Times are most interesting in DC, while the North of the country is cold but dry, while DC is covered in snow. The snow is in the buildings of the legislative branch as much as it outside.
You see we have the unbridled farce of Republicans who eagerly put earmarks into the Omnibus bill to be voted on, saying they will vote against it.
Or at least some of them are doing so. Others seem tone deaf and carrying on as if Nov. 2010 was just like any other election.
There is a subtle sorting process going on of presidential hopefuls. Sen. Demint, Rep Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence are all vowing to vote in a way reflective of the views of tea party movement. DeMint plans to filibuster by requiring the entire Ominibus bill to read out to the Senate reports the WSJ.
“The sliver of good news is that Republican Senators Jim DeMint of South Carolina and Tom Coburn of Oklahoma say they’ll insist that this epic be read aloud on the Senate floor.’”
John Thune, featured in Fox’s 12 for 12, is quickly seeing any support he had in the tea party movement dissipating for comments reported by David Weigel.
“Thune allowed himself a laugh at the mounting absurdity of this. “My way of expressing that is to vote against this legislation.” He was asked why he didn’t just take his earmarks out. “We’re going to try and vote this thing down. I don’t know how you get ’em out now other than amending the bill.””
More or less Senators like Thune are going to vote against it, but hope the Omnibus Bill passes so they can have their cake and eat it. Some could argue that the Republican Senators with earmarks that are going to vote for it are at least being somewhat honest in their ignoring of the voter’s wishes.
Newt Gingrich another possible contender makes it clear how he feels things should be handled, even if the government has to shut for a few days this weekend reports Human Events.
“Republicans should offer to pass a “very clean, simple Continuing Resolution that keeps the government open.” The GOP shouldn’t budge, insists the former Speaker of the House. “This [past] election was in part over pork-barrel spending by earmarks” and the “Democrats are trying to behave as though the election didn’t occur.””
It remains to be seen if the voters will buy this bait and switch from Republicans. Will the chickens come home to roost come 2012 or will they be frozen in the DC winter of 2010?
