Wednesday, January 04, 2006

B: Burn one down

As you might have guessed, I am as giddy as a school girl about the Jack Abramhoff story.




If you don't know anything about him this Slate article is a decent primer, though there are series of better stories in the NY Times, and on NPR if you feel like hunting. A whole web of corrupt, mostly Republican (shocker!), congress people, cabinet officals, and staffers are implicated in bribery and influence pedaling charges. My favorite target is the already embattled Tom Delay, but there are a whole host of self righteous assholes on the list of people that may have committed crimes. It just brings a warm smile to my face thinking about it.

Over the last several electoral cycles I have really noted that the republican political apparatus has adopted an "anything for the team attitude" (the team being the republican party, not america) that has resulted in their being exceptionally corrupt. They have facilitated lies, a war, torture, and now corruption. It is a form of pack mentallity where they all get on the same talking points, watch and read the same things and seem to convince themselves and each other that ethics don't apply to them because they are right. I am not sure if this is the result of the type of people recruited to be Republican politicians, or something indemic to the republican party message or strategy, but I am hoping now that the republican base and the electorate in general will finally take steps in the next election cycle to clear out these crooks so that we can get back to taking care or america.

While we are at it perhaps we can reclaim our liberties by reworking the key provisions of the patriot act, putting a stop to all covert domestic wire taps, and impeaching the would be king. I know, it's all baby steps. Baby step, put corrupt politicians in jail, baby step build a better democracy.

2 comments:

susan said...

I don't think that Republicans are inherently evil, but I do think this is a nasty case of Money=>Power=>Evil=>Money. People had the money to get elected, used their power to keep themselves in office (even when it meant fudging the rules a bit by altering the voting districts) and then realized they could use that power for personal gain (money and then more power). Throw in political support/bribes for groups that will keep you in office (even if you're not a member of them per se) and it's a messed up country that comes out. I frequently have to wonder whether these people have any personal or intellectual allegience to the ideas they espouse or whether it's just a cynical and convenient way to keep amassing money, votes and attention.

Either way, it's good to see some of the house of cards crumbling. May it continue.

Lefty said...

I agree, not all republicans are inherently evil, but there does seem to be an overarching personality trait within republican types that lends them towards corruption.

It's kind of like how democrats tend to be gullible in believing in social institutions and comfortable with the government helping the poor and regulating business. We are suckers, and they are crooks.