Rep. John Carter's $300 thousand income disclosure problem might impair the House Republican leadership's plan to paint Democrats as ethically challenged. The centerpiece of the plan was for Carter to lead the attack against Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY).
As recently as Monday, Politico reported that they hoped to exploit Rangel's dilemma for "maximum political advantage."
Convinced that Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) is on the ropes because of a tangle of ethical issues, House GOP leaders are debating whether to aggressively press for his removal as chairman of the Ways and Means Committee or try to drag out the controversy as long as possible for maximum political advantage.
House GOP leaders tapped Carter to introduce a resolution to strip Rangel of his Ways and Means Committee chairmanship on Oct. 7. Moments after Democrats defeated the resolution, Carter told Politico he wanted another chance.
It was so very naive and silly of me to suggest that the GOP should step up and take responsibility, as any adult would do, by calling a halt to the brown shirt shout downs at town hall meetings on healthcare reform.
Silly, silly me. That won't happen. Never. Ever. Even if hell freezes over and the entire country is in the throes of death, the answer remains to be no, never, in your dreams, not even if hell freezes over.
Despite GOP cries for freedom, its flag waving, its prominence of lapel wearing flag pins, its highly orchestrated scenarios of patriotism and noble words about freedom, the GOP's behavior has nothing to do with any of the principles mentioned above.
Actions speak louder than words. Shouting down and shutting out the questions and opinions that fellow Americans want to ask and share with their elected representative is:
anti-democratic,
anti-patriotic and
anti-American.
When political rhetoric goes over the top, inaction by a party's leadership is the same as blind acquiescence.
According to former right wing Republican and evangelical Christian leader, Frank Schaeffer, the GOP, its conservative pundits and the self-serving corporate sharks in the healthcare industry know no bounds in pulling off what is best for them.
For right wing Republicans, conservative pundits, the corporate sharks and their now enabled fruit loop nut jobs, it is a fight to the death.
Before you or someone you know gives their hard earned dollars to former Senator Coleman, you need to know why his "campaign" needs the money. It's not about partisan control like Senator Richard Burr or others would like you to believe.
Former Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) - who continues to contest election results that appear to have Democrat Al Franken winning the Senate seat by a whisker - is asking the Federal Election Commission for permission to use campaign funds for legal fees related to allegations that a supporter funneled payoffs through Coleman's wife.
Coleman's year-end campaign filings showed he had already spent close to $300,000 in legal fees, and his legal team has since expanded to include several of the Gopher State's best-known criminal defense attorneys.
Just prior to last year's election, Paul McKim alleged that longtime Coleman friend and supporter Nasser Kazeminy funneled a $75,000 payment to Coleman through Deep Marine Technology, a company primarily owned by Kazeminy. McKim is the former CEO of the company.
McKim alleged that at Kazeminy's direction, the company made payments to an insurance broker in Minneapolis that employed Coleman's wife, Laurie, despite the fact that the insurance company never provided any services to Deep Marine. McKim alleged that the only purpose of the payment was to provide cash assistance to the Colemans.
A second suit among shareholders in Delaware contains essentially the same allegations.
The Roll Call article highlight's the continued ridiculousness of the Republican brand. This isn't a total surprise. It's not completely uncommon for a formerly elected Senator facing legal question to ask others to help pay for his court fight. What is truly odd about this situation is 11 Republican leaders are joining Coleman's campaign to encourage American's to donate to Coleman's failed U.S. Senate campaign in order to assist a legal fight.
The list of advocates includes Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, House Republican John Boehner, RNC Chairman Michael Steele, and our very own Junior Senator John Cornyn as head of the NRSC.
As the Washington Independent points out, "if your donating to Norm Coleman, you might see your dollars sucked into a defense fund for a lawsuit that has a bit less to do with control of the Senate than the former senator's challenges of the results of the 2008 election."
Best case scenario, these 11 Republicans are being hypocrites by asking every vote to be counted in Minnesota while we inch closer to voter suppression legislation in Texas. Worst case scenario, they are misrepresenting the fact and helping raise money for Coleman to pay legal bills unrelated to the November election.
