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"I have come to the conclusion that one, useless man is called a disgrace. That two, are called a law-firm, and that three or more become a congress, and by god I have had this congress."
-John Adams, from the musical, 1776, right before Congress goes on to fight about whether to open the window.

I think the quote above sums up most people's feelings on Congress, and I can't say it's too far off sometimes. In the musical the delegate from New York, Mr. Morris, when asked why New York always abstains, replies, "Mr. President, have you ever been present at a meeting of the New York Legislature? They speak very fast and very loud, and nobody listens to anybody else. With the result that nothing ever gets done."

My feelings on Congress, though sometimes similar, tend to be more positive. Honestly, congress takes a lot of heat from everybody (which is probably why Speaker of the House, Killing Time, is so protective of it). Either we're patsies to the Executives and are unaccountable to the people (which is the argument that gets thrown at us from non-legislators) or we're road blocks and annoyances to be shut down (which is the argument that gets thrown at us from everyone else). We tend to take heat no matter what we do, which is why I'm so impressed with the Congress this term. Sure we've lost a few people, but on the whole every Senator has tried to do what they believe is right. They've been resilient in the face of attacks from all sides, and in all there hasn't been a massive amount of fighting. Our Senators have used their judgment to their best abilities to try and legislate a stronger and more robust America, and this is all they can really be expected to do. Edmund Burke once said, "A representative owes the people, not only his industry, but his judgment, and he betrays them if he sacrifices it to their opinion." Our Senators have done a phenomenal job of working to create a stronger America, even while divided on a number of issues.


"...That's what's got to be in it!"
-Mr. Smith, from Mr. Smith goes to Washington.

So now that I've bored you with my thoughts on Congress, here's the meat of the article. I'm running for re-election in Tennessee! Why? Because as I just stated Congress is an important body, and has been doing the work that keeps this country chugging along, and I want to continue to be a part of that.

Now, lemme give you all a quick run down of my voting record, since the last time I updated it. This is what I've been doing for the past few weeks, more or less.

Donation 10/4/09: Yes
Donation 10/5/09: Yes
Donation 10/6/09: Yes
Greece MPP 10/7/09: Yes
Donation 10/7/09: Yes
Donation 10/8/09: Yes
Czech Republic MPP 10/9/09: Yes
Food VAT Change 10/10/09: No
Donation 10/10/09: Yes
China MPP 10/10/09: Yes
Norway MPP 10/10/09: Yes
Donation 10/11/09: Yes
Moldavia MPP 10/11/09: Yes
Malaysia MPP10/11/09: Yes
Donation 10/12/09: Yes
India MPP 10/12/09: Yes
Donation 10/13/09: Yes
Issue Money 10/13/09: Yes
Q5 Defense System for California 10/13/09: Yes
Sweden MPP 10/13/09: yes
Grain Import Tax Change 10/14/09: No
House VAT Change 10/14/09: No
Donation 10/14/09: Yes
Donation 10/15/09: Yes
Bosnia and Herzegovina MPP 10/15/09: Yes
Donation 10/16/09: Yes
Donation 10/17/09: Yes
Donation 10/18/09: Yes
Spain MPP 10/19/09: Yes
Israel MPP 10/19/09: Yes
Donation 10/19/09: Yes

Out of all of those votes, only a single one was controversial, and that was the Food VAT tax change on 10/10/09. I voted against it because it was my opinion that the burden would fall to the poorest in our country, and I did not want to do that. If America needs to raise revenue the increase should be falling on people who can afford it best.

Of course, that's just what my Senatorial duties have been, I'm also involved with other things for this country. As well as being a 1st Term Senator, I've taken over the Citizenship Task Force as it's Director. Since taking over I've expanded the CTF to include five others and we have been wildly successful in their jobs. In fact, wahooBob, the Secretary of State (and therefore, my boss) upon seeing the work we had done, left us this message: "Hey guys, I stopped in today to check out the CTF spreadsheets and I am very impressed. Everything is organized into different sheets and categories, and its just very cool." As you can see I, with help from my subordinates, have turned the CTF into a very efficient body.

Major Edit: I actually held off writing this article in hopes of getting this news before writing it, but I published a day early, so now I have more news. What you just read above about me being the Director of the CTF is actually now a misnomer. I have been promoted to the Deputy Secretary Of State, working directly under wahooBob. I am very proud of this promotion, as it means that not only do I continue to work with the CTF, but my responsibilities have increased to cover the Ambassadorial side of the State Department as well. I'm very excited to work with such excellent staff. I believe this shows that my responsibility has been proven time and again not only in Senatorial duties, but also in my roles in the State Department.

Americans, and more importantly, the ones who are voting in Tennessee this election, we have been through a great period in our history. During the past month we have pushed the Russians out, and now have only one enemy left in North America. We have done great things, and I want to be a part of the process that helps make those great things continue. I have proven myself to be a pro-active member of Congress, I have the experience necessary to make informed and intelligent decisions, and I will do everything in my power to guide America in a path that will be beneficial to all.

Vote for Bradley in Tennessee!