Video: DeMint explains the Constitution to Clyburn on earmarks
posted at 5:10 pm on March 28, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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The Pork Battle continued today, pitting a porkbusting Senator against a porker from the House. James Clyburn tried schooling Jim DeMint on the Constitutional “mandate” for pork, but DeMint smacks him down by forcing Clyburn to keep reading:
If you’re unfamiliar with the areas of the Constitution under discussion, start here and keep scrolling. Clyburn makes the same mistake Harry Reid made earlier in this debate in blurring the line between appropriations and earmarks. The Constitution assigns the responsibility to Congress for the former, but requires appropriations to be written as law, which earmarks largely do not do. At the time, Congress did not envision the growth of agencies as adjuncts of government sharing executive and legislative power, and so they did not address the idea of demanding specific authorizations for non-federal efforts.
Or did they? As Senator Tom Coburn pointed out, they certainly foresaw the mischief of pork:
Even though he firmly believed that the power of appropriating federal money belonged only to Congress and that it was necessary to have a clear delineation of authority between the executive and legislative branches of government, Thomas Jefferson also fervently argued against the use of federal funding for local projects. For example, in a 1796 letter to James Madison regarding federally funded local projects, Jefferson wrote, “[O]ther revenues will soon be called into their aid, and it will be the source of eternal scramble among the members, who can get the most money wasted in their State; and they will always get the most who are the meanest.” Anyone who has observed the recent tantrums of those who have had their pork challenged knows that Jefferson’s statement was sadly prophetic.
Jefferson was not alone in his worry about the corrupting influence of money and political power. In a 1792 letter to Alexander Hamilton conveying what he believed to be the public’s perceptions of government, George Washington cited worries about the “increase in the mass of the debt,” which had “furnished effectual means of corrupting such a portion of the legislature, as turns the balance between the honest voters[.]” Hamilton, who famously clashed with Jefferson and Madison on fiscal matters, responded that “[e]very session the question whether the annual [funding] provision should be continued, would be an occasion of pernicious caballing and corrupt bargaining [emphasis mine].”
Wow. That certainly describes the pork process to a T, doesn’t it? Clearly, the founders did not see earmarking as a mandate, but as an evil that should be avoided to keep the appropriations process from corruption.
The founders saw this wisdom. Too bad many of our current crop of politicians don’t see it. And shame on Rep. Clyburn for arguing that the same people who wrote and implemented this Constitution meant it as a mandate for politicians to feather their nests.
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More free government cheese!
RobCon on March 28, 2008 at 5:20 PM
DeMint is just one of a precious few in DC who seem to have the constitutions on the front burner for the taxpayer’s . Refreshing.
L
letget on March 28, 2008 at 5:20 PM
I like how Mr Clyburn state that there is a mandate for earmarks. Chutzpah.
darkpixel on March 28, 2008 at 5:24 PM
Mmmmm… pork tastes good.
Sugar Land on March 28, 2008 at 5:26 PM
Good stuff, and I had enough of it to know.
Chakra Hammer on March 28, 2008 at 5:26 PM
exit question: is DeMint on McCain’s short list?
Think_b4_speaking on March 28, 2008 at 5:28 PM
RobCon
Hammer
It was old moldy velveta! yuck!
rockhauler on March 28, 2008 at 5:31 PM
SLAP DOWN!! In a polite sort of way…
maintenanceman on March 28, 2008 at 5:34 PM
The stuff I had wasn’t moldy and i was happy to get it, Mmmm
grilled cheese, sometimes just cold cheese sandwiches(when i was a kid) >:D
Chakra Hammer on March 28, 2008 at 5:35 PM
I still to this day eat peanut butter and cheese sandwiches with milk!
Chakra Hammer on March 28, 2008 at 5:37 PM
DeMint ‘08.
Too late for a draft?
jimmer on March 28, 2008 at 5:40 PM
So saving 15% of a trillion dollars won’t save money? This idiot Clyburn (liberal moron) is a classic liberal who reads the constitution and gets the results that “HE” wants. Forget what it actually states.
