Is John Shadegg Pro-Growth?

Joshua Marshall has been doing an excellent job of covering the troubles that certain House Republicans have been having with their ethical challenges as well as the race to replace Tom DeLay as Majority leader:

The Economic Policy Know-Nothings at the Club for Growth endorse John Shadegg for Majority Leader

So let’s turn to the Club for Growth endorsement:

“There is no member of the House of Representatives more committed to the idea of limited government and economic freedom than John Shadegg,” said Club for Growth president Pat Toomey. “To be an effective governing party, Republicans must focus once again on these core issues and John Shadegg has the unique qualifications to lead the way.” Rep. Shadegg is one of only four Members of the House of Representatives to vote the pro-growth position on every key vote identified last year by the Club for Growth.

In other words, Shadegg has never met a tax cut he did not like – even if the extra consumption from tax cuts lower national savings and long-term growth. But the Club for Growth – like Lawrence Kudlow want to pretend that Shadegg can shave hundreds of billions of dollars a year from Federal spending. Given that the new prescription drug benefit will add a sizeable amount to Federal spending in the future, let’s see how Shadegg voted via Michael Crowley who first cites this June 2005 passage from Congress Daily:

During the marathon vote for the Medicare prescription drug bill in November 2003, House GOP leaders found a surprising ally in Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz. Shadegg opposed the bill, but helped the party reach its razor-thin margin of victory in the early morning hours.

He voted for this massive increase in Federal spending even though he made the following statement a few months before the vote:

Sadly, Congress is putting politics ahead of policy. In its rush to pass something – anything – it is on the verge of imposing a staggering financial burden on our children and grandchildren, pushing Medicare closer to financial collapse and losing a once in a lifetime opportunity for reform.

It would seem that Shadegg also puts politics ahead of policy and has no clue how to reduce the massive Federal deficits either. Of course, more private consumption from those tax cuts and more government spending equates to less national savings. And yet – the Club for Growth calls Shadegg pro-growth? Josh is right – they are Economic Policy Know-Nothings.

Talkleft has more on Mr. Shadegg who he calls Newt’s progeny.