 “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?
What I don’t understand, is why people haven’t started hanging every one of the goddamned criminal assholes from light poles?
Eideard said, “How about we don’t send any stimulus money to Republican districts?”
Maybe, if you offered that no one in the district would have to pay taxes to pay for the “stimulus” they’d go for it…
Wonderful idea.
As Paul Begalia put it, if Republican are so deeply opposed to Obama’s recovery plan, they should refuse to take the money. DONE!
Let’s pick the Republican state of South Carolina – “a ward of the federal government” and on welfare for years. If the Gov. there so opposed to federal spending, let’s start by cutting federal spending in South Carolina.
This is the best idea yet.
#3 Yep. I’m all for cutting off Fed aid and Fed tax collection in any area that wants to do that.
How about Republican districts secede and save themselves from economic destruction.
What about states where there are Democrats in the Senate and Republicans in the House, or states that have one Senator from each party?
What about this 14th Amendment that says we need equal protection under the law?
It’s one thing to pass a bad law, it is another thing to apply it to punish political opponents. That is a recipe for civil war. I am surprised by the hate that would motivate someone to want two different laws for different types of American. What is next: separate drinking fountains for Republicans and Democrats? Are Democrats going to start banning Republicans from lunch counters too?
If you are up for a seat in Obomba’s cabinet you don’t have to worry about your taxes so what’s the problem?
Maybe the governors don’t want the money with the additional strings attached, sort of like all the banks that told the government thanks, but no thanks to TARP money.
This is some of the most idiocy that I have heard from Dems and the media (pretty much the same thing anyway) in a long time. Think about it. If you elect someone to buy a car for you, and they decide to pay $40k for a $20k car, the entire time you tell that person “Spending that for this car is stupid” but they do it anyway. So now you are supposed to say to the guy that just bought the car “You so totally overpaid for that car that I will not accept it. I’ll keep making payments but you keep the car.” That’s a movie called Dumb (for the guy buying the car) and Dumber (for the guy making payments on the car to give it back.)
Nobody on the left thinks anymore, they just blindly follow. When will you realize that it’s not their money in the first place?
I’m okay with paying for the stimulus, but can I refuse to pay for the war?
Using politics to distribute money would be dumb. We need to distribute these funds based on need not party affiliation.
# 11 dm said, “I’m okay with paying for the stimulus, but can I refuse to pay for the war?”
Sure, join real conservatives in abolishing income tax and pushing through a balanced budget amendment…
That is, if you are serious.
Actually S.Carolina Gov. is trying to avoid taking any of the “stimulus” money for his state but the Democrat Senator have inserted language in the bill that will prevent S.Carolina from refusing to take the money… Because with the money comes ball and chain and that’s the main Dem’ purpose.
Nobody on the left thinks anymore, they just blindly follow.
It worked so very well for the right all these years, so why not?
Can we all just admit that the stimulus bill didn’t have any “stimulus” in it – it was just a giant pork bill and everyone lined up at the trough.
Does this also include the 7 House Democrats that voted against the plan? No one seem to be talking about why they voted against the House bill twice…
We could do a test. The cost with interest is ~$1.5 trillion. That’s $5k/per person in the US. Those communities that reject the pork instead get to withhold from the Fed Gov’t $5k each for personal use. A family of 4 would not pay the next $20k they would normally pay in Fed taxes. Would be interesting to see the results in those communities.
You do realize that we have spent 20 trillion on propping up banks and insurance companies, which will produce no results at all? Why is everyone complaining about this piddling 1.5 trillion? It’s like arresting the boy who stole a case of Mt. Dew while ignoring the man who is cleaning out the register. . .
This is just the norm for partisan posturing. If the GOP was in power this bill would look almost the same and the Dems would be in lock step against it. Knowing the Dems didn’t need them to pass this sucker the GOP was able to appose it and in 2 to 4 years complain about the enviable waste and corruption that always happens when this much cash is distributed. Being out of power this is all they can to in the big chess game that is our electoral system. 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.
Will the Stimulus work to fix the economy? Probably not, The economy will work itself out eventually on its own like it always has. The Stimulus will build and repair and improve many good things. More importantly it will give a few million Americans jobs so they can eat go to schools and get healthcare for a few more years. It will keep some vital industries afloat until this storm settles. Is it fair? Of course not. Do the Republicans have a better plan? Not even close. The condition of the world economy right now is the end result Reganeconomics. Time for some checks on rampant capitalisms to be put back in place the freedoms Regan gave us were ruined by our greed.
No stimulus money to Republican districts? As much as it would be fun to do to those representatives it’s not far to the citizens who live there. When childish Republican campaigns point out how much money the Dems have wasted childish Democratic campaigns will point out what local good was done in that district with the money.
Hey maybe Joe the Plumber can get off the mic and back to construction work.
# 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.