Up North Progressive

Remember when Dan Benishek promised he would only run for three terms? Dan Benishek lied. He’s decided to run again in 2016. Having no integrity or honesty is something we expect from Republicans, especially tea party Republicans, so it should come as no surprise that Dan Benishek, without a bit of shame or remorse, wants a fourth term.

Since Benishek won Michigan’s first congressional district seat in the 2010 election, The former veterans hospital M.D. has used his office to vote down every bill that would benefit veterans, and use his leadership in the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs to make sure veterans get shafted again and again. He made sure low-income veterans couldn’t hire lawyers to sue the United States government, and that veterans didn’t get any mortgage relief or help for homeless veterans needing a place to live. He happily voted against the Veterans Backlog Reduction Act; the bill that could have saved lives when veterans were waiting years for care, and then when the scandal became public, stood with other Republicans and tried to pin the blame President Obama. He voted with Republicans to shut down the government in 2013 and turned down an emergency bill during that time to keep veterans services open, while loudly complaining about veterans memorials being closed to the public.

And with only 19 out of a 24 month term left, he’s already decided he needs to screw over veterans along with other Michigan district 1 residents even more:

“Serving Northern Michigan has been – and continues to be – a privilege, and it is my sincere hope that the voters of the 1st district will allow me to continue representing them and their families. I recognize this conflicts with past statements I made when first running for office. After serving our veterans for 20-years as a doctor in our local VA hospitals, and now as the only Michigan member on the House Veterans Committee, I know that there is more work that must be done to ensure veterans are getting the benefits they have earned. But the fight to hold bureaucrats in Washington accountable won’t happen over night – it was a problem a long time in the making and will take a long time to undo.  I believe I bring a unique perspective to overcoming those challenges as well as others facing families throughout the 1st District, and my hope is voters will agree.”

Dan Benishek doesn’t care about veterans, and won’t keep his promises. The quintessential Republican, he represents everything we expect from the GOP.