Republicans Who Opposed The Stimulus Line Up To Criticize It Publicly, Request More Money Privately
Republicans Who Opposed The Stimulus Line Up To Criticize It Publicly, Request More Money Privately
The AP reports that Republicans who opposed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, commonly referred to as the stimulus, are nonetheless vigorously pursuing money from the program. Many GOP members, like Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY), are still slamming the stimulus as waste and a failure, yet at the same time are making internal appeals for more funds. Guthrie, attacked the Recovery Act for its “staggering” costs just days before he urged Defense Secretary Robert Gates to consider using stimulus money to renovate a military hospital in his congressional district.
Other opponents of the stimulus now pleading for stimulus money include:
– Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) and Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA) opposed the stimulus and attacked it as a bloated government giveaway. However, both senators recently asked Gates to steer $50 million in stimulus money for a bio-energy project. Visiting a food bank aided by money from the stimulus, Chambliss exclaimed last week, “I’m very pleased that the government continues to play a key role, here, from the standpoint of providing food.”
– Rep. Mary Fallin (R-OK) — who called the stimulus a “Big Brother spending program” — asked Army Secretary Pete Geren to use $8.4 million in stimulus money for repairs to buildings at two Oklahoma National Guard sites.
– Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK) told CNS News last month, “I don’t think it [failed] – I know it. I said at the time, there’s no stimulus in the stimulus bill.” He also called the Recovery Act simply “welfare.” However, a recent press release from Inhofe hails $1.9 million in funding for a Claremore regional railroad-based trans-modal facility, noting the investment will “help spur additional economic growth” and that the senator is “happy” about the way the money is being used. Inhofe, of course, makes no mention that the money is authorized by the Recovery Act.
– Rep. John Carter (R-TX) opposed the Recovery Act, and recently called the entire program a failure that should be “repealed.” Regardless, Carter’s public pronouncements did not stop him from requesting $621 million in hospital projects from the stimulus — then calling the funds a victory for the economy in central Texas.
– Rep. Bill Young (R-FL), another stimulus opponent, now lists various links on his website to help his constituents “take advantage of the federal stimulus money.”
Congressional Republican leadership, who helped corral every single GOP House member and a nearly every Republican senator to oppose the Recovery Act, are also shamelessly attacking the stimulus while requesting stimulus money. As ThinkProgress has reported, House Republican Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA) recently hosted a job fair filled with jobs fueled by the stimulus and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has been taking credit for stimulus projects in his home state. Indeed, even Gov. Bobby Jindal (R-LA), considered a leading figure for his party, toured his state handing out jumbo-sized checks containing millions of dollars of stimulus money. Rather than credit the Recovery Act, which he refers to as a failure, Jindal printed his own name on the checks.
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The Hyppo group is growing, just like their noses.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:25 pmMN has it’s first drop in unemployment claims in 2 years.
Governor Pawlenty cannot bring himself to credit the stimulus package,however.
Of course, he also denied talk of a recession.
Alternative realities form strange perceptions…
August 27th, 2009 at 1:26 pmCaption: Uncle Sam has reached eligibility for Medicare…
August 27th, 2009 at 1:26 pmOh look, Republicans being hypocrites….
August 27th, 2009 at 1:27 pmIt’s becoming more of an embarrassment to admit that I live in the South. What is up with these hypocritical morons?
Thankfully, I live in New Orleans…which is a rather blue island in a sea of red.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:30 pmWhen the stimulus program is proven to be a success within two years, I expect the Repugs to hae claimed it as their own idea, stolen by Obama — hypocrites and liars, self-promoting and self-centered.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:31 pmtypo — have, not hae
August 27th, 2009 at 1:32 pmThis transparent lack of consistency does however make Michael Steele’s continued employment as RNC chair and cosmic comic relief somewhat easier to understand.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:32 pmTypical Republicans being money grubbing hypocrites.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:33 pmThis will be fodder for any challengers. The Dems will have a good shot of upsetting some of these people if the Dems can get their act together. Once voters in the South realize the hypocrisy, it will be easier for a Dem to get elected.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:33 pmThis should be broadcast on the MSM widely. Expose their hypocrisy.
Problem is, the MSM would never go for it because they are in bed with the Repiggies. Butt, if the Dems were doing this, it would be on every station 24/7.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:34 pmpags,
A good deal of the voters in the south live a life of hypocrisy. It works for them and it works for the politicians. I’d be surprised if it mattered to them more than it matters there’s a black man in the white house.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:36 pmHow about telling them “No?” Say, “You said you didn’t want it, so we spent the money on people who actually did. You wanted to go on the record as an obstructionist pain in the ass at the expense of your own voters, now you can go back to them and explain why your state’s economic situation sucks. You reap what you sow, you little animated asscramps.”
August 27th, 2009 at 1:43 pmIt’s called having your cake and eating it too. You see, they can’t say they like the funding because they’ve trained all the wingnuts in thier states to start slavering and complaining about ANY initiative from the Obama Administration. However, due mainly to thier policies their states are broke and need federal dollars to get things moving again. The only way around this is to slam the stimulus dollars publically and take them seriptitiously. They know they can get away with it because the wingnuts in their states are too dull witted to question where all the $$$ is coming from.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:44 pmUncle Ho
August 27th, 2009 at 1:47 pmI just sent this to MSNBC, CNN and, for laughs, to Fox.
Two clowns with a guy from Kentucky in the middle.
Repubs, taking hypocrisy to new levels of excellence!
