The Daily Background
| Why can’t Republicans act like Democrats on corruption?
by Arlen Parsa
When Democrats bring up the issue of corruption and use it against Republicans, something inevitably happens.
Dems typically talk about Jack Abramoff, David Safavian, Bob Ney, Duke Cunningham, John Doolittle, Curt Weldon, Katherine Harris, Tom DeLay, Ralph Reed, Tony Rudy, Adam Kidan, Michael Scanlon, Ken Lay, Grover Norquist, Conrad Burns, Tom Noe and on and on and on (who have I forgotten- leave a comment if you can think of anybody).
Republicans then inevitably retort “Oh yeah?! Well you guys have William Jefferson!!!!!!! LIBRAWLS ARE HIPPOCRITES!!!!11″
Wow, they were able to mention a single Democrat who is plagued by ethical problems (I’m leaving Chicago Mayor Daley and New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez out of this since Republicans never bring either of them up and there’s a great deal of disagreement on the latter’s possible ethical problems and the former is hardly influential beyond Chicago city boundaries).
There’s a huge difference though between the way that Democrats treat corruption and the way that Republicans do. Republicans shelter members of their caucus who are obviously corrupt (and there are quite a few of them).
There is the occasional corrupt high profile Democrat, but Dems don’t generally shelter their own. I and many Congressional Democrats have outright called for Jefferson’s resignation, and he hasn’t even been indicted yet. You never see Republicans doing that to their own, but they’re happy to shout at the top of their lungs about Jefferson (it really is their only example).
Anyways, the Louisiana Democratic Party has now refused to support Jefferson on the ballot this year and a candidate named Karen R. Carter will replace him on the ballot instead (Jefferson is expected to pull a Joe Lieberman and run as an “independent Democrat” however). Republicans don’t have a chance of unseating him (the district is very blue), but they have no problem bringing him up in a national context.
Jefferson is going to be indicted, convicted and sent to jail. He should not run for re-election and ought to resign. I’m a Democrat and I can say that. Democrats stripped Jefferson of his powerful positions and seniority. Why can’t Republicans say the same for the corrupt members of their caucus? Probably because if all the corrupt Republicans resigned, there’d only be half of them left.
President Bill (too busy pointing his finger and lying to all of America) Clinton… Rep. (homosexual statutory rape)Studds…Ted (killed her and could care less) Kennedy…William (frozen assets) Jefferson…on…and…on…and…on. There is plenty of crap on both sides, believe me. The Dems have Nancy (hasn’t done a thing but bitch) Pelosi and Harry (jeez! I forgot about that million dollars)Reid? Not much to be proud of, is it.
How was Clinton corrupt?
The age of consent in DC is 16, studds had sex with a 17 year old. That isn’t statutory rape at all.
Kennedy was never charged with anything and you know that. Decades-old conspiracy theories won’t get anybody anywhere.
How is Pelosi corrupt?
The Reid story has been debunked already.
Finally, I have already talked about Jefferson, multiple times. Democrats approach to him is much better than Republicans approach to their corrupt members (of which there are many more).