 “We hate the stimulus bill. We love the bill. We hate the bill. We love the money!”
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I suppose no one should be surprised that Washington is full of crass hypocrites, but if there were an Olympic event in hypocrisy several Republican Congressional members would be vying for the gold. Following the near complete GOP boycott on the economic stimulus bill, Republican congressional members are spending their President’s Day recess at home bragging about the programs they will be delivering to their districts.
Some reported examples:
- From Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO): “Within the stimulus package there is some Pell Grant money, which is a good thing. It helps students be able to pay for their education and that’s kind of a long term stimulus effect there. I mean obviously that’s not gonna provide a job in the next 120, 180 days, but the ability of someone to get an education is an economic development tool,” Luetkemeyer said at a local college. He was there, in another inside-outside Washington twist, to celebrate an earmark for a college building. (Link)
- Rep. Don Young (R-AK) put out a press release saying that he “won a victory for the Alaska Native contracting program and other Alaska small business owners last night in H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.” (Link)
- “All along he has believed infrastructure spending, in particular, should provide a boost to the Inland Empire’s economy,” a spokesman to Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) said. (Link)
- “While we philosophically have different opinions, we’re obligated to make sure this money is spent properly,” said Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA). “All of us in the Inland Empire will do what we can to direct as much money as we can.” (Link)
- From Sen. Kit Bond (R-MO) press release: Last week, Bond led a bipartisan group of Senators in introducing an amendment to help provide needy families affordable housing. Bond’s amendment provides $2 billion to fund low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) projects that have been stalled by the financial credit crisis. As part of the Democrats’ spending bill now signed into law, the Senate unanimously accepted Bond’s provision. […] This provision will have a real impact in Missouri, especially for low-income, working families in need of safe and affordable housing. … Bond’s amendment will save more than 700 housing units and create 3,000 new jobs in Missouri. “This is the type of emergency stimulus spending we should be supporting — programs that will create jobs now and help families,” Bond said. (Link)
– Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R-MN), who complained that the “federal government is spending money they don’t have,” told Rachel Maddow he would nevertheless accept funds for Minnesota: “Our view is, if you buy the pizza, it’s OK if you have a slice.” (Link)
– Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who also campaigned ardently against the bill, said he would nevertheless gladly accept its funds for his state. “You don’t want to be crazy here,” he said. (Link)
– Rep. John Mica (R-FL) gushed over the bill, which he, too, voted against. “I applaud President Obama’s recognition that high-speed rail should be part of America’s future,” he said in a press release. (Link)
– Rep. Don Young (R-AK) boasted that he “won a victory for…Alaska small business owners” in the recovery bill he refused to vote for. (Link)
- Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) boasted about the educational benefits of the recovery act, while Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) said his office “will do what we can to direct as much money as we can.” Neither voted for the bill. (Link)
- Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) joins in, praising the stimulus’ “generous” incentives for home buyers on his Twitter feed:
“petehoekstra If you know of someone thinking of buying first home, now may be the time.Stimulus incentive is very generous!Up to 8k!Check it out.” (Link)- BlueJersey notes adds Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) to the growing list. After insisting last Friday that the recovery bill “would have exploded our national debt without providing meaningful job growth,” Lance toured construction sites in his district yesterday, touting funds that would come from the stimulus bill. “This is a classic example of a “shovel-ready’ project,” Lance said after the tour. (Link)
Yup. I think McDonough has an interesting concept. Don’t let the citizens who elected these ideological heroes be contaminated by the money.
What do you think?
# 20 The lunatic is in the hall said, “If they wanted to prove they were not just opposing for the sake of opposing they would have tried to write there districts out of the money where they could.”
If they could have also written those same districts out of paying it back via Fed income taxes they would have.
In other words, your post is nonsense.
#21
Oh so wrong Peppermint Paddy
There taxes go for all the same government stuff they always have. This stimulus money will be paid for by their kids and grandkids by then those districts might have changed to a different party.
I’ll leave the nonsense posting to you, you excel at it.
# 22 The lunatic is in the hall said, “Oh so wrong Peppermint Paddy”
Nope. Just subtract it from the children of all that currently live in those districts then. Easy.
Fair is fair. Otherwise, you have no point at all.
There are a few things going on here.
1. If a starving man asks for some break and you give him SPAM instead he is still going to take it. So even know this is some of the worst legislation to date they need to take what they can get to survive.
2. They are trying to up talk the democrats bill to help the economy. Everyone really knows this Bill isn’t going to help at all but it’s all about confidence.
