This is quite something — from the fourth graf in this story:

Democratic Speaker Nancy Pelosi had signaled privately to fellow Democrats that she supports an election-year break from earmarks as she follows the lead of House GOP leader John Boehner.

A pity that the GOP House Leadership didn’t tell its members to tear up the Obey earmark worksheet, or return it with “box one” checked. But if this issue can put the fear of voters into the Democrats — which, evidently, it does — it’s probably a good thing either way.

Meanwhile, note in that article that all of the presidential candidates are behind this.

Earmarks are not the biggest problem in Washington, but they contribute substantially to all of the biggest problems. Although small on their own, they grease the skids for horrible bills that add to the size and cost of government.

Moreover, earmarks eased the the Republican House majority away from principled conservatism by supplying an illusory alternative means of re-election. All they had to do was bribe their donors or blackmail new ones using earmarks, and wow their constituents with the millions they brought home.