Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

[WillyBWright]

Politicians including the Prez are hurrying to return campaign monies now that they're about to be outed by Abramoff. What's the point? Does that mean they're going to give-up their elected offices? NO! Does that mean they're going to withdraw the bills they introduced after accepting bribes? NO! So exactly what do they think they're going to accomplish by returning the money? Is that supposed to make up for accepting bribes? Is that supposed to make us forget about the blatant corruption? Geez, they must think we're really stupid or something. How could it possibly make things right? Talk about closing the barn door after the horses escaped!

 

[bootle]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

This is begining to look more like wagging the elephant <br />I'm sure that the donkey got wagged too

 

[JB]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

I think the current "system" of campaign financing and the astronomical cost of running a successful campaign are at the root of this problem, one that has been with us for at least a couple hundred years. <br /><br />I think many believe that they must operate on the ragged edge to get and keep office, and they also believe that all the rest are doing the same thing.<br /><br />I also think that it is true of any and all parties and of independents.<br /><br />The problem with reform is that the Dems want to rig it to their advantage and the Repubs want it rigged to their advantage. It will take at least two honest, powerful centrists, like McCain and Lieberman, working together, to get anything worthwhile done to prevent it.<br /><br />Meanwhile, all we can do is catch and punish the ones who step over the line.<br /><br />All the self-righteous squawking by those who haven't been caught is just so much horsepockey.

 

[KaGee]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

Please note Willy, it is Repubs returning the money... to date, Dems are keeping it. <br /><br />Did you know John Kerry got $98K from the bum??<br />Harry Ried almost $70K.

 

[Newportme]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

Mr McCain also receives the most Indian tribal money of anyone in gov. and surprise surprise the tribes are at least partially exempt from McCain-Fiengold(sp).

 

[WillyBWright]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

Reported today is that Prez is giving back 6,000 out of 100,000 he got thru this dude. BIG DEAL!!! <br /><br />Others are donating the monies to charities. Good for the charities. But it still doesn't correct anything!

 

[KaGee]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

Please document the 100,000 Willy.<br />I have not heard that figure mentioned anywhere.

 

[aspeck]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

In my great state I know of 6 repubs and 2 demos that recieved money from Jack. Heard it is hitting Hillary & Harry Reid as well as the repubs. Just goes to show you their ain't many honest Abe's left in the political arena these days - on either side of the aisle.<br /><br />And I agree with you, Willie, what good is giving back the money now, if the resolutions have already been passed? Guess he gets the best of both worlds, and only 6 years at that Club Fed Pen. I still say to hang him and all others that followed his money.<br /><br />But then, did all the money he and his clients gave go to influencing the legislature? Where do you draw the line? How much money is needed to influence a vote? Is $1,000? $10,000? How about $100? Could be different amounts for different people. And how can you judge what is in a man or woman's heart?<br /><br />Finance reform is needed! Our need for a year of electioneering, glitz, glamour, media hype, it all adds to the puzzle of corruption in public office!

 

[txswinner]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

Ok, Greed makes strange bedfellows.<br /><br />So far revealed:<br /> Bush/Cheney reelection campaign received more than $100,000 gives $6,000 up. This was amount received directly from Abramoff not other moneys Abramoff raised.<br /> Total funds given to 364 federal officials $5,300,000.<br /> Demo's refunding so far are Max Baucus, Mont., Richard Durbin, Ill. and Bryon Dorgan, ND. <br /> 21 republican reps are giving back some of money received.<br /> DeLay has agreed to donate $57,000 of an undetermined amount received to charity.<br /> <br />IMO, everyone involved is a crook, don't buy any I did not know bs, they knew what they took. All should resign, be impeached, fired, or however removed from elected and appointed positions. This is a scandal that sames our entire system of government and anything short of cleaning house is unacceptable.<br /><br />If the removals do not occur then we are the corrupt country described by so many outside our great boundaries.

 

[txswinner]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

Kagee, This theft and deceit is documented by AP, Fox news, CNN, and the information coming out so far has not be disputed by democrats or republicans. <br /><br />This is not a right/left issue, it is a right/wrong issue. You on the right now have a new member and I want justice served against every thief from the highest ranking to the lowest. Our government has been overthrown by these criminals and we must get it back to the honest, honorable and best in the world or we are lost.<br /><br />Anything short of removal is unacceptable...

