Posted on 11/15/2010 10:35:41 PM PST by FredJake
On Monday, Republican Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY), agreed to a ban on earmarks.
Originally, he had resisted such a ban, arguing that it would put the president in charge of state spending, but noted that most Americans were upset over abuses in the system.
According to an article at Fox News, McConnell said:
"As the leader of my party in the Senate, I have to lead first by example," McConnell, R-Ky., said from the floor of the Senate on the first day of its lame-duck session.
"Nearly every day that the Senate’s been in session for the past two years, I have come down to this very spot and said that Democrats are ignoring the wishes of the American people. When it comes to earmarks, I won't be guilty of the same thing," he said
Americans for Prosperity, a Tea Party backed group, along with newly-elected Republicans, called for a two-year moratorium on earmarks.
One new member is Raul Labrador, the Congressman-Elect from Idaho's 1st Congressional District.
(Excerpt) Read more at examiner.com ...
Its not going to last too long.
Perhaps there’s some hope for McConnell, but not in a leadership position. Bush’s book notes that McConnell advised a losing withdrawal from Iraq. McConnell isn’t fit to spit shine Harry Reid’s shoes. Repubs need a new minority leader in the Senate.
Is he up for reelection in 2012? If so that would explain his decision. Rand Paul prooves the tea party is very strong in Kentucky.
...Any way the wind blows...
is it pandering or is it simply representing the will of his constituency? So long as they do what we want, I don’t care what you call it. This will be a fine first step towards reighning in the out of control spending. I would like to see the balanced budget amendment to the US constitution come back too. Let’s see if they want to get really serious.
Perhaps McConnell thinks he can quiet down those perky Tea Partiers with this sop. Earmarks weren’t much of the budget, in the great scheme of things. It help keep everything nice and quiet while the Committee Assignments and other important procedural decisions get made.
BS.
He will find a way to torpedo them and still claim he voted for reform.
It might go something like “If you will vote in opposition to this I could do this for you”.
He will even go to the Congress and razzle dazzle them.
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Any leader that needs to be LED/PRODDED to do what’s right, should be forced out in primaries for someone who KNOWS right from wrong.
Even this McConnell character.
If those who have a thing about earmarks wanted to make sensible changes in the way appropriations are handled, this is the time to do it. But grandstanding as an earmarks foe will not balance the budget, as all earmarks combined comprise less than 2% of total government spending. I suspect Sen. McConnell is well aware of this fact.
Sen. Jim Inhofe defends earmarks. He'd rather Congress decide where taxpayers' funds be spent than a faceless bureaucrat.
“He’d rather Congress decide where taxpayers’ funds be spent than a faceless bureaucrat.”
I’d rather have the Constitution decide.
And I'm sure he wisely chose people he knows to get those taxpayer funds....
Those earmarks are part of a corruption issue, to politicians, they are like chips in a game, that they can use, to give to people, but those "chips" are funded with our money.....
This is kind of like "broken windows", you start with the small crimes first, and take care of the little things, which are what leads to big things...
“If we can’t decide as a federal government that it’s not our job to pave local parking lots and build local museums, then we don’t understand what constitutional limited government is.” Senator DeMint.
How about Congress does not allocate the funds for the Crats to spend??
Earmarks lead to big things. They are used to sweeten the deal to help pass other legislation such as TARP.
...for those interested, :D
he (Mitch) blinked, As always "trust but, verify.".....Ronald Reagan
Yeah, so he looks like Harvey Milquetoast, but at least give the guy some credit.
If he stood firm for earmarks, most of the posts on this thread wouldn't be much different. What a bunch of ingrates.
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