The People Like Pork

Ever wonder why there's a lot of talk about the issue of cutting pork-barrel spending, but little in the way of action? It's because the American people are fond of candidates who bring home the bacon.

A new Society for Human Resource Management/National Journal Congressional Connection poll, 53 percent of respondents said they were more likely to support a candidate who "has a record of bringing government projects and money" to their districts. Only 12 percent said it would make them less likely to vote for the candidate, while 33 percent said it would make no difference in their decision.

No other factor raised in the poll, from whether President Obama campaigned on a candidate's behalf to whether Sarah Palin supported the candidate to whether the candidate backed the Tea Party movement, was as strong an indicator of likely support as the pork issue.