Republican Rep. Joe Walsh caught swiping legislative proposal from Democrat

“Ex-Deadbeat” Joe Walsh strikes again!

U.S. Representative, former deadbeat dad, and notorious RWNJ loudmouth Joe Walsh (R-IL-8) introduced a legislative proposal titled the Renovate and Enhance Veterans’ Meeting Halls and Posts Act. At first glance, this doesn’t seem to be a controversial story at all, but, as it turns out, Walsh lifted the bill nearly verbatim from a 2010 legislative proposal authored by Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY-1). Further more, Walsh never asked Bishop for permission to do so!

This POLITICO report lays out the details on this story:

Even in the rough-and-tumble, bitterly partisan Congress, it’s probably safe to call that a faux pas — or worse if you’re Bishop or one of the staffers on his payroll who worked to develop the legislation.

“The REVAMP Act has been a great idea ever since Congressman Bishop came up with the concept in 2009, long before Joe Walsh had been elected to Congress,” said Oliver Longwell, Bishop’s communications director. “To pirate a legislative proposal without consideration of the original author is really unprecedented.”

Longwell wasn’t finished: “Perhaps it’s just a rookie mistake, but it’s a reflection of the total collapse of collegiality that has characterized the House since it came under the influence of the tea party, even on what should be the most bipartisan of issues: assisting our veterans,” he said.

As it turns out, ALEC, a right-wing organization funded by the billionaire Koch Brothers that is notorious for its “bolierplate” state legislative bills that have been lifted from ALEC sources into legislative proposals verbatim in numerous state legislatures, isn’t the only source that Republicans are taking legislative proposals from! Joe Walsh, by swiping a legislative proposal by Tim Bishop, has proved once again that Republicans have no imagination.

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