Is it a Republican scandal?

Tricky

Briefly immortal
Tricky
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Politicians are all slimeballs. I think we can mostly agree on that. But in regards to the Abramoff scandal, it has been suggested that Democrats are just as dirty as Republicans. When I saw them handing back contributions, I assumed the same thing. Turns out I was wrong. No Democrat has taken any money from Abramoff, at least according to Clarence Page.
IT'S not healthy to blow your favorite evening beverage through your nostrils. But that's how surprised I was to hear National Democratic Chairman Howard Dean deny that any Democrats took money from Jack Abramoff.
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But, I checked it out and, guess what? Dean was right. Although both Democrats and Republicans did, in fact, receive money from Abramoff's clients, only Republicans received personal donations from Abramoff himself.
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He's right, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, which keeps track of such things. Their analysis of FEC records shows that Democrats received about a third of the $4.2 million donated between 1998 and 2005 by tribes that had hired Abramoff to represent them in Washington, but none from Abramoff's own wallet.
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Now this doesn't mean that the Dems are not slimy for taking money from his clients, but it means they are free of direct bribery from Abramoff himself. Of course, add to that that the Republicans are in power. Total power. They control both houses, the Presidency and, if the 2000 election is a guide, the Supreme Court. Worse, their guys have their hands thrust most deeply in Jack's pockets. DeLay's former aide became Abramoff's second-hand man after working closely with him while in the DeLay team.

Latest revelation is that Bob Ney, an Ohio Republican who was the head of the committee with jurisdiction over the Republican reform agenda, has stepped down, reportedly under pressure from Dennis Hastert. Apparently his former chief of staff, Neil G. Volz, left Ney to join Abramoff and was deeply involved in the Indian casino kickback business.

No skeptic should be surprised that politicians line up at the trough when they get the chance, but the scale and temerity of the Repubs is astounding even to those who expect the worst of them. Obviously the Dems are going to try to make a lot of hay with this, and they should be able to do so, as it looks like the details from this scandal are going to disgust even the most hardened cynic.

On the other hand, it could be a good time for Libertarians to get a foot in the door.
 
I think that no matter which way you go, this should give Congress a good spring cleaning. If the whole affair made Congress a bit more balanced, I wouldn't mind one bit. It seems that the Republicans have had Carte Blanche for long enough now.
 
Of course, there is corruption in both parties...potentially in all parties. But this is a GOP scandal. These guys -- Abramoff, DeLay, Reed, Norquist were/are at the heart of the Republican revolution...the family values, liberals are traitors campaign, the campaign to create a real one-party state (The K-Street project is unlike anything ever seen before in Washington lobbying...an attempt to concentrate all power inside and outside of government in the hands of GOP loyalists).

In the end, if the scandal is two/thirds GOP to one/third Democrat, I'll take it ...the GOP has more to lose but not that much more. If two/thirds to one/third lose their seats, the House will change over and than, maybe, we can begin to do some real oversight on issues like domestic spying, FEMA, Crony appointments and many other issues that the GOP Congress has neglected in deference to King George.
 
I think it's more an American scandal than simply a Republican scandal. Hopefully the American people will walk away from this with a lot more cynicism about politicians in general as well as a good healthy dose of realization that they'll carry with them until the next elections.

Having control of nearly the entire government, it's worthy to note just how much the Republicans REALLY care about family values, bringing integrity BACK to the White House and all the other B.S. we heard during elections.
 
It won't change a damn thing. The media will pump this up more and more as we get closer to the November elections. Michael Moore will make a new movie and bitch about it not being shown in every theater in America and on primetime TV. Senator McCain will make the circuit discussing the need for reform. He will co-sponsor a giant bill to clean up things, and two years from now, some bastardized version that bears no resemblance to the original will pass the still-Republican dominated House and Senate.
 
At least when they sell out thoer fellow citizens they do it with a joyful christian heart.
 
Mephisto said:
So that's what compassionate conservative means.
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(The tune is something like "Bridge over Troubled Waters")


EVERYMAN (FOR HIMSELF)
words and music by Roy Zimmerman



(sung)
When your heart is heavy
When the night has been too long
When every road you choose
Muddies up your shoes
And leads you wrong

When you're cold and lonely
When your rope is at its end
When darkness clouds the skies
And tears fill your eyes
When you just need a friend

Don't look at me
Wipe your own damn nose
And if I've kept you down or made you cry
Or trampled all your hopes and dreams
Well, that's the way it goes

In heaven there's no hate or war
In heaven no one's hungry or poor
In heaven they hold hands evermore
But we're on earth
And here on earth
It's everyman for himself

When you're a Black, Chicano, Native-American, Jewish lesbian folk singer
And this morning when you woke up you hit your head on the steering wheel
You're shoulder deep in ****
And you just wanna quit
I know how you can get a handgun without the usual background check

Get off my lawn
Pay your rent on time

And if I hire illegals to build a wall around my property
It's just 'cause I'm
Tough on crime

In heaven there's no fear or need
In heaven no one's rabid with greed
In heaven you get laid guaranteed
But we're on earth
And here on earth
It's everyman for himself

'Cause there's a hot wind a'blowin'
Can't you feel it?
It's blowin' hard!
So, where's your national pride, brother?
Where's your national I.D. card?

