Ted Stevens Is Earmark King -- Will McCain And Palin Say Anything?
Former Hillary adviser Phil Singer has a very nice catch over on his new blog: It seems that Alaska Senator Ted Stevens is by one measure this year's king of the earmarks. Will anti-earmark warriors John McCain and Sarah Palin say word boo about it?
From The Hill...
Stevens has secured the most earmarks in the Senate defense appropriations bill, according to an analysis by The Hill. The Hill reviewed projects requested by individual members that made it into the spending measure.Stevens's earmark share in the defense bill is more than $200 million.
As Singer notes...
John McCain likes to say he "will use the bully pulpit to make the people who are wasting our tax dollars famous." Is he going to make Ted Stevens famous? Is Sarah Palin -- the supposed arch-enemy of earmarks -- going to weigh in against the Stevens earmarks?
Palin may still endorse Stevens for reelection -- she won't say one way or the other. So I think it's fair to predict that this Joan of Arc of earmarks slayers won't say a peep about her fellow Alaskan's massive earmarks haul.
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Will McCain And Palin Say Anything?
To get elected? Yes.
About Ted Stevens? No.
September 17, 2008 10:42 AM | Reply | Permalink
10:1 that Biden finds a way to bring up Stevens in the debate.
September 17, 2008 10:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
I hope so. He should ask her if she's supporting point blank. She'll probably stumble, and that opens to Biden to go off, or she'll say yes, and that opens Biden to go off.
Or she'll say no, and then Biden can just pull one of those moves where you go on to make your previous point anyway, this one being about how she'd known the man all these years and she waits until now to tell the voters he's a bad bet...etc.
Win, win, win...
September 17, 2008 11:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's a shame that there isn't some high profile Stevens supporter to call Palin Judas. Or maybe Carville could anyway....
September 17, 2008 11:04 AM | Reply | Permalink
good question. is anyone up there willing to go on record supporting him? he must have a lot to be competing. who are these people, and how do they feel about palin's "tough talk"? Or do they know it's all talk?
September 17, 2008 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
Elephant talk.
September 17, 2008 11:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Like you were saying, Biden may hit it pretty well. Problem is that there are so many points for him to attack. He could seem to viewers to enjoy it too much!
September 17, 2008 11:31 AM | Reply | Permalink
Plenty still support Stevens. The mentality is a little strange in AK because it is so remote. There is a phenomenal US and THEM perspective which pervades the beautiful but harsh and unforgiving environment. Nobody "gets" Alaska but Alaskans. They are wagon circler's.
Stevens does for his own. That's how his peeps see it. That includes Palin, at least, to some extent. After his indictment, she said if he wasn't in the senate Alaska would lose a great champion.
September 17, 2008 11:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
This should be the unified message of every Democrat on any talk show. They should start with McCain's hypocrisy on the economy and then move to the hypocrisy on earmarks with: "Not only does McCain lie about Palin and her Bridge to Nowhere, but neither he nor his "press shielded" vp running mate will condemn the indicted Stevens for leading the Senate in earmarks. These are real change candidates, more like gutless wonders."
September 17, 2008 10:49 AM | Reply | Permalink
The good news is that the 'press shield' is being lowered... albeit slowly. Watch as Palin's positive rating goes down and negative rating goes up...
http://thepajamapundit.com/
September 17, 2008 1:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Obama should use his bully pulpit to do it for him. In fact, he should quote McCain about using his bully pulpit, then ask, "What he is waiting for? Here, I'll start - Ted Stevens!! Remember that name, America! Ted Stevens is the earmark king, he gave us the Bridge to Nowhere and billions of dollars in earmarks. What is McCain waiting for? Where is the outrage? Where is the bully pulpit?"
September 17, 2008 10:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
If McCain/Palin meant one word that they've said about reform, pork-fighting etc., and if they are at all serious mavericks, they would endorse Begich pronto. They say that they're different, that it's "country first" and not about the party. Okay, well then let's see it.
September 17, 2008 10:50 AM | Reply | Permalink
In McCain's convention speech he singled out his entire party for losing their way and giving in to the culture of Washington so that they no longer put their country first. It's not just Stevens it is all of them.
Senator McCain, you said your party has lost it's way in Washington and no longer puts the country's interest first. If George Bush were allowed to run for a third term, and were running in this election, wold you vote for him?
