Inside the Beltway. . . and Out

Republican Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham admitted accepting $2.4 million in cash, a Rolls Royce, a yacht and other things from defense contractors.

So many Republicans have been indicted or are under investigation -- Scooter Libby, Karl Rove, Tom DeLay, Sen. Bill Frist, Rep. Bob Ney, lobbyist Jack Abramoff, PR guy and Abramoff partner Michael Scanlon, Sen. Conrad Burns, Rep. John Doolittle.

There really is a culture of corruption within the Republican Party. Republicans control all branches of government. Their arrogance knows no bounds. You know the old saying -- "power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely." They think they can get away with anything.

But I wonder if the voters really will throw them out in the 2006 elections, when all of the House and 1/3 of the Senate are up for election.

Our country needs a change.

The fallout from the apparently dirty dealings of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff continues.

Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) was the unnamed Congressman in the indictment of Abramoff associate Michael Scanlon. He, along with three other Republican Members of Congress -- Tom DeLay, Senator Conrad Burns (Montana) and John T. Doolittle (California) are now under investigation by the Justice Department for accepting trips and gambling chips, among other things, from Abramoff.

Fortunately, not all lobbyists are like Abramoff, and not all Members of Congress are like DeLay and company.

I am traveling this Thanksgiving weekend, like millions of people. But the holiday isn't about traveling, it's about pausing to be thankful.

I gave up resolutions years ago, but if I were to make one for the coming year, I would resolve to spend more time at the Capital Area Food Bank. Those folks do good work to feed hungry people in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. They are always looking for volunteers.

Regardless of what you are doing this weekend, pause a moment to think about what you have, and be thankful.

After a pretty good weekend, we're back at work on a dreary, rainy Monday.

Congress is gone for two weeks. Republicans are hoping to use the time to repair their image with voters, but given all their problems -- Bush's approval rating at the lowest point ever, Tom DeLay's indictment, the Justice Department and the SEC investigating Senate Republican Leader Bill Frist for the curious timing of his sale of his stock in the company founded by his family just before an announcement of bad news caused the stock to fall, the growing public dissatisfaction with Bush's war in Iraq, the widening scandals with Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff and ex-DeLay aide Michael Scanlon which now has ensnared Republican Congressman Bob Ney of Ohio -- they certainly have their work cut out for them. Little Ricky Santorum, who is running for re-election and is currently down by double digits to his Democratic opponent, sent a letter to fellow Republicans telling them to focus on their anti-poverty efforts while back at home.

But on a brighter note, the general public soon will get to see the new baby panda at the Washington Zoo. The free tickets sold out in two hours this morning. Those of us who didn't get tickets in the first round will have to be content with the panda cam.

Not many lobbyists inside the Beltway are as pure as the driven snow, but I have never heard of anybody like Jack Abramoff. More stuff seems to come out about him every day. Yesterday's Senate hearing revealed more shady dealings with the Department of the Interior and the seedy intersection of money and politics.

I'm sure some elected officials tie favors to campaign contributions, especially if a non-constituent is asking for the favor. But I have to believe Abramoff is an extreme case.

I, like the vast majority of lobbyists, I believe, work to establish good relationships with Members of Congress based on substantive issues, not on money. Unfortunately, the things coming out about Abramoff give ammunition to those who think we all are sleezy.

From DC Blogs, a great site I highly recommend, I discovered Veritography.

Written by Jarred Maiers, a first year student at Georgetown University Medical School, the blog gives some realistic insight on living in Washington, DC. Note the November 13 entry "Living in the city." Read the whole piece. Wonderful images of life in this town.

My job involves politics. And I am as guilty as anybody about thinking that everything inside the Beltway revolves around politics. I enjoy reading Jarred's pieces, and recommend you take a look.

House and Senate Republicans are falling apart under the growing weight of all the scandals -- Frist, DeLay, Scooter, Rove, rampant cronyism -- and Bush's falling approval ratings as a result of his war in Iraq. Tuesday's election results, in which Democrats won Virginia and New Jersey governor races and California rejected all four of Arnold's ballot initiatives, was the final straw.

As the Washington Post reported today, moderate Republicans joined with Democrats to stop legislation in the House and in the Senate and to tell Bush and the conservatives that their spending priorities and desire for even more tax cuts for the wealthy were out of sync with America's needs. The moderate Republicans are no longer afraid to buck Bush.

"The fractures were always there. The difference was the White House was always able to hold them in line because of perceived power," said Tony Fabrizio, a Republican pollster. "After Tuesday's election, it's 'Why are we following these guys? They're taking us off the cliff.' "

Also, the Post today reports that indicted former Republican Majority Leader Tom DeLay tried to make a plea deal after he made damaging admissions to the prosecuter that he was indeed aware of and indeed supported the transfer of $190,000 in corporate funds to and from the Republican National Committee to evade the law. He was willing to plead guilty to a misdemeanor so he could keep his Republican leadership job. House rules say Members have to relinquish leadership jobs if they are indicted for felonies, but they don't have to step down if indicted for mere misdemeanors.

Well, that's all to be expected.

Are you as tired of the Republican culture of corruption as I am?

