Ace of Spades HQ

December 05, 2010

HuffPo writer: Rangel deserves what he got
— Purple Avenger

Of course what he got was to keep his job and phat retirement in exchange for enduring a bit of tedious kabuki theater.

...Now Rangel and, to a lesser extent, California Rep. Maxine Waters are firmly imprinted in the media and public mind as the poster pair for congressional corruption....

Of course, everyone ~~knows~~ has been conditioned to believe the real vortex of swirling congressional corruption is on the other side of the aisle, right?

Not so fast...being ~~slightly~~ a few nano-meters more grounded in reality than Nancy Pelosi, even this HuffPo writer had to stop short on making that specious claim.

...There are dozens of other lawmakers not named Rangel who are just as deserving, if not more so, of being thrust onto the political hot seat. In October 2009, for example, 27 other members of Congress were named as being under investigation for possible ethics violations...
...Most of the other suspected violators aren't as well known as Rangel. And they lack his seniority and power. Only a handful on the list are Republicans...

Its said the truth will set you free...or sometimes it gets you shot. How it turns out for this surprisingly honest HuffPo writer is probably TBD at this point.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at 08:10 PM | Comments (22)
Post contains 214 words, total size 1 kb.

1 A handfull on a list of 27 are, what, three?

Posted by: Druid at December 05, 2010 08:13 PM (RnujI)

2 Well, if it was 10, then you could say "under half" and spin the thing in a completely different direction.

A couple is two, a few is three, a "handful" is probably 4 or 5.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at December 05, 2010 08:18 PM (yYoAM)

3 A couple is two, a few is three, a "handful" is probably 4 or 5.

If defined, a handful should be five fingers and a palms worth...

Posted by: Druid at December 05, 2010 08:20 PM (RnujI)

4 I think the Republicans are theworst for letting the other side define them as cooked, blue bloods, idiots and or corrupt hypocrites. A strategic approach by the Dems and the commies in the press and entertainment has been very effective. How long will they set back and let it happen when the opposition is handing them ammunition to fire back with every day?

Posted by: Ohio Dan at December 05, 2010 08:24 PM (GNhXz)

5 He's nothing but a low-down, double-dealing, backstabbing, larcenous perverted worm! Hanging's too good for him. Burning's too good for him! He should be torn into little bitsy pieces and buried alive!

Posted by: Hanover Fiste at December 05, 2010 08:36 PM (98AOY)

6 Well, if it was 10, then you could say "under half" and spin the thing in a completely different direction.

"close to half" sounds even more impressive!

Posted by: Waterhouse at December 05, 2010 08:52 PM (r3I65)

In October 2009, for example, 27 other members of Congress were named as being under investigation for possible ethics violations...

Well, if you remember, Joe "You Lie!" Wilson was under investigation over a matter of $12.

It's not too difficult to put a Congressman under investigation if you want.

But there are two differences. The first is that Republicans generally don't use the ethics process as a tool of political vengence. The second is that Republicans generally pay for their corruption. In the case of guys like Delay, they pay for non-corruption.

Anyway, here are the names as far as I can tell:

Menendez, Burris, Conrad, Dodd

Bishop, Christensen, Dicks, Filner, Harman, Jackson (Jr.), Kaptur, Cheeks, Lewis (R), Miller (R), Molohan, Moran, Murphy (R), Murtha, Payne, Rangel, Loretta Sanchez, Linda Sanchez, Thompson, Tiahrt, Visclosky, Waters, Bill Young (R), Don Young (R).

Reminds me of an old joke of mine.

Q: What is DDDD DDDD DDDD RRDD RDDD DDDD DDRR?

A: A bipartisan ethics scandal.

Posted by: AmishDude at December 05, 2010 09:17 PM (BvBKY)

8 Earl Ofari Hutchinson has enough of an existing platform and following to get away with this. No go, Earl. The biggest, rottenest fish of all is yours to scoop.

Posted by: arhooley, conflicted Californian at December 05, 2010 09:23 PM (1mcEt)

9 Frikkin Ghod...naturally, only he Dems are pure.

I am positive that "pitchfork" talk here would be rightly condemned, but still...it sickens.;

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at December 05, 2010 10:04 PM (bvfVF)

10 Naturally, had either been Republicans, they'd have been burnt at the stake. Long, long, long before any of this kabuki (MFM) theatre. "Oh, how our liberal democrats have suffered so!"

