Reply #7: Something that both pugs and dems do...

[Psephos]

...is minimize or "forget" about the wrongdoers in their party.

We have some dirty laundry. It's part of the business of politics, and we can make a good impression with the electorate by not papering over our losers, but instead, getting rid of them.

In addition to Jefferson, who's on videotape accepting cash, there's Mollohan in West Virginia, whose personal wealth has reportedly grown from $565,000 to $6.3 million in four years...while he's been sitting in Congress.

Carl Levin, Debbie Stabenow, and Harry Reid all have Abramoff problems. Whether they were guilty or not of ethical lapses, they certainly were guilty of poor judgment. My guess is that at least one of these three is going to have additional 'splainin to do as more evidence comes to light, and we better have our homework done ahead of the repugs.

With Hillary gearing up, a whole tidal wave of past Clinton behaviors is going to be front and center again, too.

The whole business about Schumer's aide engaged in ID theft of Michael Steele's personal and credit info is an easy target, too. She pled guilty to fraud in that case.

Let's not forget about McKinney's and Kennedy's recent lapses, either.

Corruption is not a problem of repugs or a problem of dems, it's a problem of politicians, everywhere and at all times in history. We should root these corrupt assholes out regardless of which ideology they profess. Power corrupts. It corrupts in corporations, it corrupts in democracies, it corrupts in socialist countries, it corrupts in dictatorships. It corrupts in cubicle offices and on sports teams. It's endemic to human institutions.

Our most powerful argument in the coming elections is not that Dems are corruption-free, but that repugs must be balanced and opposed in Congress lest their unopposed power leads to more corruption. Better yet, let's relegate *them* to the status of loyal opposition. :-)

There's plenty of repug dirt, and good opportunity to make use of it...if we don't overplay the hand. So stay cool, people.

Peace.