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Democrats score low on pork report
By S.A. Miller
Washington Times
November 6, 2007
Senate Democrats yesterday flunked the "rePORK card" issued by a watchdog group that graded lawmakers' support for stripping pet projects from spending bills.
Democrats scored an average of 12 percent out of a possible 100 percent compared with Republicans' 59 percent, according to the "rePORK card" compiled by the Club for Growth, a group that advocates conservative economic policies.
"For all the talk about fiscal responsibility, it is clear that many senators are more interested in securing pet projects than living up to their campaign promises," said Patrick J. Toomey, president of the Club for Growth.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Nevada Democrat, earned a 7 percent ranking by voting for just one of the 15 anti-pork amendments offered by Republicans this year.
Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, scored 11 percent. Her closest rival, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, received a 33 percent ranking.
Mrs. Clinton supported one of the nine anti-pork amendments for which she cast votes. Mr. Obama supported two of the six amendments for which he was present. Mrs. Clinton's campaign did not return a call about her "rePORK card" grade.
Reid spokesman Jim Manley said the Club for Growth was trying to distract attention from President Bush's failed fiscal policies that turned record budget surpluses into record deficits.
"More than half of these earmarks came from the president himself," Mr. Manley said. "The fact remains, the president requested nearly $23 billion for pet projects."
The amendments tracked by the "rePORK card" all targeted pet projects, or earmarks, requested by lawmakers.
Club for Growth spokeswoman Nachama Soloveichik said Mr. Reid's reaction was "incredibly defensive" and ignored the group's criticism of rampant spending under Mr. Bush.
"It doesn't answer why [Mr. Reid] thinks it's OK to approve funding for hippie museums and bike paths," she said. "He voted 93 percent of the time to spend taxpayer dollars on outrageous projects and clearly he has no defense for that."
The Senate adopted just two pork-stripping amendments. One blocked $25 million for spinach farmers set aside in an emergency war-funding bill and another cut $1 million for a museum in upstate New York that celebrates the Woodstock Festival.
Funding for the museum, which has come to be known as the hippie museum, was sponsored by Mrs. Clinton and Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat.
The pet projects, or earmarks, that survived challenges included millions of dollars for bike paths and funds for a baseball field in Montana, the International Peace Garden in North Dakota and a wetlands center in Louisiana.
The amendments were sponsored by Sens. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma and Jim DeMint of South Carolina, who with fellow Republican Sen. Richard M. Burr of North Carolina were the only members to receive 100 percent and vote on most of the 15 amendments.
The lowest grades among Republicans went to Sens. Christopher S. Bond of Missouri, Thad Cochran of Mississippi, Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania and Ted Stevens of Alaska, who each received 13 percent by voting for two of the 15 amendments.
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