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POLS UPDATE: On Thursday Republican House Speaker John Boehner announced that there will be no attempt to pass a farm bill before the November elections.

Like most people, you probably don’t expect the House to do much of anything, but what makes this story problematic is that it counteracts Scott Tipton’s argument for withdrawing his support for a measure that would have put a Farm Bill on the House floor.

Either Tipton was lying when he said he pulled his support because he was told that there would be action on a Farm Bill “soon,” or Boehner just kicked him and his re-election campaign right in the ass.

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Congressman Scott Tipton has ‘abruptly’ withdrawn his support for a ‘discharge petition’ that would have forced Floor action on the stalled Farm Bill, although he regularly professes support for the legislation when he is out stumping in his largely rural district.  

Numerous sources, including The Hill are reporting:

After supporting a discharge petition aimed at bypassing the GOP’s control of the House schedule, Reps. Scott Tipton (R-Colo.) and Renee Ellmers (R-N.C.) on Friday abruptly withdrew their signatures.

Should the petition attract 218 signatures, the farm bill would come to the floor later this year. While that is highly unlikely, it is clear that GOP leaders view the possibility of mounting support for action on the farm measure as a political problem.

Tipton, who is in a competitive reelection race, and Ellmers on Friday walked to the well of the House floor and signed their names on the discharge petition.

Later on Friday, the freshman members returned to the same spot to strike their names.

Rep. Tipton on the stump supports Colorado farmers, and the Farm Bill, at least when he’s talking to them anyhow.

So what prompted Tipton to jettison the rural communities of Western Colorado and the San Luis Valley, at the last minute in spite of numerous promises otherwise, even as the Congressional calendar ticks down?   Follow me, readers, after the fold to see how Washington DC special interests won the day when Rep. Tipton had to choose between cash-flush lobbyists and Colorado constituents.  

Congressman Scott Tipton regularly talks up the importance of the Farm Bill when he is out and about his sprawling rural district.  Suddenly however when push came to shove and leadership was needed Congressman Tipton turned tail.  

Was it that ideologues threatened to extract political pain from any who dare stray from their orthodoxy?

It does so happen that in the intervening hours between signature and striking it the Club for Growth sent this out:  

KEY VOTE ALERT

Opposing Discharge Petition No. 0005 on the Farm Bill

The Club for Growth strongly opposes Discharge Petition No. 0005 that would force floor consideration of the Federal Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act of 2012 (HR 6083), otherwise known as the farm bill.

A House member’s signature on this discharge petition, or any similar petition, will count heavily as an anti-growth action on the Club for Growth’s 2012 Congressional Scorecard.

So does that mean that the representative of Colorado’s Third Congressional District–a land spanning many agricultural zones from ranches to orchards to Olathe Sweet Corn and vineyards–no longer supports the Farm Bill as he has been telling farmers and local officials across his District?    

Not according to the Congressman’s contortionist, and spokesman, Josh Green who had this explanation, according to the article in The Hill:

Tipton spokesman Josh Green said that his boss made his point with the initial signature, and subsequently heard from leaders of their intention to move a farm measure.

“Congressman Tipton voted for the farm bill in committee and is doing everything he can to push for a floor vote. He added his name to the discharge petition to send a message that we need a farm bill. That message got attention, and shortly after adding his name, leadership assured Congressman Tipton that they would be taking action on the House floor in the near future to provide some certainty for the agriculture community,” Green said.

So, as Congress comes to an end–at least until it reconvenes in its end-of-year Lame Duck–Colorado’s farmers can just wait.  Sure, Rep. Tipton says its a priority, but the Club for Growth says he better not.  And guess who he listens to?  

In late March, Republican Rep. Scott Tipton voted in favor of the House Republican Budget that would allow the interest rate for student loans to double in July.

Two days ago Tipton told the Denver newspaper that he was “looking forward” to trying to lower student loan interest rates.

So what would Tipton do today when the issue came up in Congress?

He voted against a measure that would have prevented the interest rate increase. From the DCCC (full release after the jump):

Tipton Voted Against a Plan to Prevent an Increase in Student Loan Interest Rates. On April 26, 2012, House Republicans voted against considering the Stop the Rate Hike Act of 2012. The measure would keep interest rates on need-based student loans at 3.4 percent in 2013, saving borrowers an average of $1,000 in loan repayment costs. Costs for the measure would have been offset by ending tax breaks for Big Oil.

It’s one thing to vote twice on allowing student loan rates to double, but it’s another problem entirely to talk out of the other side of your mouth while you do it. Sometimes we almost wonder if Tipton wants to lose in November.

Today, Representative Scott Tipton (CO-03) blocked consideration of a bill that would prevent student loan rates from doubling on July 1st for Colorado students and families. Tipton already voted for the Republican budget that allows student loan rates to double and today’s vote would cost 166,693 Colorado students and families with student loans another $130,075,601. Two-thirds of all college students graduate with student loan debt and the average college graduate has $25,000 in student loan debt.

“Representative Scott Tipton refused to ensure that student loan rates don’t double for Colorado students and families on July 1st,” said Jesse Ferguson of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Tipton would rather protect Big Oil subsidies even if it means doubling student loan rates for 166,693 Colorado students and families. Instead of investing in America’s future and allowing students to get a fair shot at an affordable college education that helps them get a good-paying job, Tipton chose higher interest rates for students and more tax breaks for Big Oil companies making record profits.”

