouye is so old, his birth certificate is on papyrus.
Dan Akaka is busy trying to give the Hawaiians back their land. (yeah, life was sweet when you could be killed for stepping in the chief’s shadow.)
In the House, we have Neil Abercrombie, who is leaving Washington for a stab at the Governor’s mansion.
And Mazie Hirono, a union water-carrier.
Eh …
Coffman’s just another LOTE. Good stuff on a lot of things, but still voted in favor of illegal subsidies for big pharma and voted against shareholders having a say in executive compensation, again without legal authority to do so.
When will the Constitution again be respected as the supreme law of the land?
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
My rep here in FL is Ginny Brown-Wait. She’s a strong conservative and a servant for the people she represents. And it so happens that she’s a Republican, but I don’t hold that against her!
Living in Colorado, I’m very proud of Mike Coffman. He is indeed one of the good guys.
I’m also very jealous.
My congressperson is “cap-n-tax” Betsy Markey … ugh!
We need a few more like Coffman, Coburn, and Inhofe.
I still think they need to be replaced after two or three terms. Even the good ones eventually start turning bad. John McCain was a good Conservative once upon a time.
Its a trick. Obviously this man is only pretending to be a good guy. As we all know, all GOPpers are BAD!
Just like that rich, evil Palin hating democrat traitor McCain.
Oh, yeah. And I forgot – he’s also a damn dirty LOTE Just like rightwingrocker RWR http://www.rightwingrocker.com said.
You tell ‘em, rightwingrocker RWR http://www.rightwingrocker.com
There are a few good guys. Scott Garrett comes to mind (from New Jersey, if you can believe it!) Charlie Wilson, of course.
What makes me continue to oppose the GOP is that they aren’t empowering these people, or even using them as the “template.” Instead it seems as if the GOP “tolerates” them.
At some point Steele and his traveling circus will realize the futility of that approach.
I believe the Taxed Enough Already (TEA) Party will be born as a legitimate 3rd party – and that a great many former GOP supporters will flock to it.
Oh yeah? My congressman is Ron Klein and he’s the reason I’m voting for Allen West.
Oh yeah, that’s nothing, my Congressman is Barney Frank! Pwned!
Hey Thomas, you just have an epiphany?
Better lie down and take it easy for a while there fella!
Third party movement will keep the liberals in power. GOP needs an overhaul with men like this.
I’M IN TODD AKIN’S DISTRICT WHICH I THANK GOD FOR EVERY DAY. FROM THE TIME I WAS ABLE TO VOTE I WAS IN DICK GEPHARDT’S DISTRICT, THEN BILL CLAY’S DISTRICT. BOTH GERRYMANDERED TO MAKE THEM VIRTUALLY DEMOCRAT FOREVER.
Hearing about Congressman Coffman makes me almost want to move to Colorado but then I saw the weather report. I’m stuck in sunny Kalifornia with Mary Bono Hack, whose only two claims to fame are that she married a guy who was once married to Cher and that she betrayed her district voting for crap-n-tax.
Coffman is also my rep and I voted for him. As I understand it, he initiated the most recent federal inquiry into the Voorhis case and is still following up with Janet Napolitano. God Bless Him.
Good for Congressman Coffman and his constituents. Congresswoman Sue Myrick (R, NC) is also a good one. She has voted on the wrong side of an issue, but never opposed to Conservative values. Sue is a consistant Conservaive and a good person. We need more Coffman & Myrick representatives.
Hey now 7thson, we get about 300 days of sunshine per year in Colorado, you know. AND most of Coffman’s district has NO SMOG. (Coffman’s district includes Douglas County, one of the fastest growing counties in the country for over a decade). Yeah, its 2 degrees again here today but it only occurs about one week per year, in January. That’s when we visit our relatives in Southern California.
Errah I’ll trade ya one Steny, a Mikulski and a Cardin for one Coffman!
I met Mike Coffman when he would attend Republican events in Colo (back in the old days). He would take the time to talk to anyone who wanted to talk.
Unfortunately, My Representative in Colorado is Jared Polis, whose office does not recognize my county as part of his district, because it has been gerry-mandered so many times that they won’t even acknowledge our zip code.
THIRD party? HA!
“Tea Partiers” already outnumber both Republicans and Democrats, and there’s a platform or two that hey would embracein a heartbeat.
We’re not talking third party here. We’re talking about sending one of the progressive parties to third party status.
RWR
http://www.rightwingrocker.com
LOL @ the air guitar narcissist.
I hope this serves as a reminder that the answer is not always term limits, do-overs and third parties. It should always be about becoming informed of your candidate, communication, and playing an active role in your local politics and issues.
Touche. You have bested me, sir.
If you mean me, good guess, did you check out my band in Rock Band?
Death By Itboo: “We rock so you don’t have to!”
On January 8th, 2010 at 10:02 am, thejim said:
I second the kudos for Sue Myrick, and add that Virginia Foxx is also one of the good ones… she even made Keith Olbermann’s “worst person” status.
Back in March of 2008, Viginia Foxx correctly said both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama “basically are Socialists”:
She got a lot of flack for that, for example from her Democrat[ic Socialist] challenger who issued a press release saying her remarks were “disrespectful and out of line”.
Foxx saw clearly and spoke clearly. She was bold enough to call out the Socialists when many others weren’t willing to do so. Now, nearly two years later, a majority of people understand that what Virginia Foxx said was absolutely true.
Even back then, a handful of former Democrats knew that Foxx was speaking the truth…
Specter- Senile
Casey- Pantywaist
Holden- eunuch
Virginia Foxx joins three others in calling Nancy Pelosi out.
Coffman replaced Tancredo, who kept his own term limit promise. Villified in the national and local press, Tancredo is one of the Good Guys too. Plus he has an hilarious self-deprecating sense of humor. His district still loves him and he is a popluar commentator on the radio in Denver. We lucked out with both of them.
My rep (for life) is Mr. Hoyer…….
My congressman is Dutch (Pelosi bootlicker) Ruppersberger (D-MD) who ran for Bob Ehrlich’s old seat. Prior to Dutch and the new gerrymandering of the MD congressional districts it was Elijah Cummings (D-MD) who replaced Kwesi Mfume when he became head of the NAACP.
Of course my senators are Babs Mikulski and Ben Cardin.
Last night I was able to ride on the same plane with Sen. Chris Dodd on a flight to Hartford, CT.