Last week's leak regarding "invitations to testify" issued to Republican House members and staff certainly had its intended effect.
It effectively doused the flicker of indignation ignited by activists' "1,000 Days of Bonusgate" demonstration, gently fanned by WHTM's investigative report about how much time state employees spend on the phone with Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett's campaign staff.
We understand: no one wants to be standing on the Capitol steps denouncing a lack of Republican indictments at the very moment Republicans are indicted.
Tom Corbett gets it, too. He's been getting away with it for more than two years.
What we find fascinating is the very idea that that Republican indictments will somehow absolve Corbett of politicizing his office. If anything, he is further condemned.
Politically, Corbett has to indict Republicans. That fact alone - and it is a fact - should disqualify him from exercising the power of his office.
From a political perspective, indicting Democrats was merely a good idea. Indicting Republicans is a necessity.
When he announces those indictments, Corbett says we'll understand why his investigation of Republicans took so long. We already understand why. It's a tricky calculation, determining how many victims he has to choose to maintain political viability, how far up the hierarchy he has to reach, which of his supporters he can afford to alienate, how long can he hold out on his announcement to achieve maximum publicity ... it's all very complicated.
We've no doubt that Republicans have engaged in political activity using state resouces. But that's almost beside the point. Just as the Democratic indictments were, the conscience-shocking Republican indictments of Biblical proportion will be based on making maxium splash while doing as little damage to the actual power structure as possible.
It effectively doused the flicker of indignation ignited by activists' "1,000 Days of Bonusgate" demonstration, gently fanned by WHTM's investigative report about how much time state employees spend on the phone with Gubernatorial Candidate Tom Corbett's campaign staff.
We understand: no one wants to be standing on the Capitol steps denouncing a lack of Republican indictments at the very moment Republicans are indicted.
Tom Corbett gets it, too. He's been getting away with it for more than two years.
What we find fascinating is the very idea that that Republican indictments will somehow absolve Corbett of politicizing his office. If anything, he is further condemned.
Politically, Corbett has to indict Republicans. That fact alone - and it is a fact - should disqualify him from exercising the power of his office.
From a political perspective, indicting Democrats was merely a good idea. Indicting Republicans is a necessity.
When he announces those indictments, Corbett says we'll understand why his investigation of Republicans took so long. We already understand why. It's a tricky calculation, determining how many victims he has to choose to maintain political viability, how far up the hierarchy he has to reach, which of his supporters he can afford to alienate, how long can he hold out on his announcement to achieve maximum publicity ... it's all very complicated.
We've no doubt that Republicans have engaged in political activity using state resouces. But that's almost beside the point. Just as the Democratic indictments were, the conscience-shocking Republican indictments of Biblical proportion will be based on making maxium splash while doing as little damage to the actual power structure as possible.
Going where the evidence takes you leads clearly to Dem Leader DeWeese. So maybe it'll be Dem and GOP indictments. And the best bets are certainly Perzel, Preski and Feese. But hopefully this time it'll be more elected officials and fewer staffers; not just former members but current members and leaders. And how about the several Rendell administration officials so clearly implicated in the e-mails? And why not the outside lawyers, lobbyists and other folks so clearly implicated.
ReplyDeleteI dress as Tom Corbett for Halloween and rang Brett Coxes doorbell. He open the door, let out a scream, ran upstairs and hid under the bed. I think he is still hiding there.
ReplyDeleteDo any of this sound familiar, boys and girls? Seem like wherever this guy goes, things are "partisan."
ReplyDeleteInvestigators to probe Kansas contributions
By The Associated Press
WASHINGTON - Congressional investigators will travel to Kansas to interview Democrats about allegations of money-laundering in the 1996 elections.
The House Governmental Reform and Oversight Committee is looking into reports that the Democratic National Committee and its affiliates funneled more than $300,000 to the state party through Kansas county organizations and parties in other states.
That is 12 times the limit under a Kansas law barring a national party from giving more than $25,000 annually to a state organization. Investigators are interested in Kansas because of its anti-soft money statute, committee spokesman Will Dwyer II said.
The panel's chairman, Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., has asked at least a dozen Kansas Democrats to give depositions over the next two weeks, Dwyer said.
Brett Cott, executive director of the state Democratic party, said the GOP-controlled probe is an attempt to deflect attention from Triad Management Services, a political consulting firm that directed $1 million in advertising to Kansas on behalf of Republican candidates last year.
"This is a partisan circus," Cott said. "We legally raised, reported and spent every dime and it is there in the reports."
