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The Spectacle Blog

Paying the Price for their Perfidy

By Doug Bandow on 2.9.09 @ 7:50AM

Some conservatives curiously seem to regard GOP politicians as new-found fiscal heroes since most Republican legislators oppose the Dems' boondoggle "stimulus" bill. Thankfully the GOP remembers partisanship if not principle. But the Republicans are paying a price for their political perfidy. After all, the Dems are cheerfully pointing to the shameless and irresponsible behavior of most of the same Republican members, including leaders, during the Bush years, when the GOP did its best to bankrupt America.

Reports the Washington Times:

As senators prepare to vote Monday on an $827 billion stimulus plan, Democrats turned arguments against the former majority party, chastising Republicans on Sunday's talk shows for presiding over six years of "bloated spending."

House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, Massachusetts Democrat, responded to charges of overspending from Sen. John Ensign, Nevada Republican, by reminding him of the Republican record during the Bush administration.

"On the bloated spending, this comes from a man whose party controlled the federal government - House, Senate and White House - for six years," Mr. Frank said on NBC's "Meet The Press." "The spending that we have now was set by six years of Republican spending."

Too bad congressional Republicans didn't worry about the protecting the Treasury when they were in power. If they had, maybe they would still be in power.

View all comments (6) | Leave a comment

james23| 2.9.09 @ 8:55AM

"the Dems are cheerfully pointing to the shameless and irresponsible behavior of most of the same Republican members, including leaders, during the Bush years, when the GOP did its best to bankrupt America."

Thank you for posting this. Make no mistake, if the GOP were still in power, we'd have a GOP Mega-Stimulus bill spending us into oblivion. It might (or might not) be a smarter bill, but it would still be Big Government to the Rescue. Conclusive proof: Bush-Paulson Bailout Palooza of only 4 months ago.

Thomas| 2.9.09 @ 11:31AM

Democrat or Republican, it apparently makes no difference anymore the all subscribe to the Governor William J. Lepetomane [Mel Brooks in "Blazing Saddles"] school of governance.

"Holy underwear! Sheriff murdered! Innocent women and children blown to bits! We have to protect our phoney baloney jobs here, gentlemen! We must do something about this immediately! Immediately! Immediately! Harrumph! Harrumph! Harrumph! " - Governor William J. Lepetomane.

Maybe they'll appoint Sheriff Bart to fix it.

Teleprompter Messiah| 2.9.09 @ 2:17PM

I do not get the point of this blog entry other than cutesy triumphalism. Maybe getting your ass handed to you is a teaching moment.

For me, it was a proud day when the House Republicans said to the Lightworker and the Hammered Bag, own this turd.

You can't build a reputation for being for limited government if you don't start being for limited government.

ruth| 2.9.09 @ 2:59PM

I agree. What's with Bandow's 'beat up republicans' broken record? What's the point, dude? Repubs aren't in power now. Woulda, coulda, shoulda mean nothing now; train your sights on the liberals, please!

Doug Bandow| 2.9.09 @ 6:58PM

If they don't learn the lesson, they won't be any better if they ever get back into power. So it's important to make sure they learned the lesson.

ruth| 2.9.09 @ 7:29PM

I understand your point, Mr. Bandow, but after a while it serves no purpose to fixate on the past. Also, you unfairly excoriate all repubs, and I don't think that's fair.