Ethics
Wow. Returning $850k
How many candidates could take this hit to their CoH? The Clintons may be sleazy, but they are loaded and clever too.
Ethics
PhoneyFred.org: More Romney dirty politics
Earlier today, Jonathan Martin pointed out the new www.phoneyFred.org website: Clearly, though, this is no amateur effort. The volume of information and the way that it’s sourced reeks of a grasstops hit-job. Repeatingly calling Thompson "Phoney Fred" in the on-message style of political operatives, the site offers up unflattering quotes Read more…
Ethics
Rick Renzi out in AZ-1
This really isn’t a surprise, but Roll Call has the news. Rep. Rick Renzi (R-AZ) will not run for re-election. The FBI raid was making this swing seat even harder to keep, and there was a lot of pressure from the NRCC to get out. There will undoubtedly be a Read more…
Ethics
Barnes on GOP: Importance of earmarks and ethics
Fred Barnes has another great piece, this time in the Journal: The recipe for Republicans is to stop acting like, well, Republicans–that is, Republicans of recent vintage. In Congress, they’ve been soft on earmarks, the source of so much corruption. They practically invited Democrats to trump them on ethics and Read more…
Ethics
McCain: Earmarks are “gateway to corruption”
Here’s a piece of clarity for the morning. The guys at Granite Grok caught up with Senator John McCain in New Hampshire. They asked him a question about earmarks, and they recorded the answer. Transcribed: Transparency and knowledge are the only antidote to the corruption that is bred by earmarks, Read more…
Ethics
Zack Space giving away his district?
The Cleveland Plain Dealer blog is reporting that Zack Space flipped his vote on the motion to recommit on the Agriculture bill last Thursday: Either facing pressure from their party leaders or getting last-minute facts — accounts vary — several members of Congress from both parties, including Dover Democrat Zack Read more…
Ethics
With illegitimate vote, Dems give GOP perfect political issue
I grew up in the city of Chicago. I have watched polls in Philadelphia. I have been threatened with physical violence by union goons for offering people a piece of GOP literature. Urban Republicans like me often have an acute sense of Democratic corruption, especially as it applies to the Read more…
California
Cole throws Doolittle under bus?
And, perhaps, well he should. From the Sac(ramento) Bee: But in a telephone news conference Monday, NRCC Chairman Rep. Tom Cole, R-Okla., indicated that the political ground has a way of shifting. "There’s a factor outside of normal politics that needs to be resolved," Cole said. "We’re keeping a close Read more…
Ethics
McCain blogger conference call
McCain calls the ethics bill a "sham and a joke". "It is just the same as it was before." "There are some good things it" but "it was an opportunity because of the dissatisfaction of the American people… and I’m sorry that we have failed. … it will further contribute Read more…
Ethics
McCain and the ethics bill
Yesterday, Bob Novak said about the ethics bill: Because their leadership has not cared for this struggle from the start, Senate Republicans will likely be forced to vote for this weak bill simply because they will otherwise look like they are obstructing reform. There was however, one alternative, John McCain, Read more…