Republican hypocrisy exposed: top GOP lawmakers take credit for stimulus bill passage

House Republicans, as a group, may take great pride in the goose egg they offered President Obama's stimulus package. But now the unanimous opposition is struggling to bring that money home.

Republicans will be working hard to make sure the money they opposed ends up benefiting their home districts, highlighting the political tightrope they walk in this economic crisis. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is watching House Republicans -- and reading local media -- closely and is only too happy to highlight any happy talk about a stimulus Republicans voted against.

Back in his home district, Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) found some nice things to say about the plan.

"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.

He lamented that there would be far fewer such earmarks in the future. "If they go back to the rules, it will make it very difficult to get earmarks through the next two years because number one we don't have any more money, we just blew it all on this stimulus package. Although, we're gonna have to print some more in order to be able to bail out the financial institutes and the automobile manufacturers," said Luetkemeyer.

Ken Spain, a spokesman for the National Republican Congressional Committee, said that the quotes aren't hypocritical, but rather demonstrate that Republicans did support a stimulus in general, just not the one Democrats presented to them.

"We would like to thank the DCCC for circulating these comments. They are proof-positive that Republicans stood willing and ready to support commonsense measures in the stimulus package until Nancy Pelosi unfortunately chose to undercut President Obama's message of bipartisanship by including absurd pork-barrel spending projects such as millions to protect a mouse in the San Francisco Bay, golf carts for government bureaucrats, and STD prevention funds. Republicans said 'yes' to a true stimulus package, but unanimously said 'no' to putting the politics of pork before the needs of the middle class," said Spain.

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."

In California's Inland Empire, battered by the economic downturn, the mostly Republican delegation is happy the stimulus passed, too, according to local news reports.

"Even the Republican lawmakers who oppose the bill say such projects are needed in the region," the local paper reports.

"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.

"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."

UPDATE: Think Progress finds a press release from Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) along the same lines:

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.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/02/18/gop-fighting-for-money-fr_n_167914.html

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• President
• Obama
• Keith
• olbermann
• Rachel
• Maddow
• David
• Shuster
• countdown
• worst
• person
• in
• the
• world
• special
• comment

[SkylineTime]

What an idiot! Just because the Mica believes that High Speed Rail is a good idea doesn't mean that he should vote for the entire bill. This is Yellow Journalism at it's worst. David Shuster is an asshole.

[dye013]

you ever watch fox just need to watch 5 min of it to hear criticism of any democrat. make sure you turn it off after the first 5 min or you will become dumb and start to believe anything they say and turn to them for answers and not do your own research.

[Jermbot15]

@SkylineTime I think the point Shuster made was that they should not have been bragging about or taking credit for these things. You can tell that by when he said "When you brag about projects you opposed, that's hypocrisy."

[sharky442]

I agree, (Republicans and the Tea Party are a bunch of SHIT-HEADS), This is why all of the developing countries have "High Speed Rail", the Autobahn, and they import low maintenance high mileage cars. Because of these Fucked up people known as the Republicans. Remember this election day 2012 (D+ Democrat= Foward) (R+Republicans= Reverse), (Now we all have cars, (It's PRND21) With the R Being REVERSE.

[gopconservative78]

typical communist hit job...oops I mean Liberal hit job

[austin895895]

Now we can all see that all the Obama media is full of hot air. The stimulus didn't work. Olbermann is suspended without pay. Charlie Crist wasn't much of a republican and he is out. Pelosi is out. just because Mica likes high speed rail doesn't mean he should vote for any bill that might have high speed rail somewhere in it. Rick Perry took stimulus money because he was forced my the state legislature. The retards at Marxist Socialist NBC and Comunust NN are always wrong.

[biantai888]

Yeah, this is pretty bad. Of course you can add something to a bill, vote against the bill, and then rightly say that you are responsible for the part of the bill you added. Of course you can vote against a bill and then use the bill to your state's advantage when it passes.

Just more divisive BS from the mainstream media.

[lendada13]

@SkylineTime As are you sir..........an ASSHOLE