Top GOPer Puts Foot In Mouth Over Education Funding

Republican hypocrisy knows no bounds - it shows up even out here in the small state of Montana. We see it today from Montana Board of Regents Chairman John Mercer (R), who has tried to get himself headlines attacking Gov. Brian Schweitzer (D) over education funding. Mercer has attacked Schweitzer for supposedly not providing more funding to higher education - a pathetic attack considering that in his first year, Schweitzer increased higher education funding and created a new scholarship program for low-income students. But even worse, Mercer is making this attack even while admitting he did everything he could to gut funding for higher education as the powerful speaker of the House in Montana.

That's right - according to the Helena Independent Record, the same Mercer who says he supposedly really cares about higher education funding "admitted Friday that as a lawmaker, he tried to give the university system as little money as possible." Mercer's quote to explain himself is priceless:

"My objective was give the university system as little as possible so there would be money for other things. The value of the system just wasn’t sold to me. My conscience is clear."

The GOP out here just doesn't get it - the one thing that people hate above all else are grandstanding politicians who change their tune anytime it serves them politically. Mercer publicly claiming to care about higher education funding is about as laughable as indicted Rep. Tom DeLay pretending to care about lax anti-corruption laws. Note to Mercer: if you are as smart a political operative as people say you are, you might think about not reminding the public of what a hypocrite you are.

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