GOPer: Government Spending Is Not Stimulus -- Unless It's Military Spending

[babylonsister]

http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/04/chambliss-spending-isnt-stimulus-unless-its-defense-spending.php?ref=fp1

Chambliss: Spending Isn't Stimulus Unless It's Defense Spending
By Brian Beutler - April 10, 2009, 11:44AM


When the stimulus bill passed in the Senate a couple months ago, it did so with the help of only three Republicans. None of those Republicans was Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA).

In fact, at the time, Chambliss dismissed the idea that government spending is the proper response to a deep recession entirely.

"Instead of focusing on three major issues - job creation, housing and compassion for Americans who have lost jobs through no fault of their own - to boost the economy, this bill has morphed into a bloated government giveaway," said Chambliss. "The majority in Congress has been in runaway mode when it comes to spending taxpayer dollars.

And then last week, when Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) introduced an alternative budget proposal, Chambliss voted for it, in support of a spending freeze.

Yesterday, though, he called in to the NPR program Talk of the Nation and argued that there's no better way to create jobs (read: stimulate the economy) than...with government spending.

As long as the spending is for things that cause explosions, anyhow.

Well listen, the jobs are important any time, whether you're in a fiscal crisis or not. But now, when we're in these very difficult times, certainly it's even more important.

I've been an advocate not just of spending more money on the F-22 but on - when it comes to stimulating the economy, there's no better way to do it than to spend it in the defense community.

We'll be keeping our eyes peeled for more examples of this sort of contradiction in the days and weeks ahead.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. He's only interested in spending money on the F-22 because it's made in his state.