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You are here: Home / Right to Vote / Vote Like Your Country Depends On It / Passing The Political Football

Passing The Political Football

by Zandar|  October 28, 20119:25 am| 49 Comments

This post is in: Vote Like Your Country Depends On It, Bring on the Brawndo!, Decline and Fall, Our Failed Political Establishment, We Are All Mayans Now

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Once again my senator Mitch McConnell continues to show America that Republicans are focused like a laser on the most important issue facing the country right now: jobs the economy abortion national security screwing with college football conferences.

Earlier this week, the Big 12 conference appeared ready to admit West Virginia into the league—a move so certain that university officials began tipping off members of their current conference, the Big East. But on Tuesday, the Big 12 abruptly backed off its overtures to the Mountaineers, leaving school officials in limbo and wondering what had happened.

On Wednesday, West Virginia received a key clue. The New York Times’ Pete Thamel reported that Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell had lobbied officials at two Big 12 schools on behalf of his alma mater, the University of Louisville, which also is vying for a spot in the conference.

Everything Republicans do is about personal gain.  That’s the point of political power, one leads to another in a cycle.

Not surprisingly, McConnell’s alleged lobbying prompted anger among the two senators from West Virginia, Jay Rockefeller and Joe Manchin, who are both Democrats. They have called on the Senate to investigate whether McConnell inappropriately interfered in the football drama.

“The Big 12 picked WVU on the strength of its program–period. Now the media reports that political games may upend that,” Rockefeller, who is chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee and has jurisdiction over college athletics, told reporters. “That’s just flat wrong. I am doing and will do whatever it takes to get us back to the merits.”

Manchin, a West Virginia alum, went further, questioning McConnell’s ethics.

“If a United States senator has done anything inappropriate or unethical to interfere with a decision that the Big 12 had already made—then I believe that there should be an investigation in the U.S. Senate, and I will fight to get to the truth,” Manchin said in a statement. “West Virginians and the American people deserve to know exactly what is going on and whether politics is interfering with our college sports.”

So yes, it seems now that while the country is busy having a gut check over the direction of the country, over social equality, economic fairness, over the role of government in America and the true power of the wealthy, the most august deliberative body in the world is out back behind the outhouse fighting over the size of each others’ “conferences” and Republicans are abusing their power because they can.  Meanwhile, the one thing that gets Joe Manchin pissed off enough to fight back isn’t the economy or Republican intransigence on jobs but the fact that Mitch is messing with the Mountaineers.

Can we just Occupy Congress already?

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Reader Interactions

49Comments

  1. 1.

    arguingwithsignposts

    October 28, 2011 at 9:31 am

    Can we just occupy big time college football already?

  2. 2.

    harlana

    October 28, 2011 at 9:32 am

    OT, but friends don’t let friends dress up their pets for Halloween.

  3. 3.

    rikryah

    October 28, 2011 at 9:32 am

    and this is a surprise to whom?

  4. 4.

    The Snarxist Formerly Known as Kryptik

    October 28, 2011 at 9:35 am

    The only thing good about this, like I mentioned a couple days ago, is that this might be enough of an insult to actually turn West Virginia blue. You don’t fuck with the Mountaineers.

    …yeah, not likely, and the whole thing is still fucking embarrassing, but seriously, I do not need more reason to despise McConnell, and then this shit happens.

  5. 5.

    tortuga

    October 28, 2011 at 9:35 am

    by the way coal aggie, welcome to our wonderful conference of humble fly-over land grant universities and texas! you will fit in wonderfully.

    come here for lulz and k-state sports talk. We’re already conjuring all manner of insults for Huggins when he rolls in to Wichita.

    http://www.goemaw.com

  6. 6.

    Poopyman

    October 28, 2011 at 9:36 am

    I say good on ’em! If that’s what it takes to give that sanctimonious prick McConnell some grief then I’m all for it.

    Yes, I’m that petty. Deal.

  7. 7.

    wilfred

    October 28, 2011 at 9:38 am

    Earlier today I listened to a good report on BBC world radio that included reasonably thoughful questions put to a man from Occupy Oakland and a woman from Occupy London. The latter strongly emphasized the movement’s discussed the with adversarial politics that contaminates the public landscape – the TASTES GREAT/LESS FILLING (my analogy) that sustains and poisons the public sphere.

    Kind of like this blog, really, which is a symptom of the very thing it thrives on mocking.

