by Damozel | I commented just the other day on how many, many Republicans who voted against the stimulus package are lining up with their hands out for a share of those dirty, sexy taxpayer dollars. Presumably they're all for "waste" if it means the money's coming their way.
Funny how that goes. It turns out that all the good parts of the stimulus bill are the parts that Republicans want for their own state's projects. (Don't you wish the legislation could have included a clause saying that anyone who voted against the package, or any governor who publicly opposed it, waived their state's right to ask for any of the money? I think we'd have seen quite a lot less pious public posturing if that could have been implemented.)
Similarly, following Jindal's anti-stimulus speech the other day, Louisiana seems to be queueing up for a share of the exact railroad funding plan that Gov Jindal derided as pork. Apparently his administration thinks it will taste just like chicken provided they get a full serving.
Nola.com reports:
Jindal on Tuesday delivered the official Republican Party response to President Barack Obama's address to Congress. He criticized the stimulus package passed by the Democratic-majority in Congress and the president and noted examples of projects that he found objectionable.
"While some of the projects in the bill make sense, their legislation is larded with wasteful spending," Jindal said. "It includes ... $8 billion for high-speed rail projects, such as a 'magnetic levitation' line from Las Vegas to Disneyland."...The $8 billion pot is for high-speed rail and inter-city passenger rail service projects... Emphasis will be placed on projects that are near ready for implementation so that the stimulus money can hit the streets soon..
Louisiana wants a pricey upgrade to create a passenger rail line from Baton Rouge to New Orleans.
Did Jindal...not know? "Jindal oversees the state transportation department and appointed its secretary." (Nola.com) Hmmmmm.
John Cole says "But I thought it was pork?...I honestly have no clue why the Republicans don’t take just, at the very least, a month, cool their heels, and figure out where they want to go and what they plan to do. This is just ridiculous."
Big Tent Democrat says, "So much for Bobby Jindal's principles."
But Big Tent Democrat and Cole are missing the point.
Jindal and the GOP stimulus-money-grabbers are completely in line with the GOP's unstated principle: "You can fool some of the people all of the time." Those people are called "the Republican base."
They will hear their team inveighing against government spending and fair and proportionate taxation of the disproporationately rich...and enjoy the benefits of government spending plus fair and proportionate taxation of the disproporationately rich, while publicly praying for Obama to fail.
It's a tried-and-tested win-win strategy, since the base can be counted on never to listen to any media source that will call out the GOP posturers for hypocrisy.
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I like that:
"It's a tried-and-tested win-win strategy, since the [GOP] base can be counted on never to listen to any media source that will call out the GOP posturers for hypocrisy."
It's soooooo dead-on.
Posted by: Deb | March 03, 2009 at 09:25 PM