Letter to the Editor
by Dale M. Glading, Candidate for U.S. Congress (NJ-1)

Submitted to The Philadelphia Inquirer on May 29, 2008

I write you today because your rationale in endorsing Rep. Rob Andrews for his party’s nomination to the U.S. Senate leaves me puzzled and disappointed.

In your editorial, you referred to Andrews’ qualifications and what you called “a solid record in the House as a thoughtful legislator.” Unfortunately, the facts do not mesh with your characterization.

According to GovTrack.us, Rep. Andrews has introduced 579 bills in Congress since January 5, 1993. Of those 579 bills, only six have even made it out of committee, a percentage that GovTrack ranks as “Exceedingly Poor” compared to his congressional peers. Apparently, Mr. Andrews’ colleagues think so little of him and his ideas that they are only willing to debate less than 1% of his bills on the House floor.

Moreover, of those six bills that made it out of committee, Congress enacted only one into law. In baseball terms, that gives Rep. Andrews a career batting average in Congress of .002. He has utterly failed the people of this district by his inability to navigate the legislative system.

The second reason you gave for endorsing Rep. Andrews is that, in your opinion, he would bring “a fresh approach to the challenges facing New Jersey.” While younger than Sen. Lautenberg, Andrews remains a man who has been a Washington insider since 1989. As a career politician, Rep. Andrews is part of the problem, not the solution.  

It is no wonder that in the Power Rankings recently compiled for the House of Representatives by Congress.org, Rep. Andrews fell 130 positions from 68th to 198th in 2008. In fact, scores of legislators with far less seniority leapfrogged over Mr. Andrews, who ranked the fifth lowest from the Class of 1990.

According to that source, Andrews’ legislative record earned him a score of 3 out of 100. As for his influence in Congress amongst his peers, Mr. Andrews received the lowest possible score: zero. 

Perhaps Rep. Andrews’ lack of power and influence in Congress is the reason why New Jersey only receives 61 cents back for every dollar in taxes that we send to Washington. That paltry figure ranks us dead last among the 50 states.

Your readers should know that the criteria used in your endorsement are faulty and, therefore, the endorsement is misleading at best.