Newt Warns GOP On Pork

[Annie]

http://today.reuters.com/news/artic...01_N16212029_RTRUKOC_0_US-GINGRICH.xml&rpc=22

Trent Lott Should Take Notice:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican Party is in serious danger of losing political ground in November elections if it does not enact reforms that eliminate waste and hold the federal bureaucracy to higher standards, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said on Sunday.

"I think they're in very serious danger of having a very bad election this fall," Gingrich said on Fox News Sunday.

"You have to respect the right of the American people to say they want change," he said, criticizing the federal government's bungled efforts to cope with Hurricane Katrina and the Republican-led Congress' failure to enact immigration reforms.

"Are they going to learn some lessons and get their act together?" Gingrich asked.

Republicans currently outnumber Democrats 231-201 in the House and have a 55-44 advantage in the Senate.

The former representative from Georgia said the "debacle" over measures to strengthen U.S. borders and create a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants "was one more piece of the puzzle" for many voters who have lost faith in Republican leadership.

"The country absolutely wants control of the borders," Gingrich said. "The country absolutely wants us to insist that becoming an American citizen requires that you passed a test in English."

A well-designed guest worker program would have the support of 75 percent to 80 percent of the American people, he said.

With the federal budget deficit at record levels, Gingrich said Americans are losing patience with "pork," the discretionary spending earmarked to benefit local political constituencies.

"We were sent here to reform Washington, not to be co-opted by Washington," he said.

 

[Annie]

http://porkbusters.org/2006/04/pork_vs_the_navy_guess_who_win.php#002289

Links at site:

pork vs. the navy: guess who wins?


Posted By
N.Z. Bear

UPI reports that Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), is trying to force the U.S. Navy to pay shipbuilder Northrop Grumman up to $500M for "business disruption" costs due to hurricane Katrina:

The Pentagon and House Republicans are opposing the language in the $106.5 billion bill that would require the Navy to pay the defense giant for "business disruption" costs in advance of any insurance settlement. Such costs generally are covered by insurance, but Northrop and its insurer are in litigation over damage to a Northrop facility in Mississippi, Cochran's home state.

Northrop would have to reimburse the Navy later, but the Pentagon fears that money might not materialize. "We don't think it's in our best interests to do this," said Capt. Tom Van Leunen, chief spokesman for the Navy's acquisition office.

Payments to Northrop could range anywhere from $150 million to the full $500 million out of up to $2.7 billion in appropriated funds for Katrina-related damage, depending on the outcome of negotiations. That could defer necessary Navy expenditures for a year or more.

"We budgeted [the request] for government facilities. That does not include fixing a Northrop Grumman crane," Van Leunen said.

A Northrop spokesman said the money would be used -- not for facilities damage -- but for overhead costs incurred by delivery delays as Congress intended. The company is not "seeking a bailout, but rather payment to the shipyards to help in the restoration and recovery of these shipyards to pre-Katrina performance levels," said Northrop spokesman Randy Belote.

On a completely unrelated note, let's check who Senator Cochran's top campaign contributors are:

THAD COCHRAN: CAREER PROFILE (SINCE 1989)
Top Contributors

1 BellSouth Corp $33,250
2 Northrop Grumman $33,175

Come on, Northrop --- spend the measly $76 and be number one!

But no worries, that's why each state has two Senators, so if one is in the bag to pork-barrel interests, the other can step in as the voice of reason and stand up for fiscal responsibility.

Oh. Never mind.

Posted by N.Z. Bear on April 14, 2006

 

[5stringJeff]

Yay for Newt. He is in my top 3 hopefuls for 2008 (Condi and George Allen (R-VA) are my other two).

 

[Annie]

Yay for Newt. He is in my top 3 hopefuls for 2008 (Condi and George Allen (R-VA) are my other two).

I could go with any of those. My guess no Newt, the leaving cancer stricken wife is not acceptable. In the old days, wouldn't have been reported, but those days are over. He has a sharp intellect and razor sharp political read.

 

[5stringJeff]

I could go with any of those. My guess no Newt, the leaving cancer stricken wife is not acceptable. In the old days, wouldn't have been reported, but those days are over. He has a sharp intellect and razor sharp political read.

I'm not saying I agree with his decision to leave his wife, but he's popular enough with the small-gov't conservatives and free-market capitalists in the party that he might be able to overcome the Christian conservative branch of the party that would be most up-in-arms about that incident.

 

[Annie]

I'm not saying I agree with his decision to leave his wife, but he's popular enough with the small-gov't conservatives and free-market capitalists in the party that he might be able to overcome the Christian conservative branch of the party that would be most up-in-arms about that incident.

Could be, I think he wants it.

 

[CrimsonWhite]

I'm not saying I agree with his decision to leave his wife, but he's popular enough with the small-gov't conservatives and free-market capitalists in the party that he might be able to overcome the Christian conservative branch of the party that would be most up-in-arms about that incident.

He doesn't have the executive experience. A VP with executive experience could offset this, but I like Exec. Exp. in the Oval. Romney anyone?