Senator David Vitter’s Ungrateful Political Act

Just tune in to CSPAN2 for the debate on the economic stimulus bill and you’ll see that Republicans aren’t merely engaging in philosophical arguments against the bill, they’re still taking drive-by political shots at Dems and progressives.

Last night, Sen. David Vitter, R-LA, offered an amendment to the bill which would have precluded any stimulus dollars from going to a community activist group located in over 100 U.S. cities, ACORN.  Honestly, I don’t know that much about ACORN because the only time I hear about them it’s coming out of the mouth of a right-wing talk show host or one of the ultra pols in Washington.  I know they work on inner city issues, especially things like affordable housing.  They also register people to vote, and have been in some hot water somewhere over their registration methods.  End of my knowledge of ACORN.

This was a bad amendment for two reasons.  First, United States Senators do not lower themselves to exclude single American groups or organizations from legislation while on the floor of the Senate.  Those actions are for the relative safety of committee.  Vitter looked like a punk.

Second, Vitter proved he was a punk by singling out ACORN.  The group is the whipping boy of every “Barack was born in Kenya” right wing nut job.  The group also, according to Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL, was responsible or partially responsible for the rehabilitation of 3,500 New Orleans area homes after Hurricane Katrina.  That’s the same NOLA which Vitter under represents in the Senate.  David Vitter is an ungrateful punk.