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You are here: Home / Politics / Republican Stupidity / A New Record

A New Record

by John Cole|  January 25, 20119:52 am| 20 Comments

This post is in: Republican Stupidity, Both Sides Do It!, Clown Shoes

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This is impressive work:

Just three weeks into his congressional career, Rep. David Rivera (R-Fla.) has earned the dubious distinction of being the first member of the historic class of House GOP freshmen to find himself at the center of an ethics scandal.

The Rivera case also could prove an early and politically sensitive problem for Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia and other top Republicans who criticized former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s handling of scandals involving Reps. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Maxine Waters (D-Calif.).

On the other hand, according to Republicans, it only took three weeks for them to turn the economy around, so maybe this isn’t so fast after all.

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Reader Interactions

20Comments

  1. 1.

    Comrade Javamanphil

    January 25, 2011 at 9:59 am

    As the old saying goes, to get an economy moving you are going to have to illegally award contracts to some family members. I think the important thing here is we all not focus on the crimes mistakes that were made and instead look toward the future.

  2. 2.

    Poopyman

    January 25, 2011 at 9:59 am

    What’s the problem? I thought the Repubs were dismantling their ethics panel? I predict that unless or until there’s a conviction the House will take no action. And at that point maybe something like censure.

  3. 3.

    Ija

    January 25, 2011 at 10:01 am

    In addition, Rivera repeatedly claimed to have worked for USAID during the campaign — stating that it was his main source of income outside his $30,000 annual salary as a state legislator. But the federal agency says it has no record of his ever having done so.

    This part is so bizarre. Did he think they wouldn’t check? But I guess you can’t put bribery as your main source of income.

  4. 4.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    January 25, 2011 at 10:01 am

    Politico is saying this could prove to be a sensitive problem for a Repup controlled House? Fucking Politico?

    They’ll lead the IOKIYAR stenography charge.

    And I didn’t follow the link, those asshats won’t get a distinct web hit from me.

  5. 5.

    cleek

    January 25, 2011 at 10:04 am

    On the other hand, according to Republicans, it only took three weeks for them to turn the economy around, so maybe this isn’t so fast after all.

    if it fails to recover, will they own the failure, too ?

  6. 6.

    Ash Can

    January 25, 2011 at 10:14 am

    No one could have predicted…

  7. 7.

    Jules

    January 25, 2011 at 10:17 am

    And here I thought the distinction would go to Tim Griffin (AR-02), Karl Rove’s lackey, color me surprised.

  8. 8.

    SpotWeld

    January 25, 2011 at 10:22 am

    it only took three weeks for them to turn the economy around, so maybe this isn’t so fast after all.

    So much horrible magical thinking.
    Remember when they made the gas prices go down by going into meetings and talking about stuff. I was in a forum discussing this and actually listed about a half dozen rel-life events that were having an impact on supply and demand only to have them hand-waved away and the timing of the Republican “talks about opening up new drilling locations” cited as proof that correlation is in fact causation.

    The ethics issue is more of the same. A lot of politicians seem themsevles as some sort of Galtian ideal, and as such shouldn’t be fettered by the rules and expections placed on them by parasitic squabbling masses…

    Reality people.. look into it sometime

  9. 9.

    ruemara

    January 25, 2011 at 10:37 am

    Nothing like the lunatic brigade. I wonder how many people re researching recall election laws in their state. Or will be starting to in about 3 months.

  10. 10.

    SFAW

    January 25, 2011 at 10:40 am

    On the other hand, according to Republicans, it only took three weeks for them to turn the economy around,

    In a non-Bizarro universe, the MSM would greet this claim with a large “YOU LIE!”.

    But it’s Rupert’s world, we just take up space in it.

  11. 11.

    Benjamin Cisco

    January 25, 2011 at 10:41 am

    @comrade scott’s agenda of rage: __

    Politico is saying this could prove to be a sensitive problem for a Repup controlled House? Fucking Politico?

    The usual media suspects will do a little pre-emptive, half-hearted grumbling, sort of like Fluffy did with Cantor the other day on Press The Meat.
    __
    And I don’t expect it to last long.

  12. 12.

    meh

    January 25, 2011 at 10:43 am

    I actually know this guy – have known him for about 10 years. I can say, without hesitation, that the guy is a complete scumbag and it in no way shocks me that he is in the middle of this. If I had to make a guess, I would say that this is probably the 1st of many things about this guy – and by extension – the Diaz-Balart Brothers in Miami – that you are going to be hearing about. There was a “kerfuffle” about 10 years ago with Lincoln Diaz-Balart – something about a trip to Cuba and coming back with a briefcase of money that was unreported…oops. See Rivera used to be friendly with those guys down in there in Miami (since that’s where he’s from). His CoS is the former CoS for Lincoln Diaz-Balart. When he retired last year, his brother, Mario Diaz-Balart conveniently took over his seat while giving up his on house seat to, you guessed it, Rivera. Rivera then hires their dirtbag CoS. Give it time, they did enough dirt that you will start hearing about Rubio and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. It’s a crooked crowd, no lie.

  13. 13.

    meh

    January 25, 2011 at 10:50 am

    one thing I forgot to add – this is the guy that owned a house with Rubio in Tallahassee. They were foreclosed on for not paying their mortgage. Personal Responsibility FTW.

  14. 14.

    Maude

    January 25, 2011 at 11:01 am

    @meh:
    You didn’t get the memo. Personal responsibility is for other people.

  15. 15.

    NonyNony

    January 25, 2011 at 11:06 am

    @Maude:

    Personal responsibility is for other people.

    Republican mottos like “personal responsibility” make much more sense when you figure out that for a good-sized chunk of the Republican Party they are just code-words. “Personal responsibility” started as a code for the same thing as “welfare queens” and “young bucks with T-bones”, but “personal responsibility” is better because you can use it and might even get people who don’t understand that you’re speaking in code to nod their heads in agreement with you. After all, actual personal responsibility really is a good thing, and facilitating more ways to give power to the people to let them actually have personal responsibility is something that most liberals would get behind. The fact that Republicans are really talking about “personal responsibility” for “those people” goes sailing right past…

  16. 16.

    flounder

    January 25, 2011 at 11:16 am

    Over at Down With Tyranny, they document how the Florida Republicans are riding in to save Rivera by firing te investigators in his case and appointing some true believers instead.
    He’s gonna skate.

  17. 17.

    flukebucket

    January 25, 2011 at 11:52 am

    Eight years to fuck it up and three weeks to fix it. Sounds about right.

  18. 18.

    SteveinSC

    January 25, 2011 at 12:32 pm

    @cleek:

    if it fails to recover, will they own the failure, too ?

    No, GOPisize the recovery, Obamasize the failure

  19. 19.

    piratedan

    January 25, 2011 at 1:18 pm

    well if they could elect a guy’s who multi-billion dollar healthcare company was accused and convicted of defrauding the government of Medicare money (oh where oh where are the Rethugs cries of Welfare and Government subsidy cheats now?)into the Governor’s seat, why not this guy too? Maybe they should just rename the state South Jersey?

Comments are closed.

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  1. David Rivera, Freshman Congressman, Faces Ethics Charges says:
    January 25, 2011 at 11:25 am

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