GOP Govs Grouse About Stimulus—Then Take It
Some Republican governors may be holding their noses as they swallow billions of stimulus dollars coming to their states.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry told a crowd of small business owners Wednesday that he wished he could say “No thanks” to some of the $37 billion, which the liberal Center for American Progress says could be headed for the Lone Star State.
“I might as well quit grousing about it, because it’s reality now,” Perry said, according to the Associated Press.
Over in South Carolina, Gov. Mark Sanford has been trying to bail out of the bailout. But he seemed to give in Thursday morning on the CBS Early Show.
“Being against it doesn’t preclude taking the money,” he said.
Meanwhile in Idaho, Gov. Butch Otter issued an executive order for the state to review the stimulus plan for a month before distributing any funds.
Joining the pack of antistimulants are governors Haley Barbour of Mississippi, Bobby Jindal of Louisiana and Sarah Palin of Alaska.
The thrust of the criticism is whether long-term deficits and future funding expectations the plan could create outweigh the immediate boost to local economies.
It’s unclear if the governors will—or even can— refuse the money. The political pressure they’d face would be seismic. South Carolina has 9.5 percent unemployment, and the stimulus plan contains money to help Louisana and Mississippi recover from recent hurricanes.
Governors don’t have much control over things like federal tax cuts; so even if they did refuse, middle-class residents would still get the $400 rebates. But the law is filled with use-it-or-lose-it provisions, so it’s possible that governors could boycott some of the transportation and education funding.
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3 comments
wingo smith
Feb. 20, 2009, 6:55 a.m.
It may be that these Republican governors know something that we don’t. They all head states that performed poorly in the Sargent Shriver Poverty Scorecard for 2008. [see ]http://www.povertyscorecard.org/states/] According to their report, Texas and South Carolina are in the bottom quintile, while Alaska tied with Alabama at 38.
jskdn
Feb. 20, 2009, 10:14 p.m.
Of course not taking the money doesn’t get the taxpayers of these states off the hook for paying it back, since it’s all borrowed. But Bobby Jindal has already said he won’t take the unemployment money which is money that require states to change their unemployment policies to match the preference of Congressional Democrats. One or two other Republican governors may do the same.
jl
Feb. 26, 2009, 2:24 a.m.
This economic crisis once again clearly illustrates that the vast majority of Americans, be they Democrats, Republicans or Independents, turn to their government en-mass for help in a time of crisis. It is a most human
reaction even embraced this year by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
It is becoming very clear on the national and state levels (consider the California Republican Party’s reaction to its legislative members who voted for the state compromise budget last week) that those in control of the tattered Republican Party have chosen to become more virile and less willing to address the nation’s problems in cooperation with anyone. The party’s public (and now rejected)mantra of “tax cuts are the only solution” only rarely companioned with more deregulation is all the “party” has to offer the country.
The controlling remnants of the Republican party are willingly driving the party further into the philosophical and partisan wilderness while eroding the support of its most basic philosophical champions like Rupert Murdock. This not a healthy for the country much less for the party; our system of government relies on a robust “loyal opposition” from which sound public policy ideas and governance compromises emerge.
Only some twenty months off, the 2010 national and state elections could spell the end of the Republican party as a national institution. The party’s only hope is that it’s conservative “stars” like Jindal and Palen burn themselves out during the next few months. Jindal did last evening; Palen did yesterday with her tacit admission/settlement of defrauding the Alaskan taxpayers to fund her childrens’ travel.
Only after the fire burns itself out can the party turn away from its current dogmatic mantra driven ways and once again become a relevant participant in the nation’s governance. Look for people like the Governor of Florida to lead the rise from ashes; sadly, however, the party must, like Rome, first utterly burn itself to ashes.
This move could destroy the Republican party or render it totally impotent for two or three decades. he moderate voices in the party are being quickly stifled or run out. The dogmatics, it appears, have won control of the party.
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