I work in DC and lobby Congress and the Administration, so I have to put up with it. But this weekend, I am going to put it out of my mind, and just ride and have fun.

I am looking forward to taking the old Harley into the Virginia countryside. Maybe I'll ride through Central Virginia or over to the Blue Ridge Mountains to see some of the changing leaves before they are all gone. But where ever I end up riding this weekend, it will be good. The weather forecasts are for sunny skies and crisp temperatures. Nice Fall weather.

I hope you can get out and enjoy the weekend, whether inside the Beltway or out. And let's just not think about Republicans for a while.

Virginia voters elected Democrat Tim Kaine as governor, and sent Bush and the Republicans a clear message.

The Republican candidate had, until the day before the election, successfully avoided any contact with Bush. Bush has frequently visited Virginia to give speeches to carefully screened military audiences trying to shore up support for his war in Iraq. Normally a candidate for office would pestering the White House for a photo op. But this candidate was smart enough to distance himself.

After stories began appearing in print and on TV that the campaign didn't want Bush, the White House asserted itself and staged a campaign event on Monday. They even went so far, as the Washington Post reported, as to declare that the vote would be a referendum on how voters feel about Bush's performance. Bad move on their part. Virginia voters told them!

Virginia is still a very conservative state with lots of Republicans, particularly in Central and Southern Virginia. But even the die-hard right wingers are losing faith with Bush.

I live in Northern Virginia inside the Beltway, so today's elections are important to me.

I voted for the Democrats, not surprisingly. I believe Tim Kaine will continue and expand the good work done by Gov. Mark Warner. The Republican opponent would take us backward.

It has been amusing to watch the Republican candidate avoiding Bush throughout the campaign, skipping every public appearance Bush made in the state. Normally, candidates love to have the president's endorsement, but not this time. After a few stories appeared in print and on TV that the Republican candidate didn't want Bush around, the Bushies forced their way in, and staged an event yesterday with the candidate, who smiled and tried to make the best of it, knowing Bush's approval ratings are at the lowest ever and that he wouldn't help the campaign.

If you live in Virginia, or in another state where elections are being held today -- such as New Jersey, where they will elect a new governor -- take the time to vote.

I am so tired of Bush and the Republican scandals. Riding the Harley Ultra Classic along the backroads of Northern and Central Virginia this weekend helped put them out of mind. But since my job involves working with Congress and the Administration, it's hard to escape for long.

The Redskins won last night. I am not a big pro football fan, but I do root for the home team. I am glad they won, particularly after that bad loss last weekend.

I prefer college football, but my team -- Tennessee Vols -- aren't doing so well. They were picked in the Top 5 in the pre-season polls, but now they aren't even in the Top 25. Very disappointing, but hey -- wait til next year!

Bush is under such a cloud -- his war in Iraq is going badly, Cheney's chief of staff was indicted, his key advisor Karl Rove may be indicted, the House Republican leader has been indicted and the Senate Republican leader is under investigation by the SEC and the Justice Department.

So the best way to deal with everything happening inside the beltway is to leave the country. Bush is heading down to Argentina and Brazil.

Al Kamen in his In the Loop column in this morning’s Washington Post notes that while in Brazil this weekend Bush will not be staying in Rio like most congressional delegations, but will stay at a presidential retreat outside Brasilia called “Ganja do Torto,” which if translated very literally, could be taken to mean “Farm of the Crooked or Twisted.”

The Washington Post reported the latest ABCNews/Washington Post poll shows Bush’s approval rating is the lowest ever (39% approve his performance – lowest ever, 60% disapprove – highest ever) and the majority of Americans say Bush is not honest and trustworthy (40% yes – lowest ever, 58% no – highest ever).

Al went on to note that Bush will be in Brazil to chat with President Lula, whose own poll numbers have tanked over a political corruption scandal. Lula’s chief of staff recently resigned amid allegations that he knew of and encouraged a multi-million-dollar scheme to buy votes. Al speculates that Bush and Lula will be able to compare notes.

But I am tired of Bush and the Republicans. I'm going riding this weekend. The weather should be nice -- temp in the 60s, mostly sunny. I can't wait to get on some of Virginia's two-lane winding backroads to air out the Harley -- and myself.

Senate Democrats successfully used a parliamentary tool to force Republicans to continue to investigate the Bush Administration's manufacturing and manipulation of intelligence and information to justify their invasion of Iraq. Republicans threw fits -- you should have seen Frist frothing at the mouth -- but they agreed to continue the investigation they had stalled.

And on the House side, indicted Republican Tom DeLay stepped down as Majority Leader, as required by House rules, but he won't leave his leadership office, and he is still acting as if he is Majority Leader. As a result, Republicans are bickering among themselves. No one wants to challenge DeLay just yet out of fear he may actually return formally to the leadership job and retaliate.

The indictment of Cheney's chief of staff Scooter Libby has the Bushies floundering, trying something new every day to regain control, like the "major speech" to unveil the "major strategy" for dealing with bird flu. I laughed out loud at the image of dimwitted Bush smirking at the audience full of MDs and PhDs at the National Institutes of Health.

So even though the Republicans control all branches of government, nothing is getting done. That's not necessarily a bad thing, given what they want to do to our country, but what does it tell you about their capacity to govern?