McCain Shows Leadership on Farm Bill. Obama Doesn’t.
By Alan Stewart Carl | Related entries in Barack, Congress, Legislation, McCainHere’s what I find so interesting about the poorly considered and irresponsible farm bill. Barack Obama supported it. John McCain opposed it. Apparently, for Obama, change does not include changing the way our government recklessly doles out money with more regard to the desires of lobbyists than to the needs of the nation. McCain, on the other hand, actually understands that change is about doing the hard work of reform, not just using the force of character to shift political paradigms.
Today, in a Chicago Tribune editorial, McCain wrote he would, if president, veto such a farm bill and explained:
Congress should be ashamed of this mockery of its promise to rein in waste and earmarks. Buried within its hundreds of pages is $93 million in tax breaks for race horses, a $4 billion trust fund for disaster payments on top of subsidized crop insurance that is supposed to take care of such “disasters,” and the list goes on. If that wasn’t enough, this bill would send $250 million of taxpayers’ money to Plum Creek Timber Co. in Montana. Plum Creek, according to its Web site, “is the largest and most geographically diverse private land owner in the nation” and paid a healthy dividend to shareholders last quarter.
It is time to wean ourselves from the huge crop subsidies being paid by taxpayers and the flawed policies that distort the markets, artificially raise prices for consumers and pit producers against consumers.
That seems to me a principled stand. Here’s how Obama justified his support of the bill.
The bill places greater resources into renewable energy and conservation. And, during this time of rising food prices, the farm bill provides an additional $10 billion for critical nutrition programs. I am also pleased that the bill includes my proposal to help thousands of African-American farmers get their discrimination claims reviewed under the Pigford settlement.
“This bill is far from perfect. I believe in tighter payment limits and a ban on packer ownership of livestock. As president, I will continue to fight for the interests of America’s family farmers and ranchers and ensure that assistance is geared towards those producers who truly need them, instead of large agribusinesses. But with so much at stake, we cannot make the perfect the enemy of the good.
That’s almost Clintonian in its dodges and weaves. Sounds justified on its surface but I think David Brooks is right on the money when he says the farm bill garnered so many votes primarily because diverse special interests trumped broad national interests. Obama, for his part, would rather see his personal special interests be rewarded than to take a principled stand against the billions of unnecessary spending.
Obama gives a lot of lip service to change but his support of the farm bill shows he’s OK with politics as usual so long as his interests get their money. He could have shown leadership on this bill. Instead he just went with the flow and achieved nothing greater than politics as usual.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 and is filed under Barack, Congress, Legislation, McCain. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
May 20th, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Good Post, Alan. I don’t just say that because I think Obama is nothing more than well polished political huckster selling a bullshit bill of goods that amounts to nothing more that a post-modern vintage of the “Great Society.” I say it because in my professional life I am surrounded by lobbyist, bother state lobbyist and national lobbyist. In fact, I office with 5 of them — 3 Democrats, 2 Republicans and little old me — a self-professed libertarian.
Quite simply, lobbyist love Obama. They think he is the greatest thing in the world. Why? Because they see a day when their interests are rewarded and they look good and their clients get hand-outs and they get paid. And they have confidence that if Obama is elected, his affable personality will open doors, he will be declared to have mandate and the flood gates will open.
It is hard for me professionally not to like Obama, because my clients would in the short term would absolutely benefit because the renewable energy sector…it will be the greatest give away…ever.
This isn’t coming from usual partisan ideological view point, but rather my observation of “government consultants.” And again, I deal with a lot of them.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Actually, this is a great post. This is the sort of criticism of Obama I like to see. And I say that as an Obama supporter. I completely agree that there should have been much stronger opposition to this bill than there was. The United States simply cannot afford to continue spending money at the rate it has been maintaining for the last eight years. Certainly not on so many unwise projects.
May 20th, 2008 at 8:50 pm
I also agree with the well-deserved criticism of Obama on the farm bill, but I have one very important thing to add.
If McCain is so against this bill–why did he not vote?
It is important to note that four people did not vote on this bill May 14th–Obama, Clinton, McCain and Kennedy.
Kennedy, I think we can all agree, gets a pass.
Obama and Clinton, I am sure they will argue, were busy campaigning. I call BS on that. A bill of this import should be voted on. Shame on them. If they are both for it, stand up and say they are for it.
McCain has even less of an excuse. He’s got the nomination wrapped up.
All three did not vote on this bill so they cannot be called on it later on. Oh, yeah, McCain, he’s a real “leader”–all three lose points
May 20th, 2008 at 11:56 pm
gerryf, while I wish McCain would have gotten his vote against it on record, I rather think that publishing a scathing op ed about it makes it hard to believe that he was trying to avoid being called on it later. I don’t know what his reasons were- though it’s not as though he’s not campaigning and fundraising right now even though he’s not technically in a contest until the Dem nominee is selected. Personally I’d prefer that candidates quite the Senate when they run for president, but since that criticism applies to all three remaining contenders it ends up being a wash.
May 21st, 2008 at 5:49 am
You really have to be kidding me. ANy of you seek wisdom in”my lobbists are holier than yours” Obama supports agricultural lobbies since they are prevalent in his home state, Mccain supports industro-military, etc etc. No law will ever get passed without some interest groups getting paid, special interests own congress (and the president) If you expect Obama to vote against any bill that has special interests he will have to vote them all down. Then you claim he won’t participate in government (oh, I don’t know, like all those no votes in the IL legislature he got hassled for).
