What does that make now in the last few years? Three? Four?
Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens found guilty of 7 felonies, says he’ll appeal, fight for re-election
Ted Stevens, a pillar of the Senate for 40 years and the face of Alaska politics almost since statehood, was convicted of a seven-felony string of corruption charges Monday – found guilty of accepting a bonanza of home renovations and fancy trimmings from an oil executive and then lying about it. AP
Someone should ask Sarah Palin if she’s still planning on voting for her Republican Senator next week…
I live in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI with my wife Jen, our daughter Emerson, and sons Carter and Colton.
Let’s not forget: Congressman Frank Ballance, convicted in 2005 of money laundering and mail fraud. Governor Eliot Spitzer, resigned after a seamy scandal. Congressman William Jefferson, currently under indictment for soliciting bribes.
Congressman Timothy Mahoney currently embroiled in a sex scandal and allegations of a $121,000 payoff to his mistress. David Kernell, recently indicted for hacking into Sarah Palin’s personal e-mails. All Democrats.
Indeed Dan, it’s funny how your post pretends only Republicans get into trouble with the law.
come on guys, dan’s blog isn’t about keeping his party honest, it’s about exposing the flaws in the other party.
Gov Palin endorsed the Alaskan Lt. Gov in the GOP Senatorial primary, but Stevens narrowly won. Throw Stevens in prison and save room for his future cellmate…Charlie Rangel.
Oh yeah, Charles Rangel, Democrat Congressman and chairman of the House committee that oversees federal tax laws and regulation. He “forgot” to report taxable income from rental properties.
Not to worry, he’s in a safe district running unopposed.
I forgot to mention the former mayor of Detroit, Democrat Kwame Kilpatrick. He had to resign his office in 2008 because of his many scandals and crimes. Currently in jail.
See attached Wickipedia article for a complete list of Kilpatrick’s scandals and felonies.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kwame_Kilpatrick
I called out Rep. Jefferson when he was indicted as much as anyone else Smitty.
As for the rest of the commentary here, it’s telling. Do you guys have anything left in the quiver other than, “THEY MIGHT HAVE DONE IT TOO!!”?
Sen. Stevens was found guilty by a jury of his peers. Trying to explain that away doesn’t change that. Delay, Ney, Foley, Stevens, Cunningham, Renzi, Doolittle, Craig, Vitter are just some of the names you guys should think about when trying to defend your party.
Dan, if you’re going to call out the corrupt Republican politicians without doing the same for the Democrats, the logical conclusion people make is you are unaware of your party’s proclivity to be as equally slimy as the Republicans. You insinuate, by ignoring the Democrats faux pas’s, that the only dirty politicians are Republicans. I realize you’re a Democrat, but to throw that many stones at the Republican house, while tossing pebbles at the Democrat house makes you sound like a hack. I know I’m speaking for Smitty and others, but by them bringing up the Democrats corruption and crooked politicians is not a defense of the Republican dopes, it’s a way of dispelling this rumor you perpetuate that the Democratic politicians are not as sleazy as their counterparts…..
Dan,
Sounding a little defensive there Dan, but you started it, talking exclusively about Republican crooks. Are you still pretending that Democrats can’t be corrupt? If you want, I can add about a dozen names to the Democrat scandal list.
But political crooks are politcal crooks no matter the party and they deserve to go down. So don’t get all self-righteous, as if a “(D)” after one’s name is the equivalent of a halo.
You still haven’t acknowledged that Palin endorsed Stevens’ primary opponent.
Here’s the one place where I see difference, and it doesn’t apply to the Stevens case. It is when Republicans or those on the hard right get busted for vice squad stuff. Because Democrats don’t proclaim to be the sole purveyors of family values or moral superiority. But when Larry Craig is digging the guys or Rush Limbaugh is a drug addict, it does mean something. Because Democrats, you know, are just a bunch of horny hippies and they can admit it. Republicans can’t admit to their vices (except money).
Political crooks are political crooks. In the past decade, there have just been more “R’s” behind their names than “D’s”. Sorry for pointing that fact out.
My party’s “proclivity” hasn’t been on the level that yours has Sean, that’s my point.
You can throw out the William Jefferson example, which, again, I’ve been with you on, as the balancing act, but if you stack up all the names I listed above against him, the scale of corruption and immorality weighs heavily in favor of Republicans in the last 10 years.
While you’re all asking why I haven’t called out my own party, which I have, you should ask yourselves the same question. No one here has yet denounced or admonished Steves, Delay, Ney, Cunningham or any of the others.
