The chair of the House appropriations subcommittee with oversight of NASA’s budget lost his reelection bid on Tuesday. Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV) lost in the Democratic primary to Mike Oliverio, a state senator, 56 to 44 percent. Oliverio capitalized on ethics problems Mollohan had faced, although the congressman was never charged with any wrongdoing. Mollohan serves as chairman of the Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee, whose jurisdiction includes NASA. In a March hearing by his subcommittee on the NASA FY11 budget proposal, Mollohan appeared to be generally supportive of it.
The democrats face historic loses in November. Obama’s prospects for altering NASA are dim with an increasingly hostile congress. If he were wise he would stop making enemies of proponents of HSF.
Thank you for sharing.
Oliverio argued that Mollohan had accepted campaign contributions from a corrupt (Republican) developer in California; Mollohan’s backers argued that the man had not yet been convicted, so the contribution was okay. Bigger factors were that Mollohan had not sufficiently resisted anti-coal energy legislation (they seem to mine a lot of coal in West Virginia) and that Mollohan had voted for Obama’s health care bill, and therefore had demonstrated his pro-abortion sentiments, against his constitutents wishes.
Oliverio is reported to have support from WVa tea-baggers. His opinions on spaceflight didn’t seem to merit newspaper coverage.
If he were wise he would stop making enemies of proponents of HSF.
I think the proponents of HSF will have bigger things to worry about than Obama. The “mighty wind” that’s brewing for Nov 2010 (and most likely 2012) is all about fiscal responsibility and restraint. I bet that many of the new congressional members swearing in next year will view HSF as a technotainment extravaganza that we can no longer afford. In a few years, you may very well be looking back at Obama as the last presidential supporter of HSF.
“I bet that many of the new congressional members swearing in next year will view HSF as a technotainment extravaganza that we can no longer afford. In a few years, you may very well be looking back at Obama as the last presidential supporter of HSF.”
That is almost certainly wrong. The tsunami that is about the cleanse Congress will not just be about fiscal prudence, but the restoration of the United States as a respected world power, I suspect that both defense and space would stand to benefit.
Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy!
Mollohan is the helpful soul who cut NASA’s 2010 budget by 16%, doing his part to help Augustine conclude that Constellation is behind schedule.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/b/2009/06/11/nasa-budget-cut-by-congressional-committee.htm
Subcommittee chairman Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-West Virginia), called the budget cut a “time out,†while Congress and the White House awaited the results of NASA’s review of its post-space shuttle plans for human space exploration, including returning to the moon by 2020.
Mark R. Whittington wrote @ May 12th, 2010 at 12:01 pm
yeah right if we only spent 1 trillion dollars on our defense then the world would think we were a really tough power…gee you use to be a serious person on politics
Robert G. Oler
Looks like Mollohan is the one who got the ‘time out’.
I only hope not of hear of either Griffin’s constellation or Norm’s Flex-up. Time for a reset back to a logical affordable outward market focused space program. Time to take account of our existing resources and move forward in an innovative affordable manor that embraces proven commercial involvement yet respects our existing manned space program its achievements and current worth. Time to take account of lunar resources and how to tap into them in a manor that encourages private enterprise involvement and sustained market development that benefits both our manned space program and all us back here on the good planet earth.
That is almost certainly wrong. The tsunami that is about the cleanse Congress will not just be about fiscal prudence, but the restoration of the United States as a respected world power, I suspect that both defense and space would stand to benefit.
How does civil space have anything to do with this? And what are you talking about “restoring” the U.S. as a respected world power? That’s complete nonsense! The U.S. is riding high in world opinion now, unlike a few years ago when we were viewed as a bully and a rogue state.
The U.S. is riding high in world opinion now, unlike a few years ago when we were viewed as a bully and a rogue state.
[laughing]
“Riding High”
Also laughing. Russia is building nuclear power plants in Syria, Iran is full speed ahead making nuclear bombs, North Korea is exporting WMD, and Owebama just created an 80 billion dollar deficit in April, up from 20 billion in 2009, if you take 80 billion dollars and times it by 12 you get a deficit of close to 1 trillion dollars. The inflation that’s coming will make the Jimmy Carter years look like paradise. But hey, if France likes us better its all worth it.