3. It’s not that 100% of the bill is garbage on like %60 of it. So there are going to be parts that they like.
I am totally opposed to Social Security, but when it comes time for me to collect, I’m going to take it.
Why? Because I’ve been paying into it, and this is the only to get even part of the money stolen from me back.
Same principle.
You’ve missed the best one: Representative Michele Bachmann (R – 06)from Minnesota.
She’s getting reamed by Chris Matthews and Olbermann for her over the line bumpersticker dittohead stupidity.
She said that the Dems are only funding democratic districts and Obama is redistricting so as to eliminate the republican party. Pretty soon there won’t be any rich people left to tax.
A loon of the first order.
Give me a break. I can’t wait to get my $13 each month. Man, I’m going on a spending spree with that!!!
all the gop needs to do to prove that all this spending is bad is to refuse the money for their districts.
prove to me you can do it without federal help, that would kick ass.
too bad they’re full of crap.
I would just chalk it up to being bureaucrats, which are essentially a level of middle management. I have way too much experience with managers who will try to sell some edict from on high as a pile of 24k gold bullion, even when the lowliest idiot on the pole can see that it’s a steaming pile of poo.
“Always look on the bright si-ide of life…”
#23
Paddy I have no idea what you are talking about?
So you want children not taxed for some thing there parent’s representatives did not vote for?
Do you want them forbidden from driving on roads and bridges built with the stimulus money or not able to use energy from an updated grid?
What if their parent’s were Dems living in a Repb district and never voted for these guys? Do you have any idea how a representative democracy works, or a civilization for that matter?
I’m 100 % sure you would not want to live in the world your ideas would bring into being.
When I said “I’ll leave the nonsense posting to you” I meant that in jest you can stop now.
Hey I didn’t vote for the people who gave us the Iraq, can all my children and I not pay Taxes of that fiASSco?
I’ve lost count at the number of times I have had to scold the right wing nuts about losing the election. They had 12 years of control in the House, four years in the Senate, and the White House for eight. All the right wing nuts have done is dig the hole our economy fell into.
No, this didn’t happen on Jimmy Carter’s watch. No, this isn’t because of Bill Clinton’s policies. And the fall came before Obama was even elected. The fault is solely because of Republican policies, especially their President and his failed oversight.
So all you right wing nuts, SHUT THE EFF UP AND LET SOME REAL AMERICANS FIX THE MESS.
Those that don’t want the stimulus should not be forced to take it. If their leaders voted against the bill, after making several amendments to it, then yes, their districts don’t want or need to be bailed out.
Rush Limbaugh for president!
#33
I’d love to see that blowhard run.
Man with all the appalling things he has said over the years and all the hypocrisy he has put out political add makers would have no end of material to work with. At least that clown Franklin is a MAN and put his name on a ballet. Limbaugh is a coward who hides behind his mic. GESH! only the Alaska pipeline carries more spew!
Excellence In BroadcAssing is more like it.
But he is compelling if you need to be told what to think and religions just not doing it for you join the ditto heads and be a peace.
Sorry,
The BroadcAssing comment was out of line and a cheap shot about his lack of dietary willpower and not his politics.
I wish I had not posted that part.
# 28 grog said, “prove to me you can do it without federal help, that would kick ass.”
Trade no Fed taxes for no fed help. Simple solution.
My senators voted for it, but my idiot representative did not. I can’t afford to move out of his district any time soon. Why should I be penalized because he is a partisan jackhole?
I sympathize with the sentiment, but this feels too much like Rush hoping the president fails. We are one country, and we will rise or fall together.
I don’t think any of the Stimulus money should goto any Republicans at all!
If you’re true Republican you will send the money back to the feds!
I will agree that the Republican districts should not get any pork, um…stimulus package sent to Republican districts under one simple condition.
The Democratic districts will pay off the entire bill in less than ten years even if the private goods of the people that voted Democratic have to be sold at public auction to raise the money.
Now that’s fair enough isn’t it? The people that run up the bill pay the tab.
Wow, disagree with the Democratic-rammed stimulus spending package and you’re talking about lynchings. What a nice bunch of civic-minded…liberals…you are.
The Republicans barely had any input, and it went through anyway. And it’s full of pork. Only 25% of the spending actually applies to ANYTHING that will help this economy in the next 6 to 9 months. So let’s stop calling it a stimulus package.
You voted Obama in on the ticket for ‘Change’. All he’s done is given the keys to Reid and Pelosi. In such a short time with so many promises broken (transparency, etc. etc.)…but that’s okay, blame the Reps when it’s the Dems who are doing this to you.
This is neither the ‘change’ nor stimulus this country needs.