|
|
|
beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
 Posted - 10/07/2005 : 01:19:17
|
Speaking of indicted Republicans, I notice the news media can only manage to report on one or two at a time but apparently there is a whole batch of the buggers right now. Here's an exerpt from Democracy Now:quote:
.... AMY GOODMAN: We're talking to Doug Ireland. He runs the blog Direland, long-time political journalist and media critic. As we wrap up this section, yes, we have talked about Dr. Bill Frist, the Senate Majority Leader, Tom DeLay, under indictment right now, the House Majority Leader.
Then there's Jack Abramoff, there's David Safavian, the President's chief procurement officer, stepped down two weeks ago, arrested last week, on charges of lying to investigators and obstructing a separate federal investigation into Jack Abramoff's dealings in Washington. Jake Bernstein, Executive Editor of The Texas Observer, what about Jack Abramoff, the Republican super-lobbyist, as salon.com describes him, known to have bragged about his contacts with Karl Rove, indicted in Florida last month along with his business partner on wire fraud and conspiracy fraud charges related to their purchase of a fleet of gambling boats? This week, three men were arrested, including two who received payments from Abramoff's business partner in a mafia-style killing of the man from whom Abramoff and his partner purchased the gambling boats, and Jack Abramoff's ties to, well, Tom DeLay.
JAKE BERNSTEIN: Well, it's interesting, Amy, we always thought here in Austin that Tom DeLay was in more trouble because of Jack Abramoff than he would be because of TRMPAC. Abramoff received $82 million from six Indian tribes. And he spent that money in all kinds of places, including for sniper training on the West Bank, which clearly had nothing to do with what the Indians were expecting it was going to be spent on. He paid for DeLay to go to a trip to Scotland. DeLay called Abramoff “my very good friend, Jack Abramoff.” Abramoff was clearly trading on his friendship with Tom DeLay in all kinds of places. The Abramoff scandal implicates Grover Norquist. It also touches on --
AMY GOODMAN: Why Grover Norquist?
JAKE BERNSTEIN: Well, Grover Norquist actually received money, this Indian tribe money. He was selling visits to the White House with the President. So, the Indian tribes would give $25,000 through Abramoff to Norquist's organization, and then they would get a meeting with the President and a visit to the White House. It also implicates Ralph Reed, who was taking money from Abramoff, this Indian money, to campaign against Indian tribes here in Texas, which would then benefit other Indian casinos in other states.
AMY GOODMAN: And, of course, Ralph Reed, also former head of the Christian Coalition. And then you have the -- you have Timothy Flanagan, the President's nominee to serve as Deputy Attorney General under Alberto Gonzales. The eight Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee Wednesday called for a new round of questioning of the nominee for the number two job at Justice, seeking more information about his links with indicted lobbyist, Jack Abramoff. Now, Flanagan has said he will have to recuse himself from the Abramoff investigation if he is confirmed, because he hired Abramoff to help the company where he works, scandal-ridden Tyco International, lobby DeLay and Rove on tax issues. Jake.
JAKE BERNSTEIN: Now, certainly if Abramoff decides to sing to save his skin, he is very, very conversant with the whole Republican fund raising network, with all kinds of details that could implicate a number of Republicans throughout the administration and Congress. And so, certainly, I think people have been nervous about that. Abramoff sort of intonated months ago that he was not willing to go down alone, which is why there was so much speculation tha
|
|
|
filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2005 : 02:49:32 [Permalink]
|
Indeed.
Someone correct me if my numbers are off, but wasn't the Reagan administration considered the most corrupt in recent history with no less than 29 felony convictions? Not little nickle & dime inditments, but full-blown convictions.
I think that if this administration's entire rug is rolled back, the vermin hiding beneath it will be far more numerous than Reagan's. I think that only one corner of that rug has been lifted.
 |
"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist! 
|
 |
|
|
Dr. Mabuse
Septic Fiend
Sweden
9688 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2005 : 15:38:15 [Permalink]
|
So, why do people still vote Republican?
