Quote:
Originally Posted by TheLastBoyScout
Again.... I said it all above, but let me reiterate:
- Earmarks are a congressional animal.
- The POTUS does have veto power
- The POTUS can also shape policy by exerting political and public pressure
=> Announcing that constant VETO is the solution is obtuse. Legislators will stand up for their legitimate earmarks and back the president down with public pressure on occasion... or not. The only thing we can be certain of is that there would be more gridlock than there is now. Not pretty.
=> The only solution is if congress is pressured into reforming itself. It's not an easy route, but public pressure, in combination with transparency (which is now there in large measure to Obama's legislation) can help to solve the problem long-term. The enemy is the stupid process that creates expenditures that are slipped in to unrelated legislation.... not the expenditures themselves.
McCain's proposed solution for earmarks smacks of the same short-sightedness demonstrated on a whole host of issues.
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And threatening the veto is a part of pressuring congress into reforming.
But ultimately, if McCain or Obama are truly serious about this issue, they should remain in the offices they currently hold - where they can actually effect Congressional policy.
I think you're reading too much into the veto thing, in order to make it into a bigger partisan issue than it actually is.
Matt