It’s kind of hard for you all to hold me to a standard that you don’t seem interest in adhering to yourselves isn’t it?
You still haven’t acknowledged that Sarah Palin endorsed Sen Stevens’ GOP primary opponent.
Jill,
So you’re saying when Governor Eliot Spitzer and Congressman Tim Mahoney got involved in sex scandals or when Congressman Patrick Kennedy went into drug rehab or when Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick assauted a policeman it was nothin’ serious because, hey, they’re just wild and crazy Democrats not being hypocritical about their vices.
Dan,
Your party’s “proclivities” has been every bit on the level of Republican “proclivities”. One difference is the Republican Party doesn’t tolerate the criminality and vice. BTW, adherents of which political party slashed van tires here in Milwaukee on election day, 2004?
Your party’s proclivity hasn’t been on the level mine has? You’re joking right? (That’s a rhetorical question, because unfortunately I know the answer) It’s that sort of “head in the sand”, blind naiveté that has helped exacerbate an environment of negative political discourse and partisanship that stymies any sort of REAL change. Keep thinking D=good and R=bad, I’m sure that will heal our country and unite us…..
BTW I adhere to a standard that if you’re corrupt, dirty, etc, you’re OUT. Your job is to represent me and the American public. If you do that with distinction (small percentage) – great, if you don’t, than I have a problem. As for you calling out your own party, please; the number of your posts calling out bad Republicans so far outweigh those on the Democratic side it’s pathetic.
And Jill, admitting you are horny hippies is not a valid defense for defending dirty politicians, but I guess if those politicians believe what you believe all personal responsibility goes out the window, right?
Sean and Smitty,
What I was saying is that Democrats have not sold themselves as the party of moral superiority or “family values” or against gay people. So when Republicans in particular fall off the wagon on one of these fronts it is a bigger deal.
Sean, I tried to differentiate between “dirty politicians” i.e., corrupt and those who commit vice squad offenses. Let me clarify: do I care that Eliot Spitzer was cheating on his wife? No. Is it a problem that he was doing it illegally with a prostitute and concealing the evidence? Yes.
Maybe that is why Dan didn’t bring up Larry Craig, the gay fundamentalist guy from Colorado, Rush Limbaugh the drug addict, Bill O’Reilly the sexual harrasser, or Mark Foley. My point was only tangental in that there are dirty politicians on both sides but the moral hypocrisy resides in great part on the right.
Jill,
Nice try, but if the Democrats don’t hold themselves as the protectors of “family values”, they do hold themselves as the party of “integrity” and “change”, but the facts prove otherwise. Congressman Tim Mahoney is a particular
egregious example, he succeeded boy-chasing Mark Foley in 2006 with a promise to restore the integrity and honor of the office. Instead, he immediatly got involved in a sordid scandal involving female employees, adultry and hush money. Mayor Kilpatrick was the youngest mayor in Detroit history, elected with the promise of reform and growth—he’s currenlty in jail with a list of crimes including assaulting a police officer, perjury, obstruction of justice, misuse of government funds, etc. Then there’s his seamy personal life which includes allegations of
murder. He ceratinly fell off the wagon with a loud thud.
BTW O’Reilly, Limbaugh and the “gay fundamentalist guy from Colorado” are not Republican office holders.
By the way, my dad can beat up your dad.
One difference is the Republican Party doesn’t tolerate the criminality and vice.
That’s a joke.
That’s why the Republican Senate caucus gave Sen. David Vitter a standing ovation after it came out he was paying a prostitute for sex.
Sen. Stevens is now a convicted felon on seven counts. I STILL have yet to hear anyone here decry that fact or call him out on it.
Smitty,
If the new guy in Florida did something criminal, I hope he is charged appropriately. It looks like he is going to lose anyway which is fine, let the voters decide.
And I do understand that O’Reilly, Limbaugh and the “gay fundamentalist guy from Colorado” are not Republican office holders. But they are the cheerleading squad for the party and they have all been vocal about holding the “right” values and aligned themselves politically with the Republicans. And they’re all screaming hypocrites. Keith Olbermann doesn’t pontificate about his superior values – while he’s certainly sarcastic and at times overbearing, he doesn’t say that his values are the right values and then turn around and do the exact opposite and try to explain how in his case it was ok. That’s the difference I see. I understand that you can hate his opinion and all, just like I can’t stand to listen to O’Reilly. But at least Olbermann has kept his skeltons in the closet so far.
The Republicans already in jail outnumber the Democrats by about 3-1.