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After Promising To End Earmarks, Tea Party Freshmen Hog Defense Pork

This betrayal of Tea Party principles isn’t new for the freshmen members, who seemed to have discovered the benefits of cozying up to lobbyists the second they set foot in Washington. According to The Washington Post, GOP freshman Kristi Noem (SD) is just one of at least 13 new Republican lawmakers who hired lobbyists to run their offices. During her campaign, Noem railed against special interest groups for “throwing money at the feet of a member of Congress,” and made a big issue of her opponent’s marriage to a lobbyist. In their first few weeks in office, dozens of freshman lawmakers “had fundraisers to collect millions of dollars from lobbyists and other deep-pocketed interests.”

Dana Milbank noted that it was probably inevitable the Tea Party base would be betrayed, “but the speed with which congressional Republicans have reverted to business-as-usual has been impressive.” Hartzler’s novel justification — that the earmark moratorium doesn’t apply to defense spending — is revealing. Apparently pork isn’t pork if it’s for big hairy weapons systems. The unspoken reasoning is that the freshmen are confident they won’t get tagged for violating their pledge if they can spin it as being “tough on defense.”

They shouldn’t bet on it. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that 51 percent of Americans support cutting defense spending to reduce the deficit. Nevertheless, the Tea Party freshmen’s rapid turnaround illustrates an unfortunate political truth: it’s only pork when your opponent does it


16 Thoughts on “Snooki Noem is becoming quite the porker! (H/T – Helga)

  1. Poly43 on May 27, 2011 at 12:45 pm said:

    Even more pork. From todays Argus.

    Rep. Kristi Noem, R-S.D., told reporters Thursday she’s considering a cap on direct payments as well and, like Thune and Johnson, is a strong defender of crop insurance programs.

    “Producers across South Dakota want a safety net,” she said. “Crop insurance is really key to making sure that they can manage their risks. So we’re going to make sure that that program remains viable and a useful tool for them.”

    Noem, part owner of a Castlewood ranch, and her family have received $443,748 in direct farm subsidies from 1995 to 2008, according to an estimate by the Environmental Working Group.

    Kristi has one sixth interest in Racota Valley Ranch with other family members. Together they skimmed nearly 3 million in federal welfare money. Throw in the fact her hubby is in the crop insurance business and it makes you go hmmmmm.

  2. mike on May 27, 2011 at 2:33 pm said:

    Looks like she has issues just like Herseth did with a lobbyist husband… Noem is going to get a stiff challenge from Herseth in 2014. I’m surprised Noem isn’t taking a stronger stand to look pure…

    Noem is a loser.

  3. mike on May 27, 2011 at 2:35 pm said:

    Noem also didn’t hold any townhalls to discuss ending medicare before she voted on it. I wonder if a majority of south dakotans agree with her vote???

  4. l3wis on May 27, 2011 at 11:11 pm said:

    Oh, but Mike, she is pretty.

  5. rufusx on May 28, 2011 at 11:27 am said:

    Didn’t she also hold “town halls” (during weekday work hours) to discuss “Education” in which education was not a topic she spoke to.

  6. l3wis on May 28, 2011 at 10:30 pm said:

    Yeah, I always love it when politicians hold townhalls during the day, during the work week, so no one shows up. When Munson was mayor of SF, he would do that all the time, and would comment, “We held a public meeting.” That was never announced and held in the middle of the day.

  7. Mike on May 29, 2011 at 11:10 am said:

    She IS pretty…

  8. Mike on May 29, 2011 at 11:11 am said:

    I can’t look at the snooki picture you have posted. Please remove… GROSS!!!

  9. Joan on May 29, 2011 at 7:41 pm said:

    I think the picture looks like a cross between Noem and Palin. They both have big mouths.

  10. mike on May 31, 2011 at 7:23 pm said:

    I’d like to see Nancy Turbak Berry challenge Noem in ’12.

  11. mike on May 31, 2011 at 7:23 pm said:

    Joan,

    Palin is also attractive…

  12. l3wis on May 31, 2011 at 8:32 pm said:

    Mike, while she would lose, it would be fun to see the matchup. I think Nancy is firecracker.

  13. Mike on May 31, 2011 at 9:42 pm said:

    but she would be as viable as it’s going to get for the Dems in ’12 without Herseth and she would really go at Noem. She would also know Noem’s legislative record.

    I’d really like to see some push by the base to get Turbak Berry some traction.

    We need a firecracker in ’12 to hold everyone together. I like Varilek and I like him as a potential candidate better than Barth but dang Turbak Berry would light the base up around the state. I’m excited just at the thought.

  14. Mike on May 31, 2011 at 9:42 pm said:

    Plus she recieved the legislator of the year award from the American Legion.

  15. I for one can already envision Turbak-Berry ripping Noem apart on the Medicare debate and asking her why she said she lied in the 2010 debates when the subject came up.
    Turbak-Berry wouldn’t have to worry about being nice like Herseth did she could just use those debate skills to take Noem on.

  16. l3wis on June 1, 2011 at 4:39 am said:

    I believe, and correct me if I am wrong (Hudson) but wasn’t Turbak one of the main sponsors of the ‘don’t say mean things about legislators’ legislation? If so, I have no tolerance for pro-censorship politicians.

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