Political Corruption Explained: Dems vs. GOP

"Why bribe a Democrat to do something a Republican will do for free?"
What do you think of the cartoon? Tell us in the comment section...

Political Corruption Explained: Dems vs. GOP [Cartoon]
April 08, 2014
By Jim Beller
La Mesa Patch

Reading about the recent arrest of Leland Yee we are struck by the fine line between legal and illegal campaign contributions. Released recordings show the FBI informant insisting, "I want this (quid) forthat (quo)" while a hapless Leland protests, "No, no that would be illegal... but OK."

Leland's voting record includes many instances of voting against the interests of San Francisco and his constituents after receiving last-minute contributions from effected industries. However, it seems that it is legal for a politician to take contributions in payment for votes that are consistent with their ideology. Good deal for the Republicans, whose ideology has been distilled down to "Rich people aren't rich enough."

Which is the point I'm trying to make, however imperfectly, in the cartoon. My original idea was to have Donkey Dem advertising, "You have to BRIBE us to do what Republicans do for free!"

Why Chris Christie's office shut down traffic on the Washington Bridge

September 13, 2013: Port Authority police and maintenance crews removing traffic cones to reopen all lanes and tollbooths at the entrance to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee; see Road Warrior: Living with an inscrutable giant
Northjersey.com TARIQ ZEHAWI/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER



Was Loretta Weinberg the real target of Chris Christie's office?

An alternate theory of the Christie scandal (CLICK HERE TO SEE MADDOW VIDEO)
Rachel Maddow presents a new possibility of what the induced Ft. Lee traffic jam was retribution for if it wasn’t over the mayor’s gubernatorial endorsement.
Rachel Maddow
MSNBC
01/09/14



Did Rachel decide she didn't want to look like Ann Coulter?


Maddow: Was Senate Leader Target of N.J. Scandal?
By Adam O'Neal
Real Clear Politics
January 10, 2014

MSNBC host Rachel Maddow weighed in on the Chris Christie bridge controversy Thursday night, theorizing that the lane closures were motivated by Christie’s spat with legislative Democrats over New Jersey Supreme Court nominees.

Christie’s deputy chief of staff, Bridget Kelly -- who was fired by the governor Thursday -- demanded lane closures on the George Washington Bridge for what is believed to be political retribution. E-mails released Wednesday suggest that the September lane closures were meant to cause traffic jams in Fort Lee, ostensibly to punish the city’s Democratic mayor for not endorsing Christie’s 2013 re-election bid.

But Maddow has offered another theory. In 2010, Christie refused to reappoint a liberal state Supreme Court justice, John E. Wallace Jr. The move angered New Jersey Democrats, and they refused to confirm Christie’s nominees to replace Wallace. Maddow referred to the incident as the start of “a big political crisis” in the state.

The feud became so intense that Christie called state Democrats “animals” for failing to approve a Republican to a separate seat on the court last summer. Christie called a press conference on Aug. 12, 2013, to blast Democrats for not backing his choice.

And that is where Maddow’s theory comes into play. The morning after Christie’s fiery press conference, Kelly ordered the lane closures. New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, one of Christie’s chief antagonists in the nominee fight, represents Fort Lee.

Maddow suggested that Weinberg, and not Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, was the intended target of the closure:

“Roughly 12 hours after Governor Christie blows up at the Senate Democrats and torpedoes the career of a Supreme Court justice who he likes because he says the Senate Democrats are animals … the leader of those ‘animals’ in the Senate sees her district get the order of destruction from Governor Christie's deputy chief of staff.”

Christie has denied any involvement in the lane closures, saying that he was not told about them until months after they occurred.


HERE'S A STORY ABOUT THE BRIDGE CLOSURE FROM BACK IN SEPT. 2013:

Road Warrior: Living with an inscrutable giant
September 14, 2013 By JOHN CICHOWSKI
Northjersey.com

Port Authority police and maintenance crews removing traffic cones to reopen all lanes and tollbooths at the entrance to the George Washington Bridge in Fort Lee on Friday.

If you were imprisoned in your own car for two hours or so each morning this week as you tried to cross the George Washington Bridge, you’ll be happy to know that the river-crossing gods have finally issued a reprieve.

Shortly after 8 a.m. on Friday, Port Authority police removed the orange cones that had shrunk access to the bridge from Fort Lee streets — a maneuver that clogged traffic for five consecutive mornings because two of three tollbooths were shut down. Then, as if by magic, the changes were reversed.

"We just got a phone call saying that the Port Authority was lifting the plan," said Fort Lee Police Chief Keith Bendul.

Plan? What was this ill-conceived "plan" all about?