Why in the hell isn’t DeMint running for President?
orlandocajun on March 28, 2008 at 5:40 PM
Its actualy a very simple problem, and one that we created by changing how Senators are chosen.
The SENATE, as direct representatives of the States (not the voter of said states) were supposed to be the counterbalance to this type of Pork spending…
The House of Representatives start the funding process, and may be able to get Porky things started, but the Senate was then supposed to put the brakes on this type of spending, because it would not be in OTHER STATES interests to do so.
When Senators became direct representatives of the VOTERS of the States, it became possible to start the Pork express, as Senators now had a vested interest in buying off their VOTERs, instead of being representatives of the State Government itself…
Romeo13 on March 28, 2008 at 5:41 PM
McCain has already won the nomination ? LOL
Chakra Hammer on March 28, 2008 at 5:42 PM
I’d have enjoyed this a lot more if they’d have used “their” properly at the end instead of “there”.
playblu on March 28, 2008 at 5:51 PM
This guy makes my point on immigration. How do you expect people not able to make responsible dicisions to elect good government candidates? What kind of candidates do you think 25 million lying, cheating illegal immigrants would make if they were given amnesty?
Isreal is only 51% Jewish. Lets see what happens to them when they loose their majority. Kosovo is a good example.
saiga on March 28, 2008 at 5:51 PM
Captain Ed,
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate this post so much. I love that people are standing up for our Constitution, and schooling others in the process. If we don’t defend the Constitution, we will lose our liberty.
I believe the founders were divinely inspired when they wrote the Constitution. They nearly disbanded in disagreement, but were brought together by daily prayer after this:
Red Pill on March 28, 2008 at 6:15 PM
Hamilton weeps. Burr looks for a glove. Grant throws a party.
Limerick on March 28, 2008 at 6:18 PM
Spratt looks like he is taking a crap.
SCGOPgirl on March 28, 2008 at 6:20 PM
Sorry….the Friday vodka is talking. You can thank the reconstructionists for this mess. Lincoln had the right idea but the wrong strategy.
Limerick on March 28, 2008 at 6:21 PM
I also believe that the founders had Godly wisdom when they Constitutionally required Presidents to be natural born citizens. People naturally feel an allegiance to where they were born.
I know that you and I disagree on this, but I do not believe that John McCain meets the Constitutional requirement. I understand that he was born on a US military base in Panama, but I don’t believe that qualifies. I respect our military immensely, but it seems like the best answer to this issue would be to reassign military personnel and their spouses to somewhere in the 50 states when they find out that the wife is pregnant. There’s plenty of time to do so…9 months should be plenty of time to bring them home.
I believe that John McCain does not pass Constitutional muster for President on two grounds:
In my opinion it appears that John McCain has given aid and comfort to the enemies the United States. Compare his long Senate history against the published agenda of the Communist Party USA.
John McCain and John Kerry worked against, not for, the families of Vietnam POWs.
Red Pill on March 28, 2008 at 6:35 PM
Uh huh..
credibility reduced to zero, in just one post.
Chakra Hammer on March 28, 2008 at 6:41 PM
Wouldn’t be nice to require anyone running for congress to take a constitutional proficiency test to determine their eligibility for office and committee posts.
Kini on March 28, 2008 at 6:42 PM
Did I just see gramnesty wanting to talk about ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION. I don’t think he wants to go there.
Les in NC on March 28, 2008 at 6:52 PM
This makes me so angry I can barely see.
Jim-Rose on March 28, 2008 at 6:58 PM
How do you spell congress . . . I-N-C-O-M-P-E-T-E-N-T.
rplat on March 28, 2008 at 7:06 PM
Interesting I didn’t see you take sides when the discussion came up earlier here. What changed your mind about his citizenship? Especially since the year McCain was born, the Panama Canal was a U.S. controlled territory, just like Puerto Rico, Guam, etc. So are those people not recognized as U.S. citizens? Funny that you come down on the same side as the NY Times.
