A funny and completely unexpected thing happened yesterday, a GOP member of the House took credit for a project paid with Stimulus money! And after standing next to DOT Secretary whose speech was all about ARRA, her staff then claimed she didn't know/denied it was a Stimulus-funded project. </snark>
More on the flip...
Yesterday, Rep Jo Ann Emerson (R, MO-08) attended a grand opening of the Holcim Cement Plant in St. Genevieve, which was funded by the Recovery Act which she (being Republican) opposed.
The DOT press release, "Secretary Ray LaHood, along with Reps. Russ Carnahan and Jo Ann Emerson, will attend the ribbon cutting at Holcim's newest Recovery Act-funded cement plant in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri."
This cement factory apparently created 2500 jobs during its construction and 250 jobs for the operation of the plant. And if you want to know what that means for a place like Southeast Missouri, think how desperate you'd be if parts of your district were in the mid-teens in U-3 unemployment.
Emerson has been full-throated in her opposition to ARRA: "I opposed the stimulus for two reasons: the spending was irresponsibly high, and I saw no way this money could be spent accountably by the federal government."
Then she tweeted: "Great grand opening event at Holcim today." She went on to mention the benefits of the factory, but not how it was funded.
If you don't know the area or this race check out what Begala said a few months ago about the Democrat and Green Beret born and raised in the district who's trying to oust this Beltway-born Insurance lobbyist from Congress here.
Sowers is an 11-year Army Special Forces veteran, running unopposed as the Democrat for Congress Since Begala's article Tommy outraised Emerson in 2010 Q1 by over $70,000, with 99% of his contributions coming from individuals.
The campaign isn't sitting this one out...which in Rush Limbaugh's home district is all-too uncommon! Sowers' Campaign Manager Jonathan Feifs got quoted saying, "Apparently, Jo Ann has an extremely short memory. Three months after reiterating her opposition to the Recovery Act, she is out touting the results of the very same piece of legislation. The people of Southeastern Missouri are smarter than this: this is hypocrisy and Washington politics at its worst."
I saw this on ThinkProgress and figured some of my fellow Kossacks could show it some love!