By Chip Hanlon | July 08, 2008 | 1:20 PM | 5 Comments
While Senate leaders have remained mum thus far on our article yesterday calling for donors to cut off the national GOP until leadership changes, the minority leader in the House has noticed, is not happy, and his mouthpiece has spoken to the O.C. Register. His reply is excerpted here:
House Minority Leader John Boehner's spokesman bristled at the Club's letter. Kevin Smith said Boehner, R-Ohio, has never gotten an earmark for his district in his 17 years in the House and that he supports the kind of moratorium the Club is asking for.
"The House GOP economic agenda includes not only plans for an earmark freeze, but also proposals for serious entitlement reforms, unprecedented spending controls, and a revolutionary flat tax plan that has widespread conservative support." Smith said.
This is the type of meaningless, Chatty Cathy-esque reply Mr. Boehner's office has become famous for. Pull the string and out comes some vapid remark that's supposed to mollify us.
The problem with this particular quote is, the Leader's "serious entitlement reforms" amount to swearing off earmarks if Democrats pledge to do the same. He might as well promise to end earmarking the next time the sun forgets to rise in the east.
Most importantly, Mr. Smith, you can parse the details of the Leader's position on earmarks, but the louder you scream on this minor point the more crystal clear it becomes that you cannot possibly answer for the bigger, defining issue: spending. Thou doth protest too much.
Speaking here for myself as an individual, not for any group: you blew it. No amount of protesting on earmarks can hide that reality.
*To my regular blog readers: I'll get back to writing on markets soon, but this political call to action is too important. We have an economic train wreck coming if Obama wins the White House and delivers us the Pelosi/Reid fiscal agenda. The GOP needs to prepare now by installing bold, principled leaders in Congress to prepare for the 1994-style voter revolt that will occur in 2010 if Dems control all reins of government.
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