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Author: Tony Phyrillas
Date:  November 5, 2007

Topic category:  Other/General

Democrats pile on the pork spending


The Club For Growth graded each senator on his or her vote on 15 anti-pork amendments throughout 2007.

The Club for Growth has released its 2007 Senate RePORK Card, grading all 100 Senators on their voting record when it comes to pork-barrel spending projects.

Pennsylvania's two senators, veteran Republican Arlen Specter and freshman Democrat Bob Casey Jr. have something in common. Both are at the top (or is that bottom?) of the list for failing to curb wasteful spending. Specter is often referred to as a RINO (Republican In Name Only) and this latest survey doesn't help his reputation among conservative Republican voters.

The Club For Growth graded each senator on his or her vote on 15 anti-pork amendments throughout 2007.

Only three senators who were present for a majority of the votes -- Tom Coburn (R-OK) and Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Richard Burr (R-NC) -- a perfect score of 100 percent.

Sen. John McCain also received a 100% grade, but he only cast two votes on the 15 bills tracked by the Club For Growth.

Bob Casey Jr. earned one of the worst grades in the Senate, finishing with a 7 percent mark. Arlen Specter didn't fare much better. He earned a 13 percent mark from The Club For Growth. Specter had one of the worst grades for a Senate Republican.

"For all the talk about fiscal responsibility, it is clear that many senators are more interested in securing pet projects than living up to their campaign promises," Club for Growth President Pat Toomey said in a press release. "Fortunately, taxpayers can look at the Club for Growth's House and Senate RePORK Cards and hold their senators and representatives accountable for wasting taxpayer dollars on hippie museums and beaches."

The full report card can be viewed at The Club For Growth Web site, www.clubforgrowth.org

Some interesting findings from The Club For Growth analysis:

The average Republican score was 59 percent; the average Democratic score was 12 percent.

Of the Democratic Party presidential contenders, Sen. Barack Obama scored 33 percent, while Sen. Joe Biden scored 17 percent. And Sen. Hillary Clinton? She came in at 11 percent, one of the lowest scores in the survey.

The only senator receiving a 0 was Tim Johnson (D-SD), who voted against all 10 anti-pork amendments he was present for.

Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) scored a 53 percent; Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) scored a 7 percent, voting for only one amendment.

Tony Phyrillas
http://tonyphyrillas.blogspot.com (Columnist)


Biography - Tony Phyrillas

Tony Phyrillas is a leading conservative political columnist and blogger based in Pennsylvania. He is a veteran journalist with 25 years experience as a reporter, editor and columnist for several newspapers. Phyrillas received recognition for column writing in 2010 from the Associated Press Managing Editors, in 2007 from Suburban Newspapers of America and in 2006 from the Society of Professional Journalists, Keystone Chapter. A graduate of Penn State University, Phyrillas is the city editor and political columnist for The Mercury, a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning daily newspaper in Pottstown, Pa. In addition to The Mercury website (www.pottsmerc.com), his columns are featured on more than a dozen political websites and blogs. Phyrillas is a frequent guest (and occasional host) on talk radio and has been a panelist on the "Journalists Roundtable" public affairs TV program on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN). Phyrillas was named one of the '10 Leading Greek-American Bloggers in the World' in 2007 by Odyssey: The World of Greece magazine. BlogNetNews.com ranked Phyrillas the Most Influential Political Blogger in Pennsylvania for three consecutive years (2007-2010). You can follow Phyrillas on Twitter @TonyPhyrillas


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