It hasn’t generated big news, but there’s been a bizarre spat between two House Republicans over the last week that just got even stranger.
One side we have Energy and Commerce Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas) sponsoring a measure to require car manufacturers to publish detailed information on how to diagnose, service, and repair a vehicle for consumers and mechanics. On the other side there’s freshman Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (R-Ga.), who was convinced by after-market auto parts suppliers that the Barton bill would effectively “federalize the auto repair business.”
Barton, being a powerful and experienced committee chairman, is now trying to crush Westmoreland like a bug for interfering with his bill, even though they’re both Republicans. Hoping to rally a defense, Westmoreland has essentially asked lobbyists to do his homework for him.
Rep. Lynn Westmoreland’s (R-Ga.) verbatim use of auto-industry talking points in two letters to colleagues has sparked a conflict with House Energy and Commerce Chairman Joe Barton (R-Texas), sponsor of an auto-repair disclosure bill that Westmoreland is fighting. […]
[T]he Coalition for Auto Repair Equality (CARE), a group allied with Barton that represents both mass-market and independent auto-parts and -service providers, argues that Westmoreland’s copying of auto-industry promotional language for his letter reflects a failure to understand the substance of Barton’s bill.
“He has obviously taken a position and doesn’t completely understand the issue,” said CARE President David Parde, “He has been told what to say, how to say it, and is repeating that verbatim.”
Brian Robinson, Westmoreland’s deputy chief of staff, confirmed that some of the language was copied directly, but described this as “standard practice.”
Let’s follow the process of the Republican lobbying operation — using the K Street Project, Republicans get hired as top-tier lobbyists, who then write legislation for lawmakers, prepare talking points for lawmakers, write the text for correspondence between lawmakers, and direct campaign contributions to lawmakers so the process can begin all over again.
Don’t worry, it’s “standard practice.”