Personally, I’d rather see a requirement that earmarks have a legitimate federal perspective — that is, be used for federal, constitutional activities rather than local projects — than a blanket ban on earmarks. I think the fixation with earmarks is overblown and I’d rather the focus be on much larger spending programs. But I nevertheless think the Senate Republicans should adopt the moratorium for the very reason Senator McConnell outlined: this is the bare minimum people expect as a gesture that Republicans are more credible on spending. Rejecting the moratorium and opting for earmarks would be a sign the GOP still wants to campaign as a limited government party but govern as a big spending one.
