What are the crimes of Jim Inhofe?
September 15, 2019 4:15 AM Subscribe
Heya. So I'm involved in something where our opponent is someone whose political experience is very limited, and a large part of its extent is an internship with no less than the questionably honourable senator Jim Inhofe. What has he been up to? Nothing good, I expect. Can you fill me in?
So our opponent interned with Mr Inhofe I belive Jan-March this year, so particularly what has he been up to lately, what might she have been party to, what is particularly now, but also what are his general crimes, what is he most famous for being against and for?
It's an Australian audience. I know, they went overseas to intern for Jim Inhofe. Our local conservative cut isn't deemed pure enough sometimes, and the local young conservatives go overseas for what they feel is a purer, less dilute blend of fascism in their reactionary ways. I believe in error, there's pure hate around here, but nonetheless.
So if he voted against medicare thrice, that's not as everyday as it might be but worthy of note. If he voted for gun stuff we wouldn't dream of - that's exactly what I'm looking for. This is the issue. We know she interned for some hard-right US senator called Jim Inhofe. That spectre conjures a lot for most of people we're going to be talking to, but it would be good to actually know some of what he's been up to and is particularly known for. Google only helps so much but he's not looking all that nice, to say the least. I can use policy tracking sites to some extent but I'm not familiar with the details of the policies or the voting record in regards to them.
So our opponent interned with Mr Inhofe I belive Jan-March this year, so particularly what has he been up to lately, what might she have been party to, what is particularly now, but also what are his general crimes, what is he most famous for being against and for?
It's an Australian audience. I know, they went overseas to intern for Jim Inhofe. Our local conservative cut isn't deemed pure enough sometimes, and the local young conservatives go overseas for what they feel is a purer, less dilute blend of fascism in their reactionary ways. I believe in error, there's pure hate around here, but nonetheless.
So if he voted against medicare thrice, that's not as everyday as it might be but worthy of note. If he voted for gun stuff we wouldn't dream of - that's exactly what I'm looking for. This is the issue. We know she interned for some hard-right US senator called Jim Inhofe. That spectre conjures a lot for most of people we're going to be talking to, but it would be good to actually know some of what he's been up to and is particularly known for. Google only helps so much but he's not looking all that nice, to say the least. I can use policy tracking sites to some extent but I'm not familiar with the details of the policies or the voting record in regards to them.
Here are some sites to get you started:
-- A list of bill he has cosponsored
-- A list of how he has voted, listed by issue
-- A list o his voting record sorted by date
posted by mcduff at 6:18 AM on September 15, 2019 [3 favorites]
-- A list of bill he has cosponsored
-- A list of how he has voted, listed by issue
-- A list o his voting record sorted by date
posted by mcduff at 6:18 AM on September 15, 2019 [3 favorites]
Inhofe is perfectly okay with corruption too obvious for even the Trump administration.
posted by Etrigan at 6:55 AM on September 15, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 6:55 AM on September 15, 2019 [2 favorites]
Jim Inhofe took a bunch of trips to Africa (sometimes on military jets) to do missionary work using taxpayer money. cite
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 6:57 AM on September 15, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 6:57 AM on September 15, 2019 [2 favorites]
He voted against the US joining the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty (Obama signed it, but the US never ratified it, and Trump signed something saying we'd withdraw from it, placing the US in the company of North Korea, Syria, and Iran).
There was also that thing with the snowball, which seems ripe for mockery.
posted by box at 7:09 AM on September 15, 2019 [2 favorites]
There was also that thing with the snowball, which seems ripe for mockery.
posted by box at 7:09 AM on September 15, 2019 [2 favorites]
Inhofe shows up in Jeff Sharlet's works about The Family.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:02 AM on September 15, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:02 AM on September 15, 2019 [2 favorites]
Back in 2010 Inhofe landed the airplane he was piloting on a closed runway, nearly killing several workers. He then bullied the FAA arguing that they were at fault for daring to enforce basic pilot safety rules and got off basically scott free. He's since gone on and passed a couple of "Pilots Bill of Rights" laws which limit the FAA's ability to censure pilots.