  8. 8.

    flukebucket

    October 28, 2011 at 9:38 am

    Everything Republicans do is about personal gain.

    Absolutely. Why else would making Obama a one term President be priority one? This is precisely the Republican philosophy. The Randian idea that whatever is best for me is what is of the utmost importance. Just ask 350 buck Chuck. It is the foundation of their entire world view. The first ever recorded words of a conservative were “Am I my brothers keeper?”

    I think Herman’s motto should be “Adam raised a Cain”

  9. 9.

    harlana

    October 28, 2011 at 9:39 am

    Also OT, but, unbeknownst to him until yesterday, Karl Frisch’s daddy is in Herman Cain’s latest wacko ad.

  10. 10.

    wilfred

    October 28, 2011 at 9:39 am

    I meant to coin a neologism – ‘discgustion’ – but fingers blurred.

  11. 11.

    Plethded

    October 28, 2011 at 9:40 am

    “So yes, it seems now that while the country is busy having a gut check over the direction of the country, over social equality, economic fairness, over the role of government in America and the true power of the wealthy…”

    The republicans aren’t having a gut check over this. They already know what they want. It’s the democratic leadership that can’t decide if it likes hippy punching or not.

  12. 12.

    JGabriel

    October 28, 2011 at 9:42 am

    Manchin, a West Virginia alum, went further, questioning McConnell’s ethics.

    How can you question something that doesn’t exist? It’s like questioning the Tooth Fairy or the Easter Bunny.

    Perhaps those examples are too benign.

    I mean, if McConnell’s ethics were a real creature, I’m sure it would look small and nasty like a particularly vicious gnat or a strand of HIV.

    .

  13. 13.

    Steve

    October 28, 2011 at 9:42 am

    I don’t think there is anything particularly Republican about sticking up for your home state’s college football program. I believe Mark Warner pulled an even more blatant power-play when he was governor of Virginia, and the list goes on and on. Most Senators stick up for parochial interests in this manner. McConnell is a terrible human being because of what he’s doing to Obama’s jobs agenda and so forth, but that’s a different issue.

  14. 14.

    arguingwithsignposts

    October 28, 2011 at 9:47 am

    @tortuga:

    by the way coal aggie, welcome to our wonderful conference of humble fly-over land grant universities and texas!

    When did Oklahoma leave?

  15. 15.

    birthmarker

    October 28, 2011 at 9:51 am

    I received one of those emails yesterday selling an investment newsletter. In it there was the nugget that Congress and top aides are not prohibited from making insider trades on info they gain from their legislative work. I can’t link but I googled around and found this clip from Murdoch-owned WSJ.

    Unlike many Executive Branch employees, lawmakers and aides don’t have restrictions on their stock holdings and ownership interests in companies they oversee. Congressional rules say that requiring employees to do so could “insulate a legislator from the personal and economic interests that his or her constituency, or society in general, has in governmental decisions and policy.”

    If you google Congress and insider trading you will find several articles to read.

  16. 16.

    AA+ Bonds

    October 28, 2011 at 9:54 am

    As of this morning, the Occupy protests became “anti-capitalist protests” on the BBC, they have said “anti-capitalist” about five times so far this hour @ _ @

    I sometimes forget how weird and conservative they are. At least they are following it up with the story on how the heads of top 100 UK companies had 50% raises last year and are repeating the Clegg line that these people are living on another planet, an alternate reality, etc.

  17. 17.

    Belafon (formerly anonevent)

    October 28, 2011 at 9:54 am

    @wilfred: Aren’t all blogs, by definition?

  18. 18.

    tortuga

    October 28, 2011 at 9:54 am

    @arguingwithsignposts

    They didn’t. The Okies have piled in to their family schooners and are retracing their land thieving descendants up I-35 to Manhattan to take on Scheme Dr. Bill Snyder. What they do after their defeat?

    Well, I’m in no position to say.

    http://www.goemaw.com

  19. 19.

    MattF

    October 28, 2011 at 9:55 am

    Looks like, pretty soon our Fearless Leaders in Congress will be pining for the good old days of approval ratings in the upper single digits.

  20. 20.

    cleek

    October 28, 2011 at 9:59 am

    @Steve:
    this.

  21. 21.

    Scott P.

