Political & Elections

nbachris2788 · Senior Member

RE: Michelle Bachmann and earmarks

Cartera · Guru

One thing this forum has in common with the old CC forum -

Michelle Bachmann is still a moron.

It is a source of agitation to me that she received her LL.M. from my alma mater. I think I know what the M stands for though.

Cardinal Fang · Senior Member

Billy wrote:

Oh. I see. She opposes earmarks that she doesn't support. But earmarks she does support are fine. Way to stake a bold position! Thanks for clarifying, Ms. Bachmann.
Hypocrisy is more common than millionaires in Congress.

If it were another politician, I'd think hypocrisy, but with Bachmann I think she's just genuinely dopey. Someone told her to oppose earmarks so she did, but in her little ant-brain she didn't connect that up to her bringing pork money for worthy projects to her own district.

Schmaltz · In exile

Just wanted to say that Michelle Bachmann is hot.

Cardinal Fang · Senior Member

Think what we won't have, though-- all those departments at insurance companies whose job was to decide how not to give people insurance. Or how to take away the insurance someone had paid for for years, just because the person got sick.

Billy · Senior Member

Oh. I see. She opposes earmarks that she doesn't support. But earmarks she does support are fine. Way to stake a bold position! Thanks for clarifying, Ms. Bachmann.
Hypocrisy is more common than millionaires in Congress.

poetgrl · Senior Member

Yes, well we are going to have entire departments dedicated to interpreting the health care bill, including the supreme court. evileye

Cardinal Fang · Senior Member

But we have an entire branch of government dedicated to interpreting the Constitution. How long are all the Supreme Court cases that decide what is constitutional?

poetgrl · Senior Member

" To repeat a comment, forget term limits, limit the size of legislation to 50 double spaced, single-sided pica type pages. Need more complexity? Use another or several more bills, all of which can be supported or opposed individually "

How many pages long is the actual constitution? I'm going to look that up.

four.

The constitution is four pages long. How has the country survived?

-- Edited by poetgrl on Wednesday 17th of November 2010 04:18:15 PM

BigG · Guru

RIP competency and patriotism.

We have leaders who are good at getting elected and re-elected but not at actually governing.

The burgeoning tendency to micromanage exacerbates the lack of real competency in elected officials. Instead of relying on professionals to "do the job" they try to direct every little task. That is why the health insurance bill become law is a monster.

Democracy may not be a good idea. We will see. I have a sentimental attachment to the idea, but it seems to be failing.

To repeat a comment, forget term limits, limit the size of legislation to 50 double spaced, single-sided pica type pages. Need more complexity? Use another or several more bills, all of which can be supported or opposed individually.

busdriver11 · Guru

He sounds like a brave politician, how unusual. Or someone who didn't want the job the next time around.

Consolation · In exile

We had a congressman in Maine who actually voted to support the base closing commission's work on the grounds that it was good for the nation and fiscally responsible. Despite the fact that one of the bases that was being closed was in his district.

Formerly very popular, he was turned out of office at the next election.

People talk a good game about not wanting pork barrel spending, but when it is their own district...forget about it.

Cardinal Fang · Senior Member

Reminds me of a classic from A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. It goes something like this:

************

Pseudolus I am totally impervious to physical pain.

(Hysterium sticks him with a pin)
Pseudolus OUCH!!

Hysterium I thought you said you were totally impervious to physical pain?

Pseudolus NOT MY OWN!!

****************

I don't have a strong feeling about banning earmarks. They're bribes to legislators, but they don't increase the total cost of bills, and maybe we have to allow such deals in order to get legislation passed. Compromise is difficult, and the sausagemaking required for it can be ugly.

But I do have a strong feeling about the intellectual dishonesty of trumpeting an opposition to earmarks, and then (after the election) admitting that you don't oppose earmarks in general, just earmarks that you oppose. Unlike all the other legislators, who support earmarks they oppose?

busdriver11 · Guru

That sounds like the typical, "Your project is a wasteful earmark, mine is vitally important spending." It would be good to get some consistency from these people. So much rhetoric, some of it actually sounds pretty good...but then when it comes down to it, it the same old politics as usual. What do they teach them a course in how to bs as they enter Congress, or are they just born with it? Is there an honest politician out there who isn't just saying what people want to hear and then doing whatever buys them the most votes?

Cardinal Fang · Senior Member

To my great sorrow, House Republicans snubbed Michelle Bachmann (R-Minnesota) for House Conference Chair in favor of Jeb Hensarling who has similar conservative views, but also has an IQ in the positive digits. Happily, despite this setback Bachmann continues to make news.

Some foolish people jumped to the conclusion that Ms. Bachmann opposes earmarks, flimsily justifying our reasoning by noting that as the founder of the Tea Party Caucus in the House, she spent the last three months barnstorming around the country making speeches opposing earmarks, and on her website she says earmarks are "little more than a political favor factory at taxpayer expense." But we missed the nuances in her position.

"Advocating for transportation projects for one's district in my mind does not equate to an earmark," Bachmann told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune yesterday.

"I don't believe that building roads and bridges and interchanges should be considered an earmark," Bachmann continued. "There's a big difference between funding a tea pot museum and a bridge over a vital waterway."

Oh. I see. She opposes earmarks that she doesn't support. But earmarks she does support are fine. Way to stake a bold position! Thanks for clarifying, Ms. Bachmann.

<a href="http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2010/11/anti-earmark-bachmann-open-to-earmark-redefinition-for-her-district.php> Talking Points Memo</a>

(Sorry about the fonts. I can't get the formatting to work, and Remove formatting is also failing. Even editing the raw HTML doesn't take.)