Sen. James Inhofe Blames Earmark Negativity On Liberal 'Brainwashing' (VIDEO)

Over in the Senate, intra-party tensions are all a-brew over how the GOP is going to deal with earmarks. Senator Jim DeMint would like to see them gone. But Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is a big fan of the earmarks. And his incoming Kentucky colleague Rand Paul seems to be shifting from one stance to the other, depending on what way the wind happens to be blowing that day. The whole mess has left Senator Jim Inhofe full of regret over the way liberals "brainwashed" everyone into thinking that earmarks are bad.

Wait. What?

INHOFE: The problem is the public has been brainwashed into thinking -- and a lot of these are the very liberal, uh, members of Congress -- into thinking that earmarks are somehow all bad. Well, if you quit saying "earmark" and say "appropriations" then I'll buy it.

Uhm...that's not how I remember things! Steve Benen, am I crazy or something?

Let's back up a bit. Earmarks really weren't a major part of the discourse until John McCain's (R) presidential campaign in 2008. Barack Obama, at the time, thought this was all exaggerated.

Yeah, that's my recollection as well. Still, it makes you wonder: is George Soros secretly bankrolling John McCain's Twitter account? I AM JUST RAISING THE TOUGH QUESTIONS.

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Comments

[Madison Lib]

11:31 PM on 11/22/2010

I wish someone would put a big sign up in the background which says "Link?" when he talks.

[Grannyover70]

04:27 AM on 11/19/2010

Somebody please sweep the cobwebs from his brain. I have never heard him make
any sense.

[nananance]

11:28 PM on 11/18/2010

So Imnhofe says Mitch McConnell has now been brainwashed by liberals? LOL!!!

[Coopforobama]

06:41 PM on 11/16/2010

INHOFE: The problem is the public has been brainwashed into thinking -- and a lot of these are the very liberal, uh, members of Congress -- into thinking that earmarks are somehow all bad. Well, if you quit saying "earmark" and say "appropriations" then I'll buy it.

OK, so does that mean if THEY (Republicans, Tea Partiers) stop saying "welfare, socialism, entitlement, Obamacare" and say "as americans we all deserve a chance", then the brainwashed racist and bigots will stop being racist and bigots against anyone who IS NOT white? Just a thought, word really do matter.

[robertsandimas]

11:18 PM on 11/15/2010

Does anyone pay attention to anything this man says? I hope not. I'm ready for an IQ test for candidacy.

[notime4boredom]

10:40 PM on 11/15/2010

They can tell us that doing away with earmarks won't help, but it certainly can't hurt!

[Toa Reap]

01:29 AM on 11/15/2010

Oh brother...

I can't take much more on the "Rightie-go-round"

gettin dizzy

[joedaplumper]

12:27 AM on 11/15/2010

Wow! Inhofe and brainwashing in the same sentence. Now that's rich. You would need a gallon of methyl-ethyl keytone to brainwash Inhofe.

[lynettema]

11:37 PM on 11/14/2010

The public has been brainwashed all right, but it is the Cons and their constant rant of cutting taxes that have muddled the brains of about half of America. I wish the Cons would tell us how we are going to run a country with no income.

[eddiefi]

11:14 PM on 11/14/2010

If I remember correctly all we heard republicans talk about was earmarks during the 2010 elections. All they could say was how they needed to be cut out. Now that they have power in the house again all of sudden they are good again.

[taddles]

09:54 PM on 11/14/2010

So do they actively recruit the people who have the lowest IQ scores in Oklahoma to run for political office? Cause that's gotta be a big herd to pull from.

[mistajefferson]

09:26 PM on 11/14/2010

When you've got 30% of the population who believe that climate change is a hoax and evolution is equally valid as young earth creationism... it's not the liberals who are brainwashed.

It's not like WE support people like Sarah Palin, Sharron Angle and Rand Paul. Hilarious.

[Thomas Clarke]

06:46 PM on 11/14/2010

Hilarious! Apparently reality is whatever the GOP wants it to be - one day "it's earmarks are the devil" and the next its "earmarks can be good" and now its "earmarks are good the Democrats brainwashed us into thinking they are bad." Anyone who believes this b\guy - and I mean anyone, even the most hard-core Tea Bagger - is an idiot.

[apiazza]

09:27 PM on 11/14/2010

Republicans don't like spending unless they are doing the spending!

[enigma2]

09:30 PM on 11/14/2010

LOL, that's the truth, the whole truth and nothing but..

[scorpioman]

06:19 PM on 11/14/2010

don't earmarks create jobs?

[lynettema]

11:38 PM on 11/14/2010

Yeah. Earmarks and tax cuts.

[DK in MS]

02:09 AM on 11/15/2010

Not all the time, but in general, yes, they do.

[dwedge]

04:10 PM on 11/14/2010

Hey Tea Partiers -- looking for a worthless Senator who needs to be replaced?