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at December 05, 2010 10:07 PM (bvfVF)

11 Only a handful on the list are Republicans...

Watched that idiot Geraldo on Fox the other day defending Rangel. One of his comments was "there are dozens of Republicans who have done just as much of this stuff as Rangel". The rest of he "team" let that slide.

I screamed at the TV "name them you SOB". I swear I am going to have to quit watching Fox all together. They have jumped the shark and gone completely to the dark side.

The best Nancy has been able to do on the Republican side is hit Joe "you lie" Miller for spending 12 dollars of travel money on Iraqi war vets for memento trinkets.

Posted by: Vic at December 06, 2010 02:03 AM (e4sSD)

12 One other thing I question; WTF allows him to avoid income taxes for 17 years, commit housing fraud in NYC for decades, and NOT get prosecuted. Hell congress can let them skip on congressional rules all they want but when they actually break the law it is no longer an "ethics problem".

Would that happen for you or I? Hell NO.

Posted by: Vic at December 06, 2010 02:07 AM (e4sSD)

13 when the gop was in charge of the House they looked the other way on Rangle, it was the Dems who went after him.

Posted by: archie bunker at December 06, 2010 03:04 AM (0YS61)

14 when the gop was in charge of the House they looked the other way on Rangle, it was the Dems who went after him. That's a mystery for the ages. He's been a crook for decades. Maybe the country club atmosphere is crumbling.

Posted by: fluffy at December 06, 2010 03:20 AM (SwkdU)

15 when the gop was in charge of the House they looked the other way on Rangle, it was the Dems who went after him.

I was a mighty weapon in those days, dunce. Another thing Barry has screwed up.

Posted by: the race card at December 06, 2010 03:33 AM (S5YRY)

The bar is high to be thrown out by your fellow congressman:

Drunk Driving and Manslaughter = Senator of Mass. for decades

Posted by: airandee at December 06, 2010 03:55 AM (vkxkx)

17 Commenter from the NYP story on this same Rangel mess:

At least he has a job? No more questions concerning what Charlie the thief is all about. The embarassment here should be the ignorant twits and entitlement parasites in Harlem who voted this thief back into office. Be proud Harlem you have shown the world why you retain a slave mentality.

Posted by: Vic at December 06, 2010 03:59 AM (e4sSD)

18 when the gop was in charge of the House they looked the other way on Rangle, it was the Dems who went after him.

There was a perfectly valid reason for that.

Charlie is a liberal, and of course corrupt, but he's not batshit fucking crazy and he's actually a pretty smart guy. The next Dem in line after him on the ways and means committee was Pete Stark, who is completely batshit crazy and not very smart.

Posted by: Purple Avenger at December 06, 2010 04:03 AM (XURyk)

19 I forgets me some history, but didn't the Republican Congress Critter who said, "you lie" to Obie get pretty much the same punishment? If so, it shows where the true priorities of democrats are. Thieves and people who speak truth to power are considered to be the same to them, as along as they are on the appropriate side of the aisle.

Posted by: TimothyJ at December 06, 2010 05:12 AM (G5+tV)

20 I think that this is a rare occasion when disgust with the moral failings of one's own tribe exceeds hatred of the enemy.

It is easy to demonize leftists, I do so on a daily basis. But you have to remember that some of them do actually want their side to live up to its PR. Some leftists are leftists because they truly believe that the ideas of the left are good and sound, and they feel betrayed when the politicians who champion those ideas are found to be corrupt.

There are some things that are understood to be wrong no matter what your political leanings are, some things that are beyond the pale.

Lets also not forget that the biggest reason why Waters and Rangel get away with this crap, why the GOP has always given them a pass, is because of their magical skin pigmentation. Were these two to be called out by the Republicans, the left would use it as an excuse to (once again) lie and call us all "racists."

Posted by: Lee Reynolds at December 06, 2010 06:19 AM (/gY4D)

21 and they feel betrayed when the politicians who champion those ideas are found to be corrupt.

I have never met one of these creatures. Leftists, by definition, care only about the ends. Gotta break some eggs you know.

Posted by: toby928™ at December 06, 2010 06:22 AM (S5YRY)

22
There's an old Turkish proverb that says that if you speak the truth, you should keep one foot in the stirrup. I'm thinking if the truth is that upsetting, maybe you ought to just stay in the saddle.

Posted by: I R A Darth Aggie © at December 06, 2010 06:58 AM (1hM1d)

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