Ban earmarks, and members of Congress will concentrate solely on policies that will benefit the nation as a whole, right?
OK, you can stop laughing. Check out this brief article from the latest Bloomberg Businessweek.
Two years after federal lawmakers banned earmarks amid an outcry that they were bloating the country’s deficit, Democrats up for reelection are getting creative when it comes to convincing voters they’ve got their backs. Enter [Senate Majority Leader Harry] Reid, who’s trying to defend 23 seats by doling out plum sponsorships and other opportunities for members in competitive races. He tapped Senator Bob Casey as the lead sponsor of the successful 2012 payroll tax cut extension, a measure popular with middle-class workers in Pennsylvania, a presidential battleground. Washington Senator Maria Cantwell got to take credit for sponsoring an amendment to extend the Export-Import Bank’s charter, a measure backed by Boeing (BA), which builds airplanes in her state that are supported by Ex-Im loans. Reid also cleared the way for a vote on West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin’s amendment to extend a moratorium on closing post offices, including one in Manchin’s Republican-leaning state.
“They’re clearly being somewhat politically strategic in how they are scheduling the floor,” says South Dakota Senator John Thune, a member of the Republican leadership. “There’s no question about that.” Reid’s spokesman, Adam Jentleson, doesn’t take that as a compliment: “I think it’s a little silly to pick these out and say they’re different from other bills just by virtue of the fact that 2012ers are involved.” It’s standard practice for any senator “who has an issue that’s important to them” to enlist Reid’s help in getting attention, Jentleson says.
It’s shocking to learn that politicians whose jobs depend on re-election would spend time and effort to ensure their re-election. The words “public-choice economics” come to mind.