Do they have short memory? I don't get it... |
Dr. Mabuse - "When the going gets tough, the tough get Duct-tape..."
Dr. Mabuse whisper.mp3
"Equivocation is not just a job, for a creationist it's a way of life..." Dr. Mabuse
Support American Troops in Iraq:
Send them unarmed civilians for target practice..
Collateralmurder. |
|
|
|
Kil
Evil Skeptic
USA
13477 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2005 : 18:03:23 [Permalink]
|
quote:
Originally posted by Dr. Mabuse
So, why do people still vote Republican?
Do they have short memory? I don't get it...
They vote republican because there are economic and social issues that the republicans favor that differs from the democratic parties platform. I'm sure most republicans, like democrats, hope that they are not voting for criminals when they pull the lever.
Having said that, In my view, the republican party has become so wrong headed, they don't even know what it means to be republican anymore. Bush has presided over the biggest government expansion ever, and, like Reagan, increased deficit spending to record highs. These are things that the traditional republicans abhor. The RR has them messing with state's rights on social issues and the Neo-cons have them openly attempting to build an empire (and failing miserably) where they used to be rather isolationist. All in all, while I never agreed with their views on social or economic issues, it was at one time possible to at least consider them with some respect.
I wish I could resurrect Barry Goldwater for a few days. He would tear his party a new asshole…
|
Uncertainty may make you uncomfortable. Certainty makes you ridiculous.
Why not question something for a change?
Genetic Literacy Project |
|
|
|
Dave W.
Info Junkie
USA
26022 Posts |
|
|
ronnywhite
SFN Regular
501 Posts |
Posted - 10/07/2005 : 20:54:45 [Permalink]
|
quote:
Originally posted by filthy
Indeed.
Someone correct me if my numbers are off, but wasn't the Reagan administration considered the most corrupt in recent history
Reagan: Iran/Contra, etc. etc. Ford was a brief fill-in, and prior to that, Nixon: Watergate.
I think the Clinton/Lewinski "scandal" had been blown-up into such a huge media circus, a fair portion of the American voting public was confused and bamboozled by the endless, screaming choir of "moral outrage" by the Republicans and their Conservative mouthpieces. To me, reasons for "moral outrage" are issues involving social neglect- such as inadequate healthcare, poverty, homelessness, and a grossly polarized economic distribution- all of which the Democrats have traditionally done more to remedy (by comparison, a guy messing with a secretary is so trivial, it's ludicrous.) For whatever reasons, the American public didn't see things that way- Bush was a weak candidate, and even though Gore wasn't particularly strong, I think the "Clinton stigma" played a major role in his defeat. The current Republican spin machine with Karl Rove at the controls has probably been one of the most effective in American political history.
|
Ron White |
|
|
|
filthy
SFN Die Hard
USA
14408 Posts |
Posted - 10/08/2005 : 00:32:59 [Permalink]
|
But I think they're starting to lose it.
quote:
How Rotten Are These Guys?
By Robert Parry
October 5, 2005
The separation of the Bush political machine from organized crime is often like the thin layer of rock between a seemingly ordinary surface and volcanic activity rumbling below. Sometimes, the lava spews forth and the illusion of normalcy is shattered.
In the weeks ahead, a dangerous eruption is again threatening to shake the Bush family's image of legitimacy, as the pressure from intersecting scandals builds.
So far, the mainstream news media has focused mostly on the white-collar abuses of former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay for allegedly laundering corporate donations to help Republicans gain control of the Texas legislature, or on deputy White House chief of staff Karl Rove for disclosing the identity of a covert CIA officer to undercut her husband's criticism of George W. Bush's case for war in Iraq.
Both offenses represent potential felonies, but they pale beside new allegations linking business associates of star GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff – an ally of both DeLay and Rove – to the gangland-style murder of casino owner Konstantinos “Gus” Boulis in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 2001.
This is an interesting link. Parry is pretty reliable.
