DEMS in Glass Houses.

[LHardy]

Through all the complaints from the democrat party of a "Culture of Corruption" in the republican party. Hoping that the public buys the claim that the republicans are the sole heirs of such a reputation. I felt it necessary to gleen headlines found on the internet. In an attempt to see how well the democrats are doing with their new found squeeky clean image. The image they are attempting to personify for the Amercan voting public.

I will post a few examples at a time and allow for comment. Please add to the list as you may find through your cursory review of the democrats squeeky clean image.

After reading these snippets, you may feel an urge to take a shower.

Dems and Enron
…..they have ignored a Democrat connection to the bankruptcy of Global Crossing Ltd., a huge international telecommunications company whose stock at one time had surpassed that of General Motors.

Democrat National Chairman Terry McAulliffe
McAulliffe turned a $100,000 stock investment into $18 million.
Global Crossing, prior to becoming the fourth largest bankruptcy in history, had donated more money to the Democratic Party than Enron donated to the Republican Party.
The firm has given big bucks for example to Senate plurality Leader Tom Dascle, D.-S.D., and Rep. Henry Waxman, D.-Calif., two leading Democrats who have been very noisy about Enron.

Hillary Clinton
The FEC has formally determined that Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign treasurer, Andrew Grossman is legally responsible for the three false FEC reports that Hillary's finance director, David Rosen, was criminally charged and tried for in mid-2005. Mr. Grossman signed a "Conciliation Agreement" with the FEC on December 13, 2005, admitting his culpability, and agreeing to pay a civil fine and amend his false reports to reflect the $721,000 that he failed to report since October, 2000.

Chuck Schummer
while many Americans were busy contributing money, clothing and other necessities for hurricane-devastated Gulf Coast residents, what was Sen. Chuck Schumer up to? Raising money off the backs of Katrina's victims — for the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee.
In one of the more cynical tricks we've seen lately, Schumer's DSCC urged visitors to its Web site to sign a petition urging the firing of Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Michael Brown, the focus of much of the criticism of the federal response to Katrina.
...
A click on the petition opened a page requesting a donation to the DSCC, the party organization focused on recruiting and supporting Senate Democrats.
Only after the press blew the whistle did the tasteless scheme end. The committee yanked the link and agreed to donate any funds raised to charity.

Two staffers on a Democratic political committee headed by Sen. Chuck Schumer are being investigated by the FBI for an alleged dirty trick — getting a Republican candidate's credit report illegally, officials confirmed yesterday. "We are investigating the matter jointly with the FBI," said a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Washington.

Nancy Polosie
Two political action committees linked to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi have been charged with attempting to circumvent to legal limits on campaign giving, the Federal Election Commission has ruled.
According to the March 2004 FEC finding, Pelosi appears to have violated the same kind of arcane campaign finance regulation that spurred the indictment of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay this week.
A controversial fundraising committee run by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was slapped with a $21,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission for enabling Pelosi to funnel more than $100,000 in illegal contributions to Democratic candidates in late 2002 as she was vying to become Democratic leader.

Pelosi ran afoul of campaign finance regulations in late 2002 when she started a second leadership PAC in order to circumvent the $5,000 annual donation limits.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) filed delinquent reports Friday for three trips she accepted from outside sponsors that were worth $8,580 and occurred as long as seven years ago, according to copies of the documents.

Abramoff connections
Among the biggest beneficiaries were Capitol Hill's most powerful Democrats, including Thomas A. Daschle (S.D.) and Harry M. Reid (Nev.), the top two Senate Democrats at the time, Richard A. Gephardt (Mo.), then-leader of the House Democrats, and the two lawmakers in charge of raising funds for their Democratic colleagues in both chambers, according to a Washington Post study. Reid succeeded Daschle as Democratic leader after Daschle lost his Senate seat last November.
Well, things continue to look worse for Harry Reid, it is now being reported that the Senate Minority Leader wrote at least four letters helpful Jack Abramoff's tribal clients and his staff regularly had contact with the Abramoff's lobbying team about legislation affecting other clients.

detailed in billing records and correspondence obtained by The Associated Press - are far more extensive than previously disclosed. They occurred over three years as Reid collected nearly $68,000 in donations from Abramoff's firm, lobbying partners and clients.