 

[KaGee]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

40 of the Dem party's 45 U.S. senators made the Jack Abramoff dishonor roll, including:<br /><br />• Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), who received at least $22,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), who received at least $6,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), who received at least $1,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), who received at least $2,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who received at least $20,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who received at least $21,765 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), who received at least $7,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), who received at least $12,950 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), who received at least $8,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ), who received at least $7,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), who received at least $14,792 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who received at least $79,300 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator **** Durbin (D-IL), who received at least $14,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who received at least $2,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), who received at least $1,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), who received at least $45,750 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), who received at least $9,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT), who received at least $2,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), who received at least $14,250 in Abramoff-linked cash. <br />• Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), who received at least $3,300 in Abramoff-linked cash. <br />• Senator John Kerry (D-MA), who received at least $98,550 in Abramoff-linked cash. <br />• Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), who received at least $28,000 in Abramoff-linked cash. <br />• Senator Pat Leahy (D-VT), who received at least $4,000 in Abramoff-linked cash. <br />• Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), who received at least $6,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT), who received at least $29,830 in Abramoff-linked cash. <br />• Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) Received At Least $14,891 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), who received at least $10,550 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who received at least $78,991 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), who received at least $20,168 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) Received At Least $5,200 in Abramoff-linked cash. <br />• Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), who received at least $7,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), who received at least $2,300 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), who received at least $3,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), who received at least $68,941 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV), who received at least $4,000 in Abramoff-linked cash. <br />• Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), who received at least $4,500 in Abramoff-linked cash. <br />• Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), who received at least $4,300 in Abramoff-linked cash. <br />• Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who received at least $29,550 in Abramoff-linked cash.<br />• Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who received at least $6,250 in Abramoff-linked cash. <br />• Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who received at least $6,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.

 

[JRJ]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

If it looks bad, smells bad, and the dog won't eat it, you can bet a politician had their hand on it

 

[18rabbit]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

Originally posted by JB:<br /> I think the current "system" of campaign financing and the astronomical cost of running a successful campaign are at the root of this problem ...

I don’t see the problem as having anything at all to do with campaign financing. I see it as entirely wrapped up in allowing the elected offices to exceed their intent. An elected office, either federal or state, does not need to be a fulltime job. And they weren’t until those in office made their office into a career path. Career politicians accrue way too much power over the course of a career. The only office intended as a career was the Supreme Court judges, and that office was created with zero enforcement power, i.e. there is nothing a SC judge is allowed to do that insure money goes directly into their pocket.<br /><br />Millions of dollars are spend on campaigns because once in office, millions of dollars are to be made, and it seems to me that enticement precludes any suggestion of serving the country’s best interest as the primary goal. Hence the reference to the Senate as the “Millionaires Club”. Anyone that isn’t a millionaire when elected to the senate is when they leave. The returns on the invest portfolios of the sitting senators exceeds the average of all other portfolios by 400% to 500%.<br /><br />Fwiw, after just 4-months on the bench, Chief Justice Jon Roberts is already hitting on congress for a pay raise. He wants something in excess of a 30% pay raise for all federal judges.

 

[txswinner]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

Kagee, Guess that takes care of that half the building how about the other side of the aisle and the house as well.<br /><br />This is not a Demo/Rep thing, this is a right/wrong thing and they need to pay, these people are corrupt.

 

[Haut Medoc]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

At this point it should be left to those investigating to determine who was compromised & who was not.....From the looks of it everyone from "W" on down got a couple bucks.....Just because someone's campaign received money, does not automatically make them a crook.....If they really wanted to do something good with the 'tainted' money, they should return it to the U.S. Treasury!........JK

 

[dogsdad]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

You gotta wonder just how much money changes hands in the enterprise of buying and selling influence. This is probably just the tip of the iceburg.<br /><br />I don't see how you can possibly address the issue, though, without putting a lot of power into the hands of some agency like the Federal Elections Commission. If/when you do that, all the power simply is transferred into the hands of people whio are more anonymous and less accountable.<br /><br />Maybe the best solution is to simply allow unlimited campaign contributions from private citizens ONLY, make full and immediate disclosure mandatory, and prohibit the practice of playing both sides of the fence.<br /><br />Campaign finance "reform" as we have it is tyranny.

 

[bootle]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

A question that has not been asked is, what have they all done to be so gratuitously rewarded <br /><br />Surely it was not in the benefit of their respective constituent, or for that matter the rest of the country at large

 

[Link]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

dogsdad <br />

This is probably just the tip of the iceburg

You got that right<br />This is just small potatoes. Something the American public can feel good about getting mad over.<br /><br />I took History 101 in 1977 and our Professor had just retired from DC. He used his political experience to make the class more interesting.<br />He didn't just drop a tid bit like I'm going to.<br />He explained how, where and why the money might be spent. A lot goes on behind the scenes that we never know about.<br /><br />Example:<br />One of his friends was still a lobbyist at the time.<br />It was nothing for him to start out with a $100,000 cash in the morning and have it all gone by the end of the day. Cash mind you, not checks or donations. <br />And this was 29 years ago. <br /><br />I'm not defending this. Just saying that were just watching a dog and pony show right now.

 

[txswinner]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

If it smells like poop, looks like poop, but someone trys to pretend it is not poop, do you want to taste? Probably not, because it is poop and the politicians all know about that money. To believe that someone receives $10,000 to $100,000 and does not know where it comes from and why is ridiculous. This applies to both sides from top to bottom.

 

[rolmops]

Re: Scrambling after Abramoff Scandal

If it is true that most lawmakers have received something,we will soon see a bipartisan law proposal that will make this sort of corruption legal.<br />It is probably true that they do not know where the money comes from.They make sure not to find out.All they know is what special interest it is for.