Club for Growth Spokesman Barney Keller: “Mike Simpson’s big-government voting record is more in touch with the values of Hollywood liberal Alec Baldwin than it is with the people of Idaho.” 

Washington, DC – Today, the Club for Growth PAC asked if Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson is an “Alec Baldwin Republican” – noting that Simpson received a visit from the left-wing actor just a few months after he was one of just 22 Republicans to vote against a $20 million dollar cut to the National Endowment for the Arts: 

Idaho Republican Mike Simpson (Center) with liberal Hollywood actors and Obama supporters Alec Baldwin (Left) and Kevin Spacey (Right) on April 5^th, 2011. 

“When Mike Simpson had the opportunity to save $20 million dollars on government funding for the arts, he stood with Alec Baldwin and just 21 other liberal Republicans in voting no,”  said Club for Growth Spokesman Barney Keller. “Like Alec Baldwin, Mike Simpson sees no problem with frivolously spending our tax dollars, just as when he voted to spend millions of tax dollars on a Jazz Museum in Missouri, a Lobster Institute in Maine, and the ‘Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service’ in New York City. Mike Simpson’s big-government voting record is more in touch with the values of Hollywood liberal Alec Baldwin than it is with the people of Idaho.” 

Idaho RINO Mike Simpson: Alec Baldwin Values?

Mike Simpson spoke to a group of actors advocating against cuts to the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA): Just a few short weeks ago, actors Alec Baldwin, Kerry Washington, Kevin Spacey, and Hill Harper joined more than 550 arts advocates representing 40 states from across the country on Capitol Hill for National Arts Advocacy Day 2011. This year’s event took place at a critical time when legislators were battling over program cuts to reduce the deficit. The day began with the Congressional Arts Kickoff where several members of Congress spoke to advocates about the importance of arts funding. Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID), who chairs the subcommittee that oversees funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Smithsonian, said that while some in Congress believe that government should not support the arts, “I respectfully disagree.” (ArtsBlog, 4/27/11) 

Simpson was one of just 22 liberal Republicans to vote against a 20.6 million dollar cut to the NEA. (RCV #68, 2011) 

Like Alec Baldwin, Mike Simpson supports wasting tax dollars on frivolous projects

·        Simpson voted for $200,000 to fund new exhibits at American Jazz Museum in Kansas City, MO (RCV #679, 2007) ·        Simpson voted for $200,000 for the Lobster Institute in Orono, ME (RCV #735, 2007) ·        Simpson voted for $2,000,000 for a new Charles B. Rangel Center for Public Service in New York City (RCV #678, 2007) ·        Simpson received a 1% on the Club for Growth’s 2009 “RePork Card” for voting once out of 68 opportunities to cut a wasteful pork project. (Source)     o   Note: The Average Republican Score was 57%. ·       Simpson received a 4% on the Club for Growth’s 2007 “RePork Card” for voting once out of 50 opportunities to cut a wasteful pork project. (Source)