Misc
Former Rep. Frank Ballance was sentenced Wednesday to four years in prison for conspiring to divert taxpayer money to his law firm and family through a charitable organization he helped start.

U.S. Rep. William Jefferson's public response to the federal government's investigation of his business dealings suggests his legal defense could be that his actions were distinct and separate from his congressional responsibilities and therefore not subject to federal bribery statutes, legal experts say.

The House ethics committee last year began looking into a complaint filed against Rep. Jim McDermott, Washington Democrat, over a 1997 incident in which he gave reporters an illegally recorded phone conversation among House members.

[mikewrona]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by LHardy
[B]Through all the complaints from the democrat party of a "Culture of Corruption" in the republican party. Hoping that the public buys the claim that the republicans are the sole heirs of such a reputation. [quote]

The problem is that the Republicans signed a Contract with American not to be like the Democrats. That's how they ganed control of the congress.

REPUBLICAN CONTRACT WITH AMERICA
As Republican Members of the House of Representatives and as citizens seeking to join that body we propose not just to change its policies, but even more important, to restore the bonds of trust between the people and their elected representatives.
That is why, in this era of official evasion and posturing, we offer instead a detailed agenda for national renewal, a written commitment with no fine print.

This year's election offers the chance, after four decades of one-party control, to bring to the House a new majority that will transform the way Congress works. That historic change would be the end of government that is too big, too intrusive, and too easy with the public's money. It can be the beginning of a Congress that respects the values and shares the faith of the American family.

Like Lincoln, our first Republican president, we intend to act "with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right." To restore accountability to Congress. To end its cycle of scandal and disgrace. To make us all proud again of the way free people govern themselves.

On the first day of the 104th Congress, the new Republican majority will immediately pass the following major reforms, aimed at restoring the faith and trust of the American people in their government:


FIRST, require all laws that apply to the rest of the country also apply equally to the Congress;
SECOND, select a major, independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud or abuse;
THIRD, cut the number of House committees, and cut committee staff by one-third;
FOURTH, limit the terms of all committee chairs;
FIFTH, ban the casting of proxy votes in committee;
SIXTH, require committee meetings to be open to the public;
SEVENTH, require a three-fifths majority vote to pass a tax increase;
EIGHTH, guarantee an honest accounting of our Federal Budget by implementing zero base-line budgeting.

[avet]

Peter Daou identifies a serious problem – namely, that there are so many Bush scandals and so many tales of corruption, that none really get the attention they deserve, and they therefore all end up blurring into one another and resulting in basically nothing. The solution, as Peter points out, is for one or two of them (such as the NSA scandal, where Bush plainly broke the law and over which members of his own party are starting to revolt), but the real impediment for Bush opponents is that there is little coordination and they so often are working at cross-purposes that even the most devastating scandals end up having little or no impact.
________________________________________________

One sees this time and again: "conservatism" these days very rarely has anything to do with actual conservative principles of government and has come to be distorted shorthand for "George Bush follower."

The more one agrees with and praises the Commander-in-Chief, the more "conservative" one is, even when his actions aren't even remotely "conservative." That really is the definition of a creepy cult of personality, and it has consumed a large segment of the Republican Party.
_______________________________________________

See, we have a duty. The job of the President is to confront problems, not to pass them on to future Presidents and future generations. –GWB

I have a duty to nominate well-qualified men and women to the federal judiciary. I have done just that, and I will continue to do so. –GWB

We have a duty for future generations. We have a duty to leave this world more peaceful. We have a duty to reform the institutions that are old and tired. That's our duty. –GWB

I have a duty as the president to define problems facing our nation and to call upon people to act. –GWB

I have a duty to protect the Executive Branch from legislative encroachment. I mean, for example, when the GAO demands documents from us, we're not going to give them to them. –GWB

When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty. –George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

[avet]

Dissent, for a change

Three cheers for some Georgetown University law students who turned their backs on Attorney General Gonzales while he gave a speech at their school.

Here's what David Cole, a Georgetown law professor (and one of the panelists), had to say:

"When you're a law student, they tell you if say that if you can't argue the law, argue the facts. They also tell you if you can't argue the facts, argue the law. If you can't argue either, apparently, the solution is to go on a public relations offensive and make it a political issue... to say over and over again "it's lawful", and to think that the American people will somehow come to believe this if we say it often enough.