In the giant tally of Inhofe's sins this one's probably relatively small but it's breathtakingly large in its arrogance. I certainly wouldn't blame an intern for this incident, but maybe it's a good anecdote to frame what kind of man Inhofe is.
posted by Nelson at 9:05 AM on September 15, 2019 [4 favorites]
In the giant tally of Inhofe's sins this one's probably relatively small but it's breathtakingly large in its arrogance. I certainly wouldn't blame an intern for this incident, but maybe it's a good anecdote to frame what kind of man Inhofe is.
posted by Nelson at 9:05 AM on September 15, 2019 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: Are you really being fair and kind to someone who took a unique opportunity...
This is really not in the purview of the question but this a political thing? It's not about shaming someone for bad choices, they're a reactionary scumbag, including choosing to volunteer for Inhofe and it would be good to know more about why particularly Inhofe is bad behind "Republican" for the few who care to that point.
posted by Acid Communist at 9:30 AM on September 15, 2019
This is really not in the purview of the question but this a political thing? It's not about shaming someone for bad choices, they're a reactionary scumbag, including choosing to volunteer for Inhofe and it would be good to know more about why particularly Inhofe is bad behind "Republican" for the few who care to that point.
posted by Acid Communist at 9:30 AM on September 15, 2019
Response by poster: Like yes she wants more guns less reproductive choice less migrants more business less safety net the absolute usual I kind of thought that would be assumed
I never even considered that Inhofe might be by accident, because it was a very lucky one if so.
posted by Acid Communist at 9:32 AM on September 15, 2019 [1 favorite]
I never even considered that Inhofe might be by accident, because it was a very lucky one if so.
posted by Acid Communist at 9:32 AM on September 15, 2019 [1 favorite]
she wants more guns less reproductive choice less migrants more business less safety net the absolute usual
It seems like that's the argument to make, then.
posted by nickmark at 10:10 AM on September 15, 2019 [4 favorites]
It seems like that's the argument to make, then.
posted by nickmark at 10:10 AM on September 15, 2019 [4 favorites]
Mod note: Folks, this is a question with a limited scope, please do not jump the tracks to lecture the OP. Thanks.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 10:30 AM on September 15, 2019 [3 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 10:30 AM on September 15, 2019 [3 favorites]
Best answer: Back in 2010 Inhofe landed the airplane he was piloting on a closed runway, nearly killing several workers.
The Smoking Gun has the recordings of the construction workers and airport managers calling the FAA after Inhofe nearly killed them. For example:
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Since you're specifically interested in January-March of this year, it might be relevant that he voted no in March on "A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress" (several other Republicans voted yes, and the resolution was vetoed by Trump). He signed onto a letter that foster care placement agencies should be allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion and sexual orientation. And he put out this statement about all the abolition bills he supports. During that time period, he also supported building a border wall and supported Trump's "national emergency" declaration to attempt to build one.
Finally, in March, he introduced the Hearing Protection Act, which sounds like a good thing, but it actually makes firearm suppressers/"silencers," currently rather tightly regulated, as easy to obtain as rifles.
posted by zachlipton at 12:29 PM on September 15, 2019 [3 favorites]
The Smoking Gun has the recordings of the construction workers and airport managers calling the FAA after Inhofe nearly killed them. For example:
In a recorded conversation with Lee Williams, an FAA quality assurance specialist, airport manager Marshall Reece tore into Inhofe’s piloting. “I’ve got over 50 years flying, three tours of Vietnam,” Reece said, “and I can assure you I have never seen such a reckless disregard for human life in my life.” He then added, “Something needs to be done. This guy is famous for these violations.”There are also further witness statements. While this is lower on the list of sins than climate change denialism, he nearly killed a construction crew, suffered essentially no consequences for it, and nobody cares.
...
