This week the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste issued their annual Congressional scorecard. Our own U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison improved her score over previous years to be listed as a taxpayer hero. While the state’s senior senator continues to have an appetite for earmarks, she’s not alone. Leading the pack of Texans in the U.S. House of Representatives is Chet Edwards (D-Waco), who the watchdog group considers “hostile” to taxpayers.
Of course, Congressman Edwards recently topped the list of Texas Congressmen requesting earmarks between 2008 and 2010.
Is it really a surprise the Waco Democrat has been positioned to be a major porker in the current Democratic Congress?
Congressman Edwards appears to have a close working relationship with Speaker Pelosi and the Obama administration. After all, it was just two years ago that the liberal Speaker praised Mr. Edwards, and touted him as a potential vice president. At the time, the Democratic Congressman was thought to be “tore down excited by the idea of running for veep” with then-Senator Barack Obama.
What a difference a couple of years make.
Mr. Edwards is now doing everything he can to avoid being associated or even seen with Speaker Pelosi. It’s certainly beneficial, politically, for him to hide from his party leader at home, but it’s becoming clear in Washington that Congressman Edwards’ re-election is key to allowing the Democrats to retain control of Congress. Sounds a lot like Bill White and Barack Obama…
Such a result would continue to empower, if not embolden, Speaker Pelosi to push forward with her big government power grabs, and it would certainly allow Congressman Edwards to continue with his big spending ways.
Although the Congressman’s pork barrel politics look to be falling out of favor in his district. Earlier this year, the City of Grandview wisely rejected one of Congressman Edwards’ earmarks, calling the practice “irresponsible.”
We’ll see in November if voters in the 17th Congressional District agree.
While Sen. Hutchison is now being applauded, it does come with caveats, particularly since she was the runner-up for the group’s “Porker of the Year” award last year.
It’s good to see Sen. Hutchison working to shed the perception that she’s Texas’ Earmark Queen.
On the other hand, Congressman Edwards seems more than happy to throw around other people’s money. In addition to receiving a a dismal 3% on the most recent scorecard, Congressman Edwards has racked up more earmarks than any other member of the U.S. House from Texas (between 2008 and 2010).
