Dennis Rehberg likes to talk about his role in Washington as someone who can restrict the “out of control spending” in Congress. I’ll leave to your judgment how he manages to do that as a member of the minority and without ever having written any meaningful legislation, but he says it a lot, and I’ll trust him. Honest.
Just this week, Rehberg told the Missoulian that he’s in Congress to check big government spending:
U.S. Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., said Saturday his 2010 re-election race will center on his ability to serve as a check and balance against the costly, big-government policies of a Democratic Congress and President Barack Obama.
That’s an interesting position for Rehberg to take, given the headlines from just the past week or so on his blog:
- Rehberg Secures $800,000 for Butte-Silver Bow Emergency Operations Center
- Rehberg Bill Puts Brakes on Government Shutdown of Montana Car Dealers
- Rehberg Secures Nearly $400,000 for Billings Projects
- Rehberg Secures $60,000 for Additional Police Officer in East Helena
- Rehberg Secures $185,000 for Gallatin County Treatment Court
- Rehberg Secures $600,000 for MONTS Juvenile Justice System
- Rehberg Secures $250,000 for Montana Safe Schools
- Rehberg Secures $250,000 for Montana Safe Schools
- Rehberg Secures $500,000 for Montana Meth Project
Rehberg’s running the same con that conservatives always run in Congress: decry “outrageous spending” and earmarks while bragging about all of the pork they bring home to their states. When Rehberg told Montana Republicans that “[w]e are guaranteeing ourselves the largest tax increase in the history of the country,” who did he imagine would be paying for the projects he supports and trumpets?
Representative Rehberg has no ideological tie to the fiscal conservatism he pretends to espouse. He’s just another huckster, saying whatever it takes to keep his position in the Congress.
Article by Don Pogreba
Don has written 1332 posts for us. He is an English and debate teacher in Helena, MT. When not writing here or working on debate handbooks, he is writing about educational issues at Prairie Pedagogue.
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