Durbin says US deserves honest leadership: But from whom?
Cross-posted at Marathon Pundit.
Dick Durbin, the second-ranking Democrat in the Senate said in the Democrats' weekly radio address Saturday that "honest leadership will help all Americans."
He also said there is "a culture of corruption that is preventing government from dealing with the real needs of our nation."
Durbin was directly referring to the Republican Party, which has controlled the legislative branch of the federal government since 2003, and the executive branch since 2001. Of more recent vintage is the Jack Abramoff Scandal: The crooked ex-lobbyist had ties to both parties, but his GOP connections were more extensive, and for Republican politicians on the receiving end of money linked to Abramoff--more lucrative.
But the senator from Springfield has a short memory if he thinks the Democrats are the squeaky-clean party.
During the eight years of the Clinton administration, besides Monica, there was seemingly a continuous parade of scandals on emanating from 2400 Pennsylvania Avenue. Has Durbin forgotten Filegate, Travelgate, the Whitewater Investigation, Pardongate, Kathleen Willey, Chinagate, and numerous others? We should also throw into the mix the post-2001 Clinton embarrassment of Sandy "How did those documents get in my pants?" Berger.
Durbin represents Illinois, the nation's fifth-most populous state.
Did you know that Illinois is people-wise, the biggest state in the US with a Democratic governor and a Democratic majority state legislature? How are things going in Durbin's Blue Illinois?
First-term Governor Rod Blagojevich's administration is being investigated by federal prosecutors for trading political contributions for state jobs. That's not all that's being looked at in Springfield, the state capital (and of course Dick Durbin's hometown).
The Department of Children and Family Services and the Illinois Department of Transportation have also attracted the inquisitive gaze of the Feds.
And juicy state contracts have ended up in the hands generous Blagojevich campaign contributors, igniting a "Play for pay" culture in Illinois.
The skeptic of course will ask:
Hasn't Illinois always been run this way?
Isn't Blagojevich's predecessor, Republican George Ryan, currently on trial on various corruption charges?
Maybe on first one, and a definite "Yes" on the second.
But during his 2002 campaign for the office he now holds, Blagojevich told voters he would end "business as usual" in Springfield. In his 2003 inaugural address, Rod told the state he would "govern as a reformer."
Up in Chicago, where Durbin owns a condo, that city's mayor, Democrat Richard Daley, is in charge of an administration that also keeps federal prosecutors busy. The city's water department is overflowing with corruption (and convictions), and a colossal failure at privatizing city services, the Hired Truck Program, ended up as gravy-train of graft that has led to 26 convictions so far.
On Friday, Chicago City Clerk James Laski, also a Democrat, became the highest ranking city official charged, and the 39th overall, in the Hired Truck Scandal investigation.
So when Senator Dick Durbin talks about a "culture of corruption," he really shouldn't limit his gaze to the Republican Party
28 comments:
During the eight years of the Clinton administration, besides Monica, there was seemingly a continuous parade of scandals on emanating from 2400 Pennsylvania Avenue. Has Durbin forgotten Filegate, Travelgate, the Whitewater Investigation, Pardongate, Kathleen Willey, Chinagate, and numerous others?
Yes, and each one of these scandals was investigated by special counsel, independent counsel, and congressional committee. Except for Kathleen Willey (a sex scandal, ahem), none of these scandals resulted in findings of criminal wrongdoing.
I wonder how well the Bush administration would stand up to the same scrutiny?
You are an idiot to even try and equate any scandals of Clinton (didn't exist despite years of a GOP congress investigating left and right) and the petty things that happen with IL Dems to spying on American citizens without warrants, missing weapons of mass destruction and 2000 dead kids in the sand because of incompetence by this administration.
And no one has been fired, only awarded medals of freedom.
That's scandalous, plain and simple.
That submission can best be described by the words of Hawk Harrelson:
Streeetch.
But hey - you've always liberal academia to fall back on
I was told local corruption doesn't count. So we should just ignore Laski; just as Durbin's done here.
Takes some real gall for a regular Illinois Democrat to start talking about a culture of corruption.
Voters must look awfully stupid to them if they think they can get away with that.
A lot of people went to prison because of those Clinton scandals.
I was wondering when someone would call "Mr. Mainstream Durbin's" hand on that blunder. Illinois is in a neck and neck race with New Jersey for being the most corrupt out of the 50 states. I'[m a democrat but ashamed of how Blago has ran this state and ashamed of how Durbin chased his tail during the Alito hearings. Pathetic!
Except for Kathleen Willey (a sex scandal, ahem), none of these scandals resulted in findings of criminal wrongdoing
Did you here the news? The House passed articles of impeachment on President Clinton! That was only the second time in history (Andrew Johnson being the first) that has happened.
Yes...I guess that really isn't "criminal wrongdoing", though.
I don't think to many people listen to Durbin anymore after some of his statements and actions he is listed on the lunitic fringe of the Democratic party you have seen who has lined himself with lately.
I think Durbin is talking to George Soros and the Hollywood fokls mostly. Not to anyone in Illinois.
What about all the scandals with Bob Cramer and Congressman Jan the Man Shankowsky. Some real crooked stuff there.
Cramer is local...that corruption doesn't count.
john ruberry wrote:
A lot of people went to prison because of those Clinton scandals.
Who went to jail over Whitewater? Who went to jail over Travelgate? Filegate?
