They're at it again...

According to The Hill -

"The House Republican leadership has endorsed an effort by Rep. Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), an appropriations cardinal, to punish Democrats en masse for their blanket opposition to the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education spending package.

Regula’s plan to redirect all potential Democratic earmarks to vulnerable Republicans would breathe new life into a principle that Republican leaders have long wanted their more accommodating appropriators to enforce: If Democrats vote against appropriations bills, they shouldn’t expect special projects earmarked for their districts."

Of course, when they say they want to 'punish Democrats' by withholding funds for district projects, they mean they want to punish the people - D, R or otherwise - who live in the districts and need the jobs, services and facilities those projects represent. In other words, if you live in a Congressional District represented by a Democrat, they want to punish you.

Stories like this provide a powerful reminder why, while Presidential politics are important, we need to keep our eye on recapturing the Congress, too. In many ways that's more important than taking the White House, IMO.