The Tide is Turning
One of the best statements on the corrupt culture of Washington comes from conservative Ken Connor, past president of the Family Research Council.
Here's the sad truth about money and politics today: Special interests "invest" in political campaigns as a "cost of doing business", expecting that if they ride the right horse across the finish line, they will get a "return" on their investment. Often, that return comes in the form of tax breaks, government subsidies, or some other form of preferential treatment under the law. Campaign contributions are viewed as a mere "down payment." "Maintenance fees" are seen as a means of preserving one's asset once it is in place. Some politicians are higher maintenance than others. Some are content with box seats at the Super Bowl or the Kennedy Center. Others prefer junkets which include golfing at St. Andrews in Scotland. Still others, like Duke Cunningham, favor luxury accommodations on a yacht, rather than a hotel room in the District. Most of this is accomplished within the bounds of the law, the law having been drafted by the beneficiaries of the lobbyists' largesse. Of course some politicians remain above reproach, but they are few and hard to find. And some, like the "Duke", get greedy and go too far. He is Exhibit A to the fact that the truism heard often in the investment arena that "Pigs get fat; hogs get slaughtered" applies with equal vigor in the political arena.
I even agree with his notion that "reform" to date has been largely unsuccessful. I wonder what he'd think about though the recently passed Connecticut/Maine/Arizona public financing systems. Sure, there's no perfect system, but these systems hold enormous promise.
He concludes his piece:
...we need political leaders who believe that a public office is a public trust, who see themselves as servants of the people. We need men and women of virtue who are willing to put the good of their fellow citizens ahead of their own; people who will speak up for the poor and the weak and those in need; people who won't favor the wealthy and the powerful; people who will do justice for rich and poor alike; people who have the strength of character to resist the temptation of money and celebrity; people who have integrity and humility.
Amen.
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It would be nice to have someone who walks that talk head the FRC!
December 9, 2005 4:48 AM | Reply | Permalink
When it costs countless millions of dollars to get elected... campoaign costs... to hold a job of 150K it clearly means that something is wrong.
We need pulic financing of campaign, limited time periods for political campaigns, free air time of limited amount and required white paper policy statements from ALL candidates as well as resumes and background info.
Politics is just another way to do "bidnitz" America = capitalism... it has infected every single corner of our existence. Democracy has been made to bend to the needs of the "free (oh really) market"
December 9, 2005 5:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
is a thankless constituent group leader. The first object of all that money is to whip up enough fear, loathing, and resentment to get Connor's unreconstructed followers to the polls. The spoils disbursement and featherbedding are secondary and subordinate.
December 9, 2005 6:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
Washington has been corrupt forever. Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant despised Washington for its disgusting atmosphere. It is even well known that George W. Bush hates the city and spends as much time away from it as is practicable. And no, this certainly is not a partisan issue. Kennedy and Clinton have added their own element of sleeze to the city along side Nixon and Reagan, albeit for different reasons.
December 9, 2005 7:00 AM | Reply | Permalink
Finally a conservative statement I can get behind. This guy needs to speak out louder and more often.
December 9, 2005 8:44 AM | Reply | Permalink
The Dems should really take a page from the Republican playbook on this one for the next elections, ala Contract with America. Make it part of the platform to appoint Bi-Partisan commisions to investigate, return the ethics committee, rule changes for more transparency, whatever it takes to restore some shred integrity. It is quite clear nothing will happen as long as they are in power and this needs to be the cornerstone for the Dems in the 2006 election cycle.
December 9, 2005 9:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
C'mon, this guy is almost certainly full of himself. He's like the newspaper editors who decry the culture of corruption on their editorial pages and then make false comparisons between the GOP and Dems in every single news story.
Libby got indicted...but so have Dems in the past!
Cunningham may go to prison...but so have Dems in the past!
This pointless sort of unfair balancing for the sake of a balance that doesn't exist is almost certainly this guy's bottom line as well. All politicians are corrupt, except for my politician, I like that guy. I mean, is Mr. Connor going to speak out against Delay, Ney, et al., by name? Demand an end to the K Street Project? Demand actual democracy in the House? Extremely doubtful, verging on absurd.
December 9, 2005 9:53 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes this false even-handedness gets me so angry. His speech actually makes a parallel of George Soros on the one hand and the Swift Boats on the other hand!!
I'd like to think that Connor's message is directed against Conservatives who believe that government itself is the greatest evil and that the rich are the most deserving -- you can read it that way. But I guess not. The solution he proposes is just fluff -- all feel-good and no substance. The solution is ... we need more good people!!
December 9, 2005 1:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
Washington has been corrupt forever. It is even well known that George W. Bush hates the city and spends as much time away from it as is practicable.
The implication, that George Bush -- crony capitalist extraordinaire, drunk driving conviction cover-upper, mushroom cloud talker, opponent slimer, drug abuser, National Guard record cover-upper, will only speak to hand-picked audiences of adoring robots -- despised Washington because of its "corruption" is one of the most hilarious examples of stupidity I've seen here. The only form of corruption that Bush despises is the kind he can't benefit from.
December 10, 2005 4:06 AM | Reply | Permalink
I second Luigi Vampa's comment. Here's a link to a recent Washington Post illustration of Abranoff's moneylaundering of Indian tribe monies into (bribes) campaign contributions:
Washington Post graphic of Abramoff recipients
And this older article in Bellacio about Riggs Bank ties the Bush Dynasty into the Riggs Mob.
Bellacio post regarding Bush administration ties to Riggs Bank
December 12, 2005 1:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
So why don't Democrats have a platform that includes a system for pubilcly financed campigns? I understand that people want to retain the right the give funds to a candidate of their choice, but surely we can think up a system that would preserve this ability in some form, and significantly diminsh the force of lobbyists.
Is the public not ready for this yet? Are Dems hooked on those funds too? I know it isn't necessarily the best time for a new federal spending program, but it wouldn't cost relatively little for how critical its objective would be. Compare to other purchases: Iraq has cost over $200 billion so far.
December 14, 2005 6:23 AM | Reply | Permalink