No one, that's who. (Ok, I'll grant you John Huang in the campaign finance stuff; but he doesn't count as a "lot of people," and he was not a part of the administration.)
Oh, and as for the articles of impeachment: the Senate (which is the trier of facts in an impeachment case) did not convict Clinton.
Besides, I would rather have a President who lies about an affair than a President who deliberately misleads the country into a war that has cost thousands of US lives and tens of thousands of Iraqi lives.
The same goes for the torture at Abu Ghraib; domestic spying; disclosing the name of a CIA operative for political revenge; detaining US citizens without due process.
Whitewater Figure James McDougal Dies In Prison
and his Wife Karen.
Friend oh Bill status carried a lot of risks.... may or may not have been a crime, but you sure did the time.
Nothing but class, 7:40...nothing but class.
Bob Creamer, incidentally ISN'T AN ELECTED OFFICIAL. And Schakowsky was not implicated in anything.
Say...which party was that Ryan fella part of? Topinka? Joe "Burned your wife? Who hasn't?" Birkett? Henry "youthful indiscretion" Hyde?
We could probably do this all day.
Creamer's not part of Schakowsky's culture?
Creamer did a lot of consulting work for the Daley, Lane Evans, and Blagojevich campaigns. He's not a "Mr. Mom."
Once again, for those who ignored it:
1) Schakowsky has never been implicated.
2) He was convicted of check kiting. Not influence peddling. Not voter fraud. Not even stealing.
Wrong? Sure. Abramoff wrong? Not even close.
"But during his 2002 campaign for the office he now holds, Blagojevich told voters he would end "business as usual" in Springfield. In his 2003 inaugural address, Rod told the state he would "govern as a reformer."'
And Bush talked about restoring "honor" to the White House. What's amazing is how the Republican's just keep trying to pass the buck. Whitewater, Blago, Creamer, anything to distract attention from the most corrupt administration this side of Teapot Dome. Nevermind that more tax money went to bailing out Henry Hyde's group at Clyde Federal and Neil Bush's group at Silverado than was lost over Whitewater. Why let the facts get in the way of another hypocritical Republican rant.
anon 2:19 We know that. But it's the culture... the culture of corruption. It's all culture now... that's the way the Democrats have framed it.
Given our Where's mine! culture in Illinois, it's egg on the face for a regular Democrat like Durbin to open his mouth about it.
Let's not forget the East St. Louis "$10 per vote" scandal."
Or Cairo's version (the tightwads down there only offered three bucks) a few year's earlier.
For the record, Watergate (Republican) was a bigger scandal than Teapot Dome.
Teapot Dome was in Wyoming; I'm shocked no one has found a Cheney link yet. Surely Halliburton was involved.
Teapot Dome was bigger in terms of the number of individuals convicted and the fact that it was straight graft rather than typical Republican paranoia that leads to illegally wiretapping anyone who might dare to disagree.
I stand corrected about Whitewater. McDougal was in fact in jail -- on charging of defrauding his own savings and loan, not related to any dealings with the Clintons.
Moreover, I think the basic point stands: the Bush Administration would not fare well at all under the same level of scrutiny that the Clinton Administration received. And what little we know of wrongdoings in the Bush administration (domestic spying, leaking classified information for political revenge, manipulating intelligence, torture) are far more disturbing to me than the charges made against Clinton (a failed real estate deal and adultery).
the other anon: The great failure of Clinton's administration is not the smallness of his crimes (and they were small and just sleazy) but that he failed to deal with Bin Laden and Saddam when here clearly understood the threat.
Read his speech of 1998 to the Joint Chiefs on Iraq.
I voted for Clinton twice. But the great shame of his administration was he failed to deal with a threat he knew was coming because he destroyed his administration with his uncontrolled character.
Whats really interesting is Richard Durbin and Barack Obama have been personally informed about unethical lapses in the Office of the Governor.
Yet they sit back and wait for it to come out in the newsmedia.
Really 5:09? Have they? Do you have their phones tapped? Or are you just talking out of our behind?
I'm guessing the latter.
Isn't it interesting that after the Trade Center bombing, which happened about a month after Clinton took office, no one blamed G.H.W. Bush, they just tracked the terrorists down and prosecuted them. But when W is in office for 9 months and had the "Bin Laden determined to strike in US" PDB the shameless Newsmax reading Republican shills still point every finger in Clinton's direction. Ignoring the fact that their mindless withhunt over a blowjob was what tied Clinton's hands. The same fools blaming him now were the first to yell "wag the dog" when he tried to deal with it. Sad how loathsome those who vote on "moral issues" really are.
anon 6:45 Clinton didn't hunt down the terrorists. The terrorists succeeded, the WTC is gone, and 3000 plus are dead.
The point you're trying to avoid is that those responsible for carrying out the first Trade Center bombing were caught. Caught without blaming the previous administration and without invading a country that had no connection to the attack. The Clinton White House managed to actually pay attention to briefings. The fact that the later attack happened is a tragedy, one that may have been preventable, and while the Clinton administration had their role in failing to prevent it, you right wing nuts refuse to accept the fact that the neocons in the White House were so focused on revisiting the Star Wars Defense System and figuring out a justification to invade Iraq that they were asleep at the switch. And they compounded the crime by invading Iraq and squandering the opportunity to unite the world against the future threat of terrorist attacks.
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