I read a poll somewhere that claimed Bush's aproval rating was 27% in New York state. Higher than it deserves to be.....
|
"What luck for rulers that men do not think." -- Adolf Hitler (1889 - 1945)
"If only we could impeach on the basis of criminal stupidity, 90% of the Rethuglicans and half of the Democrats would be thrown out of office." ~~ P.Z. Myres
"The default position of human nature is to punch the other guy in the face and take his stuff." ~~ Dude
Brother Boot Knife of Warm Humanitarianism,
and Crypto-Communist!
|
|
|
|
GeeMack
SFN Regular
USA
1093 Posts |
Posted - 10/12/2005 : 23:07:33 [Permalink]
|
And with a subpoena in his sweaty little palm, Senator Majority Leader Bill Frist (R - TN) gets ever closer to the possibility of being indicted for insider trading. The list grows longer.quote:
Frist Subpoenaed in Probe of Stock Sales...
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has been subpoenaed to turn over personal records in an investigation into possible insider trading, The Washington Post reported on Thursday. The Securities and Exchange Commission issued the subpoena within the past two weeks, the newspaper reported, citing sources familiar with the probe.
A spokesman for Frist, a Tennessee Republican, was not immediately available for comment.
Frist aides previously said he had been contacted by regulators but did not mention that he had received a formal request for documents, The Washington Post said.
Authorities are looking into Frist's recent sale of shares of hospital operator HCA Inc., co-founded by Frist's father and brother. The sales took place just days before HCA's stock price fell on a disappointing July 13 profit outlook.
|
|
|
|
Tim
SFN Regular
USA
775 Posts |
Posted - 10/13/2005 : 03:17:34 [Permalink]
|
Republicans may be spending a lot more time in courtrooms and finding their approval numbers shrinking, but this in certainly no guarantee that they're going to be voted out of office as a party. Many in the south, midwest and the mountain states may be getting uneasy about the politicians they've sent to Washington, but this doesn't mean they're ready to bail on their party.
The Democrats have done little to offer an alternative, and even less to appeal to their bases. They need to offer something more than not being a Republican. Why cross party lines for a watered down version of you you already have?
The majority of the Democrats in the Gulf Coast States live along the coast. Hurricanes Rita and Katrina have caused a mass migration away from these areas, (not to mention the destruction of my f'ing roof!) So, even states like Louisiana that are considered borderline red states are for the time being strong red states. Previously strong red states like Texas and Mississippi are going to loose the few Democratic seats they now hold.
Even though the red states have a smaller population than the blue states they dominate voting in the Legislature because of the electoral college.
What I think needs to be done is that Democrats need to come out more forcefully on issues and demand more time in the television media. They need to illustrate how the Republicans do not represent middle and working class America. Plus, these investigations need to be pursued aggressively to show these social conservatives that the Republicans are not morally superior.
Personally, I feel that even after the Bush Administration is out of office, the investigations need to continue. We need to show these politicians that the American people aren't going to put up with lies that cost the lives of young, American men and women, election fraud and that cronyism and a federal beauracracy run by lobbyists is not going to be tolerated. |
"We got an issue in America. Too many good docs are gettin' out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their -- their love with women all across this country." Dubya in Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 9/6/2004
|
|
|
|
beskeptigal
SFN Die Hard
USA
3834 Posts |
Posted - 10/16/2005 : 01:05:45 [Permalink]
|
quote:
Originally posted by Tim
....
What I think needs to be done is that Democrats need to come out more forcefully on issues and demand more time in the television media. They need to illustrate how the Republicans do not represent middle and working class America. Plus, these investigations need to be pursued aggressively to show these social conservatives that the Republicans are not morally superior.
....
Definitely! |
|
|
|
GeeMack
SFN Regular
USA
1093 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2005 : 16:07:24 [Permalink]
|
Another member of the Bush team gets indicted. This one is Thomas Noe, one of George W. Bush's campaign fund raisers. He is charged with various crimes including making illegal contributions to the 2004 presidential campaign. It looks like he has the Attorney General of the State of Ohio hovering over him with charges of theft of over $4 million, too. If there's one thing that can be said about Republicans, they sure are consistent.quote:
Bush Campaign Fund-Raiser Indicted...