It turns out that the week of gridlock that made adults late for work, forced kids to get up an hour or so early to reach school on time, and diverted local police from emergencies, amounted to a "study," explained an agency spokesman, Steve Coleman.

"The Port Authority has conducted a week of study at the … bridge of traffic-safety patterns," Coleman said in an email. "We will now review those results and determine the best traffic patterns. ... We’ll continue to work with our local law enforcement partners."

Answers to basic follow-up questions: What was the goal? Who authorized this plan? And why didn’t the Port Authority publicly warn motorists about it? — were met with stone-cold silence.

Silence and evasiveness are often usual responses when you live with a giant. As a bi-state agency, the Port Authority sometimes doesn’t answer state or federal lawmakers either — about political rationales for hiring cronies, for example, or virtually giving away naming rights, or raising tolls that will soon rise again.

Not always, though.

The agency can be quick to announce coming changes in traffic patterns when road work on either side of the Hudson is expected to cause delays. Sometimes the Port is mistaken, as it was in July 2012, when it insisted that a major road repair project on the New York side would cause three months of backups. The delays were modest at best, but unlike this week, at least the agency took preventive action back then...



UPDATE: Christie was with Wildstein on 9/11/13 during Bridgegate
by blue aardvark
Daily Kos
Jan 14, 2014

Gov. Chris Christie was with the official who arranged the closure of local lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 11, 2013 — the third day of the closures, and well after they had triggered outrage from local officials beset by heavy traffic.

It isn’t known what, if anything, Mr. Christie discussed with David Wildstein that day, when the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official was among the delegation of Mr. Christie’s representatives who welcomed him to the site of the World Trade Center for the commemoration of the 12th anniversary of the terrorist attacks there.

Wall Street Journal commits journalism

This is the guy Christie barely knew, remember? The guy who arranged the lane closures and worried he wasn't getting enough credit.

I have had no contact with David Wildstein in a long time, a long time, well before the election,” which was held Nov. 5, Mr. Christie said last week. “You know, I could probably count on one hand the number of conversations I’ve had with David since he worked at the Port Authority. I did not interact with David.”

There's a picture, Chris. David is that guy on your left about two feet away, reaching out his hand so that he almost touches the end of your tie. I guess that since he didn't actually touch you there's no "contact", right?

And now the bridge scandal really takes off, because Christie has been caught in a lie. And neither Christie, nor Wildstein, nor Baroni, nor Samson, all of whom were there, are willing to respond to the Wall Street Journal regarding this meet-up. Baroni and Samson were up to their eyebrows in the traffic mess.

This is Chris Chistie, center-left, having no contact with David Wildstein, red tie with hand almost touching Christie. The date is 9/11/13, while the Fort Lee fiasco was in its 3rd day...

Too important to serve in the military? Republican leaders who claim to be "patriots" compared to Democratic leaders

Getting tired of those Republicans who wrap themselves up in the flag and preach patriotism?
Seeing a pattern here? What does this say?
Link: SCMidnightFlyer.com

Democrats:

* John Kerry: Lt., Navy 1966-70; Silver Star, Bronze Star with Combat V, Purple Hearts.
* Jimmy Carter: Seven years in the Navy.
* Walter Mondale: Army 1951-1953
* John Glenn: WWII and Korea; six DFCs and Air Medal with 18 Clusters.
* Al Gore: enlisted Aug. 1969; sent to Vietnam Jan. 1971 as an army journalist in 20th Engineer Brigade.
* George McGovern: Silver Star & DFC during WWII.
* Richard Gephardt: Air National Guard, 1965-71.
* David Bonior: Staff Sgt., Air Force 1968-72.
* Tom Daschle: 1st Lt., Air Force SAC 1969-72.
* Bob Kerrey: Lt. j.g. Navy 1966-69; Medal of Honor, Vietnam. * Daniel Inouye: Army 1943-47; Medal of Honor, WWII.
* Charles Rangel: Staff Sgt., Army 1948-52; Bronze Star, Korea.
* Max Cleland: Captain, Army 1965-68; Silver Star & Bronze Star, Vietnam.
* Ted Kennedy: Army, 1951-53.
* Tom Harkin: Lt., Navy, 1962-67; Naval Reserve, 1968-74.
* Jack Reed: Army Ranger, 1971-1979; Captain, Army Reserve 1979-91.
* Fritz Hollings: Army officer in WWII; Bronze Star and seven campaign ribbons.
* Leonard Boswell: Lt. Col., Army 1956-76; Vietnam, DFCs, Bronze Stars, and Soldier's Medal.
* Pete Peterson: Air Force Captain, POW. Purple Heart, Silver Star and Legion of Merit.
* Mike Thompson: Staff sergeant, 173rd Airborne, Purple Heart.
* Bill McBride: Candidate for Fla. Governor. Marine in Vietnam; Bronze Star with Combat V.
* Gray Davis: Army Captain in Vietnam, Bronze Star.
* Pete Stark: Air Force 1955-57 * Chuck Robb: Vietnam
* Howell Heflin: Silver Star
* Bill Clinton: Did not serve. Student deferments. Entered draft but received #311.
* Tom Lantos: Served in Hungarian underground in WWII. Saved by Raoul Wallenberg.


