Anti-Pork McCain Speaks At New Jersey Museum Funded By Nearly $1 Million In Earmarks
Anti-Pork McCain Speaks At New Jersey Museum Funded By Nearly $1 Million In Earmarks
One of Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) signature campaign pledges is to “do away” with the “pork-barrel-laden bills” from the past few years. Today, McCain held an event at Liberty Science Center, the “most visited museum in New Jersey and one of the most intensively used in the country,” to discuss his environmental agenda.
But McCain’s event at Liberty Science Center conflicts with his promise to abolish earmarks from the federal budget. The museum, in fact, has been the beneficiary of multiple federal earmarks. For example, the Office of Management and Budget reported that in FY2005, the museum received $500,000 from a NASA earmark request:
An increase of $500,000 to the Liberty Science Center, Jersey City, New Jersey for the Hudson Harbor and Estuary Ecological Learning Center.
In FY2006, Liberty received another earmark, this time at $250,000, according to Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW).
Several of McCain’s campaign events have been set at places funded by “pork.” Last month, on the same day he called earmarks “an egregious process,” McCain spoke at a Florida air field that had received almost $10 million in earmarked funds between 2001 and 2005. He also rode on the ferry in Gee’s Bend, AL, a project funded by a federal earmark in the 2005 Transportation/Treasury Appropriations Act.
On May 1, McCain held a health care event at the Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA. There, he met a woman with ovarian cancer who was treated “in a $80 million clinical trial program funded by an earmark.” McCain then backtracked from his anti-earmark crusade, simply stating, “It’s the process I object to.”
But that excuse doesn’t hold up for the Liberty Science Center. CAGW reported that in 2006, NASA “added $273 million in earmarks, in conference, without a budget request from the agency.” These regular appearances at earmark-funded projects reflect the lack of thought in McCain’s plan to wholly abolish federal earmarking.
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17 Responses to “Anti-Pork McCain Speaks At New Jersey Museum Funded By Nearly $1 Million In Earmarks”
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No, no, no - McFlipFlop meant pork barrel spending, not earmarks. He was just having a senior moment.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:29 pmYou know, point out how senile he is will just piss the old coot off.
SHHHHHHH!! Why did you have to bring this up, TP? The White House is going to have a conniption when it finds out that federal money is being used to promote SCIENCE!
May 9th, 2008 at 4:37 pmGrampy McSame says - My friends, back in the day we had pork and bacon too, we all had pigs in our kitchens, they would provide gas for our stoves, stoves that were made of cardboard, I love cardboard sandwiches, covered in syrup and ants, that’s some good eating back then, I hope that’s a apple pie I just sat in.
Grampy McSame sure loves giving speeches in front of Pork projects, don’t he.
May 9th, 2008 at 4:41 pmTo the TP staff:
we appreciate your tireless efforts to come up with news items that put McCain in a bad light, but frankly, I’m concerned you’re gonna pull a hamstring reaching as far as you do.
At least promise you’ll stretch thoroughly beforehand, okay?
May 9th, 2008 at 4:42 pmI think we can all recognize earmarks vs. pork-barrel spending. (Memories of the “Bridge to Nowhere”) and I totally agree with McCain or anyone else that says such pork needs to be eliminated. Hillary’s earmark for the Woodstock Museum was plain and simple a stupid waste of money….and I attended Woodstock as a young adult. McCain’s obvious error was using the wrong terminology. But this is more than just a single slip. We see him “misspeaking” constantly. I think he needs to release his medical records, and I do mean right now!!
May 9th, 2008 at 4:45 pmBuckie Boy Says:
Grampy McSame says - My friends, back in the day we had pork and bacon too, we all had pigs in our kitchens, they would provide gas for our stoves, stoves that were made of cardboard, I love cardboard sandwiches, covered in syrup and ants, that’s some good eating back then, I hope that’s a apple pie I just sat in.
You’re killing me here :)~
May 9th, 2008 at 4:51 pmMcCain likes money as much as Scrooge McDuck. And just like McDuck, McCain wants his own MoneyBin where he can have a diving board and swim in his money from kickbacks and boldface “straight talk” lying.
Campaign finance reform?! McCain will back it and then amend it so he doesn’t have to follow it. That is the McCainian way!
May 9th, 2008 at 4:57 pmThe problem is that McCain tends to lump the two together as being inappropriate. The conflated amount of earmarks and pork barrel projects then forms a very in adequate base from which he will give even greater amounts of tax breaks and tax cuts to the wealthy and corporations. The result will be more jobs shipped overseas, far greater cuts in domestic programs and very pleased Republican elites who will watch with joy as those excess scum (the working and middle classes) die from lack of health care or other services. We need class warfare and we ought to see those like McCain and the others hung out to dry,
May 9th, 2008 at 5:03 pmJMOHR Says: We need class warfare
We’ve had it for awhile, but it’s been covert and the top 1% of the country are largely winning. When Americans who are not part of that privileged group fully realize that the desired policies of that group are the exact opposite of what is needed for the rest of the country, the “privileged class” power will come to an end. All monarchies end.
May 9th, 2008 at 5:24 pmIn Allentown Pa, three streets intersect or sort of do at the corners of Turner, Front, and Chew. I am not kidding. The pickles the guy makes at the farmer’s market are also quite good
May 9th, 2008 at 5:39 pmExit Stage Left Says:
Buckie Boy Says:
Grampy McSame says - My friends, back in the day we had pork and bacon too, we all had pigs in our kitchens, they would provide gas for our stoves, stoves that were made of cardboard, I love cardboard sandwiches, covered in syrup and ants, that’s some good eating back then, I hope that’s a apple pie I just sat in.
Tears are streaming down my face as I type. My co-workers think I’m insane. PLEASE. DON’T. STOP.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:17 pmThat’s okay, at least John will keep the veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan from going to that school, since they haven’t shown a committment to serving their country!!!!
We can’t have those lazy lie about veterans who’ve been whooping it up in Iraq and Afghanistan going and getting themselves educated. What a waste of gun fodder that would be.
May 9th, 2008 at 6:27 pmCaption Contest:
“Would YOU buy a used car from this man?”
May 9th, 2008 at 6:38 pmCaption Contest:
May 9th, 2008 at 10:43 pm“What do you mean, it’s MY turn in the barrel?”
Caption Contest:
“How about I wage a war without end on terror, give free BBQ ribs, chicken, hamburgers and hot dogs to persuade my critics and cutback food stores for our troops?! Priorities people.”
Sorry if my submission is a bit long.
May 10th, 2008 at 2:58 amLiberty Science Center is a wonderful museum, btw. It’s often crammed with kids on school trips - many of them poor kids. It should get more funding, not less.
May 10th, 2008 at 6:32 amIs that McCain doing his Dr. Evil impersonation?
Caption contest:
“Throw me a freakin’ bone”
May 10th, 2008 at 7:15 am