GOP HYPOCRISY AND FLIP FLOPS ARE NOTHING NEW

 

Oklahoma City, OK – While the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) has delivered needed funds to Oklahoma’s economy, many of the state’s GOP delegation – including Congresswoman Mary Fallin – have taken credit for and praised initiatives they voted against.

“Though Rep. Fallin vehemently opposed the ARRA, she has used it to try to score political points in her district,” stated Todd Goodman, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic Party. “She has said the ARRA was the ‘wrong stimulus,’ but apparently she thinks that spending that money for earmarks somehow makes things right.

“It’s incredible how much Washington-style political maneuvering Mary Fallin has picked up in her short time in Congress.”

FLIP-FLOP: SPENDING
Fallin voted against the ARRA, which will infuse a total of $2.6 billion into Oklahoma’s economy. Over the past year, she has stated that the stimulus is “unlikely to stimulate much beyond more debt” and that it “was not the right answer to stimulate our economy.”

However, Fallin earmarked $1.3 million for buses in her district and $285,000 to fund a Native American museum. She also asked a Pentagon official to use $8.4 million of the funds to repair National Guard buildings in Oklahoma.
“Many times Fallin criticized the stimulus for not creating jobs, but behind closed doors she pushed for money to be spent on projects that would not directly boost employment,” Goodman said.

He noted that Fallin, who is running for Governor, “is asking for Oklahomans to trust her to lead our state – but we can’t even trust that her actions will match her words.”

FLIP-FLOP: JOBS
Goodman added that Fallin even appears confused as to whether or not to say that the stimulus has created jobs.
On December 2, 2009, Fallin took part in a GOP press conference and repeatedly demanded, “Where are the jobs?” the ARRA was designed to create. However, only eight days later, she praised Oklahoma officials for their efficiency in “getting the stimulus money out the door and creating jobs” in Oklahoma. [See video at http://maryfailing.com]
“I’m glad that she found the jobs that the stimulus has created because it has made a real difference to Oklahomans who want to get to work,” said Goodman.

HYPOCRISY: HELP FOR DISABLED VETERANS
Fallin’s website touts that she has “worked to support a variety of initiatives improving veterans’ services,” including “[t]he economic stimulus package that sent rebate checks to 250,000 disabled veterans.”

However, Fallin opposed the 2009 economic stimulus package when it came through Congress. That measure, like the one Fallin voted for in 2008, secured additional tax rebate checks for millions of seniors – including struggling disabled veterans.

“Apparently voting to help our veterans only once in a while is good enough for Mary Fallin,” Goodman noted. “I don’t think most Oklahomans would agree with her on that.”
Overall, Goodman stated that the ARRA has been good for Oklahoma’s economy and Oklahoma families.

“This has been a year of many great successes for this program, and we’re really starting to turn things around nationally,” he said. “I just wish that elected officials like Mary Fallin could drop the politics long enough to focus on the bill’s positive effects.”