In light of this, I'm proud of the very civil civil disobedience that was shown here today."

[avet]

EVERY FREEKIN TIME THIS MAN HAPPENS TO BE ON CAMERA, THE ONLY THING THAT COMES OUT OF HIS MOUTH IS.....TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM, TERRORISM,.....

Good American soldiers are dying every single day, in a war we should have NEVER started. Terrorism is SO FREEKIN BAD, that we have had to START IGNORING THE CONSTITION, and OUR RIGHTS, and GO VERY SEVERELY DEEP IN DEBT FOR DECADES.
---yet---
bush & cheney CAN CONSTANTLY SOMEHOW, ALWAYS FIND THE TIME TO BE ON VACATION, GOLFING, OR SH** LIKE THIS.

ARE THESE LEADERS? OR ARE THEY ACTING LIKE ....TYPICAL "RICH" CEO'S ??

Oh, ...they deserve it & earned it! I say..... UP YOURS!! WERE AT ..."WAR" !!!

WHERE'S THEIR SACRIFICE....WHATSO-FREEKIN-EVER ???

What do soldiers who are FORCED to serve ONE, ...TWO, ...THREE, ...FOUR tours DESERVE??

Typical Americans have to give up their RIGHTS, their HARD EARNED LOW WAGES, and their LIVES...so people like THIS.... can have their "RIGHT" to ......."PLAY" in TOTAL SECURITY!

He could get a whole lotta training on how to use a weapon in .....IRAQ !

The ONLY thing he'd have to worry about, is...the TARGETS SHOOT BACK over there !!

____________________________________

Cheney Accidentally Shoots Fellow Hunter
____________________________________

EXCLUSIVE: First Photo of Cheney Shooting Victim
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-ce...f_b_15538.html

An EMT who attended to "Mr. Whittington" told the Huffington Post that, during the ambulance ride, he overheard Cheney mumbling, "Who's leaking now, f***ker?" and, "F***ker survived. Gotta work on my aim."

The EMT later remarked to the vice president, "Harry Whittington? That sounds like a made-up name." When contacted for clarification on Cheney's reply, the Huffington Post has learned the emergency worker has disappeared.
____________________________________

"There's an article in which "Cheney reportedly shot more than 70 stocked pheasants and an unknown number of mallard ducks at an exclusive private club places a spotlight on an increasingly popular and deplorable form of hunting, in which birds are pen-reared and released to be shot in large numbers by patrons. The ethics of these hunts are called into question by rank-and-file sportsmen, who hunt animals in their native habitat and do not shoot confined or pen-raised animals that cannot escape."

[LHardy]

Mike:
I too wish for my conservative Republicans to get back to basics. They soon will get back to those basics that put them in office. After we, the Republicans in the field, clean our house. The 2006 elections will be on track for another Republican strong hold in Washington.

More bad news for dems who are using the Abramoff angle to spring board their false hopes.

A new reports showing that all but five of the chamber’s 44 Democrats have taken Abramoff-related money. In addition, the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee have taken more than $1.2 million, according to records provided to The Washington Times.” (Charles Hurt, “Dorgan Returns Abramoff Money,” The Washington Times, December 14, 2005)

[Stevenco]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by LHardy
[B]Through all the complaints from the democrat party of a "Culture of Corruption" in the republican party.

It would be helpful if the first sentence of your post were a complete sentence. It's difficult to understand exactly what you are trying to say. Anyways, why would anyone align themselves to a party?
I couldn't imagine being a dem or a rep or left, right or middle.

[LHardy]

Originally posted by Stevenco
It would be helpful if the first sentence of your post were a complete sentence. It's difficult to understand exactly what you are trying to say. [/B]

Point well taken.

[LHardy]

Following is a list of NYS dems with a corrupt bent.

Lee Alexander - Democrat - Mayor of Syracuse, N.Y. from 1970 to 1985. Was indicted over a $1.5 million kickback scandal. Pleaded guilty to racketeering and tax evasion charges. Served six years in prison.

