Cross-posted from Congress Matters. If you've got a Daily Kos account, you've got a Congress Matters account. Log in with your existing Daily Kos user name and password.
Here's a fun story now making the blog rounds:
Rep. John Mica was gushing after the House of Representatives voted Friday to pass the big stimulus plan.
"I applaud President Obama's recognition that high-speed rail should be part of America's future," the Florida Republican beamed in a press release.
Yet Mica had just joined every other GOP House member in voting against the $787.2 billion economic recovery plan.
But Mica wasn't alone in touting what he saw as the bill's virtues. Rep. Don Young, R-Alaska, also had nice things to say in a press release.
Young boasted that he "won a victory for the Alaska Native contracting program and other Alaska small business owners last night in H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act."
One provision would have made it harder for minority businesses to win contracts, and Young explained that he "worked with members on the other side of the aisle to make the case for these programs, and was able to get the provision pulled from the bill."
Standard operating procedure, of course. Oppose the bill viciously, vote against it, then show up at every ribbon cutting in the district paid for by federal funds, and cry "Politicization!" if they're not invited.
And I'm sure there are more out there. I may just comb the web sites of some Republicans to see if they're putting out press releases announcing funds for programs funded by the stimulus in their districts.
They generally get away with it just because there aren't enough people out there to connect the dots on them, and maybe not enough people who care even if someone does.
Would make a great Internet project, though.