    October 28, 2011 at 10:01 am

    I don’t understand the complaining. This is an issue of major economic importance to Kentucky. Damn straight their Senator should be involved. Good on McConnell.

  22. 22.

    JGabriel

    October 28, 2011 at 10:01 am

    Not surprisingly, McConnell’s alleged lobbying prompted anger among the two senators from West Virginia …

    … to which McConnell replied, “What part of the word evil do you not understand? I’m evil, evil, evil!” Then McConnell ripped open his shirt to reveal a scarified pentagram and goat’s head carved into his torso while he. throat-fat wobbling like jello in a condom, continued screaming, “I sacrificed five frickin’ virgins to Beelzubub last night, and I’ll do whatever the hell I fucking want!”

    .

  23. 23.

    Linda Featheringill

    October 28, 2011 at 10:11 am

    What happens when the legislative function of a democratic republic becomes totally useless? I guess we’ll see.

  24. 24.

    wilfred

    October 28, 2011 at 10:14 am

    @17 Belafon:

    I don’t know. Crooked Timber has its moments but…

    It’s a damned fair question: Is the Medium the Message?

    Merits a post, I’d reckon.

  25. 25.

    Monkey Business

    October 28, 2011 at 10:14 am

    So, here’s a question. Congress’ approval rating is in the single digits. If it hits zero, which is a possibility, isn’t that akin to the American people taking a vote of no confidence in Congress? Moreover, if it hits zero, can we throw all of the bums out, and not just the ones that are up for reelection in 2012?

    I mean, you have to REALLY fuck up for no one to think you’re doing a good job.

  26. 26.

    Amir Khalid

    October 28, 2011 at 10:16 am

    @flukebucket:

    I think Herman’s motto should be “Adam raised a Cain”

    There’s a man in New Iersey who might not approve.

  27. 27.

    JGabriel

    October 28, 2011 at 10:17 am

    @Linda Featheringill:

    What happens when the legislative function of a democratic republic becomes totally useless? I guess we’ll see.

    Wrong tense: We have seen. Our legislative branch became dysfunctional almost 17 years ago, the day Newt Gingrich became Speaker of the House — and what happens is what we have now.

    .

  28. 28.

    Paul in KY

    October 28, 2011 at 10:28 am

    Glad to see Sen. Manchin now has some antipathy for the Republican Minority Leader. Finally, a Republican did something that he didn’t approve of.

  29. 29.

    xian

    October 28, 2011 at 10:29 am

    @Steve: I think when the elected officials are doing their job, tackling the difficult issues, working things out, then silly sports stuff is just a normal sideline. But when they can’t (won’t) get shit done where it really matters, the silly stuff becomes a slap in the face.

  30. 30.

    birthmarker

    October 28, 2011 at 10:39 am

    @Monkey Business: I hear nothing in my area (Deep South) about the dems putting up any candidates at all, much less credible candidates, for the 2012 House elections. I would think they would want to run someone for every single seat.

  31. 31.

    4jkb4ia

    October 28, 2011 at 10:47 am

    I am very amused that both WV senators are aware of what a step up the Big 12 would be for them, and taking off from what burnsbpesq said, how precious the right is to lose to Texas Tech.

    (OK, I got put in moderation because WP thinks “4dfb4nlcs” is just a random string of characters. Can’t imagine why.)

  32. 32.

    Cat Lady

    October 28, 2011 at 10:49 am

    Didn’t Specter while still a Republican pitch a fit about the Eagles losing the Super Bowl to the Pats? Instead of calling out McNabb for literally puking on his shoes, he wanted a Senate hearing so everyone could listen to him bitch about losing. Fucking Republicans.

  33. 33.

    geg6

    October 28, 2011 at 10:55 am

    Looks like Mitch lost this one:

    http://twitter.com/#!/PeteThamelNYT/status/129919329973174272

  34. 34.

    Suffern ACE

    October 28, 2011 at 11:12 am

    Yes, I’m sure West Virginia was chosen solely on the basis of the strength of its program. That’s how these decisions are made. I’ve read about that in the papers. Maybe Manchin would be willing to compile all of the the contacts he’s had with conference, bowl, and university sporting officials over the years as governor at various up-and-up events to show just how much more virtuous and strong his program is than any other program when it comes to figuring out how to diviy up that sports revenue.

  35. 35.

    Villago Delenda Est

    October 28, 2011 at 11:18 am

    @Suffern ACE:

    when it comes to figuring out how to diviy up that sports revenue.