You make do with what you can. Blame the politicians who stuck the measures in there and have enough clout to push passage. As long as the bulk of the bill does more good than harm, then the special interests will get their funds.
May 21st, 2008 at 7:57 am
My only concern, is that even if McCain wins, he can’t do anything about a veto-proof majority in Congress. Our country’s problems run deeper than any one man can fix.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:49 am
Dos: “a self-professed libertarian”
Obviously you have no idea what a libertarian is. Guess what, they don’t vote over and over and over again and constantly cheerlead for lying scum that play world police, grow the government to record size and run up 10 trillion in debt.
May 21st, 2008 at 8:54 am
CStanley,
While I agree a scathing op-ed piece speaks volumes, I question rather this was truly scathing. ASC criticizes (rightfully) Obama leaving himself wiggle room on his support, but I am not willing to give him a pass on not-voting.
McCain’s schedule for the day included a rehash on his support of Iraq in Ohio at 8am (oh, very pressing, Iguess we did not know he supported the Iraq war but didn’t think it was well executed), AND a dinner gala in Washington D.C.
So, yes, he was in town during the vote but this very important piece of legislation that he would Veto if president wasn’t worth his time to vote.
C’mon. I was born at night, but it wasn’t last night.
He dodged the vote, but claims leadership by writing an op-ed piece that was neither scathing nor ironclad in its condemnation.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:36 am
The Farm Bill is just one example of the very poor way Congress runs this country. It has far too many different provisions that really don’t belong on the same bill. If they could all be broken out into separate bills, we would see much better use of the money. But then the special interests wouldn’t get their share.
I’m ashamed that Mitch McConnell, of my own state, managed to tack on millions of dollars to benifit the horse racing industry. This is just one example of something that would never pass if it was a separate piece of legislation.
Obama supports the bill for many reason but the one that benifits him the most is all the food stamp money ties up in it. This money goes straight to his most reliable voters, i.e. impoverished minorities.
Even fiscally responsible conservative organizations like the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership are forced to push hard on the Farm Bill because of all the conservation money ties up in it.
The whole system stinks and so far McCain has shown the most willingness to fix it.
May 21st, 2008 at 9:49 am
The op-ed reads scathing to me. It’s not like he can dodge his position because unlike Obama he didn’t mince his words or leave himself an out. My guess is he was busy fund-raising which is what he’s proven to be pretty poor at doing.
It’s a shame his campaign doesn’t have more sound policy like this one: change via cutting wasted spending and readjusting priorities would be a great platform against change via throwing more taxpayer money at it.
It’d get me to donate.
May 21st, 2008 at 10:02 am
So Obama gets whacked for working across party lines and being pragmatic? I thought the criticism was that he was too naive to know how to get things done?
Look, the truth is the Farm Bill is far from perfect, but it does represent a consensus (2/3rds majority in the House, and a whopping 80 votes in the Senate). Vetoing a bipartisan piece of legislation as Pres. Bush has said he will do only adds to the gridlock that makes our government ineffective.
Do you want a leader, or a zealot?
May 21st, 2008 at 10:05 am
Donklephant » McCain Shows Leadership on Farm Bill. Obama Doesn’t….
I support Obama, but I also think this is a vote worthy of further exploration. I don’t know much about the Farm Bill, to be honest, but I know others on this forum do. So, submitted for your discussion — was the Farm Bill that passed worthy of sup…
May 21st, 2008 at 12:17 pm
John, the only reason it has bipartisan support is because it’s political graft for both sides of the aisle. Any politician supporting it should be ashamed of themselves.
May 21st, 2008 at 12:43 pm
When Bush vetoes this bill tomorrow, and the senate goes on to ratify it with a super-majority, the bloated budget will increase, but everyone will blame the Bush administration for it anyway, like they blame him for everything. Its a win-win situation for Obama. Get your earmarks, increase wasteful spending, then blame it on Bush. Punch your ticket Barack.
May 21st, 2008 at 1:16 pm
Yes Jimmy because Bush has been sooooo fiscally responsible. My god you’re brainwashed!!!!
May 21st, 2008 at 2:06 pm
Jimmy is not brainwashed–he is merely following the time honored GOP tradition of ignoring the truth and hoping that repeating the same line over and over again will result in people thinking it is true.
There was a time when Republican’s DID actually stand for fiscal responsibility, but that was so long ago it is irrelevent.
Say it with me–Reagan, Bush and Bush presidencies have overseen 70 percent of all debt ever generated in US History. It’s astounding that any “conservative”would even think of voting for these people.
May 21st, 2008 at 2:14 pm
“My god you’re brainwashed!!!!” — djthedj
Yeah, Jimmy, your brainwashed with the constant, incessant media-love for Bush. Your all wrapped up in the emotional, spiritual high of the Bush Administration. You aren’t see things straight, man — they got the Svengali on you, man.
If only you were a Barrack Obama supporter — you’d see the world through a dispassionate, objective, analytical lense.
Jimmy – there is only one way for you to recover from the Bush Brainwashing. Go a mirror right now…now….look at yourself and say, “Yes, We Can. Yes, We Can. Yes, We Can. Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.Yes, We Can.”
Okay, you should now be unbrainwashed.
August 6th, 2008 at 10:22 am
[...] he opposed the Farm Bill earlier this year and Barack Obama made excuses for supporting it, I said McCain showed leadership. I’m glad he’s continuing to show leadership, if just on this one [...]