The costs of preventing the student loan rates from doubling would be paid for by ending tax breaks for Big Oil companies.

BACKGROUND

Tipton Voted Against a Plan to Prevent an Increase in Student Loan Interest Rates. On April 26, 2012, House Republicans voted against considering the Stop the Rate Hike Act of 2012. The measure would keep interest rates on need-based student loans at 3.4 percent in 2013, saving borrowers an average of $1,000 in loan repayment costs. Costs for the measure would have been offset by ending tax breaks for Big Oil. [H.Res. 631, Vote #182, 4/26/12; Rep. Tierney Press Release, 4/25/12; HR 4816, 112th Congress]

Tipton’s Plan Would Allow the Interest Rate for Student Loans to Double. “There was wide agreement among members of Congress Wednesday that loans and grants are important, but there were questions about the $6 billion Obama proposal that would hold interest rates constant next year. Ryan’s budget would allow the rate to double as planned.” [Inside Higher Ed, 3/29/12]

“House GOP leaders are already on record this year opposing the student loan benefit. The GOP’s 2013 budget proposal, sponsored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), would have returned the Stafford rate to 6.8 percent” [The Hill, 4/25/12]

“In the House, which recently adopted a budget authored by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) which did not envision extending the lower loan rate, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) told reporters Wednesday that Democrats and Republicans were working on the issue.” [Washington Post, 4/25/12]

166,693 Colorado Students Had Loans in the 2012-2013 Academic Year.  [Education and Workforce Committee, accessed 4/26/12]

Tipton Voted for the House Republican Budget. On March 29, 2012, Tipton voted in favor of the House Republican budget. [H Con Res 112, Vote #151, 3/29/12]

House Majority PAC is up with a fresh TV spot attacking vulnerable Colorado freshman Rep. Scott Tipton—Politico:

House Majority PAC, a so-called Super PAC that can take unlimited contributions, has made a six-figure ad buy across three far-flung House districts. The group is targeting freshmen Republican Reps. Scott Tipton of Colorado, Tim Griffin of Arkansas and Chip Cravaack of Minnesota.

“The American people are disgusted with House Republicans’ misguided priorities and votes to throw middle-class families under the bus,” House Majority PAC executive director Alixandria Lapp will say in a statement set to be released later Friday. “Whether it’s ethics problems or voting for tax loopholes to keep corporate profits sky high, protecting profits for companies that ship jobs to China, or ending Medicare as we know it, House Republicans have plenty to answer for back home this August recess.”

The new ad airing against Tipton features a clip of the Colorado Republican saying on the House floor that “once you come to this place … it seems to kind of cloud your vision,” juxtaposed with reports that his House office spent money on companies tied his nephew.

“You don’t say?” a narrator intones…

Tipton had some success getting conservative AM talk-radio stations to yank House Majority PAC’s last ad against him–in our opinion ridiculously, hinging on a semantic quibble over whether the company owned by Tipton’s nephew (and where his daughter works) was “hired” by his office or “just a contractor.” Either way, in this latest ad Tipton is simply “channeling” those funds to his family’s business, neatly eliminating the quibble.

Yesterday The Pueblo Chieftain had an odd article by the normally more-astute Peter Roper that was a rundown of Republican Rep. Scott Tipton’s second quarter fundraising efforts. See if you see the strangeness:

U.S. Rep. Scott Tipton isn’t wasting any time in pulling together a campaign warchest for his 2012 re-election bid to hold the 3rd Congressional District – even as national Democratic committees list him among vulnerable Republican freshmen.

Tipton is only six months into his first term in Congress, but his July report to the Federal Election Commission shows his campaign is getting four-figure contributions from individual Republicans across the state as well as starting to pick up the special-interest donations from the business and corporate political committees that regularly give to incumbents.

Tipton reported $147,184 in contributions between April 1 and June 30, including nearly $40,000 from special-interest committees. Since the first of the year, his campaign has collected $351,894.

If you were judging Tipton’s fundraising ability solely by this Chieftain story, you might think that the freshman Republican was doing a pretty good job thus far. Of course, that isn’t at all true.

By any reasonable measure, Tipton’s second fundraising quarter was dismal — enough so for a national outlet like Washington Post’s “The Fix” to label Tipton one of the big losers of the Q2 period. Tipton was listed along with several other freshman Republicans precisely because his fundraising has been so poor compared to most candidates around the country. Here in Colorado, fellow Republican freshman Rep. Cory Gardner raised $284,162 in Q2 — nearly double the amount that Tipton brought in to his coffers.

Tipton may have raised $338,000 in total in the first 6 months of the year, but his campaign still has $111,000 in debts from 2010. Roper’s article goes on to outline the various major donors who have given to Tipton, but what should be concerning is that it’s all the low-hanging fruit (Pete Coors, Bill Armstrong, etc.); in other words, Tipton hasn’t raised much money, and he’s already gotten checks from the regular Colorado GOP donors. That’s not a good sign.

Tipton’s Democratic challenger, Sal Pace, raised about $100,000 in only a month’s time. If Pace is able to outraise Tipton after a full quarter in Q3, Tipton will get more national attention — the unwanted kind — as one of several freshman Republicans being outraised by challengers. While CD-3 is currently a top target for the National Republican Congressional Committee, it won’t stay that way if Tipton can’t keep up his part of the fundraising bargain.