Sen. McCain if you think Ted Stevens has lost his way and puts his political future ahead of his country why should the voters of Alaska return him to Congress?
Sen. McCain if you think Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has lost his way and puts his political future ahead of his country why should the voters of Kentucky return him to Congress?
Mr. McCain if you think minority leader John Boehner has lost his way and puts his political future ahead of his country why should the voters of Ohio return him to Congress?
Mr. McCain if you think Sen. Sununu has lost his way and puts his political future ahead of his country why should the voters of New Hampshire return him to Congress?
Mr. McCain if you think Sen. Chambliss has lost his way and puts his political future ahead of his country why should the voters of Georgia return him to Congress?
Keep going for every elected Republican memebr of the Senate who is up for re-election.
It's not just about Stevens. If McCain is running against a corrupt and direction-less party, then he is running against all of them. Make him swallow it until he chokes.
September 17, 2008 1:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I would gain a little respect if they did call them out. Bi-partisan for them means getting a lot of Republicans in there so there won't have to be any problems passing votes.
Stevens is up for re-election, no way they are gonna call them out. HYPOCRISY!
Fixing earmarks is putting a bandaid on a broken arm. Earmarks are what actually funds a lot of our infrastructure in America. Sounds nice to fix, but if that is all McCain is going to fix seems pretty weak.
September 17, 2008 10:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am always amazed that hypocrisy sells so well. It is the basis of the Rove election philosophy.
I think this time it will come tumbling down for the GOP like in '06, but it will be back I'm sure. It just has too many syllables to catch on or something...
September 17, 2008 10:55 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, but 'hypocrisy' doesn't have the ring to it that "Country First" does. I'm sure they tried it in test marketing though.
September 17, 2008 11:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Earmarks in 2008: $13.2 billion
Iraq in 2008: $133.6 billion
Call me crazy but I know where I could start shaving some money at.
Comparatively speaking, I would support earmarks over Iraq, Earmarks help America.
September 17, 2008 10:59 AM | Reply | Permalink
AIG Bailout: $85 billion
Earmarks is one of the last things we should be focused on.
Pufferfish
September 17, 2008 11:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
True, but it isn't lost mone per se. We'll get it back (at a paltry 2% interest) eventually.
September 17, 2008 11:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Wow, I've never spelled "money" wrong before.
September 17, 2008 11:10 AM | Reply | Permalink
It's not about the money. It's about the lack of principle. It's about the hypocrisy.
September 17, 2008 11:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Sure they will. It'll go like this.
McCain:
"Ted Stevens never requested an earmark during the entire time he's been in the Senate."
Interviewer:
"Senator McCain, I don't understand how you can say that when Senator Stevens is notorious for having obtained more earmark dollars per citizen of his state than any other senator in history over the course of his incredily lengthy career in the Senate."
McCain:
"Well, its easy. I just take a breath, make my vocal cords vibrate and use my mouth, tongue and throat to shape the resulting sounds into words."
Interviewer:
"Ummmm, my point is that what you said isn't true."
McCain:
"Yes it is."
Interviewer:
"Noooo, its not. Sen. Stevens has obtained hundreds of millions of dollars in earmarked funds for Alaska just in his most recent term."
McCain:
"Not while he was senator, he didn't."
September 17, 2008 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
In what respect, Charlie?
September 17, 2008 11:03 AM | Reply | Permalink
Haven't we seen clips of Gov. Palin praising Alaska's congressional delegation as the envy of the whole country? Hasn't she consistently aided and abetted the work of the AK congressional delegation to bring the pork?
September 17, 2008 11:13 AM | Reply | Permalink
How about asking if under McCain-Palin the US will continue to pour multi-millions into Iraq for infrastructure rebuilding, when the Iraqis have a multi-billion dollar oil surplus?
Oh, yeah, and maybe ask the same thing about Alaska.
September 17, 2008 12:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Remember Palin's the Earmark Queen.
September 17, 2008 2:53 PM | Reply | Permalink
Both Geezer and Gidge's silences speaks their endorsement of Stevens, et al, more eloquently that words on paper,,,, or words anywhere else for that matter.
They're wide open on this one,,,,,, and should they be true to their no earmark verbage, not to mention their reform verbage,,,, it'll cost them big time in November,,,,, and perhaps give Barack three more electoral votes. Now that is better than a bowl of moose stew anyday.
September 17, 2008 3:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
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September 17, 2008 7:58 PM | Reply | Permalink