5/21/2006

12 Responses to “A Corrupt Democrat? Say It Ain’t So!”

1. What even if its a purely republican issue, that means none other than the former is going to bring an end to it.

   Victor (aba7f0) — 5/21/2006 @ 9:50 pm

   
   

2. “Corruption. It’s a purely Republican issue.

   Except, that is, for this guy.” – Patterico

   Let’s name the offending media misleaders furthering the “purely Republican” corruption myth.

   You were unrelenting with Tom DeLay (“I’m not a huge fan. If he’s dirty, he should go”).

   steve (f8c5a5) — 5/21/2006 @ 9:54 pm

   
   

3. Let’s name the offending media misleaders furthering the “purely Republican” corruption myth.

   You were unrelenting with Tom DeLay (”I’m not a huge fan. If he’s dirty, he should go”).

   No comprendo, Kemo Sabe. Democrats are pushing this misleading myth — but is anyone surprised by that?

   Is that what you meant?

   Patterico (50c3cd) — 5/21/2006 @ 10:08 pm

   
   

4. Congressional corruption is mainly a Republican issue. That’s not surprising, since Republicans control Congress. When Dems controlled Congress, it was the other way around.

   Bradley J. Fikes (e619fc) — 5/21/2006 @ 11:48 pm

   
   

5. I expect at least one Democrat to claim this is an attempt to hold the House by using the FBI to smear Democrats. Not to mention the race card….

   Kevin Murphy (0b2493) — 5/22/2006 @ 12:25 am

   
   

6. This was actually covered on my local TV (Houston) news this morning. Otherwise its been virtually blacked out to a normal news consumer here.

   Dwilkers (a1687a) — 5/22/2006 @ 3:54 am

   
   

7. Corruption is mainly a Republican issue according to Bradley Fikes. I know that Mr. Fikes is just being even handed and pointing out that the party in power usually gets a better position at the trough than does the party out of power. But I don’t think you can say it is “mainly” an issue of either party. When the leading House Democratic member of the Ethics Committee has to resign because of some corruption scandal, then it isn’t “mainly a Republican issue”. Harry and Nancy are going to have to put a sock in the culture of corruption campaign meme because it just won’t fly. Jack Abramoff and his clients paid off on both sides of the aisle; if you go look at corporate campaign contribution records (mainly through their PACs, but also through personal Congressional campaign contributions from well heeled execs) you’ll see that corporate donations go to both sides of the aisle. You never want to make the mistake of having contributed solely to the campaign of a losing candidate.

   Nancy and Harry don’t know much–but like most polilticians they know who gave to the opposition and didn’t give to them–and you DO NOT want to be there.

   Now if Nancy and Harry keep this up, I hope that some “CIA-style patriot” in the FBI will be inspired to leak that video showing the New Orleans Democrat accepting $100,000 in cash and laughing about it–and that the video will then show up in ads financed by the Republican Campaign Committee.

   Mike Myers (3a4363) — 5/22/2006 @ 3:45 pm

   
   

8. Oliver Willis has been quick to claim that it’s just one Democrat versus the Republican “Culture of Corruption,” but that’s all we can expect from some sources.

   It’s all along the same lines as saying that Jack Abramoff didn’t give any money to Democrats, since it is true that he didn’t make any direct campaign contributions to Democrat; he just arranged for his clients to do that part. Simply because the statement is technically true does not mean it isn’t misleading.

   Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) simply happens to be the latest politician to get caught; unless you can identify all of the corrupt ones, you can’t say that either party has a lead in corruption, and those who do are simply engaging in demagoguery.

   Dana (dd8e7e) — 5/22/2006 @ 5:24 pm

   
   

9. “Corruption is mainly a Republican issue according to Bradley Fikes. I know that Mr. Fikes is just being even handed and pointing out that the party in power usually gets a better position at the trough than does the party out of power.”

   That’s precisely the case. Add up the Republican members of Congress caught up in corruption scandals vs. Dems and Republicans are in the clear majority. That notably includes former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, whose take in bribes has far exceeded anything attributed to any congressional Dems. Why? Because Cunning had an extremely influential position on an influential committee, as a member of the majority.

   Abramoff and colleagues gave most of their money to Republicans. That can’t be spun or finessed.

   Bradley J. Fikes (e619fc) — 5/22/2006 @ 9:45 pm

   
   

10. Funny thing, though.

    Rep. Jefferson is allegedly “on tape” accepting a $100,000 bribe, the proceeds of which have been confiscated by authorities.

    So, why hasn’t he been arrested?

    Is this really on videotape? If so, why haven’t we seen it? Why not just release it?

    Maybe such a videotape doesn’t exist. I certainly wouldn’t give the government the benefit of the doubt here. If there’s a videotape of one of our Congressman accepting a bribe, then it should be made public.

    RightNumberOne (564c96) — 5/23/2006 @ 3:07 am

    
    

11. Look at today’s “Day by Day” where the comic strip artist adds up Republicans vs. Democrats–and finds that the Democrats have the lead this year in corrupt politicians caught.

    If you are talking “culture” I think you have to take the long view over several years; not just a one week snapshot of who was arrested or caught with their arm in the cookie jar up to the elbow.

    If you take the longer view, neither party has a monopoly on plaster saints or corrupt villians. The whole argument is spin cycle crapola.

    Mike Myers (3a4363) — 5/23/2006 @ 6:06 am

    
    

12. “Look at today’s “Day by Day” where the comic strip artist adds up Republicans vs. Democrats–and finds that the Democrats have the lead this year in corrupt politicians caught.”

    The counting is off. Ney, DeLay and Katherine Harris are absent for one thing. And you can do better than using a comic strip for a source.

    “If you take the longer view, neither party has a monopoly on plaster saints or corrupt villians. The whole argument is spin cycle crapola.”

    Yes and no. The party in power gets the most corrupt congressmen, in the longer view. Since the Republicans are in power, they are the current winners of the corruptions prize. That’s the near-term reality.

    Patterico inflated the charge of K Street Republican corruption to something easily disproven — that only Republican congressmen are corrupt. That rhetorical trick doesn’t change the facts.

    Patterico should just admit that currently, most of the corruption in Congress is tied to Republicans. Perhaps he’s already done that, and if so, I’d appreciate him pointing out where.

    An instructive exercise would be to tally up the money involved in the corruption of each party’s congressmen — bribes and deals secured by bribes. The scope of the Cunningham web alone is staggering.

    Bradley J. Fikes (e619fc) — 5/23/2006 @ 7:10 am