The House GOP has officially become the Alfred E. Neuman party: “What, Me Worry?”:
Just two weeks after House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) pledged to pass far-reaching changes to the rules of lobbying on Capitol Hill, House Republican members pushed back hard against those proposals yesterday, charging that their leaders are overreacting to a growing corruption scandal.
In a tense, 3 1/2 hour closed-door session, many Republicans challenged virtually every element of the leadership’s proposal, from a blanket ban on privately funded travel to stricter limits on gifts to an end to gym privileges for lawmakers-turned-lobbyists. Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.), a veteran conservative who is seeking a top leadership post, scoffed that Congress knows how to do just two things well — nothing and overreact, according to witnesses.
GOP leaders did withstand a motion to force every leader but Hastert to stand for reelection today. Yet the motion was backed by 85 of the roughly 200 Republicans at the meeting, after leaders predicted that it would attract little support.
Corruption problem? What corruption problem? Jack who? Abramoff? DeLay? Cunningham? Never heard of ’em.
Maybe they can follow up on that beautiful performance yesterday and elect DeLay’s protege, Roy Blunt, as their Majority Leader in the leadership elections today. After all, change and clean government is for pussies.
I guess the organized strategy for dealing with corruption really is limited to trying to pretend the Abramoff scandal was bi-partisan, because these clowns clearly have no intention to clean up their own house. I guess they are leaving that to the voters.
*** Update ***
This has to be an inside the beltway phenomenon, because although we all joke about it, everyone in Congress is not stupid. They really aren’t- these are successful men and women, many with advanced degrees, and really do represent the upper tiers (to some extent) of the intellect in the United States. I simply can not figure out why they do not realize how hopelessly corrupt they look to the rest of us.
The only thing I can come up with is this- everyone of you has run into someone who chain smokes. When that person walks into a room, even if they are not smoking at the time, they carry with them a noxious cloud of smoke and residue from smoking. A room can stink for a good long while after they have left. But here is the thing- they have no idea how much they stink. I can vouch for that, because although I noticed it before when I was a smoker, I really only picked up on it when I quit smoking.
And that is how it has to be in DC- they simply do not recognize how much they stink, how much the odor of corruption is following them. Otherwise, when asked to vote for a ban on all privately funded travel, they would vote for it, rather than pretending the cloud of stink that is following them everywhere is some sort of air freshener.
LITBMueller
Your smoking analogy is a good one, John. As for me (a former lobbyist), I am constantly reminded of the phrase “absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
What I mean by that is, legislators know how bad it looks that they are in bed with lobbyists, but the alternative, at least in their minds, is to lose out on a lot of money, which means losing their next election, which means being out of power.
The corruption levels in all governments skyrockets when one party or group controls everything – it creates a strange sense of invincibility, of entitlement, and a greater desire to maintain the power they have achieved.
When I worked at a lobbying firm, we knew we could count on two things: the politicians would accepts the checks, and they would do what we want. It was just that simple. Even the ones that appear to be more principled are not untouchable, because they all need money to fund their campaigns so they can stay in office.
To us, the system doesn’t work – it is hopefully corrupt. To THEM, the system works just fine as long as they stay in office. That helps to exaplain Shadegg’s “overreact” comment: sure, he wants reform as long as it helps him and the party publicly, but he doesn’t want Congress’ reform efforts to go so far he finds himself out of a job!
Paul Wartenberg
It becomes clearer that reform cannot come from within the system. This is where the elections are so vital: vote the bums out.
I also wonder if there’s a way of getting the states to call a Constitutional convention to initiate reform amendments that would compel Congress to clean up. I know it’s a risky move, but the whole gov’t is stuck now in a Gordian Knot of corruption, greed and ignorance: we need lateral thinking here with a creative solution to untie that damn knot.
docG
in 2004, 99% of Representatives were reelected, as was 96% of Senators. The smokers may stink, but the voters are only too happy to give them big, wet sloppy kisses anyway. Perhaps an analogy of hookers and johns is more apt for voters and congress folk, as well as lobbyists and congress folk. Both parties get what they want and both are diminished by the sleazy transaction.
Term limits, public financing of campaigns with a reasonable budget, elimination of spending personal money on seeking election to comgress, a sixty day campaigning window for ALL politically related money sources, 4 free daily 60 second spots on public airwave media during the 60 day window, banning lobbyists from providing anything of value to congresspersons, an absolute ban on former Congressmen from ever lobbying or providing legal advice to Congress or the administrative branch, build a new Capital building in South Dakota (modern communication has eliminated the need to huddle together in DC and the cost of living would be cheaper, its beautiful there, as well as dispersing power) are some ideas for real reform. Add your own to work for.
For any of this to happen, we must first turn out incumbents, no matter how nice they are. They system is broken, but only convincing evidence of voter displeasure (not being reelected en mass) will prompt meaningful change. Forget party, vote to fix our system of government. If you vote for an incumbent, you are part of the problem. A couple of election cycles in which incumbents are put out is absolutely necessary. A legal, patriotic revolution.
