With all the conservative bashing by the loud and boisterous resident liberals (and I won't mention Jag or Berserker's names, among others), here is some information about the party with no message, vision, or any legitimate ideas on how to move the country forward.
GOVERNMENT & POLITICS
Senate Democrats build a ‘culture of corruption’
After a year of trying to convince voters that all Republicans are corrupt because of the actions of a couple of rotten apples, the Democrats now find themselves with not one, but two senators under fire for crooked behavior. Minority Leader Harry Reid promised to amend disclosure reports after it became known that he earned $1.1 million on a real estate deal for property he hadn’t owned for three years. Not a bad deal. While Reid was busy trying to sweep this questionable transaction under the rug, another “clerical error” was discovered. Apparently, Reid used $3,300 in campaign donations for a holiday fund for personal employees at a condominium he owns at the Ritz-Carlton. He promptly promised to replenish the money from his own pocket. If you’re keeping track, that would be the pocket lined with money from a questionable real estate deal in 2004. Someone should really crack open this guy’s books and do a top-to-bottom review to see just what else lies beneath.
For New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, everything is already coming to the surface. Hailing from a state that has recently given us such ethically challenged Democrats as Jim McGreevey and Bob Torricelli, Menendez has drawn the attention of federal investigators looking into a rental deal he was involved with that received millions of dollars in government funding. For the record, Menendez is not officially under investigation at this point, but that is sure to change. While Reid is not facing re-election this year, Menendez is, and his race has been affected by the possibility that he has sticky fingers. Loyal Democrat voters, however, have admitted that they would rather have a corrupt politician in the Senate than Republican Tom Kean, Jr., so we’ll have to see how this hypocrisy plays out.
The GOP rogues gallery
It’s safe to say that the Democrats are being hypocritical about corruption, but that doesn’t let corrupt Republicans off the hook for abusing their office. This week, House Ethics Committee began its inquiries into the Mark Foley page scandal, questioning the chief of staff to Rep. Rodney Alexander (R-LA) about the internal handling of Foley’s preying on congressional pages. One of the pages that Foley had been overly friendly with was sponsored by Alexander, but the emails were not sexually explicit and the matter had been referred to Speaker Hastert’s office as protocol required. Hastert’s office then notified Rep. John Shimkus (R-IL), chairman of the House Page Board, who told Foley to cease contact with the youngster. At the request of the parents, the matter was not pursued further.
Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) pleaded guilty this week for his role in the Jack Abramoff scandal and could face anywhere from 27 months to 10 years in prison, depending on the outcome of his 19 January sentencing hearing. Ney accepted gifts from Abramoff during the disgraced lobbyist’s whirlwind influence-peddling tour on behalf of Indian casino owners, and is the latest casualty in this sordid drama that began in January of this year with Abramoff’s guilty plea.
Another congressman caught up in a possible lobbying imbroglio is Curt Weldon (R-PA). This week the FBI raided the home of Weldon’s daughter and her business partner, looking for evidence that Weldon used his influence to help his daughter win a million-dollar lobbying contract. Unlike Foley and Ney, Weldon’s situation could be just an attempted character assassination by Democrats on behalf of his opponent. Weldon is facing a tight race for election to an eleventh term, and the issue that the FBI is investigating was reviewed by the House Ethics Committee in 2004 without consequence.
Lieberman calls for Democrats to change the tone
Joe Lieberman, who pledged to remain with the Democrat caucus if re-elected in November, told his fellow Democrats this week that they need to change the tone in Washington if they gain control of Congress. Lieberman, a die-hard liberal on social issues, has received a lot of flack from his base for supporting President Bush and the Iraq war. He is not a poster boy for bipartisanship, but he’s closer to the true definition of cooperation than any of his liberal cohorts. It’s likely that his plea for more level-headed governance from his colleagues fell on deaf ears, though. Democrats are not as hungry to lead the country as they are for revenge against President Bush. They’ve already demonstrated their willingness to throw Lieberman under the bus; why should they listen to Joltin’ Joe now?
Warner takes his hat out of the ring
Former Democrat Virginia Governor Mark Warner has decided against running for president in 2008, citing a greater desire to spend time with his family. Warner, known as a centrist Democrat, was considered the most viable counter to Hillary Clinton’s expected ‘08 bid. The effects of his withdrawal are yet to be fully realized in the race for the Demo nomination, but, at 51, Warner has a lot of time to consider his future, and it is likely we will see him again. One can’t help but speculate, though, whether Warner knows something we don’t. Family considerations are often cited by popular politicians for not running for office when they believe that their party cannot win. Maybe he’s sitting out ‘08 because he thinks the Demos can’t take the White House.
Kerry seeks Purple Heart for 2004 election
John Kerry continues to bash President Bush for the Iraq war and bears the scars of the 2004 presidential election like a fourth Purple Heart. Redefining the term “sore loser” has been Kerry’s stock in trade as he continues to stump for liberal candidates in this year’s midterm elections. He seems to be edging his way toward another run for the White House in ‘08, but he is decidedly less popular than he was two years ago, trailing Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Al Gore in a University of New Hampshire poll of Demo presidential preferences. For sheer entertainment value, we encourage Kerry to run again. The Democrats haven’t re-nominated a presidential candidate since Adlai Stevenson in 1956, and for good reason.
Don’t worry, be happy
To hear Karl Rove tell it, and to hear President Bush sell it, the GOP will retain control of both houses of Congress on 7 November, but if one listens to off-the-record Republicans in Congress, they will say that the GOP is in for a shellacking. If the excessive drooling of congressional Democrats is any indication, the White House had best shore up its legal team for the impeachment assault sure to come when the Demos take over the legislative branch.
Who’s right? There is no crystal ball on Karl’s desk, but there are reams of polls coming in from races all over the country, and his team has been analyzing the data closely. Targeting the key races and getting those candidates the resources necessary for victory are Rove’s stock in trade. The model that assured Republican victory in 2002 and 2004 is still alive and well. Based on all that, Rove believes that the Republicans may lose eight to 10 seats in the House, but that they will definitely maintain control of both the House and the Senate.
Despite the reputation Rove has earned, fellow Republicans are not necessarily buying his optimism. So, suppose he’s wrong. If Democrats do take the House, they’ll get their Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, one of the most divisive figures in American politics. While acting as minority leader, she hasn’t even been able to keep her team from breaking ranks. It is doubtful she can do any better as Speaker of the House, much less provide overall leadership. Demos will gain the committee chairmanships, but Bush will still be President. Those who’ve lamented his lack of vetoes up till now can take heart that he’ll have plenty of Demo legislation to strike down in the next two years. On top of that, any margin that the Democrats claim in November is likely to be slim, assuring that the inevitable plethora of left-wing bills get bogged down in committee. A Democrat majority 110th Session is sure to be a true do-nothing Congress—with the notable exception of impeachment hearings.
