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Gall Together Now
Author: BobR
Date: 11/17/2010 04:25:46
Some people have a gift for gall. Think about used car salesmen, or pedophilic priests... It takes a special kind of person to take a principled stance, and then privately (or even publicly) go the other way. Somehow, though, they all pale compared to Republican politicians.
Are they all bad? Of course not - but they certainly set the bar for hypocrisy, flip-flopping, and do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do. Once again, the topic of earmarks is making people disagree with themselves. I wrote only a few days ago about how Rand Paul had already flip-flopped, and Mitch McConnell was taking a common-sense approach to earmarks. Common sense is a frangible commodity with this crew, however:
Wow - that is weak, VERY weak. He is willing to give up a principled stance on Congressional control because he thinks that will help reduce spending? He's already proven he knows better.
Meanwhile, another Republican is following Rand Paul's lead and supporting some earmarks (likely, the ones that benefit her state - THAT'S original) after publicly denouncing them. Of course, I am referring to the bat-shit crazy House Rep from Minnesota, Michelle Bachmann:
So - the establishment Republicans are trying to reduce their own power under the guise of political posturing, while the Tea Partiers are trying to hold on to power. Wow - they're all acting just like Democrats (at least in that one particular way)!
The prize for gall, though, goes to Andy Harris (R-MD), who is upset that his healthcare won't kick in for another month after campaigning to revoke "Obama-care":
Wow - this is like shooting fish in a barrel... or at least in a gall bladder...
Pull!
Are they all bad? Of course not - but they certainly set the bar for hypocrisy, flip-flopping, and do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do. Once again, the topic of earmarks is making people disagree with themselves. I wrote only a few days ago about how Rand Paul had already flip-flopped, and Mitch McConnell was taking a common-sense approach to earmarks. Common sense is a frangible commodity with this crew, however:
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) announced Monday that he would join a GOP effort to ban congressional earmarks, a stunning turnaround that reflects a huge victory for the Tea Party movement.
A senior member of the Appropriations Committee, McConnell has been one of the Senate's strongest proponents of local pork, but watched the practice fall into disfavor amid growing public anger over Washington spending that fueled GOP victories in this month's midterm election.
"There is simply no doubt that the abuse of this practice has caused Americans to view it as a symbol of the waste and out-of-control spending that every Republican in Washington is determined to fight," McConnell said Monday in a speech on the Senate floor.
"And unless people like me show the American people that we're willing to follow through on small or even symbolic things, we risk losing them on our broader efforts to cut spending and rein in government," he said.
Wow - that is weak, VERY weak. He is willing to give up a principled stance on Congressional control because he thinks that will help reduce spending? He's already proven he knows better.
Meanwhile, another Republican is following Rand Paul's lead and supporting some earmarks (likely, the ones that benefit her state - THAT'S original) after publicly denouncing them. Of course, I am referring to the bat-shit crazy House Rep from Minnesota, Michelle Bachmann:
Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN) wants to ban all earmarks -- except for the ones that she supports.
In a Tuesday interview with the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the Minnesota Republican explained that she wanted to "redefine" earmarks so that transportation projects are not included in a proposed ban.
"Advocating for transportation projects for ones district in my mind does not equate to an earmark," she told the Star Tribune.
"I don’t believe that building roads and bridges and interchanges should be considered an earmark," Bachmann said. "There’s a big difference between funding a tea pot museum and a bridge over a vital waterway."
Under Bachmann's rules, projects like the Gravina Island "bridge to nowhere" in Alaska would be allowed.
So - the establishment Republicans are trying to reduce their own power under the guise of political posturing, while the Tea Partiers are trying to hold on to power. Wow - they're all acting just like Democrats (at least in that one particular way)!
The prize for gall, though, goes to Andy Harris (R-MD), who is upset that his healthcare won't kick in for another month after campaigning to revoke "Obama-care":
A conservative Maryland physician elected to Congress on an anti-Obamacare platform surprised fellow freshmen at a Monday orientation session by demanding to know why his government-subsidized health care plan takes a month to kick in.
Republican Andy Harris, an anesthesiologist who defeated freshman Democrat Frank Kratovil on Maryland's Eastern Shore, reacted incredulously when informed that federal law mandated that his government-subsidized health care policy would take effect on Feb. 1 – 28 days after his Jan. 3rd swearing-in.
[...]
"Harris then asked if he could purchase insurance from the government to cover the gap," added the aide, who was struck by the similarity to Harris's request and the public option he denounced as a gateway to socialized medicine.
Wow - this is like shooting fish in a barrel... or at least in a gall bladder...
Pull!
