You just gotta love it...... Drudge Report is linking to a pMSNBC.com story that New Mexico governor Bill Richardson is withdrawing as Commerce Secretary nominee. Looks like he's under investigation for granting state government contracts in exchange for campaign contributions. Doesn't say if the contributions were for his Presidential run or not. Wonder when the investigation started? I'm sure the Obama admin will be just as forthcoming about what they knew and when they knew it as they have in the Blago investigation......
More Change We Can Believe In - Richardson Withdraws
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/12/15/grand_jury_investi...
A federal grand jury is investigating how an investment company won more than $1.5 million in work advising the state of New Mexico after making contributions to the political action committees of Gov. Bill Richardson, President-elect Barack Obama's choice to be commerce secretary.
The "pay-to-play" investigation is looking at whether the governor's office played a role in the the hiring of CDR Financial Products -- and the probe is in a highly active stage, two sources familiar with the matter said. Tomorrow in Albuquerque, the grand jury is expected to hear testimony from several witnesses, including officials at J.P. Morgan, who worked with the state and CDR on the state's investments, and from Richard's political action committee, the sources said.
The FBI and federal prosecutors are focused on how the Beverly Hills-based CDR won lucrative fees from the New Mexico Finance Authority in 2004 very soon after donating $100,000 to Richardson's efforts to register Hispanic and American Indian voters and pay for expenses at the Democratic National Convention in 2004, according to the sources. FBI agents have already asked numerous witnesses whether the governor's aides were involved in CDR's hiring.
We don't remember days only moments...
MoveToTheBurbs says: "You just gotta love it"
Yeah, you "gotta love it" if you're blindly cheer leading for one party over the other at the expense of taxpayers. But I believe the "change" you are looking for manifests itself in the fact that Richardson stepped aside even before any wrongdoing was proven. Not like so many members of the Bush administration, who fought tooth-and-nail to cover up misdeads, refusing to testify to Congress, etc....
Pink Slip
Pink Slip is lecturing someone on "blindly cheer leading for one party over the other at expense of taxpayers?"
Pink Slip, you are the very definition of mindless cheerleading for one party. At one point, I was sure you were some sort of bot programmed to provide links to pro-Obama articles. Chris was willing to give you credit for being a human being, but was sure you were a paid operative. Now, you want to lecture us on "mindless cheerleading"? Ha!
Here's the way it's going to be: With power, Democrats will increasingly find themselves caught up in scandal. Republicans will point it out at every opportunity and exploit it in every way possible. That is what the Democrats did here in Ohio and across the nation. So it has been since the dawn of the republic.
You'll have to explain to me how being happy that the country may have dodged a bullet in having a corrupt governor hold a cabinet position is somehow at the expense of the country.
In fact, an investigation could just as easily exonerate him - at least to some.
Brian, of all people you should know that an investigation indicates suspicion and not guilt. Allegations can result for many unsavory reasons including vendetta. Until the grand jury indicts and a jury convicts, no one is guilty. To date, I gather that there are only suspicions and allegations.
It is disappointing to see this, "You'll have to explain to me how being happy that the country may have dodged a bullet in having a corrupt governor hold a cabinet position is somehow at the expense of the country."
Just how do you know he is a corrupt governor: Because an investigation is ongoing? Because Drudge linked to a report on Breitbart.com which included the allegations?
Here is the link to the story that was linked by the Drudge Report - http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D95GHJPO0&show_article=1
Steve,
Why me of all people? I've never been investigated. I have always conducted myself with integrity in government. Nobody has ever questioned my integrity. My judgment? That has been called into question on occasion and I made some mistakes. Investigated? Never.
Richardson is out of the picture. This is good for Obama and good for the country.
Brian, I was referring to your work in the public sector and having to deal with many of these situations. Investigations of political or public figures happen all the time including here in Toledo. You do have to admit you jumped to a conclusion and made a statement that can only be made after he is proven to be corrupt.
I've seen many bloggers question many of your motives, just as I am sure you have seen it about me. I'm not questioning your integrity and I don't believe I have ever given you any reason to believe I am now. Cheers
Thanks for the clarification Steve. I am a bit hyper-sensitive about it. At my lowest point in my post-Carty career, I felt like my integrity was all I had to hold on to.
Brian, you must not be familiar with all of my work. I have often made complimentary comments about politicians from both parties (Ron Paul, Chuck Hagel, etc). And I've also made disparaging remarks against Democrats (Clinton, Blagojovich, etc.). I just think it's silly that some people are eager to paint the Democrats with the same brush as the outgoing administration. They've got a loooong way to go for that, and I hardly think this Richardson situation qualifies as a step in that direction.
