Today is Wednesday, so it is time once again for the Evil Republican of the Week Award. There are several nominees for the (apparently) highly coveted award this week.
First, Iowa state representative Shawn Hammerlinck who told a visiting group of University students who were protesting budget cuts that they should just go home, and leave the job of
governing to the big boys. When it was pointed out to him that this was sort of a tacky way for a public servant to relate to his constituents, he said in his defense “I hate being lobbied by students.” He really did.
Next, we have Californian Dana Rohrabacher, who said that the Iraqis should pay us back for the cost of invading their country, the ungrateful little punks. Reminded me very much of the accusations that Saddam Hussein forced the families of executed prisoners to pay for the bullets used in the execution. Truly, deeply heartless but Rohrabacher has already won this award once, and I do want to spread the love a bit.
Newt Gingrich earns a nomination (Newt Gingrich is probably just about due for a lifetime achievement award) for the revelation that his “charity,” whose purpose is to encourage people to love freedom, Jesus and America, buys all its books from Newt Gingrich. So, all of the real Americans who have donated money to that charity basically just paid Newt Gingrich to continue being Newt Gingrich. Creative marketing, to be sure, but not particularly ethical.
But this week’s winner is New Jersey governor Chris Christie. Not because he took a government helicopter to his son’s football game. That was pretty sleazy and unnecessary, because New Jersey is really not that large a state. Not just because I want to use this grossly unflattering, although not at all unrealistic, photo of him at the beach in Florida. No, Chris Christie actually wants to privatize New Jersey’s public schools. At any rate, the bad ones, where the poor kids go.
And there are lots of Republicans who think he’d be a good candidate for President.
