Congressman Glenn Nye (D-VA)Glenn Nye is experiencing an identity crisis.

As the American Clean Energy and Security Act (H.R .2454) prepared to go to vote two weeks ago, Virginians remained in doubt as to how the Congressman from the Eastern Shore would vote. A Blue Dog Democrat at a sprightly 34 years of age, Nye represents a largely conservative constituency on the shore, and his voting record has so far reflected that demographic.

Nye opted to vote against ACES, citing worries for the impact on his constituency, particularly concerning potential rate increases for utilities. The bill, according to Nye, would impose “another tax on American families.”

I drew that quotation from a recent blog post by David Campbell, entitled “Nye: Two Faces on ACES.” Campbell, who had written the Congressman earlier this summer, asking for his support on the bill, received two separate responses from Nye’s office after its passage. One appears to be strongly in favor (and as the author notes, does not once mention that Nye voted, “no”), while the other laments a new tax on Americans, one that would be inefficient and wrong in today’s struggling economy. One bill, two letters

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