Bad News That I Missed

Or maybe it didn’t get much coverage. Robert Novak writes:

House Republicans showed how much they really care about losing their fiscal responsibility brand when they rejected Rep. Jeff Flake (Ariz.), the leading crusader against earmarks, for a vacancy on the House Appropriations Committee. They picked Rep. Jo Bonner (Ala.), a former House staffer and a consistent supporter of earmarks. Flake’s goose was cooked earlier when the House Republican Conference did not unilaterally impose a moratorium on earmarks.

I don’t see how Republicans think they can get back to majority status without reclaiming their role as advocates of smaller and more responsible government. Pork helps incumbents of both parties, so the temptation to make it bipartisan is understandable. But if most House Republicans prefer job security in the minority to making a serious effort to regain the majority based on conservative principles, the party is in worse trouble than I thought.
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