THE HAND THAT HOLDS THE LADLE:

Cowed Dems exchange yes vote for earmarks (Hans Nichols, 9/10/04, The Hill)

Many House Democrats are expected to vote for the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education appropriations bill today to secure the earmarks they were denied last year as punishment for voting “no.”

They say they are only voting for the bill because of a “whispering campaign” of intimidation that special projects for their districts — for schools, sewers and the like — would be stripped from the bill in conference if they vote against it.

Republicans scoff at the idea that it’s a whispering campaign, saying its an explicit threat and a political reality.

Democratic lawmakers and aides admitted they were seared by the memory of last year’s process, when they were punished en masse for their uniform opposition to the bill. It has helped convince them to support the bill this year.

And thus does the emergence of a permanent majority cause minority party switching and great trouble with both retaining sitting members and recruiting challengers. For instance, why would a competent executive like John Corzine stay in a Senate where he'll never have much power when he has an excellent chance to govern NJ instead?

Posted by Orrin Judd at September 10, 2004 1:02 PM