On stem cells, Shuler uses Republican talking points about protecting the life of the blastocysts.  In my comment at Shuler's blog I noted,

"Your argument doesn't make sense. The above commenters have already pointed out the obvious, that denying people with progressive diseases like Parkinson's all the medical research available is not exactly pro-life, that not utilizing available stem cells is wasteful, that unless you plan on seeking a total shutdown of fertility clinics those discarded blastocysts will rot in the bottom of the petri dish instead of being used for the good of humanity. There is no destruction of human life implicit in stem cell research. There just isn't."

In opposing the hate crimes bill, Shuler chose to alienate and vilify every homosexual in his district:

Shuler said he was guided equally by political philosophy and by his Baptist religion, which teaches that homosexuality is wrong.

It's also important to note that Shuler "previously voted for legislation -- subsequently vetoed by Bush -- that made a reduction of U.S. troops in Iraq a condition to continue funding."  Shuler then went on to capitulate and vote with the Democratic majority  on giving Bush a blank check to continue the war.

On the flip side, Congressman Shuler voted:

- to increase the minimum wage

• to give workers more power to unionize
  
• to strengthen ethics rules
  
• to lower interest rates on student loans
  
• to expand the Carl Sandburg Memorial site
  
• to offset budget increases with revenue and/or cuts (paygo)
  
• to allow D.C. voting rights
  
• to restrict oil companies' price gouging
  
• to allow the federal government to negotiate drug prices
  
• to implement the 9/11 Commission's recommendations
  
• to protect corporate "whistleblowers"
  
• to offer small businesses help with environmental assessments

So what do we make of this Mixed Bag Democrat?  It appears that, aside from the offending votes above, Shuler's record is miles better than any Republican who might hold this seat.  However, his flip-flopping on Iraq, his intolerance for gays, his disdain of reason regarding stem cell research, and his hardline immigration stance are the poison pills in an otherwise decent tenure.

I'd like to think that Shuler is simply afraid, that he is kowtowing to the fundamentalist right on stem cells and gay rights for fear of being labeled a baby-killer or a homo-lover while bending to the intolerant immigration hardliners in his NO AMNESTY!!! stance for fear of being called a coddler.  Republican ads are already trying to draw a direct line between Shuler and their bogeyman of the moment, Nancy Pelosi, who is being painted as a radical.  Shuler's likely afraid of this attack as well.  The biggest fear he holds, along with so many other capitulating Democrats, is to be called a troop-hater by the gang that sent them to die for a pack of lies.

None of this fear-based voting is attractive or particularly honorable.  It's a good thing that Shuler sees the broad support for the legislation he's already supported and that he willfully took on the business world with his pro-worker vote or else we'd be left with the same kind of hollow representation we'd become accustomed to.

I imagine that Shuler is following his playbook - appeasing the intolerant homo-bigots, anti-science blastocyst freedom fighters, immigration hardliners, and pro-war drill sergeants while working on many of the populist and progressive issues that earned him my vote.  It's ugly, these politics, and here's hoping Shuler rises to find the courage of his convictions rather than sinking into fear-based representation.

c/p at Scrutiny Hooligans and BlueNC