There are hundreds of ways
and examples to find and call members of the current GOP congress disgusting
and full of hypocrites (and yes, to be fair even some on the DEM side), but
more I assess are on the GOP side of the political aisle – in my view.
This story of several GOP Senators takes the proverbial cake.
Leading that pack is bird nest hairdo Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY). His latest rant is
here
from the LA TIMES with this headline:
“Rand
Paul demands federal disaster aid for Kentucky, after voting against it for
everyone else”
Consider these two
faces of Sen. Rand Paul:
First, the Rand Paul
of December 11, 2021: He sent a letter to President Biden following the string
of tornadoes that devastated his home state, killing at least 64 people, and
leveling whole communities saying the president:
“The Governor of the
Commonwealth has requested federal assistance this morning, and certainly
further requests will be coming as the situation is assessed. I fully support
those requests and ask that you move expeditiously to
approve the appropriate resources for our state.”
Second, the Rand Paul
of October 24, 2017: On the Senate floor he opposed $36.5-billion in disaster aid designed to help
residents of Texas, Louisiana, Florida, and Puerto Rico after hurricanes
Harvey, Irma, and Maria, and as well as victims of wildfires in California.
He said: “People here will say they have great compassion and they want to help the people of Puerto Rico, the people of Texas, the people of Florida, but notice they have great compassion with someone else's money. Ask them what they're doing to help their fellow man.”
One almost feels guilty pointing out the hypocrisy of people
like Rand Paul, because it's just so easy. A cursory glance at his record
indicates that he has consistently opposed federal disaster relief measures.
The received wisdom is that he has voted against every one
of them for the last 10 years. It’s hard to confirm that precisely, but
examples of his speaking against most of them are easy to find. He also has
opposed coronavirus relief measures, such as the first pandemic response act,
passed in March 2020 with a 96-1 senate vote (He was that one single “No” vote).
Also Note: He also opposed a 2020 bill to aid first responders
still suffering from the effects of 9/11.
On disaster aid, Paul voted against a 2013 bill to aid
victims of Hurricane Sandy, and earlier this year blocked accelerated passage of the Gulf Coast Hurricane Aid Act,
a measure to aid victims of the storms in Louisiana – that sill is still
pending.
In all those cases, Paul has couched his opposition as
protests against the funding for those bills, specifically the borrowing to pay
for them. He's argued that they should all be funded by taking money from other
causes, specifically from foreign aid, about which he's strongly critical.
One would like to admire Paul for consistency, at least,
except that he's been selective about his anti-spending positions.
For example, he voted in favor of the 2017 tax cuts, one of the largest budget-busting measures in recent history, and one that chiefly benefits rich people.
That tax cut bill passed the Senate without a single Republican in
opposition, or a single Democrat in favor. That points to a fundamental
difference between Republicans and Democrats when it comes to disaster aid. Seems
Republicans are cheeseparing about public aid until and unless it's for their
constituents specifically.
Conversely, Democrats tend to see the issue broadly,
favoring these programs regardless of geography.
Republican posturing against disaster aid is “For thee, but
not for me” is a hardy perennial on Capitol Hill.
In 2019, Center for American Progress notes that 43 of the 58 GOP
House members who voted against a $19-billion disaster relief bill had earlier “demanded
or endorsed emergency aid funding for their own states.”
That measure, which had already been approved by the Senate,
passed the House 354-58, with all the “No” votes coming from Republicans.
Back in 2013, a $50.5 billion relief package for Hurricane Sandy, which had devastated the Northeast, was opposed by 36 Republican senators.
Of those 36 “No” votes, 31 came from Republicans who had
previously sought disaster aid for their own states. Among those GOP senators
in that category were Rand Paul (KY), Kelly Ayotte (NH), and Pat Toomey (PA).
My 2 Cents: Now we can also
spell hypocrisy with a capital R for Republican like those mentioned in this
story. Of course they’d never admit or live up to that fact. Rather they will typically
duck, dodge, deceive, or deny anything even close to the story.
But, the facts are what
they are: Factual – and it’s very hard to hide from that isn’t it?
Thanks for stopping by.
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