The following was written by Collin Roth and is cross-posted from Media Trackers. Voters in Wisconsin are suddenly becoming more aware of the records of both U.S. Senate candidates, and this is just another example of how radically out of touch Tammy Baldwin is. 

Since 2001, Rep. Tammy Baldwin has co-sponsored legislation four times to create a federal Department of Peace and Nonviolence. Sponsored by Rep. Dennis Kucinich, the effort to create a federal Department of Peace and Nonviolence has never seriously been considered by the House of Representatives, dying in committee four different times. But each attempt to revive the failed idea found Rep. Baldwin co-sponsoring the legislation.

First proposed in July of 2001, the bill to create a Department of Peace and Nonviolence was proposed in 2005, 2007, and 2009. According to a summary of the bill, the specific purpose of the Department of Peace would be to create a Secretary of Peace appointed by the President and approved by the Senate who would:

(1) hold peace as an organizing principle; (2) endeavor to promote justice and democratic principles to expand human rights; and (3) develop policies that promote national and international conflict prevention, nonviolent intervention, mediation, peaceful resolution of conflict, and structured mediation of conflict.

In addition to the creation of a new bureaucracy and cabinet secretary, the bill would establish a Peace Day whereby all citizens would be urged “to observe and celebrate the blessings of peace and endeavor to create peace on such day.”

During the same period that Rep. Baldwin was attempting to create a Department of Peace and Nonviolence, she voted four times against placing tough sanctions on Iran. Rep. Baldwin also co-sponsored legislation that would allow taxpayers to opt out of funding the Defense Department, potentially blocking funding for critical equipment for service members in combat zones. And on June 20, 2007, Rep. Baldwin even voted Present on a resolution condemning Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for questioning the Holocaust and calling for the destruction of Israel.

From her record, Rep. Tammy Baldwin seems to believe the creation of a federal Department of Peace and Nonviolence to be essential to the cause of peace and security, but not tough sanctions on a belligerent and threatening Iran.