WASHINGTON – You might want to consider the source, but in the name of fair time, Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-Kan.) warns that there could be trouble down the road when the eventuality of building the tanker plant in Mobile is a reality.
He is one of the chief critics of the Northrop Grumman/EADS successful bid for the U.S. Air Force refueling tanker contract. Had Boeing been successful in bid, Tiahrt’s district would have stood to get significant job gains.
Although Boeing is formally protesting the award, Tiahrt is also fighting the USAF award. He also proposed that Mobile might be setup with false promises.
“Alabama has wonderful people who are skilled in many areas,” Tiahrt said to Lagniappe. “However, the Air Force has a very tight timeline to replace the existing and aging KC-135 tankers. History tells us that it is completely unrealistic that EADS could build two FAA-certified facilities, and hire and train the necessary FAA-certified workforce in time to meet this deadline. This leads to two possibilities: extreme risk or the promised jobs won’t come to Mobile.”
He pointed to prior promises made by EADS to American municipalities.
“EADS has a history of promising jobs on U.S. Defense contracts and then not coming through,” Tiahrt added. “EADS’ own guidelines say that work will only move from Europe to the United States if it doesn’t impact schedule and makes good business-sense to EADS. Their current plan calls for the first five airplanes to be built in Toulouse, France and modified at an existing facility in Melbourne, Fla.”
And he also had a grim warning for the folks in Mobile.
“There is reason for concern for the people of Alabama. I would just warn the people of Mobile to not count those jobs just yet,” he said.
Tiahrt contended the Boeing prototype is superior in many aspects, although the Alabama congressional delegation has also told us the EADS prototype is also superior in some aspects.
Tiahrt maintained that he would still fight against the Air Force’s decision.
“I will continue to aggressively fight this decision in Congress, until we create a level playing field on which American workers can compete,” Tiahrt said.
Lodmell Officially Out
Once the presumptive Democratic candidate to face GOP Rep. Jo Bonner in the November election, Benjamin Lodmell informed Lagniappe last week he is officially withdrawing from the race for the District 1 congressional seat.
“I decided to withdraw my candidacy for U.S. Congress,” Lodmell said in an e-mail.
The move wasn’t entirely unexpected, as his campaign signs disappeared from the front yard of his Government Street home.
According to OpenSecrets.org, a Web site maintained by the Center for Responsive Politics, Lodmell has raised $72,110 for this campaign – $60,000 of which was his own. The other $12,110 came from individuals. So far he has spent only $18,715.
So if you do the math, Lodmell is going to end up $6,605 in the hole. Getting arrested in Baldwin County sure ended up being an expensive faux pas for Lodmell.
You have to wonder if Lodmell will turn up again in Mobile politics.
An Oink Here, and an Oink, Oink There
Boy it must be tough having seniority in the U.S. Senate.
Once again, Alabama’s senior senator, Richard Shelby, has found himself in the crosshairs of another so-called government spending watchdog group in Washington. Shelby had the distinction of being at the top of the Citizens Against Government Waste “Congressional Pig Book.”
Shelby wound up third in dollar amount, behind Sens. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) for “pork” projects. The group defined a “pork” project as “a line-item in an appropriations bill that designates tax dollars for a specific purpose in circumvention of established budgetary procedures.”
According to their 2008 report, Shelby had secured $464.5 million in projects – compared to $892.2 million for Cochran and $469.4 for Stevens.
Alabama’s junior senator, Sen. Jeff Sessions, was further down the list at No. 42 (out of 100), with $158 million in projects.
On the House side, Rep. Jo Bonner had secured $27.9 million in earmarked money. He was ranked 156th (out of 435) – not too shabby. But, if I were a betting man, I would say you would see a significant improvement now that Bonner has a seat on the House Appropriations Committee.
Bonner was right in the middle compared to his colleagues in the state and on the Mississippi and Florida Gulf Coasts.
- Artur Davis (D-Ala.) $75.6 million (33rd)
- Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) $56.8 million (56th)
- Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.) $45.7 million (83rd)
- Terry Everett (R-Ala.) $35.6 million (117th)
- Jo Bonner (R-Ala.) $27.9 million (156th)
- Mike Rogers (R-Ala.) $20.5 million (214th)
- Jeff Miller (R-Fla.) $13.7 million (290th)
- Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) $7.3 million (369th)
And Finally, Who wants to be President?
The dizzying back-and-forth between Democratic presidential hopefuls Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama has allowed presumptive Republican nominee Sen. John McCain to fly under the radar the last several weeks.
Polling shows regardless who is the nominee for the Democratic Party – whether it’s Clinton or Obama – Alabama is going to go solidly Republican. But, that’s not so for Florida and Mississippi.
Due to Mobile’s unique geographic location, the city will get it share of the commercial blitz come this fall. McCain even made a campaign stop in nearby Pensacola last week.
An on-location eyewitness told Lagniappe that McCain drew about 1,000 people at his April 2 stop at Pensacola Junior College.
Contact Jeff Poor at jeffreypoor@yahoo.com.
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