August 27th, 2009 at 1:48 pmNutWrench says:
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How about telling them “No?” Say, “You said you didn’t want it, so we spent the money on people who actually did. You wanted to go on the record as an obstructionist pain in the ass at the expense of your own voters, now you can go back to them and explain why your state’s economic situation sucks. You reap what you sow, you little animated asscramps.”
August 27th, 2009 at 1:49 pmWouldnt the repugs just start whinning about how the Dems are picking on them and that they just cant be trusted to take care of the people of the U.S.A.? Typical cry babies.
I hope these guys never catch on to the fact they’re being recorded when they do these things.
But I hope their constituents catch on to the kinds of liars they are.
August 27th, 2009 at 1:49 pmWell they know it is working and will be a good thing here in 2 years or less. So know they are doing the let set it up so i can say it was me and the republicans that fought so hard to get the things you need.
we will put 2 chickens in every pot and millions of dollars in ours.
what a great country and only in America
August 27th, 2009 at 2:06 pmThe biggest lie in the world is that the Republican Party has the interest of the middle class in their hearts.
We all know they are the party of Big Business, Big Insurance, Big Oil, Big Banks, and NO REGULATION. They preach less government, which is their way of allowing the rich to get richer.
Haters like Limpballs, Beck, Billo, and Caribu Barbie do a good job of brainwashing the mindless into believing that they are loved…so sad.
They are so scared that the economy will rebound under Obama that they openly lie and distort the truth.
August 27th, 2009 at 2:07 pmBarracks9…what are the chances of seeing a new Congressman and Senator next year? Can we defeat Vitter?
August 27th, 2009 at 2:10 pmRich H says:
A good deal of the voters in the south live a life of hypocrisy. It works for them and it works for the politicians. I’d be surprised if it mattered to them more than it matters there’s a black man in the white house.
Although there may be a lot of people in the south that are prejudiced and narrow minded, I do not accept the stereotype is in the majority. Many of these people who live in rural areas just need to be educated on the issues. That is the best way to combat the “Bubba” image. I cannot accept that every newspaper or tv station in the South is a miniature version of Fox News.
August 27th, 2009 at 2:10 pmCut these idiots off and make em beg for the money in public. See how well that goes over.
Beat them at their own game.
August 27th, 2009 at 2:13 pmWell, what do we expect from immoral, unethical scum bags from the Reich?
Just typical behavior from these America hating POS.
Fcuk the Republic Fascist Party
August 27th, 2009 at 2:18 pmtexasrick says:
Barracks9…what are the chances of seeing a new Congressman and Senator next year? Can we defeat Vitter?
Vitter may face some interesting competition. While Stormy Daniel may come in as a novelty (adult film star), but she seems to be laying the proper groundwork, so to speak.
There is deep anti-Vitter sentiment here in New Orleans, but once you’re in the outer parishes, all is forgotten/forgiven. As for Cao, unless he steps up to the plate and soon, he’ll be little but a placeholder and footnote shortly.
August 27th, 2009 at 2:20 pmpags2..
Unfortunately the width and breath of their prejudice is enormous. They live and die with Fox news, and Rush and Beck are like Gods to them…really.
They hate the fact that a Democrat is President and they hate even more that a black man is a Democratic President.
August 27th, 2009 at 2:20 pmWell, they found one kind of bill Inhofe does read..the green kind from taxpayers. I hear he has quite a collection of them
August 27th, 2009 at 2:36 pmI bet Vitter votes for Stormy Daniel..
August 27th, 2009 at 2:39 pmTime for the DNC or any other (people) interest group to put out a national ad that exposes all these hyppos.
August 27th, 2009 at 2:49 pmIt doesn’t have to be bitter, just biting.
“Republicans Who Opposed The Stimulus Line Up To Criticize It Publicly, Request More Money Privately”
lol Crawling to the President with their tin cups for more moola. Amazing. I knew that voting against the stimulus money all in the name of the party would bite The Party of No in the ass. You stay classy, GNOP.
August 27th, 2009 at 2:59 pmtexasrick says:
Unfortunately the width and breath of their prejudice is enormous. They live and die with Fox news, and Rush and Beck are like Gods to them…really.
Prejudice may play a large part but people in the lower economic strata are easy prey for politicians who wave the flag and thump the Bible.
August 27th, 2009 at 3:15 pmRepublican hypocrisy? I hate to say it, TP, but this is a bit of a “dog bites man” story…
August 27th, 2009 at 3:43 pmSleazy, degenerate liars.
August 27th, 2009 at 5:02 pmThe people lap up the lies of the Southern Republicans. How do these people sleep at night.
August 27th, 2009 at 9:46 pmHypocritters they just can`t help themselves……….can they?
August 27th, 2009 at 11:33 pmPeople are hypocritical, and always refer back to the innate need to serve ones self first. No matter what people believe, or claim, when it comes down to the wire, what best fits a person is what that person will do. IT also refers to the duality of society, we say one thing and do another. People are expected to have alter egos. Just because this stimulus bill is proposed by our Democratic government, the members of the GOP feel the need to hate on it. But in reality, they may know the benefits, and thus are able to be hypocritical, and ask for money when outwardly bashing it.
August 28th, 2009 at 3:50 amA website for these wing nuts and their lies would be great. People would not have to filter through unrelated issues to see who is actually lying to them and about what.
August 28th, 2009 at 10:42 amStimulus and corruption were made to be together.
“A government policy to rob Peter to pay Paul can be assured of the support of Paul.”
August 28th, 2009 at 6:13 pm– George Bernard Shaw
very thanks for article!
August 31st, 2009 at 11:07 am