Senate Republicans' ban on earmarks was short-lived

[titaniumsalute]

Source: AP/MSNBC

WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans' ban on earmarks — money included in a bill by a lawmaker to benefit a home-state project or interest — was short-lived.

Only three days after GOP senators and senators-elect renounced earmarks, Arizona Sen. Jon Kyl, the No. 2 Senate Republican, got himself a whopping $200 million to settle an Arizona Indian tribe's water rights claim against the government.

Under Senate rules, an earmark is a spending item inserted "primarily at the request of a senator" that goes "to an entity, or (is) targeted to a specific state."

Read more: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40344219/ns/politics-capitol_hill

---

ahhh...Faux News covering this one this morning??

[ixion]

1. if they cover it, there will be a (D) in front of Kyl's name

just watch.

[valerief]

24. Bwahahahaha!

:rofl:

Ain't that the truth!

[City Lights]

2. Gee, what a shocker!

Rethugs will say or do anything to get elected. The dumbest people on the planet are those who voted for them. Vile Kyl should stop suckling at the government teat. He's a real maggot. :puke:

[karynnj]

13. Part of the problem is they are given cover by the media

The Boston Globe, supposedly a liberal paper, had an extensive interview with Scott Brown to mark his first 100 days. (Yeah, I doubt they ever did this for a Senator before.)

In the interview, Brown spoke against earmarks - than described what projects he would work to get in the budget - oblivious to the fact that in that case, he was creating earmarks:

The ear marks question:

For this year, yeah. I think I think the earmarks process is abused. There are certain projects that are worthy, and when I do fight for things, I will go and speak to the appropriate people through the authorizing process. And it needs to have jobs associated with it. It needs to be something that is going to create jobs usually, and not be one of those silly wasteful projects we hear about it.' I think there's a better way to do it, so I'm going to continue to work to try and improve that process.

What does Brown think that Kerry and the Representatives are funding with their earmarks??

Asked again, so in the first year no earmarks:

Yeah. You gotta work through the authorization process. You work through he administration, get it included in the budget. I'm going to still work with the delegation members to try to let them know my thoughts on particular projects, and try to get them funded.

How are these NOT earmarks?

Pushed again that he would not submit any - he responds that the process is broken!

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/05/09/transcript_from_the_interview_with_scott_brown

But, notice that it is "cleaned up" in their article - the only thing that was in the print copy. Not to mention, the video is HIGHLY edited and uses photos of Brown for transitions that otherwise would be awkward. (Needless to say, Kerry videos of interviews with the BG and the transcripts match 100% - although his answers are better when not edited. )

Here is the article that barely uses the interview (which is either hilarious or pathetic to read - unlike the article.) http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/05/09/a_star_from_day_one_brown_settles_in

If the Boston media doesn't call Brown on this, do we really expect the Arizona media to call Kyl on it?

[City Lights]

30. I agree that the media is a huge part of the problem we face.

They are rethuglican enablers.

Thanks for your response. Very informative regarding Brown and the Boston media.

[karynnj]

32. Your welcome

I liked the Brown stuff and kept the links, because it is one of the few times where both the full original source was available as well as an article and video. It reminds me of having seen an American Idol jr taping with a then young dughter - after being invited while visiting tourist sites - and being shocked to see them refilm substitute reaction shots to fit the meme they wanted - turning a very bratty response to an amazingly selfless one when one of two sisters won. Worse was that one older girl, who was easily the kindest one to the young kids was always shown looking slightly angry - when this was not the case - and the reaction was appropriate. In essense, that young woman was clearly treated as the media has many Democrats!

The worst thing is that the BG IS the liberal paper - there is a Brown fluff piece nearly every day in the Boston Herald.

[zbdent]

14. those "dumbest people on the planet" know that, when a Republican makes a promise,

they never EVER have to keep it. The "liberally biased media" won't remember it. Witness the fact that Rush Limbaugh was on TV in the days leading up to the 2000 election, pointing out that, if George W. Bush won the popular vote (he didn't) but lost the electoral college (he did), there would be a bunch of legal steps Bush could take to fight what became "the will of the people" because Bush "won" ...

[MurrayDelph]

29. Well, that's only half true

if it is something bad, they will keep the promise.

[dmr]

3. Watch the jackass drop the START hold now.

:hi:

[droidamus2]

4. Wait, wait...

I'm sure if you asked Kyl he would gladly explain that this was not an 'earmark' but actually a 'funding enhancement'. Then when asked to explain what the definition of a 'funding enhancement' was Kyl would state he was late for a meeting and didn't have time to answer anymore questions.

[RoBear]

5. GOP not banning earmarks???

Why am I not surprised?

Evil bastards...

[BolivarianHero]

6. Kyl's a fucking goof...

Used to play a lot of poker, and this guy's name was a swear word in the circles I ran in. :)

[titaniumsalute]

18. You mean like this

"I took a big, steaming KYL this morning..." or

"Man you really KYL'D me hard on that one..." or

"You can take that thing and shove it up your KYL..."

