Red States Gobble Up Omnibus Earmarks

If it's budget time, it's good to be a red state. And it's very good to be Mississippi.

According to an analysis by the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense, Mississippi has won the earmark contest in the omnibus budget package.

Mississippi Republican Sen. Thad Cochran led his colleagues by raking in more than $470 million in 204 earmarks. Mississippi's junior Republican, Roger Wicker, pulled in more than $390 million. The totals can't be added together because the figure includes earmarks each received solo and with others, so the same earmark could be in both senators' column. Cochran, on his own, pulled in roughly $76 million and Wicker brought home $4 million.

Cochran's $76 million ranks him sixth among solo earmarkers. (Earmarks can be requested individually, with other members of Congress or along with the president.)

Senate Democrats and Republican ate roughly the same amount from the government trough on a solo basis, although Democrats have one and half times as many members. Democratic members secured about $677 million in individual earmarks; Republicans brought home $669 million. Those solo figures, however, don't tell the entire story, because about six billion more was requested by groups of lawmakers.

For solo earmarks, nobody beat out Sen. Bob Byrd (D-W.Va.), last year's appropriations committee chairman. The defender of earmarks took home $123 million. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) came in second, with $114 million. Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.) rounded out the top three, bringing home $86 million by himself.

Republican leader Mitch McConnell is bringing $51 million back to Kentucky and Democratic leader Harry Reid earmarked $27 million for Nevada. They ranked tenth and seventeenth, respectively.

Louisiana did well, too. Democratic Sen. Mary Landrieu took in the third-most joint and solo earmarks, bringing home $332 million for local projects. Her Republican colleague, Sen. David Vitter, pulled down the fifth-most at $249 million.

The Louisianans straddled Iowa Democrat Tom Harkin, the chairman of the agriculture committee, who brought back $292 million.

Rural and small-state voters were the big winners on an absolute and on a per capita basis, even though it was big states and urban areas that have delivered Congress and the White House to Democrats. Of the top ten earmarking senators, only Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.; $77 million solo; $235 combined), represents a large state and only three of the top ten are blue states. In the top 20, only six blue states are represented.

Comments

[Bowen]

The President should take the lead and take a strong position on eliminating earmarks. This would go a long way toward a more responsible and transparent government.

[Horus45]

The Republicans are nothing more than lying hypocrites!

[GoodGuysandBadGuys]

"Red States Gobble Up Omnibus Earmarks"

oh but they sure hate socialism.

[mom2sons]

Fast Eddie will be bring the bacon to PA!

[talkin33]

you got that write

[mcfried]

Didn't the Dems win - how is this allowed. Good grief Pelosi and Reid are spineless.

[motoGpifupleez]

Now you know why Alabama keeps Richard Shelby in office. My fellow citizens don't care that he talks out of both sides of his mouth, he brings home the CASH. In the political realm, that's all that matters.
The day a politician actually has the courage of their so called "convictions" is the day they get run out of office. Money makes the world go 'round and 'round, 'round and 'round, 'round and 'round.

[jsgaetano]

Smaller Gubment starts at home, Goopers.

But then again, we saw how valid your "fiscal conservative" talking points were when you had the checkbook. It's hardly surprising you guys oppose smaller government when it comes to shrinking the size of your own governments.

[oldgeek1]

Pork is good, it puts the money where the elected officials want it.

You want to go looking at real pork, go study the Defense budget.

[azdirk]

Your state gets pork. My state gets necessary improvements in infrastructure.

[NoSillyName]

Big surprise move by the lying hypocrites.

[Diogenes08]

It is time to give the President the power of the line-item veto. Not only would it make it easy to eliminate pork, it would spotlight that pork, show us who is demanding special treatment, and would be a terrific way to see exactly where President Obama and his successors stand.

[Clavis]

It sounds good, but our Founding Fathers divided the government. It's Congress's job to write the law -- the President can only sign it or refuse to do so. A line-item veto essentially turns the executive branch into a 2nd (and overriding) legislative branch. And that would be a Bad Thing.

What we need is for idiot right-wingers to stop electing corrupt idiot right-wingers to Congress.

[Diogenes08]

OK, you guys have valid points, although I think it would be instructive to see just what a Pub prez would veto. How about a transparency law that would highlight just who wrote what part of a bill? Protects separation but keeps them from hiding stuff and maybe cuts down on midnight passages.

[1differentdrummer]

I disagree, although I see why you say that. An R pres would wield that power differently than a D pres.

[Growmiller]

How is it that Red "conservative, anti big government" states take the most handouts, have the highest murder, welfar and divorce rates YET point fingers at the blue states? The Blue states should just follow The Conservative mantra the Red states preach and become a country of self independent states.. The Red states would become wastelands.

[vjoseph]

Well, they are the definition of hypocrites. I live in one of those red state and I can tell you how crappy it is to live there. I cannot wait to pack up my bags and move to a blue state

[Bompa]

You forgot that they also use the highest amount of Porn...... hypocrites

[Srkdqltr]

I thought these guys did'nt want the money.. the plan was no good .. but they sure gobbled it up in a hurry.... two fased idiots.

[King Cashaw]

Politicians doing their jobs.

[sposton]

Let's not waste our time on earmarks while we are giving away trillions to banksters. They are robbing us blind.

[Diplomacy]

McConnell, Shelby, Vitter, the "three Stooges", where is their "Born-Again" fiscal conservatism now? Hipocrites! Aren't these men the ring leaders who stood up in the Senate vehemently opposed to spending?

Top 10 Pork States: 7 RED States & 3 BLUE States
Top 20 Pork States: 14 RED States & 6 BLUE States

So, who are the REAL pigs at the trough?

[lj9283]

Six of the top ten "Earmakers";
Shelby (R-AL), Cochran (R-MS), Bond (R-MO), Murkowski (R-AK), McConnell (R-KY), Inhofe (R-OK)

[greatbear451]

Didn't McCain promise to make them famous?