Comments on: More Adventures In Fake Balance

By: The Concordian

The Concordian — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 15:12:46 +0000

Jay, maybe Glenn is 100% right. But if so, the amazing thing is that it has taken the Republicans only 10 years to reach the same level of corruption Democrats took about 25 years to achieve.

Hooray for Republican efficiency.

By: elrod

elrod — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 14:12:50 +0000

I actually think Glenn and Jay C are right here. Power corrupts. Republicans have been in power too long and they’ve become utterly corrupt and devoid of whatever reformist principles that brought them to power in 1994. Republican corruption takes on a slightly different form than Democratic corruption only because the source of political power for each party is different. Corrupt Dems will take shady union and state pension money while corrupt Republicans will take illegal corrupt and defense contract money. The undoing of the modern GOP was the K Street project where DeLay wanted to maximize power in Washington. It was his power-mad nature, not his political philosophy, that led him down this path. I don’t think Glenn is saying that Democrats in Washington right now are as corrupt as Republicans because he knows who’s in power. But are they as corrupt as the Dems in 1994? Sure. I’m sure the voters will punish the GOP in 2006 because they are the ones in power now. Hopefully the Dems will put in some principled reformers like Francine Busby who’s running for Duke’s seat and has pushed a comprehensive CLEAN House Act that will attack the way BOTH parties suckle at the teat of lobbyists.

By: Jay C

Jay C — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 14:12:04 +0000

You write:

But for the right, like Glenn Reynolds, to do the usual shuck and jive and throw their hands up proclaiming equality of corruption is just another Republican trick.

Glenn writes:

The problem is that corruption is bipartisan. The Republicans seem worse now, but that’s because they’re in power, and power provides more opportunities.

Therefore, you completely misstate what he wrote. The fact is, Glenn is 100% right. If you want, we can take a little trip down memory lane where I can remind you of the indictments, scandals and law-breaking those in the Democratic party. Jim Wright, Ted Kennedy, the DNC, Bob Torricelli, Mel Reynolds, Dan Rostenkowski, John Murtha (yes that John Murtha), etc. The list can go on and on. So spare us all the Clinton nonsense.

Power corrupts and if you think that if Democrats take back control of Congress and the White House that suddenly it will all be as clean as newborn’s ass, then you’re deluding yourself.

Besides, I’m not sure how you think saying, “Yeah we got our corruption, but you guys are more corrupt” is akin to some sort of badge of honor.

By: dugger1

dugger1 — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 13:12:28 +0000

How humorous. All of those Rs but one, Cunningham, are really only indicted or under investigation. Yet you feel free to impute all sorts of negative assumptions about Repubs as a class. Yet show us a Democrat with the same conditons applying and the response is “but I think Republicans did it more.” The same type of response you (rightfully) derided from a few conservative web sites re Cunningham. Don’t equivocate. Don’t try to minimize. Leave it with Dorgan and Dorgan’s problems. Or did Dorgan learn it watching Repubs?

Dugger