The Ghost of Lauch Faircloth - Virginia Foxx

Back in 1998, on his way to getting run out of the Senate by John Edwards, Lauch Faircloth held "hearings" back here in North Carolina, on the IRS-menace that would have probably made the Founding Fathers move back to London and swear fealty to King George had they seen it. Faircloth had been elected to the Senate in 1992, in large part because he portrayed himself as being ideologically identical with Jesse Helms. That had been helpful, because despite a lifetime handling political money, Faircloth seemed to lack any ideas of his own.

Well, Virginia Foxx has strapped me into the way-back machine with this "hearing" (login, but no $ required). Like Faircloth, Foxx has decided to come back to her district, during an election year and hold a hearing attacking a trendy scapegoat. And she pulled out some Helmsesque demoagoguery to boot, saying, "Every dollar spent on an illegal immigrant is a dollar that was diverted away from a law-abiding, tax-paying citizen." (Because you know, dollars spent on all other people, the tax-paying citizen gets to keep.)

Like Faircloth, she didn't wanted to make sure there wasn't anybody around to disagree:

Of the five witnesses testifying yesterday, three hold elected positions: Folwell, Conrad-Shrader and Keith. All are Republicans running for re-election, which drew criticism from Sandra Hoyle, an organizer of Monday's rally downtown that drew more than 1,500 people in favor of legalizing immigrants here illegally.

Counting Mark Souder (the Republican Chairman of the House Subcommittee Foxx abused to claim this was an "official" hearing) there was County Commissioner, a District Attorney and a State Representative. What, no Register of Deeds or Clerk of Court candidate available to discuss the impact of Hispanic surnames on copying costs?

In response to the claim of one-sided panelists, Foxx cited her reknowned independence - "It had nothing to do with liberal and conservative," she said. "I don't think in those terms."

Actually, the evidence is that Foxx rarely thinks for herself. She votes almost every time with the GOP leadership - not surprising, because the House GOP leadership are some of her biggest campaign contributors. Like Faircloth, Foxx is an empty vessel for right-wing lunacy. If she's got any ideas of her own, like perhaps voting against helping Katrina Victims, they aren't really worth much.

I think one thing all members of Congress should consider before holding these flim-flam hearings, is that "every dollar spent on a needless campaign commercial of an insult to the deliberative democratic process is a dollar diverted away from tax-paying citizens." The right-wing likes to say they believe in small government. If it really believes that, it wouldn't waste even small amounts on these tax-payer funded antiquated ideas road shows.