“‘Do not allow…my name to appear anywhere,’ Abramoff wrote to a colleague at his then-law firm, Greenberg Traurig. He e-mailed his wife: ‘When you are in the room with David and the other GSA folks, identify yourself as Pam Alexander or Pam Clarke. David [Safavian] does not want Abramoff used in the meeting.'” The WP publishes excerpts of e-mail traffic between Casino Jack and David Safavian, one of his men in the Dubya White House, and the details run from the sketchy to the mundane. (“He added that he was e-mailing from Signatures, and ‘I love those tempura tuna rolls!’“)
Tag: Election 2006
Steep Ascent.
“‘If this election comes down to the individual, race-by-race, case-by-case campaigns, like we’ve seen for the last four cycles, the Democrats don’t have enough top-tier candidates to win 15 seats,’ Amy Walters, a House political analyst at the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said, referring to a net gain. ‘But they do have enough second- and third-tier candidates who can ride a wave.‘” Even given Iraq, Abramoff, and the current GOP implosion, it seems that Dems will have their work cut out for them if they’re going to succeed in taking back the House this November.
Twilight of the Right?
In somewhat related news, the administration’s freefall in the polls continues, with even conservatives now admitting that Dubya is quacking like a lame duck. Meanwhile, some congressional Republicans begin to hear strains of 1994 in their own corruption and excess. And, with the Christian Coalition also nearing the End of (its) Days to boot, one has to wonder: Could we Dems ask for a more favorable electoral terrain against the Dubya-DeLay GOP heading into this November? And when are our party leaders going to rise to this opportunity and start offering a vision of leadership the American people can get behind?
The 527 Scramble.
By a virtual party-line vote, the House Republicans pass a campaign finance reform bill that caps “527” contributions while raising the limit on coordinated party spending — both measures that greatly advantage the GOP over the Dems in the current campaign finance climate. “Organizations such as Common Cause, Democracy 21 and Public Citizen, past legislative adversaries of the GOP, were allied with Republicans in yesterday’s floor fight. Democrats had the backing of a long list of conservative leaders opposed to regulation, including Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform and Paul M. Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation.” Well, they may have been right for the wrong reasons…still, I gotta say, the party spending aside, I’m actually with the GOP on this one. 527 organizations represent a blatant loophole in the McCain-Feingold act, and some 527 reform is clearly necessary if we’re going to be serious about restricting the influence of money on the electoral system. That so few House Dems voted for principle over their party pocketbooks is, to my mind, deeply troubling (but, so, for that matter, is McCain’s possible side deal to buttress his 2008 war chest.)
Hammering Away.
“‘Any rational person in [DeLay’s] position would be very concerned,’ said Kendall Coffey, a former federal prosecutor who is now a prominent defense lawyer in Miami. ‘Whether it’s working up the ladder at Enron or a drug organization, it’s classic strategy to work up by getting plea agreements and cooperation at each level.‘” As the GOP preps for a DeLay-less future, it seems that, for Boss DeLay — despite having theoretically left “on his own terms” — the legal woes are just beginning.
No more DeLay.
Breaking news: In a boon for the republic (and likely for the Republican party, now that the poster boy for their culture of corruption will be out of sight through November), Boss DeLay is done. “DeLay’s fall has been stunningly swift, one of the most brutal and decisive in American history.”
Put Rudy in.
Another crack emerges in the DeLay-Abramoff Ring: The Feds flip Tony Rudy, a former top flunky of Boss DeLay’s, which is particularly bad news for the former “Mayor of Capitol Hill,” Bob Ney. “According to papers filed today, Rudy will provide key corroborating information regarding the case prosecutors are building against [Ney], who was taken by Abramoff on a lavish trip to Scotland in 2002.” Update: The Post profiles Rudy. “‘How did Abramoff and Rudy meet, through JDate? No, they met through DeLay,’ Frank said.”
Ye have made it a den of thieves.
“‘I believe the most damaging thing that Tom DeLay has done in his life is take his faith seriously into public office, which made him a target for all those who despise the cause of Christ,’ Scarborough said, introducing DeLay yesterday.” The WP‘s Dana Milbank reports in as the right-wing “War on Christians” crowd embrace Boss DeLay as a martyr.”When DeLay finished, the host reminded the politician: ‘God always does his best work right after a crucifixion.’” Update: Salon‘s Michelle Goldberg has more.
Same Old Senate for Sale.
“I don’t know,’ said Senator Mike DeWine, Republican of Ohio…’People are not really talking to me directly about lobbying. I think they’re concerned about some of the, quote, scandal, but I don’t have anybody come up to me and say there’s a lobbying problem. It doesn’t get that specific.‘” As such, one day after voting down an independent ethics office 67-30, the Senate passes a watered-down “lobbying reform” bill 90-8 that, for all intent and purposes. seems to be merely cosmetic. “The Senate measure toughens disclosure requirements for lobbyists and requires lawmakers to obtain advance approval for the private trips that were a central feature of the Abramoff scandal. But it does not rein in lawmakers’ use of corporate jets, and it fell far short of the sweeping changes, including a ban on privately financed travel, that some lawmakers advocated in January…’It’s very, very weak,’ said Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona.“
Five Republicans and only three measly Democrats voted against the phantom reform bill: McCain, Feingold, Kerry, Graham, DeMint, Inhofe, and the “unlikely duo” of Obama and Coburn. (The West Virginia Dem delegation — Byrd and Rockefeller — abstained.) Still, “Mr. McCain predicted that there would be more indictments growing out of the investigation into political corruption, and said that such a development would lead Congress to revisit the issue again.“
Five and Dime.
In very related news, Casino Jack and his associate Adam Kidan are sentenced to 5 years, 10 months in prison for their roles in the SunCruz casino case. “Although [Judge Paul] Huck opted for the minimum, Abramoff faces the prospect of at least a few additional years in prison when he is sentenced in a separate case in Washington, D.C. However, lawyers said, his overall sentence ultimately could be reduced depending on his cooperation with federal investigators.” In fact, Abramoff will remain out of jail for the time being so he can continue to work with the Feds on congressional corruption.