GOP falling off the rails
One of the factors that led to the GOP losing control of Congress was their lack of fiscal restraint. Sure, they talk a good game, but their actions and words were at odds. Being resigned to minority status wasn’t all bad. Republicans have typically filled the role quite well – blasting free spending Democrats and mounting the occasional symbolic filibuster to curb spending increases. It lets them actually do what they say.
Now it appears the game has changed. With Mitch McConnell running the Republican minority in the Senate he is taking a different route. Instead of emphasizing spending restraint he is seeking to pass flush spending bills – in excess of the president’s request – rife with pork projects.
From Robert Novak:
House Republican Leader John Boehner sounds determined about sticking to President Bush’s budget and ending up with a continuing resolution (CR) keeping spending at present levels. McConnell plays his cards closer to his vest than Boehner but seems to favor cutting a deal with the Democrats for a compromise exceeding Bush’s limits. A CR would contain no new earmarks, while an omnibus bill would be festooned with earmarks for lavish pork-barrel spending back home — desired by McConnell among others.
This poses a fateful choice for a troubled Republican Party in danger of national decline. Rank-and-file House Republicans press Boehner to “regain our brand” as the party of fiscal responsibility. But the Senate GOP, led by McConnell, sees a different route to survival. They feel the need to bring home the bacon to constituents, and that means cutting a deal with Majority Leader Harry Reid for an earmark-heavy omnibus bill.
As a point of reference the Democrat drafted omnibus bill contains 11,932 earmarks.
