I found this YouTube video on Hot Air Pundit, which seems to think FOXNews commentator Neil Cavuto won this little confrontation. I bed to differ:
Cavuto: “.. And another 250 grand for Oak Ridge Cemetery improvements. I certainly hope some very important people are buried there.”
Schock: “Well, first of all, the man buried at Oak Ridge Cemetery is a man named Abraham Lincoln, who you may be familiar with with.”
I agree with Cavuto’s broad statement that pork spending is bad. But I’m not sure what Cavuto’s definition of pork is, other than it’s spending that is targeted for specific Congressional districts. Not that Cavuto is interested in the hearing any explanation from Schock, judging by how often the guy keeps interrupting him.
I think Cavuto was handed a list of 18th District spending and used it to go off on Schock without bothering to do research. Do a Google Search for “oak ridge cemetery” and you quickly figure out exactly why it’s an important location.
Round 1 to Schock.
UPDATE: A right-wing web site is using the Cavuto clip to make it’s case that Fox isn’t a right-wing news network:
One of the favorite talking points that often comes from Fox News detractors is the claim that the News Corp (NASDAQ:NWSA) cable news is somehow an organ of the Republican Party. It’s a claim that former White House Communications Director Anita Dunn made, along with countless other accusations from prominent Democrats.
However, these Democrats would be doing themselves and their audiences a favor to take notice of two Fox News anchors, “Your World” host Neil Cavuto and the weekend edition of “America’s News HQ” co-host, Gregg Jarrett. The two recently challenged two Republican members of Congress, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill.
Ah, so THAT’S why Cavuto tried to bring Schock down a peg. By treating a Republican in a way usually reserved for Democrats, FOXNews trying to diffuse all the rescent criticism that’s it’s just an outlet for GOP talking points.
But much like how Cavuto didn’t do his homework before interviewing Schock, NewsBusters obviously didn’t watch the clip, or would have noticed how Schock kicked Cavuto’s ass. Being loud is no substitute for being clueless and interrupting the other cuy isn’t the same as winning an argument.
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Billy Dennis is a former reporter and editor at small daily and weekly newspapers in Illinois and Missouri. He comments on media, news and politics. He also owns and operates 
Billy,
I agree, Congressman Schock addressed every rapid fire question from Cavuto effectively. Say what you want about Congressman Schock, but he is willing to go onto any show, be it freind or foe, and articulate intelligently and effectively. He works hard, does his homework, and is not afraid to take a stand. We need more elected leaders like him.
I agree, he is articulate and remarkably unflappable for a freshman congressman. Still not going to vote for him, though.
And, it should be noted, he’s very good at evading the question.
Schock: “And the issue of pork, or community projects, or earmarks, or whatever you want to make them out to be, the reality is it’s, it’s, it’s none of those projects that really affect the deficit as much as it is just overall discretionary spending here in our country. We just passed an omnus– omnibus bill this week that increases spending twelve-and-a-half percent at a time when every state, every local government is cutting back, we’re adding spending increases here on the average of twelve-and-a-half.”
Did you see that? It’s not the spending that Schock voted for that is increasing the deficit. It’s the “overall spending” — presumably the sum of everyone else’s spending — that’s the problem. Genius!
“It’s the ‘overall spending’ — presumably the sum of everyone else’s spending — that’s the problem.”
This, in a nutshell, is why Congress can’t control its spending. My spending = good. Your spending = bad.
Cavuto was rude in this segment – not his usual schtick. He wouldn’t let Schock complete a sentence or make a point.
Seriously, not his usual shtick? Have you ever watched Cavuto? The guy is rude to just about every guest he has on his show. At least the one’s he doesn’t agree with. The only time he isn’t rude is when someone with views similar to his is talking.
I agree with Diane
Good deflection. Let’s make this about Cavuto’s rudeness so we can ignore Schock’s evasiveness. If that doesn’t work, we can talk about Miss Piggy’s anger issues at the beginning of the clip.
Neal looked like an idiot when he said “Wow, I hope there were some pretty important people buried there”… to which Aaron replied “uh yeah, like Abraham Lincoln” (my spin
).
Cavuto just went on talking hoping the audience wouldn’t notice how much of a dork he looked like just then!
Every right wing site that picked up on this seemed to have not noticed the part about Abe Lincoln. It makes me think they never bothered to watch the segment.
Schock voted against the almost trillion dollar stimulus, the 400 billion omnibus spending bill last March, cap n trade, the 2 trillion dollar health care bill and now this over a trillion dollar omnibus spending bill this month.
Schock has voted against all big new spending and that’s good because we can’t afford it. That still leaves normal federal government spending which is a lot. So he fights for our fair share of projects in whatever amount the federal government is going to support. This isn’t additional spending but rather directing a tiny portion of that spending right here on important projects that the people’s local goverment officials have urged federal financial support.
I listened to Schock address his interview with Cavuto on the radio this morning. My understanding of his rationale for the earmark spending is as follows:
Earmarks are the only way for elected officials to direct how the federal money will be spent. Without earmarks, the money goes to unelected bureaucrats. Through the use of earmarks, Schock is directing money to our district that would otherwise go to people that do not represent us.
CJ- would you rather have money that is already going to be spent sent to unelected bureacrats instead?
They’re attacking Schock for not towing the conservative party line. That doesn’t make them fair. It only proves that they’re the enforcer of conservative conformity within the GOP. Notice that when Fox attacks a Republican it’s usually because the politician isn’t being conservative enough.
And you’ll never get them to define pork because most “pork” spending goes to things that people want. Pork is always something that OTHER people get in some other district.
Here’s the real question: Should these projects that Schock earmarked be paid for with federal money? Are they justified expenditures? Are they in the national interest?
If the answer is “yes,” then one would presume that Schock would have fought to spend this money regardless of the method. I mean, if it’s in the national interest, he would be irresponsible not to try to get the funding, right? If he couldn’t get this spending in the stimulus bill via earmarks, then he would have tried to get it into another appropriations bill or find whatever way he could to secure the funds. So the question of *how* he spent the money is moot. The point is, he’s going to spend it, and it adds to the deficit. He can’t hide behind the method. He has to justify his own spending and its addition to the deficit. Thus, Cavuto is right to call Schock out on the amount of money he’s spending.
If the answer is “no,” then he would be admitting that this is pork-barrel spending, and a waste of government dollars. In that case, Cavuto is also justified in calling out Schock for wasting tax money in his district while he criticizes waste by others, esp. Democrats. If his expenditures aren’t justifiable — i.e., not in the national interest — then it’s pork, which does nothing more than gain Schock political favor in his district at the federal taxpayer’s expense.
And this gets back to Scruff’s false dichotomy: “would you rather have money that is already going to be spent sent to unelected bureaucrats instead?” In other words, isn’t it better to have your own congressman waste your tax money (and your children’s tax money, and your grandchildren’s tax money) on worthless projects rather than an unelected bureaucrat doing the same thing? I prefer neither of those options.
If there are no legitimate projects in the 18th congressional district, why not allocate the money to something that is in the national interest elsewhere in the state or even the nation? I know it’s a novel thought to put the country ahead of your own political aspirations, but you know, maybe that money could be better used to provide for the common defense or promote the general welfare or something. Why the cynical “we have to get our fair share” mentality that doesn’t recognize that this is exactly the kind of selfish thinking that got us into this mess?