The Fattah Factor

Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA), won last night with 89% of the vote in his urban Philadelphia district. He probably “represents” more welfare recipients than most members of congress, so he can speak on that issue with some authority.

Last April, Fattah made a little-noted observation on Al Sharpton’s TV show. “Those people who are unemployed, they’re not going to be voting for the party who wants to cut their benefits,” he said. A suitable corollary: the more unemployed — the more poor — the more votes for more benefits. That principle has been known since Aristotle. It has worked, ever since.

Mr. Fattah is a longtime member of the House Appropriations Committee, so he knows where the money goes. And he also apparently knows what it can buy.

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6:38 am on November 7, 2012