Does the "Culture of Corruption" Cross Party Lines?

[AGENDA21]

The Wall Street Journal reports that federal investigators are zeroing in on Rep. Alan Mollohan's (D-WV) finances and "whether they were properly disclosed." According to disclosure reports, Mollohan's household assets grew from $565,000 in 2000 to at least $6.3 million in 2004.

Of course, Mollohan could have been a great investor, but his seniority on the Appropriations committee raises questions about his possible use and abuse of "earmarks" in the legislative process.

The "previously undisclosed investigation" of Mollohan "comes amid a still-continuing Abramoff probe that has cast a shadow over two top Republicans," Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) and Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX). And then there is disgraced Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-CA), "who had also served on the Appropriations Committee, left Congress and was sentenced to prison last month after pleading guilty to accepting $2.4 million in bribes from defense firms in exchange for earmarks and other favors."

http://politicalwire.com/archives/2006/04/08/does_the_culture_of_corruption_cross_party_lines.html

[itzamirakul]

1. Absolute greed does not know a political party...eom

[SPKrazy]

2. I Think That It Is Inconceivable To Think That It Doesn't!

But our side is right on the issues and their side is wrong on the issues.

So let's clean out the dead wood in our party

clean out the corruption in congress

and get back to winning elections on the issues!

[papau]

3. out of 100 Corrupt folks 98 are GOP and 2 are Dem - so its bi-partisan?

The GOP will try to sell this - and our media will try to sell it - and both will lose credibility.

[NewJeffCT]

15. and don't forget...

Jack Abramoff once held a door open for a Democrat, so that makes his corruption bi-partisan, too!

[kurth]

4. Them Dems are just as bad as us...

Expect more distractions and comparisons like this from now til November.

[chicofaraby]

5. One crook doesn't make a "culture"

But the K Street Project, Tom DeLay, Jack Abramoff, Ney, Burns, Cunningham, Libby, Lay, Scanlon, and on and on and on.....

The difference is corrupt individuals vs endemic corruption.

[liberal N proud]

6. They are going to do a which hunt to find any dirty little secrets

that Democrats have, in an effort to divert the attention from the republican culture of corruptions that at this point appears to effect the entire party from top to bottom.

Of course there are scoundrels in the Democratic Party but not the entire party like you have with the republicans.
They call them selves Conservative where they should have just stop at CON.

[boobooday]

7. Of course. But the GOP is immersed in it. Built their empire on it.

Right now the Dems are only about waist-deep (maybe chest-deep). We have to stop them from defining success as attaining an equal level of corruption.

[AndyA]

8. Are people really this stupid? Do they really think they can get away

with this kind of illegal activity? I'm concerned that someone would be so dumb as to think they can steal and get away with it forever. And to think that these same people are making decisions on behalf of the American people is chilling.

The Republicans caught up in a culture of corruption that compromises their positions in office might not be much worse than their Democratic peers. Perhaps this is why the Democrats aren't making more out of it than they are. Could it be they are just as guilty, and just haven't been caught yet?

[stevebreeze]

9. we have a bad system to elect politicians. we need to reform the system

begging for dollars from the rich and special interests predisposes one to undermining public interests in favor of the rich and special interests. whether it's quid pro quo or quo pro quid makes no difference to the outcome, which has been bad policy. NAFTA has had a large impact on how many illegal immigrants are in this country hence the current "crises". Wages are now lower in Mexico then before NAFTA and fortunately for workers in the US our wages have not declined as much.

The cure in my mind is publicly funded elections on the clean money clean election plan. More at Public Campaign. http://www.publicampaign.org To that end we need candidates who embody the message of reform. IMHO that means Russ Feingold. He is to reform what John McCain pretends to be.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Corrupt politicians is redundant.

[rucky]

11. It would be naive to believe otherwise. n/t

[No Exit]

12. I don't care if it does or not. I want the republicans GONE.

Did you hear me? GONE. Outa here. Dis-elected. Sent home in disgrace. Bye-bye. NOW.

That's my FIRST PRIORITY. You can tell me the democrats' "sins" AFTER that priority is reality.

Geddit?

[Rich Hunt]

16. I'll drink to that.....

:donut:

[AGENDA21]

21. I agree with ya...GONE!!...isnt that what all sane people want..

but our leaders are the ones who can do something about this....but they arnt....and thats annoying to say the least!

[dogday]

22. HE HAS NOT BEEN ACCUSED!!!!!-- READ THE ENTIRE STORY!!!!

The only ones accusing him of anything are the republicans... Oh, I wonder why???? This is a dead horse, need to stop beating it..........

[No Exit]

23. Not sure what you mean--who are

YOUR leaders?

[dogday]

13. Tell the Truth AGENDA 21

He has not even been accused read below.. This is the second post on the same subject and I notice your other is a negative one about John Kerry... Something you are not telling us?

Mollohan, a member of both the ethics and appropriations committees, has not been accused of any wrongdoing. He acknowledged in an interview making real estate investments with the head of a nonprofit company that received federal money from earmarks Mollohan backed. But he contended he is fully "at risk" in the investments and received no special favors in either financing or locating the investments.

Republican leaders in the House of Representatives immediately called for action against Mollohan. House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., called on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, to press Mollohan to step down.

"Speaker Hastert and his Republican cohorts are responsible for the most corrupt Congress in history, and the American people are paying the price at the gas pump, at the pharmacy and with record high deficits," Pelosi countered. "The speaker should join me in directing the ethics committee to get to work, and not cast aspersions on the independent and distinguished ranking member."

[Binka]

14. Yep! You Know What To Do DD.

[Horse with no Name]

18. It seems that I smell some sort of agenda in here today

....but, I am REALLY hungry today.
:popcorn: anyone?
I can't stay for long though so I will leave the extra. You are obviously going to need it today.

[MH1]

19. The other post

with the Kerry-bashing piece, links to a right wing smear site, with no appropriate explanatory commentary, in clear violation of DU rules.

Just thought I'd mention that.

[salin]

17. take em all down - as is stated up thread... the rate of

damage to the GOP compared ot the dem would be huge. Moreover it would then be easier to get the $ out of politics - couldl we even begin to imagine publically financed elections for federal elections? Take the quid pro quo (ala donate $ and we will do favors) out... and watch the changes, per governing for the people rather than for the corps, blossom.

However with all being taken down... should look at the cases - trumped up vs clear cases of abuse, self-enrichment, etc., before casting all with the same brush... that advice, too, goes for members of both parties.

[Toots]

20. While there are some corrupt Democrats and a few DINOs the GOP

Is a Crime Syndicate and all they knw is slime and crime...

[Spiffarino]

24. If he's under investigation, he should step aside

If he's exonerated, the Dems can play it up and call it a witch hunt. However, I would want any GOPer to step down until the investigation was finished as well. There should be no cloud of doubt hanging over a member of any Ethics committee. Pelosi is making a mistake if she doesn't ask him to take a break while it's sorted out, otherwise she's doing a disservice to the Democratic Party.

If Mollohan is found to have done no wrong, great. If so, we've got it covered. Either way, we win and can hammer home the Repubs' reign of corruption during the campaign. And I do mean hammer them hard.

[Rocknrule]

25. In Lieberman's case, yes