    Which is what all this conference musical chairs nonsense is actually all about.

    Just look at the Pac-12…the two new schools are hundreds of miles from the west coast….and I read that Boise State is looking to join the Big East. Say wut?

  36. 36.

    lol

    October 28, 2011 at 11:41 am

    @Monkey Business:

    The problem is that a significant number of people, usually a majority, think *Congress* is horrible but think *their* Congressperson is just fine.

    Of course, even that set of people is shrinking these days.

    Redistricting might be enough to keep the House in GOP hands, but I wonder if they’ve shit the bed so much that even that won’t be enough.

  37. 37.

    Norwonk

    October 28, 2011 at 11:56 am

    Whenever I hear Americans refer to the Senate as “the world’s greatest deliberative body”, I’m reminded of Monty Python’s Cheese Shop Sketch:

    Customer: It’s not much of a cheese shop, is it?

    Owner: Finest in the district, sir!

    Customer: Explain the logic underlying that conclusion, pray?

    Owner: It’s so clean, sir.

    Customer: It’s certainly uncontaminated by cheese.

  38. 38.

    ruemara

    October 28, 2011 at 12:02 pm

    @birthmarker:

    Why does the party have to put up a candidate? Isn’t there any local Dem who wants to take a shot at some Republicans? In the electoral sense, I’m sure come the zombipocalypse, I’m taking out anything that looks stupid.

  39. 39.

    jayjaybear

    October 28, 2011 at 12:23 pm

    “Well, we can’t breathe the air for the coal dust and we don’t have a mountain in the state with the top still on nor a creek that’s not obstructed by what used to be on top of the mountain stumps, and fewer and fewer people have a job and those that do have to worry that the mine’s going to collapse and kill them slowly by starvation and suffocation, but at least Manchin got the Mountaineers into the Pac-12!”

  40. 40.

    Suffern ACE

    October 28, 2011 at 12:25 pm

    @lol: Yep. And they think Their guy is doing just fine precisely because he gets involved with college football. He’s fighting for you, don’t ya know.

  41. 41.

    birthmarker

    October 28, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    @ruemara: I wish the (moribund)state and local party would put up or support the candidates, with help from the national party. I attend two dem groups regularly and one hears very little about the next election. At this point dem candidates for House seats seem to be nonexistent.

    It was better here when Howard Dean was at the DNC.

  42. 42.

    Petorado

    October 28, 2011 at 1:33 pm

    I’d give McConnell a break on this issue of collegiate football if he wasn’t such a knob about other aspects of public policy affecting colleges like Pell grants, DREAM Act, student loans, and higher ed funding – you know, the college part of colleges. His vigorous concern about the entertainment aspects of of post-secondary education while dismissing the academic part says a lot about the guy.

  43. 43.

    Calouste

    October 28, 2011 at 1:35 pm

    @Norwonk:

    “The world’s most exclusive retirement home” is a more appropriate description for the Senate.

  44. 44.

    Thymezone

    October 28, 2011 at 1:45 pm

    I am not sure that I have ever seen the words “Joe Manchin” in print of in pixels other than on this blog.

    Or that I ever will, or should.

  45. 45.

    Thymezone

    October 28, 2011 at 1:48 pm

    A: Joe Manchin.

    B: Joe Mama.

  46. 46.

    Thymezone

    October 28, 2011 at 1:51 pm

    “Joe Manchin?”

    “No, I live in an apartment, actually.”

  47. 47.

    Davis X. Machina

    October 28, 2011 at 2:49 pm

    That’s Joe “Nighthorse” Manchin…

  48. 48.

    burnspbesq

    October 28, 2011 at 3:11 pm

    @Steve:

    I believe Mark Warner pulled an even more blatant power-play when he was governor of Virginia

    IIRC, it was the Virginia Legislature that threatened to withhold funding from UVa unless it did whatever was necessary to get VaTech into the ACC instead of either Miami or Syracuse.

    We got who we wanted eventually, and we Dookies are looking forward to watching a sullen crowd file quietly out of the Carrier Dome into sub-zero temperatures after we have our way with the Orange.

  49. 49.

    burnspbesq

    October 28, 2011 at 3:15 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    I read that Boise State is looking to join the Big East. Say wut?

    It’s better than that. Boise may end up in the Big East and the Big West at the same time.

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