Straleno
Of course, there’s also the more conspiratorial view that they know something we don’t… i.e., they know that there’s no chance they can be voted out, no matter what they do. Some may need to be sacrificed — *cough*Santorum*cough* — but the overall numbers will allow them to stay in power. Otherwise, why would they keep acting the way they do, if they really thought they could lose?
Or, maybe it’s just hubris.
SomeCallMeTim
I simply can not figure out why they do not realize how hopelessly corrupt they look to the rest of us.
Any chance that you’ll vote for a Democrat, John? No? Well, if you’re not willing to impose any costs on them for seeming corrupt, why the fuck should they change? So you’ll like them? Being liked is nice. Cash is nicer.
Davebo
Wait, wasn’t John Shadegg the Red Staters choice to replace Delay permanently?
Judging from this, he’s not the savior they thought he would be.
Will
“pretend the Abramoff scandal was bi-partisan”
Pretend? LOL.
Don’t you think it’s time that you finally admit you’re playing for the other team?
MI
I’m fairly sure John doesn’t have a problem voting democratic. You voted for Manchin, right?
I started reading this blog right around the time when John started to become disillusioned with the republican party, so I’ve never really thought of him as a particularly partisan person, I just haven’t seen it.
He comes off to me as your typical middle of the road, independent swing voter, who votes on his general feeling of candidate x’s character and ability to get the job done, not based on the letter next to their name.
Of course that’s my personal Balloon Juice narrative, I could be completely wrong.
Otto Man
Man, first Darrell starts plagiaring Sen. Cornyn and now John is stealing lines from Tom Delay. What gives?
ppGaz
It’s also becoming more and more difficult, to the point of being impossible unless some massive upheaval happens.
The two-party system has dug itself in. It can’t be budged. The part in power now, The GOP, has constructed a machine and an infrastructure including gerrymandered and protected districts and a grid of incumbent stranglehold on power that is going to be very difficult to dislodge.
The playing field is not level, and the play itself is not clean. It’s dirty, and I am not talking about the corrupt nexus between money and power which also is involved here. I am talking about the dishonest and cynical manipulation of voting blocs and pandering to coalitions which put power and party ahead of the country’s real interests.
We’ve crossed that bridge, and at this point, the American Experiment is in real peril. It’s just a question now of how soon, or whether, the citizenry figures that out and does something about it.
docG
Absolutely. My real fear is that if we can’t come up with a non-violent path to structural change of the political system, the awakening of American citizens will be severely disruptive, violent and the end of what makes America great. And ppGaz, the Democrats record of participation in the muck is not on a higher plane than Republicans.
Paddy O'Shea
Super Bowl ad rejected by ABC:
http://www.quietagent.com/superbowl
ppGaz
Quite true. In a two-party system, though, shifting power away from the entrenched party from time to time is absolutely essential. The GOP has managed to dig itself and the country into a deep hole in a relatively short time in this cycle, mainly thanks to the corrupt and inept leadership both on the Hill and in the White House. Really, they fought their way to the bottom of the barrel in record time.
The GOP has to go. Clearly it is not going to clean up its act, or act in the interests of the country at this point. It would take the Dems at least two if not three national election cycles to go as low as these idiots have gone, so that buys the country some time.
Barry
adding to ppGaz’ remarks: when you realize that the GOP has had control of the House only since 1994 (since 1954), the amount of corruption is staggering. They’ve done more in 10 years than the Democratic Party did in 40.
John: “I simply can not figure out why they do not realize how hopelessly corrupt they look to the rest of us.”
John, the majority of Republican voters won’t believe in this corruption; most of the remaining ones will say that the Democrats are just as bad, and wouldn’t vote Democratic anyway. The mass media has been caught lying to portray this as a bipartisan scandal, which helps the GOP immensely when trying to grab swing voters.
Under those circumstances, why not be corrupt? Why not have contempt for the American electorate?
Patrick Lightbody
Any chance that the Not One Dime proposal would ever fly? I just can’t see either party proposing something so radical. But it also seems like it is the only real answer to this problem.
Dave from CO
I just want to say thanks to the folks on this board. I have been and independant most of my life and in political leans tend to be a centrist. I am for fiscal conservatism and small govm’t. I feel that today both parties are having problems owning up to their corruption of power. The Dems were guilty of it and gave the GOP the lift to power it holds today, temporarily.
Anyway, it’s good to see open and honest desicussion… it’s what we need from both side of the isle.
Cheers
Robert
Bingo John!
I really wish conservatives and liberals in the country would start to realize that, essentially, there are two classes in America:
Those with money, and those without.
Unless we work together for the interests of we, the people, these guys get richer and more powerful at our expense.
The current members of the GOP are playing liberals for scapegoats, and conservatives for dupes.
This is about power, getting it, maintaining it and wielding it, pure and simple.
Ed
Not that there aren’t some corrupt Democrats out there but the Abramoff scandal is a 100% Republican scandel. Anyone who says otherwise is either lying or stupid.
Every person who has been indicted is a Republican. every person who will be indicted will be a Republican.
If this was a moveon.org bribery scandel or an AFL-CIO bribery scandel would Republicans be involved?
