Santa's little hypocrite

Too, too cute. After all his bitchin' and moanin' about earmarks in the last two weeks, our dear Pat got outed. He wasn't really against earmarks themselves, he says. He just wanted everyone to know what they were voting for. But if he wanted people to know what they were voting for why didn't he mention his personal earmark of $129,000 for a Christmas Tree store in Mitchell County?

Commenters from all over are having a jolly ole time with Santa's little hypocrite:

This is from Brandon English at The Stakeholder:

Congressman Patrick McHenry is sort of like that little dog in your neighbors' yard that yaps at you every time you pass by. He’s notorious for his temper tantrums on the House floor that he thinks scores him political points but really just annoys everybody.

Yesterday, he learned what goes around comes around.

After McHenry whined and whined and whined about earmarks last week, new transparency rules adopted by the Democratic Majority forced McHenry to disclose his own earmarks – including $129,000 in taxpayer money for a Christmas tree.

In the spirit of the season, the DCCC carolers give you:

Congressman Patrick McHenry’s $129,000 Christmas Tree Pork Carol
(Sung to the tune of O Christmas Tree)

O McHenry,
O McHenry,
How steadfast your hypocrisy!

You pitch a fit on the House floor,
But Christmas trees you do adore.

O McHenry,
O McHenry,
How steadfast your hypocrisy!

Myrtle Beach Online:

The money that McHenry got would double retail space available for a gift shop selling products - typically made by former factory workers whose plants have been shuttered - such as Christmas tree ornaments, handmade soaps and pottery.

McHenry is a vocal conservative and burr in the side of Democrats running the House. He's not popular with some Republicans; a senior GOP member of the Appropriations Committee pointed McHenry's earmark out to reporters, calling it "interesting."

The Crypt at Politico dot com:

When asked about the earmark, McHenry doesn't like to use the word pork. The North Carolina Republican prefers the term "directed spending," and he said this request is perfectly defensible, even though Democrats have been quietly chuckling about it since it was unveiled as part of the Financial Services spending bill earlier today.

"Look, the important thing is transparency and openness," McHenry said when asked about the earmark, which he confirmed that he had inserted into the bill. "I have never been opposed to directed spending."

McHenry added: "I just think that it's critical for members to know what they are voting on when a [spending] bill comes to the floor."

So for McHenry, pork is OK, as long as you know what pork you're voting on. Got that? Thanks.

To be fair to the economically disadvantaged in Mitchell County, here's some background from McHenry's own site about the project called "The Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree." I wonder what the Christmas Tree and Nurserymen's Association in neighboring (and equally disadvantaged) Avery County (also represented by McHenry) thinks about all this.