Memo to GOP --- Pork spending cost you two elections already. Are you fools shooting for a third loss?
This has to be one of the most contentious issues we have with the GOP in Congress. This comes from Captain Ed this morning, and it doesn't make us happy. Why? Because Boehner and Cantor have just been elected to lead the party in the House, and these two fools can't keep the caucus on the page of reform that the base is demanding from it's elected officials:
For the second year in a row, the House GOP caucus Thursday rejected an effort to limit its members’ requests for special projects, or earmarks, in this case a short-term moratorium.
The vote again exposed fissures among GOP conservatives and could undercut one of the party’s signature themes, limited government.
Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio and Eric Cantor of Virginia had unveiled late Wednesday a moratorium on GOP earmark requests through Feb. 16 while a new panel of Republicans comes up with proposals for permanent restrictions and disclosure requirements for earmarks.
But Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, an appropriator, offered an amendment to strip the requirement for an earmark moratorium. And Tiahrt’s moratorium-killing proposal was approved by the full caucus, said several GOP aides. The amended rules package was then adopted.
Tiahrt has been a staunch defender of earmarks, and has been a rival of outgoing Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas, one of the strongest proponents of a permanent earmark moratorium for all Republicans. Tiahrt lost a bitter head-to-head race against Hensarling for the chairmanship of the RSC at the start of the 110th Congress, and later opted to leave the conservative faction.
Boehner downplayed the conference’s decision to strip the moratorium language.
“I’m not sure the moratorium would have had that much impact,” he said.
If Boehner doesn't think it would have done any good, then why was it offered? What was it, lip service to the people? Give us a break. It's now clear that Boehner is, as I explained after the election, worthless. He can't keep his caucus in line, and that's not a good sign. How he got reelected, we'll never know. It's crystal clear he is the wrong guy to run the party in the House.
We lost the majorities in both Houses because of this sort of malarkey. We tried to embrace the liberal idea that if we just throw money at things, they'll get better, or they'll be fixed. But then we started doing what do so well, which is sending millions of dollars into pet-project-pork-spending to their states; bribes, in essence, so the voters would return them back to Congress.
In 2006 voters rejected that when they bounced the GOP from power. Blue Dog Democrats --who ran as conservative Democrats -- for the House then were swept into power. Since then, they've minded their ways, for the most part, knowing full well that they'll be just as unemployed as those bounced from office in 2006 if they don't keep their word. We wished the GOP would get this clue, already, and go back to their fiscal roots.
If Boehner is serious about this, then he needs to put it back up again, and Cantor needs to whip the caucus to follow the minority leader's lead. This isn't going to help our goals of retaking Congress. 2010 can be a watershed year for us, but before it can be we need to get these pork-addicted House members away from the public trough. This should be a commitment from the base, and from Republican leaders as well, that if members of the caucus can't maintain fiscal restraint they're gone. They won't be supported for reelection.
I know I've done a few posts on this subject -- the future of the GOP -- and I've hyped up a few sites that are behind the effort to change the direction we're going. That was the subject of our most recent column at Common Conservative. But we can't do this on our own. We need the party leaders in Congress to do their jobs, as well, and that means reigning these yo-yos in. If Boehner really wants to get their attention, he ought to threaten committee assignments for those that don't want to play ball. This shrug of the shoulders, and "It wouldn't have mattered anyway" excuse isn't what we want to see out of our leaders in Congress. We want to see leadership, and thus far we're not impressed with Boehner.
Publius II
For the second year in a row, the House GOP caucus Thursday rejected an effort to limit its members’ requests for special projects, or earmarks, in this case a short-term moratorium.
The vote again exposed fissures among GOP conservatives and could undercut one of the party’s signature themes, limited government.
Minority Leader John A. Boehner of Ohio and Eric Cantor of Virginia had unveiled late Wednesday a moratorium on GOP earmark requests through Feb. 16 while a new panel of Republicans comes up with proposals for permanent restrictions and disclosure requirements for earmarks.
But Todd Tiahrt of Kansas, an appropriator, offered an amendment to strip the requirement for an earmark moratorium. And Tiahrt’s moratorium-killing proposal was approved by the full caucus, said several GOP aides. The amended rules package was then adopted.
Tiahrt has been a staunch defender of earmarks, and has been a rival of outgoing Republican Study Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling of Texas, one of the strongest proponents of a permanent earmark moratorium for all Republicans. Tiahrt lost a bitter head-to-head race against Hensarling for the chairmanship of the RSC at the start of the 110th Congress, and later opted to leave the conservative faction.
Boehner downplayed the conference’s decision to strip the moratorium language.
“I’m not sure the moratorium would have had that much impact,” he said.
If Boehner doesn't think it would have done any good, then why was it offered? What was it, lip service to the people? Give us a break. It's now clear that Boehner is, as I explained after the election, worthless. He can't keep his caucus in line, and that's not a good sign. How he got reelected, we'll never know. It's crystal clear he is the wrong guy to run the party in the House.
We lost the majorities in both Houses because of this sort of malarkey. We tried to embrace the liberal idea that if we just throw money at things, they'll get better, or they'll be fixed. But then we started doing what do so well, which is sending millions of dollars into pet-project-pork-spending to their states; bribes, in essence, so the voters would return them back to Congress.
In 2006 voters rejected that when they bounced the GOP from power. Blue Dog Democrats --who ran as conservative Democrats -- for the House then were swept into power. Since then, they've minded their ways, for the most part, knowing full well that they'll be just as unemployed as those bounced from office in 2006 if they don't keep their word. We wished the GOP would get this clue, already, and go back to their fiscal roots.
If Boehner is serious about this, then he needs to put it back up again, and Cantor needs to whip the caucus to follow the minority leader's lead. This isn't going to help our goals of retaking Congress. 2010 can be a watershed year for us, but before it can be we need to get these pork-addicted House members away from the public trough. This should be a commitment from the base, and from Republican leaders as well, that if members of the caucus can't maintain fiscal restraint they're gone. They won't be supported for reelection.
I know I've done a few posts on this subject -- the future of the GOP -- and I've hyped up a few sites that are behind the effort to change the direction we're going. That was the subject of our most recent column at Common Conservative. But we can't do this on our own. We need the party leaders in Congress to do their jobs, as well, and that means reigning these yo-yos in. If Boehner really wants to get their attention, he ought to threaten committee assignments for those that don't want to play ball. This shrug of the shoulders, and "It wouldn't have mattered anyway" excuse isn't what we want to see out of our leaders in Congress. We want to see leadership, and thus far we're not impressed with Boehner.
Publius II
posted by Syd And Vaughn | 9:16 AM
1 Comments:
Well it was the left-wing illuminati officials who spent billions in earmarks, but they were still elected.
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