The Disenfranchised Voter
Great comments by all.
dave.
rick santorum and bill frist, on the floor of the senate today, appealing for bipartisanship, displaying an almost pornographic insincerity, the likes of which only the most partisan of republican politicians and/or televangelists are capable of.
what he means by “bipartisan” is that the democrats stand down. period.
our system is not perfect. even with 44/100 members in the senate and a similar ratio in the house, congressional democrats represent an appreciably larger number of voters than do the republicans. especially when compared to the questionable margin of bush’s win in ’04. and yet the republicans lead as if they have a supermajority. so, the majority is a minority and vice versa. it’s kinda ingenius, in a perverse way — made more perverse because this republican party has turned the minority party protections and safeguards, built into this republic through the constitution and long-standing congressional tradition, into something almost unrecognizable from the intentions of those who brought this whole thing into being 200+ years ago.
to me, the saddest thing isn’t that my party’s being trounced, or even that they’re too often complicit in their trouncing, it’s the culture of dishonesty that has nurtured this predicament.
first and foremost, dishonesty in the condescending way in which they all communicate with us, treating us as if we’re children. they all do it. democrats, republicans, partisan barkers and msm journalists all oversimplify, mislead or outright lie to us.
with republicans, it’s cynical, predatory, paranoid and self-serving dishonesty. it’s the reptilian capitalist. the daddy. fight it, fuck it, or flee it. do it to them or they’ll do it to you. fight all opposition, fuck whatever you can and flee from admitting that you don’t ever intend to stop fighting and fucking.
with democrats, it’s more of a fear-based dishonesty. they’re afraid to appear to be too mean, too uppity, too inflexible. it’s the mammalian socialist. the mommy. just wanna love and be loved. fight like hell when the cubs are threatened but, as soon as the threat is driven off, it’s back to the den for some more suckling and loving.
as for the barkers and the media, it’s also a fear-based dishonesty, but this time, it gets way more fundamental than kingdom, phylum, class, etc. this is pure dna. dna’s job is to make more dna and, like dna, the pundits and press will adapt, whatever it takes, to whatever environment they find themselves in.
finally, there’s the voters and their fear of being ignorant or, worse yet, wrong. this is an exclusively homo sapien fear. we identify with whatever message is the least challenging to our beliefs and accept it as truth, because there’s nothing worse than being stupid or wrong.
and so, bring it all back home, if only mr. santorum or frist would have been honest, we might have heard a floor speech that went something like, “democrats, step off. we are going to wreck the new deal and return this country to the robber baron era, and we are going to smack down your opposition every time, even if it’s only for the next 9 months. there will be no diplomacy, no compromise. my way or the highway.”
ugly? yeah.
truthful? absolutely.
productive? well, maybe in the short term. depending on how the democrats take the advice, an ideology will be protected. but, in the long term, the voters will get to decide, based on truth, not deception and dishonesty, which party better serves their interests.
Dave Johnson
I wonder if instead of just repeating that the Dems were corrupt when in power, someone might give some examples that compare.
I know that one guy self-printed some books and sold them for cash, and another one got some stamps from the House post office and traded them for cash. But I don’t really know about anything else. Seriously.
Stanographics
I think it was a Soupy Sales routine that said, “Every Politician has a thinking end and a sitting end. Since everything depends on him keeping his Seat, forget about the thinking end.”
camille roy
I think you are getting in a lather about something that you should have made peace with long ago.
Of course Republicans are corrupt! The Republican political philosophy can be summed up in 3 words: Kiss Rich Tush. Of course it’s called other things – deregulation, trickle down, etc. But it really comes down to ‘I want it, I’m well connected enough to get it, it’s mine.’ And religiousity has nothing to do with it, check out Abramoff and Reed.
Look, the Republicans are looting the country, and letting their rich buddies loot the country, because that is what they believe in. This is partly a reflection of the new Southern brand of Republicanism which has driven out the old Northeastern establishment. Southern govt has always been about oligarchy, cronyism, looting, exploitation. That is where the 3 word philosophy ‘Kiss Rich Tush’ came from.
What the Republicans did, in chasing the racist vote in the South, is destroy their own moral fiber. That is just the honest truth.
labradog
I stopped in here for the first time today.
Stop the presses! Get Diogenes on the phone!
You, sir, are an honest Republican!
Thank you.
Robert Lewis
Let us not forget the greatest corruption: treason.
In addition to tripling the national debt, placing our troops in harm’s way on fabrications based on lies, and committing numerous felonious violations of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, the Bush Administration treasonously outed a CIA agent.
I know, I know, Republicans have repeatedly argued that Valerie Plame, the wife of White House critic Joe Wilson did not have covert status when she was outed to the media in July 2003, but in the newly un-redacted opinion of the judge in the NY Times case, the Republicans can read ’em and weep:
Special prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald found that Plame had indeed done “covert work overseas” on counterproliferation matters in the past five years, and the CIA “was making specific efforts to conceal” her identity, according to newly released portions of a judge’s opinion.
Yes, Virginia, the Republicans were traitors.