Heard on the Hill: How Much Does Graves Love the Scouts?
Rep. Sam Graves has certainly earned his tribute badge!
A CQ tally of the Congressional Record shows the Missouri Republican made 1,543 speeches since he joined Congress in 2001, 1,067 of which mentioned Scouting. They often included shout-outs to a special Eagle or Boy Scout, though he sometimes paid tribute to a Cub Scout or a Girl Scout.
Let’s break down the 1,067 speeches, shall we?
During the 107th Congress, Graves made only a couple of Scout references, but he surged in the 108th and 109th Congresses by mentioning the Scouts 161 and 159 times, respectively.
Graves peaked in the 110th Congress, giving love to the Scouts an impressive 461 times.
HOH was distressed to learn that the Scout-outs subsided. Graves only gave 210 Scout-specific tributes in the 111th Congress. (Amateur hour.)
And so far in 112th, he has made a paltry 74 references to Scouts.
Graves spokesman Jason Klindt tells HOH that the Congressman is continuing his Eagle Scout project (presumably he already got credit for it) by playing taps every Memorial Day at cemeteries.
“Sam is very proud of his Eagle Scout heritage,” Klindt says.
Uh, ya think?