Just when I thought the current climate in Washington had reached a level of partisanship hitherto unimagined, several lawmakers have surprised me.
The Good
Russ Feingold (D-WI)
He’s been off my radar for a while, but just as I had written him off as a pawn of the president, he surprises me. First with his support for the line item veto along with John McCain (R-AZ) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). This shows a commitment to slashing pork that periodically makes its way into appropriations bills. An article explaining the importance of this issue in the war on pork can be found here.
In another major move, Feingold has joined with colleague Evan Bayh (D-IN) in opposing President Obama’s omnibus spending bill according to an article found here. As I have written in my previous posts, these omnibus spending bills that Obama is proposing are loaded with pork and bypass much of the traditional process of committee markup. Therefore, these two Democrats deserve much praise for breaking with the popular president on this issue.
The Bad
David Vitter (R-LA)
In a state noted for rising stars within the partly like Governor Bobby Jindal and Congressman Joseph Cao, Vitter and his stupidity simply will not go away. First there was the DC Madam scandal, which has completely undermined any credibility he has on social issues. Now, according to an article found here, Vitter is becoming a hypocrite on spending issues as well, requesting millions of dollars in earmarks in the Obama Omnibus spending bill. The frustration I feel at Vitter is truly beyond description. One of the major attacks that Republicans can mount against Obama is that his appropriations bills intended to stimulate the economy are becoming convoluted Christmas trees of goodies doled out to special interests. With morons like Vitter running around in the party, this line of attack has been undermined. This guy is worse than the other senator from Louisiana, Mary Landrieu (D), who has requested millions of dollars in earmarks as well. Vitter just needs to go away. Maybe somebody like Cao, who doesn’t really have a safe seat in the house, could step up and primary him. Granted Vitter has a great deal of institutional support, but this stain on the party needs to be removed.
So, it seems that for whatever reason, the era of Obama is indeed bringing surprises. Stupid Republicans and Democrats who have seen the light. The world has been turned upside down!