[BolivarianHero]

28. :D Sounds like the Mike Malloy forums...

Do they still replace swear words with "Cheney"?

[chelsea0011]

7. Media is tied up at the airports...no way this becomes a story.

[Ozymanithrax]

8. It was a non-binding resolution when they took the vote...

Or how about...

This is still the 111th Congress. It doesn't count until the 112th Congress.


I lived through Reagan and the "Contract t with American" scams. I discovered that the American public are like an abused woman who will go back every time her sticking lousy violent SOB of a boy friend when he says "I didn't mean it. I've changed."

This will continue happening until the Republicans kill us all.

[BrklynLiberal]

26. Bingo!!!!!!!!!!!! Exactly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DWilliamsamh]

9. I know GOP resolve on earmarks will break as soon as they are in power

Or even before it. But this ain't an earmark, in the classic sense. This is allocating the money to pay an award of the court derived from a law suit.

Just like the money to settle the discrimination claim of the Black farmers who successfully sued the Ag Dept for discrimination....hey wait a minute...THAT money has NEVER been allocated. Wonder if Kyl will lead the charge to get those farmers made whole? Kind of doubt it.

[JoePhilly]

10. Didn't need to be a psychic to see this coming.

[democrat_patriot]

11. It was his payment for his vote on the START treaty.

See when it's announced he'll vote for it.

[DFLforever]

31. That was my first thought as well

[kag]

12. I'm shocked.

Shocked, I tell you.

This is just like
the abortion protesters who get abortions.
And the teabagger Congressthug who demanded that his government healthcare start sooner.
And the "small government" idiots who want the government to ban gay marriage.
And the TSA who wants to see you naked...until you strip. Then they threaten to have you arrested.
And the...you get the idea.

These guys are priceless.

[manny70]

15. Earmarks

The Tea baggers don't seem to realize that they can't govern this way. Legislators and their constituents depend on earmarks. The GOP has created a monster.

[Historic NY]

16. Its OKIYAR.

[DallasNE]

17. Not Only The Earmark Ban

Has gone down the drain with Sen. Kyl here but this $200 million is spending is not paid for with cuts elsewhere. So much for the deficit hawks in the Republican party. Obviously Kyl wants this passed before the blowup over raising the debt ceiling. President Obama should threaten a veto of this bill to send both Kyl and the Republicans a message. (This also shows the Tea Party that nothing has changed inside the Republican party).

[sarcasmo]

19. Must line pockets, must line pockets.

[molly77]

20. Real expertise alert!

How are the repubs. going to continue to cry out for decreased govt. spending and keep their precious earmarks?

How are they going to justify cutting social security (the only govt. plan that really works)and continue the over 50% of our budget going to DOD?

Esp. when over 2 trillion was just "lost" from DOD prior to 9/11 and in the national hysteria that ensued, nobody ever thought to "look" for it.

I am sure that other countries are looking at US and wondering what will happen. A facebook friend who recently went to Europe says that they don't blame US but the govt...which does not care about it's citizens.

Must read Matt Taiibi's run down on the mortgage crisis in this month's Rolling Stone. I think it is related. Govt fraud can no longer be covered up.

[tjwash]

21. Golly gee-whiz teabaggers, hows all that whole tsunami-changy thing working out for 'ya?

At least the dems waited about a year and a half after they took congress before they started pissing on their base...these guys are preemptive shitting all over them before the freshmen even get their apartments in DC, and figure out where their new offices are. Fuckers are absolutely drooling in anticipation of the bribes and kickbacks set to come their way starting next year.

Oh well...I'm pretty sure the teabaggers will fall in lockstep behind them soon enough. I'm waiting for faux-spews to declare victory and disband them pretty soon anyway.

[Crowman1979]

22. Like P.T. Barnum always said...

There's a sucker born every minute. And in this case, the teabaggers are the suckers.

[tjwash]

23. We're all suckers dude.

Until people on both sides of manufactured-by-the-corporate-owned-media "issues" wake up and realize that we are being completely jobbed by these top-5 percent in money folks, we are screwed.

There is nothing that scares a industrial mogul, more than the thought that one day, all of the manufactured hype, the faux-outrage, and the "divide and conquer" bullshit that they pay billions a year to perpetrate, will one day fail, and that the rest of the 95 percent of the country will actually wake up and band together to put them in their place. That thought keeps those bastards awake at night.

[BrklynLiberal]

25. Doh! What a surprise....NOT!!! One of the most obvious political campaign lies EVER!!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

27. The more the merrier.

If these GOPers think that the Tea baggers are locked into their party, after seeing what they consider treason like this? Hah. This will create an ever bigger rift on the Reich side of the political scale.

[herbm]

33. Never saw that one coming