Questions For John Carney’s “Bi-partisan” Coalition
This looks good on it’s face, but the devil is in the bi-partisanship.
Rep. Carney Leads Bipartisan Coalition of 111 members Urging President Obama to Support Six-Year Transportation Package
62 Democrats and 49 Republicans say long-term reauthorization will create jobs and jumpstart critical infrastructure projectsWASHINGTON — Today, Representatives John Carney (D-DE), Aaron Schock (R-IL), Jim Cooper (D-TN), and Patrick Meehan (R-PA) sent a letter to President Obama urging him to support a fully paid for six-year transportation reauthorization. More than 111 members signed it, including 62 Democrats and 49 Republicans.
The letter states that “short-term extensions fail to recognize that meaningful, large-scale transportation projects take years to plan, approve and implement.” States and contractors need a long-term bill in order to execute large projects and repair the nation’s crumbling infrastructure.
With the construction industry facing an unemployment rate of 13.3 percent, the members said that “a modern, safe and efficient transportation authorization will not only create jobs now for the construction industry, but it will also set the table for long-term job creation and economic growth.”
The bipartisan group expressed their willingness to work with the Administration on funding options for a six-year authorization. The last Surface Authorization bill expired in September 2009 and has been temporarily extended eight separate times. The latest temporary extension is set to expire at the end of March 2012.
(emphasis added)
So here are the questions I sent to Mr. Carney’s office:
James,
Sounds good on the surface. Can you clear up some questions?
What are the funding options that Congressman Carney is looking at? Is “everything on the table” as Rep Carney has promised including veterans benefits cuts, Social Security benefits cuts? How many of the Republicans that Mr. Carney has rounded up for this have signed onto Gover Norquist’s pledge to not raise taxes under any circumstances? Is it really honest of Mr. Carney to say that everything is on the table when increasing taxes is clearly not on the table for the “bi-partisan” coalition?
Jason
Carney touts “bipartisanship” with GOP budget terrorists (Schock & Meehan) who have signed onto Grover Norquist “No taxes under any circumstances” pledge. I wonder what “willingness to work with the Administration on funding options” means to these zealots?
Is John Carney really this out of it?
Did you know that the Republican leadership is trying to do a Surface Transportation Bill that tries to expand oil drilling everywhere to try to pay for it? It doesn’t even come close to paying for it, but it is out there. Would John Carney vote to expand drilling as a part of this bill?
And really — this is very nice and all (certainly this President wouldn’t need much push to support this kind of thing), but the real policy choices are in how they decide to fund it.
LOL… For Republicans and John Carney who say they are “putting everything on the table,” tax increases are like adding a sprig of parsley – looks nice but nobody is going to eat it.
Ya gotta love the press release, which came out on Carney’s letterhead:
“Rep. Carney Leads Bipartisan Coalition of 111 members Urging President Obama to Support Six-Year Transportation Package.”
Yep, John Carney took the ‘lead’ on this mom & apple pie proposal. “Follow me, fellow bipartisans, I’m your bold leader, John Carney.”
Not.
Reminds me how legislators in Dover used to write in their newsletter that they ‘sponsored vital legislation to ________.” Most of the time they co-sponsored it, which meant that someone asked if they wanted to be on the bill and they said yes. Then, all of a sudden, in their newsletters and dreams, they were heroically fighting for (fill in the blank).
I have a feeling, John, that you’re not in Dover any more.
One of his counterparts — Carney’s counterpart Aaron Schock (R-IL) is also a leader of this thing:
So we’re coming up on an election year, I guess? And we have plenty of folks looking to fill out their Bipartisan Dance Cards. It is a good thing that there is broad support for a Surface Transportation Bill that is programmed and funded for 6 years (rather than living by extensions). Apparently there isn’t so much broad support for this that the letter is accompanied with some hard ideas on how to pay for it. But it is good to tell the President that there is a constituency who wants to make this happen. The real work is in how it gets paid for as pretty much everyone has said.
The letter to the president might not have mentioned funding, but Schock’s web site makes it crystal clear:
“Last month, Schock held a press conference at the state capitol in Springfield – with business and labor leaders from Illinois – praising the recent announcement that legislation will soon be introduced in the House of Representatives that will link domestic energy production with the funding for transportation related programs. … Schock’s proposal would both encourage the increased production of American energy and help fund a new highway bill, both of which would boost job creation.”
He’s a DINO.
Carper wants to pay for this with $6,000 helicopter parts.
I saw Carney and Schock on Morning Joe today and Schock pretty much turned the interview into a bash-Obama-fest with John pretty much unable to get a word in edgewise (if he was so inclined).
I expect to hear people say that this means JC was pretty much endorsing Schock’s views, and there is no evidence that it wasn’t exactly that. Thanks, John.
Awesome PR effort John!! Bi-partisanship rulz!! Keep up the good work.
Carney did say “Putting people back to work is Job Number One.” I think we are getting through to him.
Video here.
That interview is even more painful the second time around.
Favorite parts:
-The side-eye that Carney gives Schock every time he trashes Obama.
-The scoffing at the Delaware Day mention