CHICAGO (Reuters) - A prominent Republican fund-raiser for President George W. Bush in Ohio has been charged with illegally funneling money to Bush's re-election campaign, a federal prosecutor said on Thursday.
A federal grand jury in Toledo charged Thomas Noe with making illegal contributions in the names of others to the Bush campaign and with making false statements to the
Federal Election Commission.
The three counts lodged against Noe each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine.
A separate investigation is examining a money-losing investment in rare coins Noe made for the state of Ohio.
|
|
|
|
GeeMack
SFN Regular
USA
1093 Posts |
Posted - 10/27/2005 : 16:49:53 [Permalink]
|
Oh, in case you're having trouble keeping track of the players (and who isn't?), here's a composite image to help you remember who's who...
 |
|
|
|
Valiant Dancer
Forum Goalie
USA
4826 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2005 : 07:13:27 [Permalink]
|
quote:
Originally posted by ronnywhite
quote:
Originally posted by filthy
Indeed.
Someone correct me if my numbers are off, but wasn't the Reagan administration considered the most corrupt in recent history
Reagan: Iran/Contra, etc. etc. Ford was a brief fill-in, and prior to that, Nixon: Watergate.
I think the Clinton/Lewinski "scandal" had been blown-up into such a huge media circus, a fair portion of the American voting public was confused and bamboozled by the endless, screaming choir of "moral outrage" by the Republicans and their Conservative mouthpieces. To me, reasons for "moral outrage" are issues involving social neglect- such as inadequate healthcare, poverty, homelessness, and a grossly polarized economic distribution- all of which the Democrats have traditionally done more to remedy (by comparison, a guy messing with a secretary is so trivial, it's ludicrous.) For whatever reasons, the American public didn't see things that way- Bush was a weak candidate, and even though Gore wasn't particularly strong, I think the "Clinton stigma" played a major role in his defeat. The current Republican spin machine with Karl Rove at the controls has probably been one of the most effective in American political history.
Lessee.
Nixon: Involved in ordering a break in at a campaign headquarters.
Ford: Fell down a lot, but really didn't do much wrong
Carter: Nothing criminal really. Just some bad decisions and bad luck.
Reagan: Iran/Contra sales of arms to terrorists and future terrorists.
Bush 41: Iran/Contra, alledgedly spent a lot of time in the bathroom.
Clinton: Lied under oath. But it was for an act so unrelated to a land deal in Arkansas as to be solely to embarass the President of the US.
Bush 43: staff members have released the name of a covert CIA operative, conspiracy to invade a sovreign nation without cause, generally weakening the US response to terror and natural disasters, destroying whatever goodwill the US had build up in the last 40 years.
And some Republicans are still touting him as the best President of the century. I suppose I can agree with them. He took office in 2001. That's the 21st century. The new best President of the century will be whomever REPLACES Bush in 2008. (Maybe sooner if we can impeach his ass) |
Cthulhu/Asmodeus when you're tired of voting for the lesser of two evils
Brother Cutlass of Reasoned Discussion |
|
|
|
furshur
SFN Regular
USA
1536 Posts |
Posted - 10/28/2005 : 09:25:56 [Permalink]
|
That's great GeeMack! Dick 'flatline' Chenney.
|
If I knew then what I know now then I would know more now than I know. |
|
|
|
vrwc
New Member
47 Posts |
Posted - 11/13/2005 : 22:32:22 [Permalink]
|
Hello
Maybe you should make it a presuposition to your discourse. All Republicans accused of anything are guilty, convicted or not. all Dems., convicted or not are innocent.
Want to take those accusations up, one at a time? I'll answer them. vrwc |
|
|
|
pleco
SFN Addict
USA
2998 Posts |
Posted - 11/14/2005 : 06:25:28 [Permalink]
|
Ah, the persecuted conservative - goes hand in hand with the persecuted christian. Cry me a river.
Your hasty generalization in your post does not surprise.
|
by Filthy
The neo-con methane machine will soon be running at full fart. |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Topic Locked