(spoken)
And even as we send the American liberal off to the great society in the sky, we await the day when he'll be joined by his friends, the literate and the tolerant... when all the frivolous arts and sciences are replaced by nationwide network of publicly-funded putting greens... the government at the people, and above the people, and in spite of the people shall not perish, but that certain people shall... and until then, my friends...

(sung)
It's every man for himself!


​


​
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Thanks, Tricky,

That wrapped things up nicely and Mr. Zimmerman certainly deserves credit for hitting SEVERAL nails on the head.

I was recently thinking about the ONLY good thing to come out the Bush II era is rebellious music, poetry, art AND comedy. As the late, great Hunter Thompson once said, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
 
It's nice that no Democrats took money directly from Abramoff. That means Abramoff didn't waste any money on the party he probably thought couldn't do much for him. He was a smart little weasel.
 
Luke T. said:
It's nice that no Democrats took money directly from Abramoff. That means Abramoff didn't waste any money on the party he probably thought couldn't do much for him. He was a smart little weasel.
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Its true, the Dems couldn't do much for him, and its true that they are potentially (if not in fact) as corrupt. However, what is also increasingly true is that this not an aboration of GOP majority rule. These are the guys that got them to the Ball. DeLay, Reed, Norquist and their corporate lobbyiest friends were there from the beginning...these aren't idealists gone wrong and corrupted by the capitol culture, they broght their corruption with them. The K Street project shows from the outset that this is how they wanted Washington to work...force the interest groups to come to you, raise money for you, do you favors for favors and build a one-party hold on government...for it is only in that way that you can limit oversight and crush the opposition.

I've been in D.C. a long time. There was much wrong, corrupt when the Dems controlled both houses of Congress. This is not the same kind of scandal. This is qualitatively different...these are true believers...true believers in money and power. As bad as it was in the bad old days, this is worse...and, I would again argue that this is not an aboration, this comes directly out of the will to power of the people who have created the GOP majority.
 
Mephisto said:
Thanks, Tricky,

That wrapped things up nicely and Mr. Zimmerman certainly deserves credit for hitting SEVERAL nails on the head.

I was recently thinking about the ONLY good thing to come out the Bush II era is rebellious music, poetry, art AND comedy. As the late, great Hunter Thompson once said, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."
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LOL. You're welcome, although to be fair, that song was written in 1995 after the so-called "Republican Revolution". I guess some things don't change.
 
Luke T. said:
It won't change a damn thing. The media will pump this up more and more as we get closer to the November elections. Michael Moore will make a new movie and bitch about it not being shown in every theater in America and on primetime TV. Senator McCain will make the circuit discussing the need for reform. He will co-sponsor a giant bill to clean up things, and two years from now, some bastardized version that bears no resemblance to the original will pass the still-Republican dominated House and Senate.
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You're a bitter, cynical man Luke T.

And I agree with your analysis 100%, at least for the next election cycle.
 
Luke T. said:
It's nice that no Democrats took money directly from Abramoff. That means Abramoff didn't waste any money on the party he probably thought couldn't do much for him. He was a smart little weasel.
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I'm sure Dems could have opened significant doors for him, mainly by dropping resistance, but it is true that the people who chair the committees are the ones who need a well-greased palm.

And I have to chuckle at the concept that money spent on the Dems would have been "wasted". Does that mean that the money spent on Repubs was well invested? Perhaps it would have been if he hadn't been caught.
 
I have no problem calling it what it is. A scandal that involved Republicans. If you wish to call it a Republican scandal then by all means do so.
 
Tricky said:
And I have to chuckle at the concept that money spent on the Dems would have been "wasted". Does that mean that the money spent on Repubs was well invested?
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In a Machiavellian way, yes. Let's just hope he was also a smart enough weasel to document his transactions with irrefutable hard evidence of the elected officials' corruption.

I see a whole new cable TV channel. The White Collar Criminal Trial channel. Enron executives, Republicans, pedophile priests. There's plenty of material for 24 hour non-stop action for at least the next two years when Mark Warner is narrowly defeated by John McCain.
 
I am going to have to agree with Luke on this one. Abramaoff likely didnlt bother bribing Dems because, as the minority party, it wasn't worth the time, effor, or expense.

Look at it this way. Pretend you are a corrupt lobbyist. You only have so much money to spend on bribery. Are you going to spend that money ont he party that actually ahs the votes to get things implemented or are you going to spend it on the party who has to beg, wheedle and threaten a filibuster to maybe get something attached as a rider to another bill bit otherwise is just ocupying floor space even if they ARE just as corruptable as the first party. In Abramoff's shoes, I know which of those groups if going to get MY suitcase full o' cash. HInt: it's not the second one.
 
I think the Democrats are every bit as corrupt as the Republicans, but they're just not as good at it, thus their corruption is less pervasive. They'd probably love to swap places with the Republicans and have all those vast networks of bought people and favors. The corruption's reaching ridiculous levels, like medieval Byzantium or China under the last dynasty. There's only so much natural human greed a government can tolerate before the parasites kill off the organism.
 
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