Michele Bachmann hates the stimulus bill. I mean, she just hates it! She has made her hatred of the stimulus bill a centerpiece of her campaign, calling it an "abject failure" that has never created any jobs.
In fact, she hates it so much and thinks it is so repugnant and such a disgusting waste of taxpayer money that she wrote at least six - six! - letters to Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood requesting stimulus funds for...uh... specific projects ...er ... in... uh.... Minnesota... Oooooh.
Did I read that right? Requesting stimulus funds?
In one of [her letters], in support of $300 million in spending for the $700 milliion replacement-bridge project crossing the St. Croix River, Bachmann cited a MnDOT estimate that the project would create nearly 3,000 jobs. In others, she noted that the projects would have economic benefits beyond just the projects in question, spurring development and private sector hiring in the communities surrounding the proposed stimulus projects.
Yet there she was the other night during her debate with Democratic candidate Tarryl Clark, once again attacking the stimulus bill as an "abject failure."
Interestingly, Bachmann's renewed attack coincided with an announcement that the Union Depot restoration project here in Saint Paul will receive additional stimulus funds:
Minnesota Congresswoman Betty McCollum announced Monday that the U.S. Department of Transportation will award $40 million to fund renovation ... The grant adds to $35 million in stimulus funds awarded to the project in February.
The Union Depot project is expected to create 3,000 jobs between January 2011 and the end of 2012, and it will likely act as "Minnesota’s link to the Midwest high-speed rail network."
Bachmann is not alone. Many Republicans and Democrats who opposed the stimulus bill "on principle" have gone after the cash nonetheless.
The "Most Tortured Logic Award" goes to Texas Republican Pete Sessions:
Sessions wrote Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood in February urging him to give "full and fair consideration" to the affluent city's request for $81 million for a rail project, according to a copy of the letter obtained by the Center for Public Integrity. His letter suggested the project would create jobs, undercutting his public arguments against the stimulus.
When asked about his letter, Sessions defended both of the positions he has taken.
"What I have not done is allow my strong, principled objection to the bill to prevent me from asking federal agencies for their full consideration of critical infrastructure and competitive grant projects for North Texas when asked to do so by my constituents," he said.
You gotta love these people.
Sadly, despite Bachmann's hypocrisy, she is very likely to win re-election.
This brings to mind a well-known line from Benjamin Franklin, which could easily apply to the entire GOP/Tea Party election campaign:
Trickery and treachery are the practices of fools that have not the wits enough to be honest.