A third Republican congress critter denied renomination

The most dramatic story from Tuesday's primaries was the overwhelming defeat of Democrat-turned-Republican Rep. Parker Griffith in Alabama’s 5th Congressional District.

Stalwart conservative State Rep. Mo Brooks whalloped Griffith by a margin of 51% to 33%, despite the incumbent's support from the National Republican Congressional Committee and a spending advantage of nearly 10-to-1 over Brooks. The remainder of the primary vote went to businessman Les Phillips, who also ran to the right of Griffith and had the backing of former presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

The results were an embarrassment to some national GOPers. Seven months ago, Griffith (lifetime American Conservative Union rating: 56%) made headlines when he switched parties less than a year after taking office as a freshman congressman. He is now the third member of Congress to be denied being nominated by his party, joining Republican Sen. Robert Bennett of Utah and Democratic Rep. Alan Mollohan of West Virginia.

“I was mildly surprised by the margin myself,” a triumphant Brooks told HUMAN EVENTS in an interview on the day after the primary. “But we won primarily because of people who shared my concern for the future of our country.”

The GOP nominee and onetime Madison County district attorney cited “the unsustainable deficits we face, which could lead to national security threats, and the drift we are experiencing from free enterprise to socialism. The folks in control—[Speaker Nancy] Pelosi in the House, [Majority Leader Harry] Reid in the Senate, and Obama in the White House -- are taking us toward socialism one step at a time.”

When asked if he wanted to see those words in print, Brooks replied: “Absolutely. That’s what I said in the campaign.” He recalled that he earned a degree in economics from Duke University with honors and said, “I know the difference between free enterprise and socialism.”

Shelby blocking Obama appointees in pursuit of new refueling tanker jobs for Alabama

Last week Alabama Republican Sen. Richard Shelby put a “hold” on all Obama nominations for executive branch positions -- about seventy all told – to pressure the Air Force into changing the terms of its “request for proposals” for the award of the multi-billion dollar air refueling tanker aircraft contract.

The Northrup-Grumman/Airbus team plans to build some of the aircraft in Alabama, building a new plant and presumably hiring and training hundreds of Shelby’s constituents.

A spokesman for Shelby bemoaned the lack of a “transparent and fair” process for tanker acquisition, but what is clear from the senator’s announcement blocking presidential appointees is that bringing earmark dollars home to Alabama is more important to Shelby than what the Air Force, and the nation, needs for future defense.

Apparently the pork, and the jobs Shelby wants for his home state, rank above what the Air Force needs to replace the aged KC-135 tanker fleet. Shelby’s attempt to hold the appointment process hostage to gain political advantage toward landing Alabama a new aircraft assembly (not manufacturing, because the airframe components would be built in Europe) plant and an FBI explosives test center.

A single senator can stall a particular nomination almost indefinitely, a commonly used procedure for individual lawmakers wielding power to impede government process. Alabama Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions currently has blocks on two Pentagon appointees (not based on the Airbus question), but a blanket hold is considered a rare senatorial action.