The Democratic transactions, which mostly were used to buy television ads, were first reported by The Associated Press and The Kansas City Star in October 1996 and detailed further by The Wichita Eagle in September. Kansas Republicans say they amounted to money laundering, while state and national Democratic officials deny the accusation.
Congressional Democrats have questioned whether Triad, which operates a sophisticated brokerage system linking wealthy donors to conservative Republican candidates, is helping to skirt a legal ban on coordination between political parties and nonprofit groups that finance unregulated attack ads.
In Kansas, attack ads against Democrats benefited Sen. Sam Brownback and Reps. Vince Snowbarger and Todd Tiahrt. All three Republicans say they had nothing to do with the ads and don't know who paid for them.
Cott said Democrats would cooperate with the House committee's request, "but we aren't going to be bullied by a committee with a true partisan agenda."
Maybe on Jan. 19, Brett Cott will be able to click his heels three times, say, "I want to be in back in Kansas," and he can hook up with Dorothy and Auntie M.
ReplyDeleteThen he can accuse the Wizard of being partisan, for not giving the Tin Man a heart while secretly granting the Scarecrow's wish for a brain, while at the same time ignoring the Cowardly Lion's independent ability to acquire some courage.
There seems to be some evidence that GOP State Committee has been paying Brian Nutt. I was told that it is on State Committee finance reports and that others on Corbett's campaign staff are being paid by State Committee. Fixing the game in Corbett's favor may backfire on Rob Gleason.I have not had time to check this out.
ReplyDeleteFirst Rate People, know their limits, and know how to stay within them.
ReplyDeleteSecond Rate People, learn their limits and if they do become First Rate People.
Third Rate People, blame everybody else, and never learn how to be Second Rate.
Boo, Happy Halloween!
ReplyDeleteAll Saints Day In Harrisburg!
ReplyDeleteHeaven knows that I have done all that a mortal could do, to save the people, and the failure was not my fault, but the fault of others.
ReplyDeleteWe have the right as individuals to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity; but as Punlic Servants we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money.
ReplyDeleteFellow citizens and compatriots;
ReplyDeleteWe am besieged, by a thousand or more of the OAG under Tom Corbett.
We have sustained a continual Media Innuendo Bombardment and been cannonade fodder for 34 months and have not lost faith.
The OAG has demanded a surrender at discretion, otherwise, the our small garrison are to be put to the swore of the jury, if we are taken.
We have answered the demand with this blog shot, but my land flies no flags and we still smile proudly from the walls within the windmills of our own mind.
We shall never surrender or retreat or confess for we did nothing wrong.
Then, We call on you in the name of Liberty, of Patriotism & everything dear to the Pennsylvania character, to come to our aid, with all dispatch.
The enemy is receiving reinforcements daily and will no doubt increase to three or four hundred in four or five months.
If this call is neglected, we are determined to sustain ourselves as long as possible and be found guilty like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his commonwealth.
Victory or Death, Success With Arrests, and Traditions Not Extraditions!
anonymous said...
ReplyDeleteI dress as Tom Corbett for Halloween and rang Brett Coxes doorbell. He open the door, let out a scream, ran upstairs and hid under the bed. I think he is still hiding there.
October 30, 2009 12:34 PM
I'm glad to see some of you having so much fun with this... meanwhile some people have already been punished way beyond the scope of any crime or indescretion that may have been committed... unable to work, losing their homes, losing their life savings, the pain that it has caused their children and family... all before guilt has even been proven... and for what???
If you had to come out of your comfy little office in Harrisburg and walk in their shoes, you would have put a bullet through your tiny little brain a long time ago, smart ass.
Anonymous said...
ReplyDelete"Anonymous said...I'm glad to see some of you having so much fun with this... meanwhile some people have already been punished way beyond the scope of any crime or indescretion that may have been committed... unable to work, losing their homes, losing their life savings, the pain that it has caused their children and family... all before guilt has even been proven... and for what???
If you had to come out of your comfy little office in Harrisburg and walk in their shoes, you would have put a bullet through your tiny little brain a long time ago, smart ass. November 2, 2009 11:45 AM
Well said, these are fine people that worked hard for the citizens and political elected officials.
I said over and over to come up with a better way to judge some ethical problems but not criminal with intent.
All I got was being made fun of, but I am still right.
I hope all of this will be resolved fairly in the end, with reverses, expugments, and pardons.
As TV detective Tony Baretta said, "Don't do the crime, if you can't do the time."
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing more hypocritical than someone who can dish it out, but can't take it.
ReplyDelete