Republicans
and these are the guys sending people to war:

* Jeb Bush: did not serve.
* Karl Rove: did not serve.
* Rick Santorum: did not serve.
* Mitch McConnell: did not serve.
* Dick Cheney: did not serve. Several deferments, the last by marriage.
* George W. Bush: failed to complete his six-year National Guard; got assigned to Alabama so he could campaign for family friend running for U.S. Senate; failed to show up for required medical exam, disappeared from duty.
* Newt Gingrich: did not serve.
* Phil Gramm: did not serve.
* Saxby Chambliss: did not serve. "Bad knee." The man who attacked Max Cleland's patriotism.
* John Ashcroft: did not serve. Seven deferments to teach business.
* John McCain: Silver Star, Bronze Star, Legion of Merit, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross.
* Lindsey Graham: National Guard lawyer.
* Arnold Schwarzenegger: AWOL from Austrian army base.
* Rudy Giuliani: did not serve.
* Richard Perle: did not serve.
* Paul Wolfowitz: did not serve.
* Dennis Hastert: did not serve.
* Tom Delay: did not serve.
* Roy Blunt: did not serve.
* Bill Frist: did not serve.
* Trent Lott: did not serve.
* Vin Weber: did not serve.
* Douglas Feith: did not serve.
* Eliot Abrams: did not serve.
* Richard Shelby: did not serve.
* John Kyl: did not serve.
* Tim Hutchison: did not serve.
* Christopher Cox: did not serve.
* Don Rumsfeld: served in Navy (1954-57) as flight instructor.
* Ronald Reagan: due to poor eyesight, served in a non-combat role making movies.
* B-1 Bob Dornan: Consciously enlisted after fighting was over in Korea.
* Dana Rohrabacher: did not serve.
* John M. McHugh: did not serve.
* JC Watts: did not serve.
* Jack Kemp: did not serve. "Knee problem," although continued in NFL for 8 years.
* Dan Quayle: Journalism unit of the Indiana National Guard.
* George Pataki: did not serve.
* Spencer Abraham: did not serve.
* John Engler: did not serve.

Pundits & Preachers

* Sean Hannity: did not serve.
* Rush Limbaugh: did not serve (4-F with a 'pilonidal cyst.')
* Bill O'Reilly: did not serve.
* Michael Savage: did not serve.
* George Will: did not serve.
* Chris Matthews: did not serve.
* Paul Gigot: did not serve.
* Bill Bennett: did not serve.
* Pat Buchanan: did not serve.
* John Wayne: did not serve.
* Bill Kristol: did not serve.
* Kenneth Starr: did not serve.
* Antonin Scalia: did not serve.
* Clarence Thomas: did not serve.
* Ralph Reed: did not serve.
* Michael Medved: did not serve.
* Charlie Daniels: did not serve.
* Ted Nugent: did not serve. (He only shoots at things that don't shoot back.)

Republicans roll eyes at Obama's (accurate) assertion that taxes were higher under Reagan

Republicans roll eyes at Obama's (accurate) assertion that taxes were higher under Reagan
by Jed Lewison
Daily Kos
Jun 02, 2011

First, the facts (.xls):

During Ronald Reagan's presidency, total federal tax revenue as a percentage of GDP averaged 18.2%, reaching a low point of 17.3% in 1984.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif

During Barack Obama's presidency, total federal tax revenue as a percentage of GDP has averaged 14.9% and is projected to drop to 14.4% in 2011.

Second, the punchline:

GOP members engaged in a lot of “eye-rolling” according to a member who was on hand to hear Obama, who invited House Republicans to the White House for discussions on the debt ceiling. The White House and Republicans are trying to reach a deal on spending cuts that could allow the $14.3 debt ceiling to be raised.

“(The President) made a comment like the tax rate is the lightest, even more than (former President Ronald) Reagan,” Rep. Lee Terry (R-Neb.) told The Hill following the meeting.

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) joked that during the meeting, “We learned we had the lowest tax rates in history … lower than Reagan!”

The fact is, one of our biggest fiscal challenges is that taxes are too low, yet not only do these guys refuse to even consider raising them, they never get tired of denying the plain reality that we have historically low taxes. Perhaps if they acknowledged that simple fact, then they'd have to admit that taxes aren't the problem: underinvestment is.