My hero this week is Congressman Tom Tancredo, who just dropped out of the 2008 race. That's not why he's me hero, though....he's my hero this week because Tanc has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the problems that illegal immigration causes in this country, and I know he will continue to do so.

Dennis Goldford, a political science professor at Drake University in Des Moines, said Tancredo forced his GOP rivals to talk about immigration.

"What Tancredo has done is analogous to what a third-party candidate does," Goldford said. "They call attention to and articulate an issue that the other two main parties neglect or don't see" and then after forcing the issue they disappear.

My hacks this week are Congressional Republicans who are still high on pork:

The demise of the bridge to nowhere notwithstanding, Sen. Ted Stevens and other Republicans remain the kings of pork-barrel spending, proving that GOP mastery of "earmarks" can withstand public scorn, a president's rebuke and even a Democratic takeover of Congress.

The Senate's two biggest sponsors of this year's pet spending projects are Republicans Stevens of Alaska and Thad Cochran of Mississippi, according to preliminary reviews of fiscal 2008 spending bills by Taxpayers for Common Sense, a nonpartisan group. Two of the House's three biggest claimants of earmarks also are Republicans: Bill Young of Florida and Jerry Lewis of California, the group found.

Labels: 2008 Watch, Congress, Culture of Corruption, Illegal Immigration, Immigration, Pork, Tancredo

Posted by Ryan S. on Friday, December 21, 2007 at 10:30 AM | Permalink |