May 31, 2006
More "Culture Of Corruption"...From The Democrats, That Is
Just when they think they have a club to beat Republicans over the head with, Democrats can't seem to wipe the taint of scandal off of themselves.
Here in CT, our own Rep. John Larson (D-CT01) seems to have gotten his pecker caught in the William Jefferson ringer:
"Last December, Larson was running for vice chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, the No.4 leadership spot. The voters were his fellow House Democrats, including Jefferson. So what a convenient time it was for Larson to give Jefferson's legal defense fund $2,000 from his political action committee on Dec. 12. Happy holidays!
Mind you, there are rules governing these tricky transactions. Federal lobbyists, for example, can't give to a congressman's legal defense fund. They can, however, give to a PAC that gives to the defense fund. Larson's Synergy PAC took contributions from both state and federal lobbyists. "If you want to look at them that way, that is an indirect way for them to do it," says Larson spokesman Brian Mahar.
Larson won that Feb. 1 race. His office won't say whether Jefferson was one of his supporters. And his office can't confirm how Jefferson voted because it was a secret ballot.
But it looks bad. After all, there are many more worthy causes to give to in New Orleans than a congressman who would not, even then, cooperate with a subpoena for documents."
Of the Congressional races in CT this year, only one could credibly be called competitive - the 2nd district held by Republican Rob Simmons. If they're not careful though, Democrats are going to end up having to spend valuable campaign funds trying to save Larson's seat.
H/T: H-Bomb at Ankle-Biting Pundits
Posted by: Gary at
10:37 AM
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1
I am a first-time blogger on this site and while I don't know about the Larson controversy you are referring to here, I think that scandal is certainly not party-specific. Both Democrats and Republicans alike, find themselves in various kinds of scandals. Sometimes warranted, sometimes not.
My point is that if America can look past the unwarranted scandals and really see the issues that our country faces, we may all be better off, regardless of political affiliation.
Posted by: Emily at June 04, 2006 08:31 PM (QDAXf)
2
Emily, you're not going to get an argument here. My point is that rather than put forward a positive agenda, the Democrats are putting all their eggs in the "let's beat up Republicans with our 'culture of corruption' mantra and maybe people will vote for us" theme.
You're right. To associate the unethical actions of some individuals with their party as a whole is silly. But Democrats are reaching here. They sat down in a room with their leading stragists and this is the BEST they could come up with. Well here's the problem. If you're own party is not beyond reproach, you have to hope that voters are so incredibly stupid that they won't notice members of their own caucus are just as guilty.
Obviously their hopes are misplaced.
Posted by: Gary at June 04, 2006 08:54 PM (wMRmR)
3
Hi Gary. Thanks for your response. Again, I'm not familiar with the details of this particular situation to which you are referring which is why I felt more comfortable talking on a whole.
I agree that Democrats do "reach" for certain things in order to make Republicans look bad. My point is that both parties do this. Republicans during the Lewinsky scandal were trying to put that event in the spotlight as well. Both parties are guilty of exagerating certain situations to make the other party look worse and it is time that Democrats and Republicans stop this in order to get back to their jobs, governing the American people.
Posted by: Emily at June 05, 2006 06:30 AM (QDAXf)
4
Emily, I think we're talking apples and oranges here. The GOP took control of the Congress in '94 not by associating the Democrat party as a whole with the actions of Bill Clinton. They ran on issues, and won.
When I say the Democrats are "reaching" here I mean they can't get elected by telling voters what they really believe or support because it's out of sync with the majority. So they invent this "culture of corruption" nonsense to try and distract voters from noticing this.
Whether or not Republicans "exaggerated" the Lewinsky scandal depends on whether you think it was "only about sex and none of our business" or that the President of the United States lied under oath to a grand jury and used his office to obstruct the investigation into the matter.
I would argue that latter. And I've looked at it from both angles. You forget that many years ago I was one of the dopes defending him.
Posted by: Gary at June 05, 2006 08:18 AM (PLHs9)
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