Another recording captured a transmission from an air traffic controller who offered a concise account of Inhofe’s antics flying his 1978 Cessna (tail number N115EA): “N115 Echo Alpha landed right in the middle of them doing their work on runway 1331 and damn near killed somebody out there.”
----
Since you're specifically interested in January-March of this year, it might be relevant that he voted no in March on "A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress" (several other Republicans voted yes, and the resolution was vetoed by Trump). He signed onto a letter that foster care placement agencies should be allowed to discriminate on the basis of religion and sexual orientation. And he put out this statement about all the abolition bills he supports. During that time period, he also supported building a border wall and supported Trump's "national emergency" declaration to attempt to build one.
Finally, in March, he introduced the Hearing Protection Act, which sounds like a good thing, but it actually makes firearm suppressers/"silencers," currently rather tightly regulated, as easy to obtain as rifles.
posted by zachlipton at 12:29 PM on September 15, 2019 [3 favorites]
Best answer: one would assume you've already read all of this in detail and followed up all the references, but your question is broad enough that perhaps not. A lot of your answers really are right there in the footnotes.
The piloting stuff is meaningless for your purposes; whether she knew of it or not, this ex-intern would not have decided to go work for him because she heard he almost fucked up a plane.
if you are trying to come up with an attention-grabbing line for people who've never heard of him, "the most conservative legislator in the United States" seems like a good one. There are ways and ways to measure that, but the particular govtrack measurement that I refer to, from the above link, is from 2017, and it did not reflect any recent shift in his beliefs, he's always been like this. Your ex-intern opponent absolutely did know this about him. it is the thing to know.
he is notably and vindictively gay-hating. Notably for an American conservative.
he bases his climate-change-denialism beliefs on the bible and says so.
he is pretty dumb. think of a joke-dumb American gun-loving bible-thumping caricature, he's dumber than that. he is the worst of the worst. this should be easy.
posted by queenofbithynia at 5:16 PM on September 15, 2019 [6 favorites]
The piloting stuff is meaningless for your purposes; whether she knew of it or not, this ex-intern would not have decided to go work for him because she heard he almost fucked up a plane.
if you are trying to come up with an attention-grabbing line for people who've never heard of him, "the most conservative legislator in the United States" seems like a good one. There are ways and ways to measure that, but the particular govtrack measurement that I refer to, from the above link, is from 2017, and it did not reflect any recent shift in his beliefs, he's always been like this. Your ex-intern opponent absolutely did know this about him. it is the thing to know.
he is notably and vindictively gay-hating. Notably for an American conservative.
he bases his climate-change-denialism beliefs on the bible and says so.
he is pretty dumb. think of a joke-dumb American gun-loving bible-thumping caricature, he's dumber than that. he is the worst of the worst. this should be easy.
posted by queenofbithynia at 5:16 PM on September 15, 2019 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: Heya, thanks everyone. It's all sorted now, and I think some of your contributions helped. We won, and she won't be imposing any lessons learned from Inhofe on me and mine anytime soon, and hopefully has been slightly set back from a career in conservative politics.
Thanks for all the good tips - while the wiki was a good start, it doesn't have a lot of recent stuff, and 2003 is of limited value when the people we're telling were 2 then.
And just one more comment on the "policy not person" lines of comment... that assumes that your opponent is running on policy, that policy is relevant to the election in question. As a Liberal (the right here...) party member, her policies are already hated by most. This is an election the right win by being incognito and hiding who they are, not by putting out reactionary policy that appeals to voters.
posted by Acid Communist at 12:25 AM on October 1, 2019
Thanks for all the good tips - while the wiki was a good start, it doesn't have a lot of recent stuff, and 2003 is of limited value when the people we're telling were 2 then.
And just one more comment on the "policy not person" lines of comment... that assumes that your opponent is running on policy, that policy is relevant to the election in question. As a Liberal (the right here...) party member, her policies are already hated by most. This is an election the right win by being incognito and hiding who they are, not by putting out reactionary policy that appeals to voters.
posted by Acid Communist at 12:25 AM on October 1, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:58 AM on September 15, 2019 [7 favorites]