Novak: Pork Endangered (Coburn and McCain to Battle Earmarks)

Creator's Syndicate ^ | January 30, 2006 | Robert Novak

[RWR8189]

These are the types of things that McCain is always been good at.

And Dr. Coburn is always fighting the good fight in Washington, that's why he's hated by Republicans and despised by Democrats.

[MNJohnnie]

Heard all this talk before from McCain. Problem is all McCain does is talk. When HE wants something like CFR or the Terrorist Bill of Right he gets it passed no matter what. However, when it come to Spending, McCain TALKS a good game and DOES nothing. Sorry but ACTIONS speak far louder then any WORDS from a Politician.

[MNJohnnie]

"a war, in a measure designed to give our fighting men and women the funds they need," said McCain, "the Congress has given in to its worst pork-barrel instincts." These were among the earmarks he pointed out"

Funny how McCain had no problem sliding his Terorist Bill of Rights into the SAME bill using the SAME sleazy tactics he cried about here.

[RWR8189]

The fact that Coburn is signed on makes me think there will be action.

Dr. Coburn is a man of his word, and I look forward to seeing each senator forced to stand by every single piece of pork they want to make me pay for.

[RVN Airplane Driver]

Everyone should contact their representatives ASAP and let them know that the American people are overwhelmingly in support of McCain and Coburn on this issue. Flood their email and mail boxes!!

[xcamel]

If Coburn could just find a way to expose McCain's hypocracy and toss him under the bus along the way...

[RWR8189]

McCain gives the whole thing "legitmacy" in the media, they just can't write off Coburn as some "right wing nut" from Oklahoma when their darling McCain is standing at his side.

[kittymyrib]

Dr. Coburn was not supported in the primary of '04 by the GOP. The good conservative voters of OK put him in office in spite of the GOP establishment. That is what should happen in every state.
And by the way, where IS George Bush's veto stamp? Pres. Reagan, a real conservative, vetoed a bill for having 150 pork-barrel earmarks. Pres. Bush, who is no conservative, signed off on 15,268 pork-barrel payoffs, including $2,000,000 for a new public park for Diane Feinstein in San Francisco. I guess the perverts were over-crowding the old parks...truly a pressing public need. No wonder deficits have ballooned during Bush's administration. You can't have guns and butter, a lesson we should have learned long ago.

[MNJohnnie]

You have a good point. Cobrun is solid and McCain seems to have this strange hold over the other Senators. It may be Coburn can actually be able harness McCain's influence to do some good. Will have to make some calls today on their behalf.

[MNJohnnie]

nd by the way, where IS George Bush's veto stamp?

I now the Whine all the Time Choir doesn't want to hear any reality but it does NO GOOD for a President to veto spending bills that have all ready passed the Congress with the required votes to override that veto.

How about the Whiners just ONE time remember their BASIC civics education? CONGRESS, not the Executive, holds the purse strings.

[MNJohnnie]

Everyone should contact their representatives ASAP

Great idea. All the Lobbyists and pressure groups will be telling them to NOT do this. Need to get some noise going for our side.

[G.Mason]

"McCain and Coburn last Wednesday proposed a revolutionary change in the way Congress has done more and more of its business over the past two decades. They announced their intention to "challenge" future earmarks as a violation of Senate rules. That would have meant a roll call vote on each of the 15,268 special spending items in 2005 (nearly a four-fold increase over the previous decade) that individual members quietly slipped into massive bills in the dead of night."

Though I loathe McCain and can only think that his reasons are merely political posturing for an ill advise second run for the Whitehouse, I believe Congress should be forced to work for a living, staying in session as long as it would take to pass these "special spending" items.

Who knows where best to put a red light in their district indeed!

[G.Mason]

Veto stamp?

Tell me, just how does a president explain the veto of a Defense Appropriations Act in the time of war?

[G.Mason]

Excuse please.

My post #13 was meant for kittymyrib.

[maggief]

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) adjusts his headphones during the 'What is at Stake in Iraq' session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, January 28, 2006. REUTERS/Sebastian Derungs

[atomicpossum]

They announced their intention to "challenge" future earmarks as a violation of Senate rules. That would have meant a roll call vote on each of the 15,268 special spending items in 2005

If it were this easy, why didn't someone try it in the last 30 years? Surely there had to be at least one Senator who gave a damn.

[RWR8189]

It hasn't gotten this out of control until very recently.

[RAY]

Dr. Tom Coburn is the man - an articulate man of principle, a rarity in Washington.

However, one wonders, if he doesn't bring home the pork to Oklahoma, will they reelect him? I hope his principles are strong enough to ignore that possibility.

[satchmodog9]

Partially because of the cascading effect of socialism. Money buys power with the people. The RATs promise things and the REPs have to do it as well or not get elected. Too many in this country look at government as a teat. Government has set itself up as the babysitter and parent to generation after generation of Americans.

[EQAndyBuzz]

How about no funding for pork projects while the nation is in a deficit?

This will force every politician to cut out spending so that they can spend. It will also force every politician to actually do what they say they will do or they wilhave to go back to their districts and explain why they couldn't bring home the bacon. This way the citizens win.