DCA on March 28, 2008 at 7:33 PM
Clearly, DeMint is racist.
SouthernGent on March 28, 2008 at 7:39 PM
The framers also, fought against charity for the people as well meaning constitutionally all public programs are unconstitutional!
while most misinformed people believe that the core of rights contained therein is in the Bill of Rights, the real core of rights is Article I, Section 8, the powers of Congress which, when coupled with the 10th Amendment, essentially says that the Federal government cannot do anything unless it is on that list, or covered by an Amendment (such as the income tax, covered by he 16th Amendment). So, unconstitutional are:
Social Security
Medicare
Medicaid
Food Stamps
Public Housing
Welfare programs
EPA/environmental regulations
OSHA/workplace safety regulations
Wagner Act (forced negotiations with unions)
Minimum wage
Child labor laws
Product liability laws
Anti-discrimination laws (at least by non-government entities)
And I could go on…
If the democrat party had any interest in enforcing the Constitution, they would demand every one of these be eliminated immediately, period. Fat chance.
xler8bmw on March 28, 2008 at 7:51 PM
My parents are in his district. Luckily for them it’s becoming more and more Republican thanks to Charlotte and Rock Hill’s suburbs! All they need is a strong GOP candidate to run against him…one that doesn’t hire illegals like the last dude.
SouthernGent on March 28, 2008 at 7:57 PM
If only the GOP had nominated Jim DeMint. An intelligent man who understands the Constitution and speaks persuasively.
A nice dream.
AZCoyote on March 28, 2008 at 8:15 PM
And you hear that McCain lackey Lindsey Graham, quip at the end, “let’s talk about immigration”. What an idiot.
Zorro on March 28, 2008 at 8:59 PM
Classic
Squid Shark on March 28, 2008 at 9:43 PM
And I think Huckabee is to bats***t crazy to be prez, does not mean my opinion is valid legal dogma.
Squid Shark on March 28, 2008 at 9:45 PM
clyburn is the traitor that said good news in iraq would be bad news for the demofascists.
peacenprosperity on March 28, 2008 at 11:45 PM
Dude, you are so all over the map that it can’t be taken seriously. I’ll just choose one to address.
Minimum wage. You can’t raise a family on minimum wage without living in poverty. As a business owner, you bear the greatest risk and should make the most money, but the ideal that an individual should be allowed to pay as little as he chooses is incredibly ignorant. Ever hear of the idea “you get what you pay for”?. I wouldn’t be doing my current job for minimum wage, I turn too much of a profit for my employer, and he know’s it and pays me accordingly. So we both are happy.
I’ll grant you that people who work for minimum wage mainly fall’s into two catagories: Those who settle for it. Those who do it while working for something better. Nothing wrong with earning an honest living.
A law that protects people from being unfairly taken advantage of because they have no other option is not the American way.
That’s just one of many objections I have to your “step on the little guy” rant.
If I thought people were interested I would discuss how Social Security was a private fund and doing well until the Clinton administration made a public fund and ran it straight down the toilet.
Hog Wild on March 29, 2008 at 12:08 AM
“This guy makes my point on immigration. How do you expect people not able to make responsible dicisions to elect good government candidates? What kind of candidates do you think 25 million lying, cheating illegal immigrants would make if they were given amnesty? ”
Illegals already have a say in how money is appropriated. The census covers all human bodies in an area not just legals.
That’s why so many in Congress are not worried about the illegal situation. Come census time, the more legals in a district the better it is for the allocation of funds and Congressional seats.
davod on March 29, 2008 at 6:19 AM
DeMint is the one senator that I am glad that I voted for. I won’t be helping to re-elect the other one this fall in SC. I wish we had two DeMints.
I met Jim when he was first getting started before anyone knew his name. He is a really nice guy. It was in the early days when he was getting ready to run and putting a lot of miles on his shoes that he came to my office to meet everyone.
USBB on March 29, 2008 at 4:00 PM