Mario Biaggi - Democrat - U.S. Representative from New York from 1969 to 1988. Indicted on federal charges that he had accepted bribes in return for influence on federal contracts. Convicted of obstructing justice and accepting illegal gratuities. Tried in 1988 on federal racketeering charges and convicted on 15 felony counts.

Aaron Burr (1756-1836) — Democrat of New York, New York County, Colonel in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War; lawyer; member of New York state assembly from New York County, 1784-85; New York state attorney general, 1789-91; appointed 1789; U.S. Senator from New York, 1791-97; Vice President of the United States, 1801-05. Presbyterian. Killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, July 11, 1804. Tried for treason in 1807 and acquitted.

Gloria Davis - Democrat - Bronx assemblywoman. Pleaded guilty to second-degree bribe-taking

Roger L. Green - Democrat - Brooklyn Democrat Assemblyman. Pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for accepting travel reimbursement for trips he did not pay for and was sentenced to fines and probation.

Abraham J. Hirschfeld - Democrat - candidate in Democratic primary for U.S. Senator from New York in 1974 and 1976. Offered Paula Jones $1 million to drop her sexual harassment lawsuit against President Bill Clinton. Convicted in 2000 of trying to hire a hit man to kill his business partner.

John Michael Murphy - Democrat - U.S. Representative from New York from 1963 to 1981. Implicated in the Abscam sting. Convicted of conspiracy, conflict of interest, and accepting an illegal gratuity. Sentenced to three years in prison and fined $20,000.

Frederick Richmond - Democrat - U.S. Representative from New York from 1975 to 1982. Arrested in Washington, D.C., in 1978 for soliciting sex from a minor and from an undercover police officer - pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor. Also - charged with tax evasion, marijuana possession, and improper payments to a federal employee - pleaded guilty.

[LHardy]

These sick dems get a post just for themselves.

David Giles - Democrat - candidate for U.S. Representative from Washington in 1986 and 1990. Convicted in June 2000 of child rape.

Neil Goldschmidt - Democrat - Oregon governor. Admitted to having an illegal sexual relationship with a 14-year-old teenager while he was serving as Mayor of Portland.

[speaker]

Hardy, I'm sorry to see you start such a thread. Both you and I could fill this board with such data, and we would soon bore the living heck out of everyone and therefore be counterproductive. It's good to document statements, but I think most of us know that it just takes some googling to find out these things.
Just try Haliburton, or use a key word or name such as that.
I have to say that any of this you saw fit to reprint still does not add up to the death and destruction caused by this administration. Something like the "blue dress" scandal does not equal the "WMD" scandal, if you can call it that.
But you are welcome to it, if that's what you like.

[LHardy]

Are you sad to see this because it points to corruption of the dems that is completely ignored by many on this board and the media in general?
Or is it because it exposes the dems hatred for President Bush versus really examining government actions in general.
I suspect the later, based on your posting about President Bush and your dislike of the war.

How odd I have not seen similar complaints by you against those such as avet. If you have I apologize for not having seen them.
If you have not, lets' see your complaints for them as well.

[mikewrona]

Originally posted by LHardy
Mike:
I too wish for my conservative Republicans to get back to basics. They soon will get back to those basics that put them in office. After we, the Republicans in the field, clean our house. The 2006 elections will be on track for another Republican strong hold in Washington.

More bad news for dems who are using the Abramoff angle to spring board their false hopes.

[/B]

We will see what happens in the mid-terms.

I am wondering if the world as a whole is not in some type of political transition mode where there will be a temporary breakdown of order..

[WestSideJohn]

Aaron Burr (1756-1836) — Democrat of New York, Killed Alexander Hamilton in a duel, July 11, 1804. Tried for treason in 1807 and acquitted.

Good lord. Is this really your best defense for the rampant corruption in Congress today?

[avet]

LHardy

You have to bring up, ancient, real old sh** to try & prove your parties corruption is perfectly......"justified".

What I point out, and getiing sick & tired off, is whats happening right now, not 20, 30, or 200 yrs. ago. What are you going to bring up next? That Democratic cavemen stole all the fires?

I'm concerned about what's going on right NOW and what's affecting the future of America. For every ancient corrupt politician you can come up with, I can match it with 10 PRESENT DAY corrupt politicians running this country RIGHT NOW.

Let's get...."BACK TO THE FUTURE",......
AND QUIT IGNORING WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW!!