ABC's Tapper: McCain is "such an opponent of pork he's almost kosher"
SUMMARY: Discussing a recent report by Citizens Against Government Waste detailing wasteful government spending or so-called "pork," ABC News Washington correspondent Jake Tapper claimed on Good Morning America that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) "is such an opponent of pork he's almost kosher." Tapper apparently overlooked a bill recently introduced by McCain asking for $10 million in federal money to establish a law center in his home state as a tribute to the late U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist.
Discussing a recent report by Citizens Against Government Waste detailing wasteful government spending or so-called "pork," ABC News Washington correspondent Jake Tapper claimed on the April 5 edition of ABC's Good Morning America that Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) is "such an opponent of pork he's almost kosher."
In recalling McCain's much-invoked reputation as a reformer, Tapper apparently overlooked, among other things, a recent bill introduced by McCain calling for a total of $10 million in federal money to establish a law center at a university in Arizona as a tribute to the late Supreme Court Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist. As The New York Times reported on February 18, critics have argued that McCain's bill is a "classic" pork-barrel project that "funnel[s] money directly to a home-state institution for a project that should find financing elsewhere."
From the April 5 edition of ABC's Good Morning America:
TAPPER: The biggest per-capita porkers who say they're merely advocating for their constituents are Democratic Senator Daniel Inouye of Hawaii and Republican Ted Stevens of Alaska. Perennial favorite Bob Byrd of West Virginia came in fourth behind Washington D.C. After all, almost a half a million dollars has been allocated for flowers and foliage to spruce up the Capitol. Senator John McCain, such an opponent of pork he's almost kosher, is outraged but not surprised.
The neocons borrowed 2 trillion dollars over the last 5 years. Are any of them pork-free? They're about as pork-free as a bag of pork rinds wrapped in bacon and dropped in a pigpen.
It turns the stomach to see the latest round of McCain worship. He seems to have no memory or scruples, preferring to nakedly go after the Repub power rather than be his own man. And oh, don't worry Johnny, the Rove boys will still make it look like you're a maverick.
Power.
Stewart pretty much called McCain out on his Bush butt-kissing and giving the commencement speech at Liberty University. McCain (who had been a friend of the show) really didn't seem to know what to say. I can only hope that it served as a wake-up call that he can't have it both ways. He can't still be respected as a stand-up guy if he is going to behave like a complete sell-out to run for president.
...and I declare now that girls say yes to boys who say no to pols without backbone.
They've been replaced by "borrow and spend even more" Republicans. The absolute stupidity of Bush's tax cuts will become more and more evident as time goes on. Tax cuts are not a bad thing, inherently. However, cutting taxes to overwhelmingly benefit the richest few while we're bogged down in an expensive ELECTIVE war is the epitome of foolishness.
...anti-child.
They might as well say, "Honey, Daddy and Mommy want certain little things, like imperialism and blind and reckless revenge, but we don't want to pay. So, Pumpkin, you're going to pay. You're Mommy and Daddy's little girl, but one day, you'll be China's little b*tch. Now come here and give us a big kiss."
That'd make a great political ad.
Didn't somebody do one something like that for MoveOn.org? Seems that I remember an ad showing a bunch of kids working in sweatshops to pay off the debt. It's just one more opportunity the Democrats are missing to beat Republicans over the head. I think I heard one talk show host refer to Bush's deficits as a "birth tax".
(10) This is not a state interest, but a federal interest to honor a federal jurist.
(9) Does the bill really say Arizona?
(8) Well it has to be built somewhere...why not Arizona?
(7) $10 million is nothing next to what Alaska got.
(6) Rehnquist's was a great "poll watcher" for the Repub...err American public in Arizona.
(5) If it's built in Arizona, I can keep an eye on the project to make sure the money is spent...umm...properly
(4) I resent the implication that I've been selling out my principles for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination.
(3) What's wrong with pork? It's the other white meat.
(2) I thought it would be a great compliment to my plans for my presidential library.
(1) I thought of it first.
That's almost a paltry sum compared to some other projects. I probably shouldn't talk too loudly though, seeing as how I'm a huge Robert Byrd supporter and have seen first hand the good that many of his pork-barrel projects have brought to the state of West Virginia (i.e. the Robert Byrd Cancer Research Institute among other things).
...that Puddinhead George is pi$$ing away in Iraq every 6 hours or so?
The reason most of us elect our Senators and Representatives is to be our spokespeople in the Capitol. Part of that representation it to garner as much federal money as possible to provide benefit directly to the state they represent. Hey, its his JOB to get Federal $$ for his state, so I'm not about to hold that against him. It's spending that money when we don't have it to spend that bothers me the most. I'd be pissed if my Senators didn't get back at least a portion of our tax $$ to benefit our state directly in some way. I'm not saying it's not out of control, but it's definitely a part of the system. And there's a lot of quid-pro-quo as well - 'you vote for my pork and I'll vote for yours' so, it won't go away - at least not without a line item veto. And, lest we forget, the semi-elected chimp we currently have in office has yet to meet a bill he doesn't like - he has now gone longer than ANY other president in history without a single veto. S**t rolls down hill - right from the top.
Left of Center said:
I'm not about to hold that against him
I think, as we often do, we're sliding away from the point. I agree that we shouldn't consider it inherently a bad thing if reps in DC try to get some bucks directed home, especially bearing in mind that the term "pork" is in practice perhaps most often defined as "a federally-funded project in the district of a political opponent." McCain is in that sense just playing the game.
(On the other hand, as post notes, this particular case is more classic pork, using federal money to pay for something that should be done through private fund-raising.)
But the real issues here are 1)playing the game while coming on as if you don't and 2)the media not only letting you getting away with the quick shuffle but actually endorsing it. On those counts, McCain and the media are clearly guilty.
How soon folks have forgotten that McCain was a member of the infamous Keating Five, that received payoffs from Keating and contributed to the Savings and Loan collapse in the eighties. Hearing this guy hailed as a reformer and a clean Republican hurts my eardrums.
Jake Tapper was the one who told us what really went on in Florada in 2000.