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Something GOP doesn't want to cut: Funding for NASCAR | McClatchy

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

McClatchy - By Barbara Barrett - Feb. 25 (News) - McCollum said it doesn't make sense to keep the benefits for NASCAR teams and track owners when other cuts are being made to community health care, programs for homeless veterans and Head Start. Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/02/25/109477/something-gop-doesnt-want-to-cut.html#ixzz1F1a7bZUQ McCollum said it doesn't make sense to keep the benefits for NASCAR teams and track owners when other cuts are being made to community health care, programs for homeless veterans and Head Start. "It's an earmark," she said. North Carolina Republican Rep. Patrick McHenry disagrees. His Charlotte-area district is home to half the NASCAR teams.

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State of the Union 2011: 'Win the future,' Obama says

Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Washington Post - By Anne E. Kornblut, Lori Montgomery - Jan. 26 (News Report) - Plan comes amid other signs the president is not going to embrace any of the controversial provisions laid out by his deficit commission.

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$1.1 trillion spending bill collapses as GOP senators yank support

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

The Hill - By Alexander Bolton - Dec. 17 (News) - Democrats will move to two high priorities on their legislative agenda: the DREAM Act and a repeal of “Don’t ask, don’t tell." Read more...

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We Should Care This Much About Earmarks? Really?

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Miller-McCune - By Lee Drutman - Nov. 18 (Special Report) - Earmarks are not a big deal, say political scientists. Most are perfectly justifiable, and they definitely aren't to blame for the 'eruption of spending' from Washington.

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Power of the People: McConnell Buckles, Will Support Earmark Ban

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Ace of Spades HQ - By Ace - Nov. 15 (Opinion) - Consider: It is natural that before we get to the tough stuff (and after that-- the really tough stuff) we have to get to the easy stuff, right? Thus, the easy stuff does not fix all of our problems -- not even close -- but it is nevertheless a necessary first step before the also-necessary second and third steps may be had.

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Stimulating Hypocrisy: Scores of Recovery Act Opponents Sought Money Out of Public View

Sun, 17 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Center for Public Integrity - By John Solomon, Aaron Mehta - Oct. 17 (Special Report) - Rep. Pete Sessions, the firebrand conservative from Dallas, Texas, has relentlessly assailed the Democratic-passed stimulus law as a wasteful "trillion dollar spending spree" that was "more about stimulating the government and rewarding political allies than growing the economy and creating jobs." But that didn’t stop the Republican lawmaker from reaching his hand out behind the scenes to seek stimulus money for the suburb of Carrollton after the camera lights went dark and the GOP campaign against the 2009 stimulus law quieted down.

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Cantor Claims $2.8 Trillion In New Debt Is Greater Than $10.6 Trillion In Existing Debt

Sat, 02 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Think Progress - Oct. 02 (Opinion) - Cantor Claims $2.8 Trillion In New Debt Is Greater Than $10.6 Trillion In Existing Debt

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Campaign ads for smart phones, Web come of age

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Minneapolis Star Tribune - Oct. 01 - Minnesota candidates are spending more on online and smart phone ads that zero in on specific groups. The advantage over TV spots? They are cheap, fast and success is easy to measure.

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West Virginia Sen. Robert Byrd dead at 92

Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Joe Holley - Jun. 28 (Special Report) - Mr. Byrd had been hospitalized last week with what was thought to be heat exhaustion, but more serious issues were discovered, aides said Sunday. No formal cause of death was given.

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House Democrat calls out Republicans for defying their party on earmark ban

Sat, 15 May 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Carol D. Leonnig - May. 15 (Investigative Report) - A top House Democrat has issued an ultimatum to Republicans with the potential for political sting: Withdraw earmarks seeking millions of taxpayer dollars for pet projects or be prepared to stand behind them.

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Health-care Bill: Looking for Votes washingtonpost.com

Sun, 21 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - Mar. 21 (Special Report) -

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Enemy Congress

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0700

thenewamerican.com - Mar. 18 (Opinion) -

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The Dangerous New Politics of Pork Projects

Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Newsweek - By Daniel Stone - Feb. 12 (News Analysis) - But lately, bringing home pork has become as much of a political liability as an IRS audit. Since the 2008 election, Republicans, keen to tap populist anger from their fiscal-conservative base and constituencies such as tea-party activists, have presented out-of-control spending—and people like Murtha—as the problem in Washington. Polls suggest the strategy might be working.

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Shelby Blocks All Obama Nominations In The Senate Over AL Earmarks

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Talking Points Memo - By Evan McMorris-Santoro - Feb. 05 (News Report) - Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) has put an extraordinary "blanket hold" on at least 70 nominations President Obama has sent to the Senate, according to multiple reports this evening. The hold means no nominations can move forward unless Senate Democrats can secure a 60-member cloture vote to break it, or until Shelby lifts the hold.

