Today is check the box day in the Senate. Votes scheduled on one labor issue, one gay rights issue, one immigration reform issue, one 9/11 health care issue and one Social Security issue. None of the bills dealing with these issues are expected to pass, because all 42 Republican Senators are expected to vote against cloture on all legislative items until the tax issue is | Read More »
This is just pitiful. You’d think that John Cornyn would have learned his lesson, but he hasn’t. In a closed door meeting of Senate Republicans, John Cornyn lectured his colleagues that instead of going out and recruiting conservatives against his terrible NRSC hand-picked candidates, Senators should just come talk to him. Seriously? We got into this mess because Cornyn didn’t listen. He did not listen | Read More »
[promoted from the diaries by haystack because...well, you figure it out] Note: This op-ed appeared in the Greenville News of Greenville, South Carolina on Monday, November 15, 2010. We are fighting two wars overseas. We are in the middle of an entitlement crisis that could bankrupt this country. The national debt is simply out of control. And your elected leaders voted to spend $500,000 of | Read More »
The Senate Republican Conference voted to ban earmarks yesterday. A victory for conservatives — Hold on a second. Moments after the announcement some Republicans stated that they would publicly flout the rule and Democrats pledged to fight to protect bloated pork barrel spending. Although the President has pledged his opposition to earmarking, the true test may come soon if Congress sends him an Omnibus spending | Read More »
Not much happening in the House and Senate today. Both parties are conducing elections for leadership positions and amendments to conference rules. It appears as if Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) has won his battle for the Senate Republican Conference to take a 2 year break from earmarking. The House has 6 bills scheduled for a vote on the Suspension Calendar. The Senate is out of | Read More »
One interest group is very upset about Senator Jim DeMint’s (R-SC) plan to force a vote in the Senate Republican Conference for a two year earmark moratorium — Lobbyists. According to The Hill, the lobbying group that represents lobbyists are very angry and worried that the easy money days of earmarking for dollars is over. Yes, even lobbyists have lobbyist in Washington, D.C. The head of the American | Read More »
President Obama is sitting over at the White House praying that Republican Leadership in the Senate defeats Senator Jim DeMint’s (R-SC) earmark ban. Remember when Republicans were hit hard for voting against the Stimulus Plan, then some of them sent letters to the Obama Administration requesting projects? The current earmark debate is turning into a similar political trap and some Senate Republicans are falling for it hook, line and sinker. This debate | Read More »
Americans are hearing the talking point that earmarks don’t cost the taxpayers any money. This simply is not true. Citizens Against Government Waste, a Congressional watchdog group, has put out a report on wasteful projects from Fiscal Year 2010. They identify $16.5 billion in pork. The Congressional Pig Book is CAGW’s annual compilation of the pork-barrel projects in the federal budget. The 2010 Pig Book | Read More »
It didn’t take long for many in Congress to ignore the will of the American people on earmarking special projects for states and districts. The Tea Party movement has a long way to convince members of both parties that the corrupting and wasteful practice of earmarking has to end. Later this month, Senators Jim DeMint (R-SC), John McCain (R-AZ) and Tom Coburn (R-OK) are expected to | Read More »
“The NRSC’s argument amounts to telling the world that voters exercising their right to pick their candidates are stupid and Jim DeMint is stupid for siding with the voters.” On November 2, 2010, the Republican Party made its largest single day gains in the House of Representatives since 1948 and, I have been told credibly, the largest gains of any political party in local, state, | Read More »
Fronted by Erick. Christine O’Donnell might not be the model candidate. She has made more than her share or errors, but as the Senator from Delaware, she will not disappoint. She will vote with Jim DeMint, will be the first pro-life female Senator who is not afraid to own it and will not spend our money like it’s her own. I know she has fumbled | Read More »
As you know, Senate Republicans are more than a little unhappy with Jim DeMint. The Senate GOP will see an influx of DeMint backed candidates after November. Consequently, the Senate GOP has become more fixated with marginalized Jim DeMint than fighting Barack Obama. For perspective, Mitch McConnell won’t even campaign against or speak ill of Harry Reid to help Sharron Angle. But his minion are | Read More »
Taxpayers are against earmarks because they waste money and corrupt the political process. It is that simple. House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) authored an excellent Op Ed in Politico attacking earmarks. Cantor writes today that in March Republicans imposed an earmark moratorium for this Congress — a moratorium that expires on January 3, 2011. Cantor is showing some leadership by calling for the elimination | Read More »
It is a story that superficially is about Jim DeMint. He beat up his Senate Republican colleagues in an email the other day for what they did. Lisa Murkowski left the party to run as a write-in candidate against Joe Miller in Alaska after he beat her in the GOP primary. Murkowski’s chief selling point is that she is the ranking Republican on the Energy | Read More »
Marc Thiessen of the Washington Post has written an excellent Op Ed titled “Jim DeMint’s courage and Lisa Murkowski’s betrayal.” I highly recommend you read the whole piece. Thiessen wrote in the Post yesterday: The knives were out for Jim DeMint in the Senate last week, as Republicans laid into the South Carolina senator for supporting Tea Party favorite Christine O’Donnell over Rep. Mike Castle | Read More »
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