Pink Slip
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/washington/04clinton.html?_r=1&hp
More Democrats caught in possible corruption scandals? Why, how could that be??? The party of "change"! What a crock.
Of course not. Remember how Democrats were going to charge into Columbus and clean up corruption. Then we find out that Reverend Ted was completely ok with the alcoholic wife of the Columbus mayor was coming and going from her job in economic development as she pleased.
Rev. Ted thought a mere suspension of a woman who used her high position in government to snoop into the private life of a private citizen.
There have been at least three others within Rev. Ted's administration who have been forced out because of corruption.
There was the state rep from over Norwalk way who showed pornography to high school students. There are at least two Democratic members of the Ohio legislature under investigation for campaign funding irregularities.
Let's not forget our distinguished former attorney general who made stomping out corruption the focus of his entire campaign and Democrats were dumb enough to believe him.
Now that Republicans no longer have to worry about governing or leading, we should, with great glee, jump on every scandal and make sure that it does not die and does not fall from the pages of the news, no matter how badly liberal institutions such as the Blade want to bury them.
Welcome to the responsibility of governing all you Democrats out there. It ain't much fun being on the defensive all the time.
With statements like this:
'Now that Republicans no longer have to worry about governing or leading, we should, with great glee, jump on every scandal and make sure that it does not die and does not fall from the pages of the news.'
you can now be seen as the same paid political hack Chris Myers has always (wrongly) accused Pink of being. I doubt the webmaster will take you to task, however, since your political views reflect his. The game is rigged on this site as far as that goes, but of course we all know that.
I agree to a certain extent Ohio Democrats have been a disappointment, Marc Dann being Exhibit A. And yes, the party that's in power will reap the bad with the good.
It's hilarious, though, to see on here the Richardson thing turned into more than it is and more than it will probably ever be. More than likely, this will fall into the same category as the one that had conservatives rubbing their hands together in glee over the Blagojevich flap, hoping and praying for some vile Obama connection, where it's clear none existed in the eyes of investigators.
All's fair in war and politics; fire away and take your shots. In a couple weeks the eight-year reign of probably the worst president ever will officially be over and we can spend some time examining the carnage left in his wake, then it's Obama's turn in the barrel, and round and round we go.
This link, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historical_rankings_of_United_States_Presid..., does not agree with your assessment. Perhaps history will be kinder to George Bush than we are at present.
Old South End Broadway
check the rankings in 20 years or so, when the full fallout of the last eight years is known. So I jumped the gun by a couple decades, LOL?
Here's a more recent assessment of GW's presidency:
http://hnn.us/articles/48916.html
Pink Slip
This matches my assessment of this failed presidency. Now we have to live with the failure which means we will all have to work much, much harder. Sacrifices will be necessary and it should start with those that benefited the most from these failed policies. Any suggestions on who should be the first to sacrifice? I've got my favorites!
McCaskey,
I was actually impressed by the way the Ohio Democrats handled the Dann situation.
When a Republican gets in trouble, they usually leave voluntarily in shame. When a Democrat gets in trouble, they usually fight for their lives and don't know shame. They usually are promoted to committee chairmanships. Dann was an exception.
The same as when the Washington Post and Boston Globe reported on John Kerry taking bribes from AIG.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A13486-2004Feb4.html
"WASHINGTON - A Senate colleague was trying to close a loophole that allowed a major insurer to divert millions of federal dollars from the nation's most expensive construction project. John Kerry stepped in and blocked the legislation. Over the next two years, the insurer, American International Group, paid Kerry's way on a trip to Vermont and donated at least $30,000 to a tax-exempt group Kerry used to set up his presidential campaign. Company executives donated $18,000 to his Senate and presidential campaigns. "
Or when Hillary Clinton was fined by the FEC for improper campaign contributions
http://www.judicialwatch.org/hc-fecfine.shtml
"In its investigation, the FEC reportedly found “there was probable cause to believe New York Senate 2000 and Andrew Grossman, in his official capacity as [the campaign’s] treasurer violated 2 U.S.S Sec 434(b) of the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 and 11 D.F.R. Sec 102(c)(8)(i)(A).” The Clinton campaign was granted 30 days from the execution of the agreement on December 13 to amend its campaign filing and pay the $35,000 fine, or the FEC “may institute a civil action for relief in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.”"
It's unfortunate that the entire population of America knows that the media, mainly the newspapers, are in the Monica position in front of Democrats.
If ''CON' is the opposite of 'PRO', does that mean Congress is the opposite of Progress?
If I can make a general statement, these instances of pay-to-play, tit-for-tat conflicts of interest will continue (real or imagined) as long as we accept the flawed premise that money=speech.
Pink Slip