Sigh. I leave for a couple weeks, and the Phillies go haywire, police embarass themselves talking openly about making up charges against Philly citizens, and two of our Congresspeople decide that they should stand against their constituents, and with the most unpopular President in history.

While Bob Brady, Chaka Fattah and Patrick Murphy all voted the right way, I think it is pretty important to note that Allyson Schwartz and Joe Sestak voted this week to continue to give President Bush a blank check in Iraq. Sestak followed that terrible vote up by also voting for warrntless wiretapping and immunity for phone companies who helped the Bush administration illegally spy on Americans. Great... Sestak was my favorite Dem candidate last cycle. He spoke clearly about the need to get out of Iraq, he stood up to the President, he advocated for healthcare. I honestly thought we had found 'the guy' with him. But, this has just been one more incredibly disappointing vote. A hugely unpopular war, a hugely unpopular president, and a hugely unpopular bill (warrantless wiretapping and immunity), all of which Sestak has decided to stand with.

And then we have ol' Allyson Schwartz, who way-back-when (before the popularity of the internets and such), was considered a rising progressive star. But since then, over and over, she has shown that when the chips are down, she is just not on our side. And yet, despite her vote for the Bankruptcy Bill, despite her vote for the Patriot Act, version 2, and despite her willingness to continually give George Bush a blank check for Iraq, Rep. Schwartz is rumored to be running for Senate in 2010.

Schwartz relies on a lot of old school Philadelphia liberals for support, because in a different world, she used to be one. If she runs in a Democratic primary, it is going to be our job to make sure they know how ridiculous she has become, and she no longer deserves their money or support. (Of course, we then actually need a progressive challenger for the seat, but that is a whole other issue.)

And again, it is worth noting that Patrick Murphy, Bob Brady and Chaka Fattah voted against a blank check for Bush, against warrantless spying, and against these two bills.

Update: As noted below, Patrick Murphy voted for warrantless wiretapping. Grrrreat.

UPDATE, 2:53PM: In a vote of 27-21, the HELP committee has passed a non-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. A full floor vote is next. Only four Democrats voted against this non-inclusive bill: Reps. Yvette Clark, Loretta Sanchez, Rush Holt and Dennis Kucinich. I don't know what Sestak's rationale for voting for a non-inclusive bill is yet. It must be tough for him with the speaker and other House Dem leaders pushing for this bill. However, a non-inclusive bill does not do anything to address the core problems inherent to LGBT workplace discrimination. I'll provide more of an update on next steps when it becomes clear what they are

Dear Congressman,

A lot of us here in Philadelphia vocally supported you last fall. You were a hero on this and other local blogs, and local grassroots groups like Philly for Change and Liberty City endorsed you, and helped your campaign. That's why it's exciting to me that your vote on the markup of a bill today could make a big difference.

Today, your committee (the House Education and Labor committee) will meet at 10 AM and vote to mark up a bill called ENDA to extend employment rights to lesbians and gays. Currently there is no federal law protecting non-heterosexuals from being fired for having sex, in non-working hours, with someone else of the same sex.

Passage of this bill would be a big step forward in establishing, under law, a set of rights and a class of protection for gays and lesbians. However, some members of the queer community have never been able to get or keep jobs, not because of who they sleep with, but because of who they are.

That's right, I am talking about nellies, sissies, butches, genderqueer, and transgender people. Some of these folks identify as a different gender than the sex they were born with, and some identify fully as the sex they were born with--they're just more feminine or masculine than the norm.

These are the people who face the most discrimination in the workplace, and yet some of your colleagues want to remove protections from ENDA that would designate gender identity and gender presentation as protected classes under the law.