Lawmakers who support earmarks "are still going to move money around on the committees," said Mr. Herson of American Defense International.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid characterized the reform as a "mistake" and said that "top House Republicans have told him that they support earmarks and would like to see the practice return".
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid characterized the reform as a "mistake" and said that "top House Republicans have told him that they support earmarks and would like to see the practice return". Knuti thinks this needs to happen with all deliberate haste.
Mr. Santorum's career as a Washington insider who supported earmarks while in the Senate doesn't have the same resonance as Mr. Gingrich's ties to Freddie Mac.
Against a backdrop of pigs in a sty, the ad calls Mr. Santorum "a porker's best friend" for supporting earmarks for Pennsylvania while he was in the Senate.
He spent much of the first 20 minutes of the debate criticizing Mr. Obama for supporting earmarks, special projects sought by members for their district.
Clinton has repeatedly supported earmarks as a way to bring home money for projects, while Obama adheres to a policy of using them only to support public entities.
As a member who has supported earmarks in the past, Mr. Akin would also be easier to target in a general election, while John Brunner, a manufacturing company owner who is self-funded, would make things more difficult for Democrats, and as such is the preferred candidate among many Republicans.
He proposed local sovereign wealth funds (a variation on an idea his rival Boris Johnson has supported) possibly supported by an earmarked, locally raised tax, to invest in local infrastructure.
