Heath Shuler does not speak for us; Nancy Pelosi is welcome here in the 11th Congressional District

On Monday, February 7, 2011, Heath Shuler, the Democratic congressperson from North Carolina's 11th district, appeared on the nationally televised "Morning Joe" show on MSNBC and stated that the leader of the Democratic caucus, Nancy Pelosi, of the United States House of Representatives, would not be welcome in his district [Politico 2/7/11].  As residents of the 11th district,  we, the undersigned, find Congressman Shuler's statements regarding Leader Pelosi to be completely uncalled for and in poor taste.  Without Nancy Pelosi's leadership as Speaker of the House in the previous session of Congress, it is likely that a Health Care Bill would not have been passed, a bill that Shuler opposed. Obviously, widespread respect for Pelosi enhanced her ability to bring the Democrats together to vote the bill through, which was accomplished without the help or support of Heath Shuler.  Because of her many years of leadership as the Speaker of the House,  and contrary to the unfounded claims of Heath Shuler, she is most welcome here and we would be honored to have her visit the 11th Congressional district of Western North Carolina.

In the same interview, Congressman Shuler made a point of saying he felt more 'ideologically similar' to former President Ronald Reagan.  Democrats don't generally look to Ronald Reagan as a model of the ideals and values of the Democratic Party. Why would he? Democrats here in Buncombe County would like to know why he aligns himself with Republican leaders instead of the leaders in his own Party.

Buncombe County is by far the most populous county in the 11th district, and Asheville the most populous city.  In 2010, Heath Shuler lost the primary vote in Buncombe County to a candidate that most voters had never heard of before by four percentage points, even though he did win the primary in the district as a whole.  It seems clear that he is often on a different side from that of his constituents in Western North Carolina in regard to healthcare policies and his frequent opposition to his Party's stand on important issues. This disparity is felt both in our district in general, and in Buncombe County in particular.  Because the core values of the Democratic Party have great support here in Buncombe County and elsewhere in the district, we want to affirm that Nancy Pelosi's leadership in promoting those values through legislation in Congress is greatly appreciated and admired.

We ask that in the future, the people of the 11th Congressional District will not be labeled in anyway as disrespectful to Congresswoman Pelosi, through Representative Shuler's unsupported claims and personal remarks.

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