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Are Voters Fed Up at Last? Ohio Congressman Turner Gets Slammed for Earmarks

-By Warner Todd Huston

Much to his dismay, Congressman Mike Turner of Ohio’s 3rd District has just discovered a new attitude from his voters. Unfortunately, it’s a lesson that congress isn’t likely to learn too quickly. But let’s see if Congressman Turner will.

Until now there has been an averting of the eyes at the overspending of “my” congressman. The individual voters have for decades been willing to excuse their own congressman for bringing home the pork even as they complain at the wild over spending by congress as a whole.

For a very long time the voters have been upset at spending by congress, but they’ve completely ignored the excesses of their own congressman because, after all, his wild spending came home to them. Voters have been willing to overlook their own pork if it’s their pork.

But if a recent tea party rally in Ohio is any indication, this permissive attitude so long exhibited by voters might finally be about to change.

Congressman Turner likely thought he was being a hero as he appeared in front of the home crowd. His rude awakening came over his vote to bring 1.5 million dollars to Ohio State University (which is not even in his district as the woman on the video not so gently reminds him). This earmark was set to help OSU fund the study of the effects of black raspberries on cancer.

The home crowd didn’t seem to agree with his vote, however.

Yet when questioned over it, Turner was not apologetic. In fact, he was quite proud of the money wasting vote. Not only was he proud of it but he warned the crowd that if he didn’t bring the pork home it would go to some other state, like California. He began yelling over the catcalls of the crowd that he was “working for them.”

And catcalls there were. Cincinnati talk show host Bill Cunningham asked the crowd if the congressman was doing a good job for them? It sure didn’t seem as if they approved.

So, are voters finally waking up to the fact that wasteful spending starts at home? Are voters at last realizing that if they don’t hold their own congressman accountable, none of them will stop the wild over spending? Can we expect that the voters are at last waking up?

Let’s hope so.

(H/T T. Shoemake)
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as NewsBusters.org, RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, TheRealityCheck.org, RedState.com, Human Events Magazine, AmericanDailyReview.com, and the New Media Journal, among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism” heard on BlogTalkRadio. Warner is also the editor of the Cook County Page for RedCounty.com.

He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston

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