Musing sadly on the bygone era of bipartisan friendships, David Broder says, "Stevens, 84, is a Republican, and Byrd, 90, a Democrat. But their bonds are far stronger than any partisan differences. In their decades of service, they dominated the Appropriations Committee, passing the chairmanship back and forth between them, depending on which party held the majority. Both men have become famous -- or notorious -- for using their committee posts to steer billions from the Treasury to their home states, defying their colleagues who call them 'kings of pork.' They represent, if not the last, certainly the rear guard of a generation of senators who see it as their principal responsibility to help their chronically needy citizens obtain the federal largess that can spell the difference between subsistence and a decent living." Sweet Jesus in a beachwood bassinet. Byrd and Stevens are kings of pork, that's true. But you really shouldn't confuse a politician's appetite for pork with the idea that they believe "their principal responsibility [is] to help their chronically needy citizens." Pork gets politicians reelected. More often than not, it doesn't go to needy citizens at all: It goes to powerful local interests, or particular constituencies, or loud contributors. Sometimes, as in the case of Stevens, you even get a kickback. But pork is no substitute for actually helping chronically needy citizens. They don't need bridges, they tend to need income supports and health care and education. And Stevens has spent decades voting against such impudent distractions from the busy job of enriching himself and furthering his political career. Wrapping the substance of his corruption in an obviously ill-fitting cloak of gauzy populism is the worst, and least convincing, way to whitewash a frankly atrocious career.
