Earmarks. Go figure.

This morning from Senator Claire McCaskill (D), via Twitter:

Claire McCaskill ‏@clairecmc
Drain the swamp?Week after election Republicans meeting behind closed doors to grant lobbyists dream of bringing back earmarks.Hello swamp.
11:01 AM – 16 Nov 2016

Previously:

Can you find common ground with Stephen Bannon? (November 14, 2016)

Via our good friends at Fired Up!:

After Demanding Repeal Of Stimulus, GOP Rep. Long Attends Ceremony For Stimulus-Funded Clinic

During his campaign for Congress last year, freshman Rep. Billy Long (R-MO) called for a complete repeal of President Obama’s stimulus program. “I hope that Congress will admit they made a mistake and vote to repeal the Stimulus Act in order to reduce our deficit,” he said confidently at the time. Once he got into office, Long’s opinion did not change. On the second annivsary of the bill’s signing, Long sent out a press release claiming that the stimulus had “failed.”

However, Long was singing a different tune last week when he stood with officials at a ceremony for a new health clinic in his district. On Friday, Long appeared with other community leaders to break ground for the new Access Family Care clinic in Cassville, Missouri. The construction was made possible with a $635,000 grant from the stimulus, secured in part by Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO), who unlike Long supported the stimulus….

He doesn’t have a clue or he doesn’t care. I can’t figure out which one.

Via Think Progress, the usual suspects:

…Senator Kit Bond: The Constitution says nothing of the subject of filibuster and it says nothing of the power of a minority to defeat the president’s judicial nomination….

….It is the product of a rule of the Senate, passed many years after the ratification of the Constitution. This rule does not derive from the authority of the Constitution….

“…This rule does not derive from the authority of the Constitution….”

The United States Constitution, Article I, Section 5, Paragraph 2:

…Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member….

[emphasis added]

Hack.

Simple republican math:

“We don’t pay taxes. Only the little people pay taxes.”

Leona Helmsley

…plus…

“Badges? We ain’t got no badges. We don’t need no badges. I don’t have to show you any stinking badges.”

Treasure of the Sierra Madre

…equals:

WASHINGTON – Cindy McCain says she will never make her tax returns public even if her husband wins the White House and she becomes the first lady.

“You know, my husband and I have been married 28 years and we have filed separate tax returns for 28 years. This is a privacy issue. My husband is the candidate,” Cindy McCain, wife of Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting John McCain, said in an interview aired on NBC’s “Today” on Thursday.

Asked if she would release her tax returns if she was first lady, Cindy McCain said: “No.”

Cindy McCain says she’ll never release her tax returns [emphasis added]

Au contraire. If you want to live in public housing it becomes the public’s business. The little people are funny that way.

From the Huffington Post:

During the 2004 election, Republicans criticized Theresa Heinz Kerry for not disclosing her personal tax returns (she eventually released a copy of her 1040). RNC Chairman Ed Gillepsie claimed then:

   “Throughout history, presidential candidates have disclosed income tax information prior to Election Day. We believe Americans value disclosure and transparency in campaigns. During the 2003 filing year, Sen. Kerry made a $6 million loan to his campaign based on the value of a home jointly owned with his wife.”

Well, Ed? [sound of crickets]

From the New York Times (via MyDD):

…over a seven-month period beginning last summer, Mr. McCain’s cash-short campaign gave itself an advantage by using a corporate jet owned by a company headed by his wife, Cindy McCain, according to public records. For five of those months, the plane was used almost exclusively for campaign-related purposes, those records show.

Mr. McCain’s campaign paid a total of $241,149 for the use of that plane from last August through February, records show. That amount is approximately the cost of chartering a similar jet for a month or two, according to industry estimates.

The senator was able to fly so inexpensively because the law specifically exempts aircraft owned by a candidate or his family or by a privately held company they control. The Federal Election Commission adopted rules in December to close the loophole – rules that would have required substantial payments by candidates using family-owned planes – but the agency soon lost the requisite number of commissioners needed to complete the rule making.

Because that exemption remains, Mr. McCain’s campaign was able to use his wife’s corporate plane like a charter jet while paying first-class rates, several campaign finance experts said…

We have a little saying around here: If you’ve liked the last 8 years, you’re gonna love the next 100…