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October 18, 2010

Scores of Stimulus Opponents Sought Money out of Public View
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A new report from the Center for Public Integrity shows scores of
Republicans and conservative Democrats who voted against the $787
billion stimulus subsequently wrote letters requesting funds for
projects in a massive, behind-the-scenes letter-writing and phone-call
campaign.
Those asking for money include Tea Party favorites like freshman
Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown and Rep. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota,
former presidential candidates Ron Paul and John Mc Cain, and Republican
congressional leaders like Senate Minority Leader Mitch Mc Connell of
Kentucky and Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana. Many Democratic leaders
who had boasted they prevented lawmakers from inserting special spending
requests in the stimulus law also engaged in the behind-the-scenes
letter writing to secure funding afterward, including Speaker of the
House Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.



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