Thursday, August 30, 2007
Republican = Scandal
As The New York Times notes ... scandal has pursued them into 2007. “The real question for Republicans in Washington is how low can you go, because we are approaching a level of ridiculousness,” says one Republican strategist.
So what's the tally this year so far? Well, there is, of course,
1) Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) and
2) Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) with their sex scandals (the attempted restroom tryst and numerous successful hotel room trysts, respectively).
3) Sen. Ted Stevens (R-AK) and
4) Rep. Don Young (R-AK) are under investigation for their ties to the oil company Veco (though that's just the tip of the iceberg for Young).
5) Reps. Tom Feeney (R-FL) and
6) John Doolittle (R-CA) have found themselves the focus of a reinvigorated Abramoff investigation (though Abramoff is in prison, he's still busily cooperating).
7) Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) had his house raided.
8) The FBI is investigating Rep. Gary Miller's (R-CA) land deals.
9) Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) whose land deal with a businessman and campaign contributor became such a scandal that she finally just sold back the plot of land.
12) Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) and
13) Rep. Heather Wilson (R-NM) ..... Both are facing ethics committee investigations for their calls last October to former U.S. attorney David Iglesias about his office's investigation of a state Democrat.)
A kind of bonus field of scandal has been campaign officials for the various Republican candidates and their various scandals.
And there are a couple holdovers from 2006, of course; scandal figures who've stuck around and managed to keep a relatively low profile.
10) Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-CA) is still apparently under federal investigation. And
11) Rep. Ken Calvert's (R-CA) land deals are still winning scrutiny.
more @ talking points memo
I predict the next scandal will involve Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) and Immigration Judge Francis L. Cramer. The Post reported that “Cramer, a former campaign treasurer for Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.), was appointed as an immigration judge…The Government Accountability Office, a legislative watchdog, criticized the appointment, saying, ‘Converting a Schedule C [political] appointee with less than 6 months of immigration law experience to an immigration judge position raises questions about the fairness of the conversion.’” Gregg has, at least until recently, voted in lock step with the far right on gay rights issues. Cramer, likewise, is now on record as a homophobe when deciding immigration cases. Hmm, keep checking the toilets…you’ll find them eventually. They are definitely “in bed” together, whatever that now means. So mjuch for back door politics.
: 11:50 PM< Home
