Politics

Can We Trust the GOP to Cut Spending?, Take 2

|

Jeebus, that didn't take long. We just posted Reason columnist and Mercatus Center economist Veronique de Rugy's most recent print mag story about the Republicans' wicked, wicked ways when it comes to restraining the spending they inveigh against all the time. It's not a pretty story, either:

Surprisingly, the data show that military spending is the only major item that Republicans (aside from Reagan) were willing to cut. That was the case under Nixon (who presided over a 30 percent cut), George H.W. Bush (a 14.5 percent cut), and even the Republican Congress that shared power during the second half of Bill Clinton's first term (a 15.3 percent cut). Sadly, there is little chance this Congress will follow suit. In recent months, conservative think tanks have been campaigning to shield the Pentagon from budget reductions.

And now comes word via Cap'n Ed Morrissey at Hot Air that

Perhaps it might take more than one election for the message to sink into the heads of Republican leadership.  Three of the GOP "cardinals" on the House Appropriations Committee only waited a week before reminding people that the moratorium on pork is only temporary, and that they look forward to the day when members can earmark funds for their own district.

You know, the last cardinal worth a damn wasn't no Republican. It was Leo Durocher, fer crying out loud. For a full list of jag-off Republicans in on this scam, click above or check out this story from The Hill.

In more Durocherania, here's Leo the Lip trying to sign Herman Munster to the Los Angeles Dodgers, even though he thinks the family look like "wetbacks from the Petrified Forest." As Durocher said, he didn't care who you were or where you came from as long as you could help him win. Bonus great line: "I don't know whether to sign him or send him to Vietnam" (cue laugh track!).