Pelosi: Just Forget the Word "Earmark"

Townhall ^ | June 13, 2007 | Amanda Carpenter

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Pelosi: Just Forget the Word ‘Earmark’
By Amanda Carpenter
Wednesday, June 13, 2007

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House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference on Free Trade Agreements on Capitol Hill in Washington May 10, 2007. REUTERS/Molly Riley (UNITED STATES)

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The more than 32,000 earmarks requested in the Homeland Security spending bill have roiled the House this week, and now Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) wants the word ‘earmark’ to just go away.

In a Tuesday press conference about appropriation bills, Pelosi said, “Why don’t we leave here today forgetting the word earmark?” She said they should be called “legislative directives” instead.

Five months ago, Pelosi’s House passed a resolution to require that these “legislative directives” be listed within the texts of applicable legislation next to the names of members who requested them, and therefore available to the public. It was a part of the Democrats’ bevy of midterm campaign promises that vowed to “drain the swamp” of the “culture of corruption” on Capitol Hill and create “the most ethical Congress in history.”

House Appropriations Chairman Rep. David Obey (D.-Wisc.)said his staff was unable to print the earmarks into this year’s round of spending bills, however, because there were too many and it would take up too much of his staff’s time. 

Subsequently, because the earmarks are not printed in the bill, members cannot challenge the earmarks before voting on the legislation.This prompted Republican Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio), as he said Tuesday, to “declare war on our Democratic majority over these secret slush funds.”

Obey appeared at the Tuesday press conference with Pelosi and other Democratic leaders to talk about the spending bills being considered in the House.

There, I asked him if he was opposed to letting members contesting earmarks on the House floor. 

He said “no” and that this would be the only year members would not be able to contest earmarks. He said his staff had been uncommonly burdened with the unfinished spending bills not passed by the previous Congress, the Iraq spending supplemental and investigations for “Republican shenanigans that occurred in the last Congress.”

“The fact is if we wanted to list those earmarks, it would take at least four weeks to get the job done, four weeks of staff work to put it together,” he said.

Obey denied implications that a larger staff would alleviate this problem.

“We don’t need more staff, we need more time,” Obey said.“We had unusual circumstances this time. For next year’s round I would fully expect to try to include them in the bill.”

It was at this point that Speaker Pelosi took back the podium and suggested that reporters forget the word “earmark.”

“This is legislative spending as opposed to executive spending,” she said. “And in the absence of legislative directives, you have appropriations bills that are totally dictated by the White House.”

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[alloysteel]

Explanation of the term “earmarks”, for those of you who were not swine farmers:

When pigs are born, they have a great tendency to look identical to human eyes. To distinguish them, the swine herdsman places notches, made with a clipper that takes out a “V” shaped notch out of the edge of the newborn pig’s ear.

There is a complete system of marking, based on location and number of the notches, that identify the sow mother, and various other criteria the swine herdsman is looking for in growing and maintaining the progeny. The mark remains with the pig for its lifetime, and serves to provide a crude genealogy if the pig is selected to be retained in the breeding herd.

So you can see the connection with “pork”. The earmarks are just a guide to assure the right people know the genesis of the benefits that come showering down upon them from the Federal treasury.

[tcrlaf]

Earmarks by State- Pay close attention to the ORIGINAL Pelosi-proposed amounts!

Example-$700+ out of an original proposed $750,000 fence for Kentucky’s Big Sandy Airport!

http://earmarks.omb.gov/by-state/summary.html

[Natural Law]

"“Why don’t we leave here today forgetting the word earmark?” She said they should be called “legislative directives” instead."

That is double plus ungood!

[jrooney]

Thank you for the link.

[edcoil]

“I heard here on FR that some felt it would be good if the democrats took over Congress to teach republicans a lesson. Has Reid and Pelosi been good for you?”

You pose and interesting question.

Dem's were viewed positively before the last election. Now the leading dem in the senate has a 3% approval and the congress has only a 19% approval so, it has been good for america to bring the dem part out of its lies and the closet. The issues are still the same so, they have done little yet surfaced their corruption. All and all a positive I'd say.

[sirchtruth]

The next two years and maybe longer are going to be a nightmare.

Hey! It's over, stop bitching about it and start doing something to hold Republicans feet to the fire! The opportunity we have now is no less than perfectly ripe to take every advantage we can to remove the rino/moderates and get back the conservative principled leadership we need!

I didn't agree either with the people who wanted to teach repubs a lesson, but it's been done now and we all need to do all we can to make sure Conservatism reigns!

The time is NOW!

[sirchtruth]

The next two years and maybe longer are going to be a nightmare.

Hey! It's over, stop bitching about it and start doing something to hold Republicans feet to the fire! The opportunity we have now is no less than perfectly ripe to take every advantage we can to remove the rino/moderates and get back the conservative principled leadership we need!

I didn't agree either with the people who wanted to teach repubs a lesson, but it's been done now and we all need to do all we can to make sure Conservatism reigns!

The time is NOW!

[F.J. Mitchell]

We must try to understand MS Pelosi’s abhorrence of such cliche terms as “earmark”. Many ladies and gentlemen as well, of the liberal persuasion (and girlie men politicians among our very own play like conservatives are offended by such terms and take them personally.

These extremely vain and pompous people, enduring face lift after face lift, have no idea where their ears have wound up.

Considering the out put from their mouth’s , expressing exactly what has entered their ears, tells the rest of us the exact present locale of their ears.

[CDHart]

"One word: Liar. Who'd thunk that?"

Anyone who believes a word any of these politicians say needs to have his head examined.

Carolyn

[AngieGOP]

Amen. You hit the nail on the head!

[PubliusMM]

Ping for later

[savedbygrace]

Instead, let’s forget the words ‘Madam Speaker’.

[MNJohnnie]

Gee wonder just what those Democrat Freshmen who won in 2006 by promising to ride in and clean up DC are going to tell their voters they got done when they go back in 2008?

Anyone notice that the Congress has even a lower approval rating then Bush?

A smart candidate would harness that “angry at DC” feeling among the voters ala Reagan in 1980.

[Right Cal Gal]

Nancy’s gonna need a new lipstick for that pig...

[dirtboy]

A smart candidate would harness that “angry at DC” feeling among the voters ala Reagan in 1980.

This from a guy defending Bush's tone-deafness towards angry anti-amnesty conservatives.

[dirtboy]

I heard here on FR that some felt it would be good if the democrats took over Congress to teach republicans a lesson. Has Reid and Pelosi been good for you?

Ask Bush. He's the one allying with Reid, Pelosi and Ted Kennedy to get shamnesty passed. The new political alignment doesn't seem to be bothering him all that much.

[jrooney]

We are talking about earmarks, not immigration. You must have a tough time reading, huh?

[dirtboy]

We are talking about earmarks, not immigration. You must have a tough time reading, huh?

So you wanna talk earmarks? I know, the GOP Congress and President Bush sure held the line on earmarks. It's a damn shame they can't block those any longer.

Oops, wait, earmarks grew like crazy under that crew.

So what IS your point?

[jrooney]

My point is this thread is about democrats and earmarks, not immigration. You immigration freepers hijack non-immigration threads regularly now. That is my point but I doubt you will get it or care. Likewise I could care less about what you post.

[dirtboy]

My point is this thread is about democrats and earmarks, not immigration.

I posted that pubbies helped grow this earmark mess. Guess you don't want to be bothered with the facts, eh?

Here, let me freshen up your Kool-Aid for you.