Meet the Sunlight Foundation

The Sunlight Foundation is doing all they can to make the public information about our Congressmen available to us in formats we can use.

Check 'em out. http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/
and bookmark 'em or sign up for their ethics blog or press releases.

I found out about 'em as I researched Patrick McHenry and earmarks. They are all over earmark reform (real reform, not Patty's version). They have some cool interactive maps showing where all the earmarks are going (sometimes the congressman of the location receiving the earmark is not the congressman who asked for it. The foundation has an ongoing project (in conjunction with many other great organizations where they list the earmarks and are asking for volunteers to call their congressman and ask if specific earmark requests came from his/her office.

But there's lots of other cool stuff on the site. They have a wonderful page called Insanely Useful Websites, where you can find all that's available on any Congressman or woman.

If you want to know what's really going on, bypass the media and use the Sunlight Foundation to guide you to the facts.

This is sad, but occasionally I feel compelled to mention other points of view

While we've all been enjoying Republican Jeff Flake's (R-AZ) smack-down of our Pat's earmark hypocrisy (for which Mitchell county took an undeserved jab), there is some truth to McHenry's point. Yeah, it's sad.

It's true that Republicans have really made earmarking a fine art of ripping off the public. But McHenry's self-serving insincere point has merit. Of course there should be transparency. And while Representataive Flake managed to point out our Pat's hypocrisy, there were dozens of earmarks (the 11th sure got it's share, more on that later) that didn't draw any attention.

And, more sadly, when Flake questioned congressman Murtha's one million dollar mystery earmark, according to the Hill, which of course only covered McHenry's side of the earmark story only two democrats voted against it:

In fact, several Democrats who regularly voted last year for amendments to strip earmarks out of bills are now voting against similar challenges.

Prior to last year’s election, two Democrats, Cooper and Rep. Melissa Bean (Ill.), voted for all 19 of Flake’s anti-earmark amendments. This year, Cooper has supported all 15 of the amendments; while Bean has supported just one of the amendments, the effort to prevent money from being spent on the Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree, a project in Rep. Patrick McHenry’s (R-N.C.) district.

Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) last year supported 14 of 19 of Flake’s challenges. This year, Matheson has supported only the challenge to McHenry’s earmark.

Democratic Reps. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.), Barney Frank (Mass.) and Gene Taylor (Miss.) each supported five earmark challenges last year. This year, the same Democrats have supported only the effort against McHenry’s request.
Calls to Bean’s and Matheson’s offices were not returned.

Of course, they voted against earmarks when they were from the bloated Republican budget. Democrats traditionally do a much better budgeting job. Even though I can't say I agree with the lack of transparency, I'm not sure the Democratic earmarks are as ugly as the Republican ones. For example, the 11th district earmarks were for schools and hospitals, not roads to nowhere or in exchange for bribes.

Democrats rally against the war

Drug Czar visit to Lenoir for Pat under investigation

Hat tip to Blue South for this in the Charlotte Observer

A visit from the White House drug czar to western North Carolina last year has raised questions in a congressional investigation into the politicization of the national drug policy office.

Drug czar John Walters met with GOP Reps. Patrick McHenry and Charles Taylor in their home districts in August, reports Barb Barrett.

The meetings, each with local sheriffs, were held behind closed doors but highlighted in local newspapers at the time. According to a memo and e-mails obtained by a House oversight committee, the visits appeared to be part of a larger program to have officials from the Office of National Drug Control Policy visit districts of vulnerable GOP members of Congress.

Here's what I wrote at the time about the "pseudo press conference."

And here's what Democratic Carsner had to say back then:

“If he wants to promote himself as dedicated to ending production of methamphetamines, why did he vote to cut in half federal funding for local law enforcement?” Carsner asked. “His approach is short-sighted and irresponsible.”

Wooo hooo. I love a Democratic Congress. Wish they would do more but this is excellent.

Senate, House, DCCC hit PGBB

There's more on other pages but this one was the most impressive:

questions...questions

CNN will host the next Democratic Presidential Debate on July 23rd. The network is urging viewers to submit video questions via YouTube. A blogger for Slate Magazine is blasting CNN for ruining the best part of the YouTube experience...the freedom of expression. Most YouTube videos gain their popularity by popular vote, but the debate questions will be screened by the CNN producers. The Slate blogger argues that the debate would be better if the videos were taken as a whole and not filtered. Question...would you rather see a debate (like we usually do) where the questions are pretty well known and rehearsed in advance or one where the public can introduce new and different topics (with the fear that the questions will turn into a series of questions about which only 3 people in this country care about the answer)? Is there a better option in the middle?

WaPo pimps for Pat

WaPo today printed Novak's inaccurate account of earmark history, promoting Pat as a martyred hero of some imaginary Republican fight for transparency.

The formerly respected media outlet then posted an astonishing vapid interview. Who's paying them to print such crap? Or is their reputation so shot, they don't need a high price to make up for the nonexistent loss of integrity.

The Center for American Progress' Scott Lilly sums up the earmark story this way:

The great conservative spin machine that stretches from the White House Press Room across the various right-wing think tanks to Fox News and dozens of conservative columnists and talk show hosts has amassed an impressive list of accomplishments over the years. But none of the efforts by this vast echo chamber is more impressive than the recent attempt to reshape the Bush White House and their allies in Congress as opponents of the practice of placing earmarks in federal spending legislation.

Here's Bob's insipid lies:

McHenry's $129,000 earmark would have promoted tourism in economically distressed Mitchell County. The new Democratic majority's leadership, which routinely supports earmarks, cracked the whip against this one, apparently in the spirit of political revenge. A conservative firebrand, McHenry had immobilized the House and humiliated the Democrats by leading GOP parliamentary maneuvers to force transparency regarding earmarks, previously hidden by both parties.

But it was nice of the Washington Post's Sleuth to mention us in the second paragraph. Too bad she didn't ask about his stand on credit unions, or the voter fraud indictment of his former staff member/housemate. If they wanted to be so gossipy, why didn't they ask about his preference for young men or allegations of providing alcohol to minors at a political event in Catawba. Here's a sample:

As feisty as he is small (he's 5 feet 3 inches or something; he doesn't measure), McHenry is one of his party's chief attack dogs on the House floor, generally raising hell and employing whatever parliamentary tactic he can to obstruct the Democratic majority's legislation.

The baby of five children and the youngest member of Congress, McHenry was born to be precocious. His high visibility and tenacious scrappiness have earned him plenty of liberal detractors (hence a Web site called Pat Go Bye-Bye Web site and a Washington Monthly cover story comparing him to Tom DeLay and Karl Rove.) But he has also gotten buckets of praise and support from his elder fellow conservatives.

The best moment comes with the questions about his lovelife:

Sleuth: Do you have time for dating? What's it like being a 31-year-old single guy in the House?

McHenry: [Laughter] I try to make time for that. It's just difficult with the schedule and everything else. I'm, uh, just trying to, I'm still trying to find the right girl. And I think in all due time it'll work out.

Sleuth: And is there a certain set of criteria you're looking for?

McHenry: Sure.

Sleuth: What is it?

McHenry: A number of things. [Laughter]

Sleuth: Just give me a little example. Does she have to like NASCAR? I hear you're a big NASCAR fan.

McHenry: Well, look, half the NASCAR teams are in my district. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a constituent. Dale Jarrett. So I don't know, you don't really have a litmus test on that. I think when you meet the right girl, you know. At least that's what all my friends tell me.

I'd like to know where we're supposed to be finding the liberal media bias I keep hearing so much about.