but the harm from earmarks far outweigh the benefits ... especially how they make McConnell look.
the biggest problem of earmarks is that the process removes visibility of them. they defeat the process of vetting by our elected officials who are supposed to be representing us.
if a Congressman wants something for some special need, then why not present it to the Congress and ask for a vote? earmarks eliminate that process. they look dirty. they look like more back room deals. And they look like corruption. if McConnell does not understand this, that scares me about him. if McConnell does understand this and yet he will not ban earmarks, then his actions scare me even more. we cannot let him take down conservatives with him. a corrupt Republican congress got Obama elected. we cannot let it happen again. now let's move to a bigger item ... the corruption in Obama's administration, the lack of business sense, and the deficit that is increasing because of how he is spending money to reward his donors ... like the Fed $600 Billion.
I think it is pretty silly to post that "if McConell doesn't understand this..." He knows. That is why he was specific in differentiating between the two.
I think I would wait to see what happens in the new Congress rather than project "failure" on McConnell.