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McCaskill named “Porker of the Year” finalist

January 23, 2012

Claire McCaskill is a finalist for the 2011 “Porker of the Year” award, a dubious honor given out by Citizens Against Government Waste to someone who has “shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.”

Chameleon Claire’s nomination is just the latest blow to her image as a good-government crusader.

“Chameleon Claire McCaskill is desperate to make Missourians believe she is on their side, but the truth is that she thumbs her nose at Missouri every chance she gets,” said Lloyd Smith, Executive Director of the Missouri Republican Party. “Whether it is cap-and-trade, jobs, earmarks , or paying her taxes, Chameleon Claire has a nasty habit of saying one thing and doing another.”

McCaskill’s was nominated for her suggestion that U.S. taxpayers pour millions of dollars into an ad campaign to save the post office—a suggestion that was lampooned by the Daily Show’s Jon Stewart.

What CAGW did not mention (but could have) is McCaskill’s disingenuous election year effort to cover up her record of supporting earmarks.  While she spent much of December attempting to strengthen her anti-earmark credentials, the truth is that McCaskill’s record is the opposite.

McCaskill has repeatedly been given the opportunity to remove some of the most egregious earmarks from bills, but she voted no.  A few examples:

* On March 23, 2007, McCaskill voted against an amendment to block the inclusion of earmarks in a spending bill.

* On October 18, 2007, McCaskill voted to protect a $2 million earmark to honor Rep. Charles Rangel with a public policy center, a conference center and a library.

* On October 23, 2007, McCaskill voted to kill an amendment to strike $3.7 million in earmarks for the AFL-CIO.

* On March 13, 2008, McCaskill voted against an amendment to redirect over $2 million in earmarks for Berkeley, CA, to the Marines.

* On March 4, 2009, McCaskill voted to preserve earmarks associated with the PMA Group, a corrupt lobbying firm.

* On March 4, 2009, McCaskill voted against an amendment to kill 11 earmarks, which included $200,000 for tattoo removal in California, $1.8 million for manure management research in Iowa and $3.8 million to preserve part of the old Detroit Tigers stadium.

* On March 19, 2009, McCaskill voted against an amendment to kill earmarks for a birthday party in Florida, historic shipwreck exploration and a study of Alexander Hamilton’s boyhood estate in the Virgin Islands.