This isn’t the most awful thing in the world nor is it very surprising. But it is interesting to see how readily Congresspeople admit that they all want the appropriations gig to bring pork home and raise campaign money easily:
This is Republican Charlie Dent in PA-15, which is one of a small number of possible Democratic pick-ups this cycle (along with the Djou and Cao), with a pretty strong Dem challenger in John Callahan. It should be an interesting race to watch, it’s got a teabag nut running third party.
beltane
Dennis G. has taught me all I need to know about Republicans and ethics. Looting is a way of life for these people.
Zifnab
Tea Baggers make everything better.
That said, they’ve got it half right. You fight your own party in the primaries. You fight the other party in the general. While I can’t say I’m thrilled to see the folks the Tea Baggers are putting out, I can say that this exercise in activist Democracy is at least producing more true-to-form politicians on the ballots.
Mental Lint
Spending outside of a district is wasteful pork barrel spending. A congressman increasing federal spending inside of their district merits praise for “effectiveness.”
Allan
Close your eyes when Boehner is talking and tell me that isn’t Tom Hanks as Charlie Wilson.
Bob Loblaw
I like this cold call from Eleanor Holmes Norton as an accompanying point:
http://www.salon.com/news/politics/war_room/2010/09/17/eleanor_holmes_norton_lobbyist_call/index.html
She doesn’t even have a fucking floor vote. How much time do congressmen dedicate to chasing the money around? 90% of their day? 95%? 99%?
It’s all such a joke.
Dent sucks
Charlie Dent is a total scumbag. I live in PA-15 and I’m not at all surprised to see him yucking it up with Boehner by the pool.
You guys should add John Callahan to the Actblue page, he’s one of the only candidates running this cycle that has a record of actually creating jobs and cutting debt and it’s a blue district by registration anyway.
Daddy-O
I…I…I…don’t have much of a problem with this. It’s just a joke. Democrats have probably been making the same joke for centuries, more or less, at private backyard fundraisers.
And as much as I despise Boehner, what he says is TRUE. You get Appropriations when you earn it, because it is job security insurance for Representatives. It’s just the nature of the beast called American politics!
I think this is a cheap shot, but I don’t want to sound like I’m wagging my finger at you guys. I’m glad to see this, and to heap a bit of scorn on a couple of real jerks. But what they said, basically is still true.