Corrupt, unethical, sleazy GOPers; the list grows & grows

God, I pray my drug dealer has more meth!

So much for the "family values" platform of the Republican Party. I have to admit that I get a kick out of sanctimonious Republicans who claim they represent these values, but in the end they can't shake the very vices they publicly scorn.

A quick laundry list:

Ted Haggard (Above): The embattled minister and Bush spiritual advisor recently admitted to reporters that he purchased methamphetamine from a male prostitute he had contacted about a massage. Haggard said he never used the drug and threw it away (Somewhere, Bill Clinton is laughing.)

When asked where he threw it away, he "couldn't remember." Haggard also admitted that it was his voice on the prostitute's voice mails asking to purchase meth. The male escort, Michael Jones, said on a radio talk show last Thursday that he and Haggard had a three-year homosexual affair, which included the use of meth. Hey, I've got no problem with homosexuals at all; quite the opposite, in fact. What I DO have a problem with is a supposedly pious man-of-the-cloth who publicly preaches against gay marriage and homosexuality, but his private life is just the opposite. You deserve all the scorn you're getting, Ted. Oh, P.S. - Haggard is married with five kids. And don't come at me with Jim McGreevy, either - he wasn't hiring male prostitutes or trying to score meth.

Mark Foley: This one's been covered ad nauseum, but there's something profoundly sad about a House Republican who is in charge of combating pedophilia & adults preying on minors who is subsequently revealed to be courting minor Pages working in Congress. Again, this isn't a gay issue, it's an adult/minor issue. But, it's all been done, so I won't spend too much time on this, other than to say that by just about every account, some very high level Republicans knew about Foley's issues long before the scandal became public, including Karl Rove and Dennis Hastert. And that's not my opinion, that's many conservatives.

Jack Abramoff: The Jack Abramoff Fundraising Scandal touches both parties, to be sure, but there's no question it affects Republicans much more than it affects Democrats. Abramoff pleaded guilty to corruption of government officials and defrauding operators of Native American casinos out of millions. Abramoff and his law firm were paid at least $6.7 million by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) from 1995 to 2001, which is permitted manufacture goods with the "Made in the USA" label but is not subject to U.S. labor & minimum wage laws. After Abramoff paid for Tom Delay and his staffers to go on trips to the CNMI, they crafted policy that extended exemptions from federal immigration and labor laws to the islands' industries. What's even more amazing about this is that it's received little or no publicity in the "liberal press."



George Allen: (Above) The Republican incumbent is trying to hold onto his Senate seat in Virginia in a heated battle against Democrat James Webb. Late last week, a would-be provocateur approached Senator Allen to ask him some admittedly obnoxious questions, and the man was wrestled and slammed down to the ground by Allen's staff. The victim had no weapon and posed little if any threat, unless you consider a threat an embarrassing question. Watch the video and you decide. This isn't the first incident surrounding Allen's campaign - his behavior has become increasingly bizarre, including his use of a racial epithet. In September 2006, at one of his political rallies, Allen referred to S.R. Sidarth, who was filming the event as a "tracker" for the Webb campaign, as a macaca. Sidarth is of Indian ancestry, but was born and raised in Fairfax County, Virginia.

Tom DeLay: The "velvet hammer" turned out to be covered in Velcro - charges of unethical behavior finally stuck to him. DeLay resigned from Congress when he had no choice - when two of your assistants are convicted in the Abramoff Scandal, you don't have much choice. He's been involved in so much bullshit over the years, going all the way back through the 1980s, I don't even have time to type it all. I hold him in particular scorn over his efforts to slander, libel and defame President Clinton from the time he took office. What goes around, comes around. DeLay's going away, but his legacy will live on, and it's not a good one.

Bob Ney: Ney, a U.S. House Representative from Ohio who pleaded guilty last month in the Jack Abramoff Scandal, resigned from Congress on Friday. The Republican, who had been pressed to quit by fellow GOPers, sent a letter of resignation to House Speaker Dennis Hastert. the Jack Abramoff scandal snags another victim.

John Sweeney: The incumbent Republican Representative is locked in a heated battle with Democrat Kirsten Gillibrand to keep his New York House seat. There have been widespread reports that the police were called to Sweeney's residence on December 2, 2002 after his wife placed a 9-11 call saying he was, "knocking her around the house." He has promised to produce papers that would prove his innocence, but has since done nothing but obfuscate, claiming the papers are forgeries. I only wonder one thing when situations like this crop up - where the hell is his wife now? Keeping her mouth shut just so he can go back to Congress? Unreal. He also has a host of other questionable incidents in his recent past, including the Jack Abramoff Scandal. Hopefully, this sleazy Republican will bite the dust on Tuesday.

Don Sherwood: Sherwood is a special case this fall. The Pennsylvania Representative is in all sorts of trouble; hence, Sherwood's having trouble in his bid for reelection. He's admitted to having a five-year affair with Cynthia Ore, who he paid $500,000 to keep quiet about the affair until after the Nov. 7 election. The man's got balls, that's for sure. Sherwood also allegedly beat Ore up, prompting her to call the police on one occasion. When they arrived, Sherwood explained he was only giving her a "back rub."

###

So, there you have it, a GOP Scandals for Dummies List, which just scratches the surface, but frankly, I'm bored and don't feel like typing anymore. For instance, I haven't even touched on all of the scandals that have plagued Republicans since taking over the House in 1994 - the Clinton witch hunt, which uncovered multiple instances of adultery; Newt Gingrich and his multiple ethics violations; Rick Santorum rushing to Terry Schiavo's bedside to score cheap political points; Bill Bennett's gambling multi-million dollar gambling problems; Rush Limbaugh, a true OxyMoron if there ever was one, has got all sorts of problems, the least of which isn't his drug habits; and on and on. Don't get me started on Republican pundits, or I could be here all night.

My point isn't that Democrats are perfect - far from it. As I've blogged before, simply examine their 40+ years of running at least one House in Congress, and you'll uncover all sorts of nasty shit. But, the Democrats aren't in power now - the Republicans are, so it's their turn to feel the heat, and bear responsibility for the many things that need fixing in our foreign and domestic policy. I'm under no illusions that things will be flawless when/if the Democrats take over one or both Houses, but it's time for change. It's also time for some checks on President Bush's agenda - he's pretty much had his way over the last nearly six years with legislation, tax policy, and his budget and judicial appointments.

Tick tock, GOP. Hopefully, the clock is about to run out on your domination of our government.