The Hypocrisy of the Republicans Rides Again
Callous Conservatives: Gulf State
Republicans’ Sandy Shame
by John Avlon Jan 5, 2013 10:45 AM EST
The Republican congressmen who use New York as a campaign ATM,
but turn a blind eye to suffering here must be held accountable,
writes John Avlon.
Slap a scarlet “S” on these callous conservatives.
Sixty-seven members of Congress–all Republicans—voted
against even $9 billion of Hurricane Sandy relief yesterday.
Remember their names, and hold them accountable.
Twelve of the scarlet 67 voted for Hurricane Katrina
relief—which passed ten days after that devastating
Gulf Coast storm—but against Hurricane Sandy relief
69 days after its landfall in the Northeast. Their names:
Trent Franks (AZ), Ed Royce (CA), Sam Graves (MO), Steve
Pearce (NM), Steve Chabot (OH), Jimmy Duncan (TN), Kenny
Marchant (TX), Randy Neugebauer (TX), Mac Thornberry
(TX), Bob Goodlatte (VA), Tom Petri (WI), and Paul Ryan
(WI).
These congressmen are content to use New York City and
the tri-state area as an ATM when they are looking for
campaign funds, yet they willfully turn a blind eye when
hundreds of thousands of homes and small businesses are
damaged or destroyed and more than 100 Americans are
dead.
Note the name of last year’s vice presidential
nominee and potential 2016 presidential candidate Paul
Ryan on this list. Donors would do well to ask him about
this vote. The Texas delegation likewise asked for
federal funds when hurricanes have devastated their
state, yet are ignoring suffering in the Northeast. But
then conservatives often become liberal when an issue
affects them personally. Just two years ago, Missouri
Congressman Sam Graves begged President Obama for an
emergency declaration to deal with flooding in his
district—now he is afflicted with convenient
amnesia.
The full list of the 67 “nos” is tilted toward
the conservative Gulf Coast states and the
congressmen—many elected after Katrina—whose
constituents often feel the brunt of natural disasters.
Congressman Paul Broun—who when Obama was elected in
2008 called the president-elect a “Marxist” and
compared him to Hitler, who denounced evolution as a
“lie from the pit of hell” despite serving on
the Science Committee—had no trouble asking for FEMA
funds when his district was flooded in 2009. And
Alabama’s Mo Brooks was equally eager for federal
funds when tornados devastated his district in 2011.
The larger point, of course, is that massive disaster
relief is a role for the federal government. There are
times when we are 50 individual states and times when we
need to unite and act as one country. Hurricane relief
should be a no-brainer.
But Club for Growth and other conservative activist
groups decided to make Hurricane Sandy relief a litmus
test for their annual scorecards, and conservative
congressmen started running scared.
The presence of pork in the original Senate Hurricane
Sandy relief bill was a predictable disgrace. For
example, in an essay on CNN, I called out the presence of
pork like $150 million for Alaskan Fisheries and $41
million to military bases including Guantanamo Bay. But
that pork was rightfully stripped from the ultimate
Senate and House bill. Angry conservative activists never
bothered to update their talking points and so they
argued from ignorance.
Moreover, the bill that Congress passed on Friday was
just $9 billion of the total $60 billion Sandy relief
bill (an amount far less than the Governors’
estimate of $80 billion in damage). We’ll have to
wait until at least January 15th for a vote on the
remaining $51 billion.
Club for Growth and other conservative activist groups
decided to make Hurricane Sandy relief a litmus test for
their annual scorecards, and conservative congressmen
started running scared.
The 67 congressman who voted against relief would have
almost certainly voted for it if the impact was felt in
their district. But if those 67 were to visit Staten
Island or the Jersey Shore or the Rockaways today and see
the citizens and volunteers still struggling to dig their
way out of the devastation, they might have a different
opinion. These folks need relief. And the region needs to
increase its resilience to avoid future costs.
Hypocrisy is the unforgiveable sin in politics—and
it abounds among ideologues in congress. But the absence
of compassion matters as well. Because if the threat of
professional partisan activist groups is enough to make
you overlook the struggle and suffering of your fellow
American citizens, maybe it’s time to look in the
mirror and consider a field of work other than public
service. More Here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/01/05/callous-conservatives-gulf-state-republicans-sandy-shame.html