Here we go again. Following his refusal a few weeks ago to sign a letter calling for the Department of Justice to investigate attempts to intimidate conservative bloggers, twenty-year incumbent Congressman John Mica has once again failed to sign a letter that should be a no-brainer for a Republican.
Freshman Representative Sandy Adams, Mica's primary opponent, has spearheaded the effort to make the ban on earmarks permanent, and has been joined by 57 of her fellow members of Congress in signing a letter supporting this ban. Banning earmarks has been a popular cause for conservative Republicans, and was a rallying cry during the 2010 elections.
So why didn't Mica sign the letter?
Is he so consumed by bitterness at having to face a spirited primary challenge after twenty years of mostly easy coasting to reelection? Does the threat of losing all the perks of being a Congressman have him so rattled that he would be so petty as to refuse to sign such a letter in the fear that Adams might get even the tiniest bit of positive press from it?
Or is it something more insidious? Could it be, perhaps, that Mica isn't the staunch "fiscal conservative fighter" that his mail pieces claim he is this year? Maybe he really doesn't support banning earmarks?
It certainly looks that way. The Adams campaign put out a press release today calling on Mica to tell the voters exactly what his position is on earmarks:
Adams: “Would John Mica Support an Earmark Ban in the 113th Congress?”
Orlando, FL – Freshman Sandy Adams, who led the charge for the House’s current earmark moratorium, is continuing the fight to make that earmark ban permanent. She's pushing a letter in support of the permanent ban, though noticeably absent from the letter is her opponent and 20-year incumbent John Mica. His reluctance makes sense after requesting $4 billion in earmarks – including a $13 million earmark for a family member's client – during his two decades in Congress. In fact, he defied reformers by exclaiming, “There's no way in hell I would support banning earmarks.” Mica's appetite for pork earned him the Citizens Against Government Waste’s “Porker of the Month” award. But as John Mica continues to reinvent himself this primary season, Central Floridians deserve to know: Would Obama’s biggest cheerleader support an earmark ban in the 113th Congress?
“John Mica and other big-spending career politicians are part of the problem in Washington, D.C.," said Adams. “After requesting $4 billion in earmarks and increasing our nation’s debt by more than $10 trillion over the past 20 years, Central Floridians cannot afford John Mica any longer. My freshmen colleagues and I came to Washington to be part of the solution. However, there are still members of Congress on both sides of the aisle that continue to be part of the problem. With a nearly $16 trillion debt, it is clear the old way of doing things in Congress just doesn't work for the American people. I will continue to fight for an earmark ban in the 113th Congress, but the question begs to be asked: Would John Mica?”###
The longer this primary continues, the clearer the choice between the two candidates becomes. The transportation bill boondoggle Mica bragged about passing last week was bad enough, but when we are approaching sixteen trillion dollars in debt, I want Congressional Representatives willing to do something about it.
I encourage you to go to Sandy Adams' website, learn more about her, consider donating to her if you can, and vote for her in the primary if you are in District 7.
Further reading:
Sunshine State Sarah | Sandy Adams defends bloggers, leads effort to ask DOJ to investigate SWATting
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