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Mass appeal

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 -0800

Economist - Jan. 20 (News Analysis) - It was a sign of how bad Democratic expectations were for the Senate race in Massachusetts that the knives were out even before the polls had closed. The election, in a state where Democrats heavily outnumber Republicans (and independents account for around half of the electorate), was held to replace Ted Kennedy, a Democratic stalwart who died last year. Mr Kennedy's last legislative priority had been to push for a health-care bill. Now Scott Brown, a Republican former model, will replace him, having won by a five-point margin. This gives the Republicans 41 seats in the Senate, enough for a filibuster to block legislation.

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DeMint watches out for all of us

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Times and Democrat - By − Edwin O. Merwin Jr., James S. Ulmer Jr. - Oct. 18 (Opinion) - There is a saying that the Jews who are wealthy got that way not by watching dollars, but instead by taking care of the pennies and the dollars taking care of themselves. By not using earmarks to fund projects for South Carolina and instead using actual bills, DeMint is watching our nation’s pennies and trying to preserve our country’s wealth and our economy’s viability to give all an opportunity to succeed.

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House GOP Health Group Stacked With Health Sector Campaign Cash

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Sunlight Foundation Blog - By Paul Blumenthal - Jul. 28 (News Report) - The House Republican group tasked with working on health care reform is packed with members who have received substantial campaign contributions from the health care sector. Seven members of the House GOP Health Care Solutions Group are in the top ten Republican recipients of health sector campaign cash since 1989. The Group seats the top four Republican recipients of health sector campaign contributions.

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Lawmakers challenged to read health care bill before voting

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Politico - By Carrie Budoff Brown - Jul. 01 (News Report) - Let Freedom Ring, a group that promotes constitutional government and traditional values, has launched a campaign to get all 535 lawmakers in the House and Senate to pledge to not vote on the health care bill (likely to top 1,000 pages) until they have personally read it and the bill has been posted on the Internet for 72 hours.

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Little Airports Rely On Political Clout To Stay Aloft

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Congressional Quarterly - By Bennett Roth - Jun. 08 (Special Report) - ... the Murtha airport is one of many small-town airports — in districts represented by members from both parties — that have been heavily subsidized though federal grant programs, earmarks and the economic stimulus plan (PL 111-5).

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Obama Seeks Rules to Restrain Spending

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Lori Montgomery - Jun. 08 (News Report) - With the budget deficit soaring toward a record $1.8 trillion, the Obama administration is planning to propose tough new rules that would require lawmakers to pay for new initiatives -- including an overhaul of the health system -- or face automatic spending cuts.

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The Obama White House vs. the Truth-O-Meter

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

PolitiFact - By Bill Adair - Apr. 23 (Special Report) - President Barack Obama and his top administration officials have faced the Truth-O-Meter 21 times since they took office, and they can claim a small victory: They haven't earned any Pants on Fire ratings. But their record for their first 100 days is far from perfect. We've given the Obama White House four False and two Barely True ratings. The Barely True ratings, along with a couple of the Half Trues, illustrate that the Obama White House has quickly learned the art of cherry-picking, selectively choosing the best scenarios and most favorable numbers for their claims.

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Murtha's Earmarks Keep Airport Aloft

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Washington Post - By Carol D. Leonnig - Apr. 19 (Special Report) - The John Murtha airport sits on a windy mountain two hours east of Pittsburgh, a 650-acre expanse of smooth tarmac, spacious buildings, a helicopter hangar and a National Guard training center. Inside the terminal on a recent weekday, four passengers lined up to board a flight, outnumbered by seven security staff members and supervisors, all suited up in gloves and uniforms to screen six pieces of luggage. For three hours that day, no commercial or private planes took off or landed. Three commercial flights leave the airport on weekdays, all bound for Dulles International Airport.

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Key Dems Back Public Option

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

In These Times - By Editor - Apr. 01 (News Report) - If AHSA became law, it would create a federal health insurance system administered by the states. The insurance program would give patients an unlimited choice of doctors and hospitals because their insurance would cover them everywhere.

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Miller-McCune | Article | Political Scientists See Little Reason to Castigate Earmark System

Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Miller-McCune - By Lee Drutman - Mar. 17 (Investigative Report) - "For one, earmarks (i.e. specific targeted requests for funding separate from the normal appropriations process) account for roughly 2 percent of all appropriations expenditures. (By contrast, the military budget accounts for more than half of all federal discretionary spending)."

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Republican Earmarks Taint Spending Criticism

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Real Clear Politics - By Kyle Trygstad - Mar. 15 (Opinion) - While Republicans criticize President Obama for not sticking to a campaign promise to rid government of wasteful spending, the GOP itself is finding trouble getting back to the kind of fiscal discipline its members say disappeared over the last several years they controlled Congress. Republicans in Congress vilified Democrats for both the overall size and the number of earmarks attached to the $410 billion omnibus appropriations bill that Obama signed Wednesday. However, despite the rhetoric, Republicans requested 40 percent of the earmarks and ranked among the highest pork barrel spenders.

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