Inside the Beltway. . . and Out

Interesting contrast:

• Democrats getting arrested for trying to help people by ending the atrocities in Sudan and
• Republicans getting arrested for bribery (Rep. Duke Cunningham, Jack Abramoff, three of Tom DeLay's aides, White House Aide David Safavian) and fraud (Bush's Domestic Policy Advisor arrested for presenting stolen property to Target for refunds -- 25 times).

What does that tell you about the priorities of the two parties. People vs. personal profit.

Excuse me while I climb back down from my soapbox.

On their two-week Easter vacation, House Republican leaders say they didn't hear much back home about the Republican lobbying scandals -- Jack Abramoff, Tom DeLay, three DeLay staffers pleading guilty, Bob Ney, Duke Cunningham -- so they feel confident they can drop the serious stuff from their already weak "reform" package and pass a weak bill.

The weak bill they likely will pass will let them declare victory -- "We're cracking down on lobbyists" -- without really changing the way some lobbyist and Members interact.

I think this weak measure actually will help Democrats in races against House Republicans. Democratic candidates can point out how weak the Republican majority measure is and how it will not stop the culture of corruption in Washington.

Of course, if Tom DeLay or Bob Ney are indicted, House Republican leaders may hear from voters back home and may re-visit this weak bill, fearing the consequences of having to find a new job.

Republican-friendly Fox News always has parrotted the Bush / conservative / Republican party line, but now they are moving in house.

Fox News' conservative pundit Tony Snow has been named White House Press Secretary, replacing Scott McClellan who was pushed out in the need for a shakeup resulting from Bush's record low approval ratings.

Referring to the new Press Secretary's daily briefings or comments as a "Snow job" is just too obvious to be funny, so I won't say it here.

The evidence, as if there were not already enough, just continues to mount.

Take a look at Rolling Stone's lengthy historical profile which asks if Bush is "The Worst President in History?"

Think about the series of bumblings at yesterday's ceremony with the President of China. I think Bush actually damaged US-China relations. Yes, there are big problems with China -- the discrimination against non-Chinese companies, the oppression of the Chinese people, the terror they have inflicted on Tibet, etc. -- but the way to begin to solve these many problems is through engagement of what will soon be the largest economy in the world. But bumbling Bush treats the Chinese as errant children.

It seems that not a day goes by without something negative coming out of the White House. I am inclined to believe he really is the worst president ever. Even the most recent public approval poll from Bush-friendly Fox News shows that only 33% think he is doing a good job.

But will the growing public recognition of what Bush and his fellow Republicans are doing to our country translate in the November elections into a change in Congress?

I certainly hope so. We can do better.

To no one's surprise, White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan is leaving.

Scotty's credibility is at zero. It has been tough trying to explain why statements that obviously are untrue are really not untrue. The tipping point may have been when it was confirmed that Bush authorized the leaks, despite having vowed to get rid of anybody who leaked.

Skinner at Democratic Underground posted the list of the real reasons why Scotty is leaving.

The Republican old guard is reasserting itself as Bush's approval ratings keep hitting new lows. Howard Fineman points out today that it's basically all over for Bush.

Also, significantly, Karl Rove is losing his policy portfolio after barely a year.

Other shoes will drop. Scotty won't be the last to be pushed out.

Could Tom DeLay become a K Street lobbyist?

Yes, according to Jeff Birnbaum in today's Washington Post. Several Republican lobbying firms indicate they would love to have him join them. That's assuming, of course, that he stays out of jail.

If you think lobbyists have a bad reputation now, just wait until DeLay joins our ranks.

I think the more likely scenario is for DeLay to write a book (lots of right-wingers have done this lately for big advances) and hit the speaking circuit for big fees per speech. DeLay could easily make several million a year for the next several years. Then if he wanted to get back to the Hill, he could take a lobbying job at one of the big-time firms.

The signs are pointing toward Democrats regaining control of the House in November. The public is fed up with Republican control of all three branches of government.

• More indictments likely will come from the fallout surrounding Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
• DeLay is gone, but three of his high-level staffers have copped plea deals.
• Republican Rep. Bob Ney (Ohio), identified in Abramoff's plea deal as "Representative #1," whom Abramoff admitted to bribing, is twisting in the wind.
• The recent anti-immigrant legislation passed by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives is not supported by the public, which sees it as unnecessary and cruel.
• Bush's approval rating reached a career low.
• The majority of Americans trust Democrats over Republicans in all policy areas covered in the Washington Post-ABCNews poll -- handling health care, prescription drug benefits, ending political corruption, immigration, Iraq, the economy, and dealing with terrorism.

But the key question is: will the public disgust with the Republicans translate into votes for Democrats.

We may have reached the tipping point with the recent anti-immigrant legislation and the revelation that Bush authorized the leaks designed to discredit a critic (and lied about it, saying anybody who leaked with be "dealt with.")

America deserves better.

The Republican Party is in disarray. DeLay is resigning under a corruption cloud and Repubs are split over the immigration issue, the budget and the war in Iraq.

But just when the Republicans in Congress are self-destructing, along comes Rep. Cynthia McKinney to save them.

Her confrontational tactics and her frequent charges that virtually everything inconvenient that happens in her life is because of racism -- and the most recent incident when she tried to get past House office building security and hit a police officer with her cell phone when he stopped her -- all have given Republicans something to talk about besides their own problems.

Republicans are using Rep. McKinney's attempt to bypass security as an example of how much they care about security and how little Democrats care. It's having an affect.

The news around the Hill is not about the Republicans' problems and factional debates, but about Rep. McKinney's actions and her own racism.

As Dana Milbank points out in today's Washington Post, the Democrats' biggest problem is getting her to shut up.

Rep. McKinney was on three TV shows yesterday, and true to form got into a fight with CNN's Soledad O'Brien.

Rep. McKinney has problems -- with authority, with white people, with almost everything.

Republicans are having a field day -- trotting out stories of all of Rep. McKinney's past actions, putting her forward as the face of the Democratic Party.

As I said in a previous post, Rep. McKinney needs to face the fact that not every single bad or inconvenient thing that happens to her -- like having to show identification or her Congressional pin to avoid the metal detector in the House of Representatives' office buildings -- is harassment by white people.

Unfortunately for Democrats, she has gone from just an occassional embarassment, to a campaign issue for the November elections. She needs to tone it down.

I can't take complete credit for that headline. I rearranged and added to the headline on the story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer about Republican Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio refusing to resign as Tom DeLay did.

Rep. Ney is identified in the Jack Abramoff plea bargain documents as "Representative #1."

As the article notes: Court documents filed as part of guilty pleas in the lobbying scandal say that Ney accepted perks including sports tickets, meals and a trip to Scotland from Abramoff in exchange for official actions. Federal prosecutors have subpoenaed records and testimony from Ney's office.

Abramoff admitted as part of his plea arrangement that he bribed "Representative #1."

I cannot imagine that Ney's indictment or plea deal is far away.

After yet another of his top aides admitted corruption charges and entered into a plea bargain, Tom DeLay finally faced the reality that he was not going to be re-elected and said he is quitting.

No one will be sorry to see him go. Even Republicans are happy. He has been an embarassment to them, and will cost them some seats, perhaps even the majority in the House.

Rep. Cynthia McKinnney (D-Georgia) has a history of confrontations. As I mentioned last week, she seems to have a chip on her shoulder, and always seems to be looking for a fight. Unfortunately, her confrontations often have racial overtones.

Last week she tried to get by Capitol security without identifying herself (or displaying the Congressional pin virtually every other Member displays). She argues the police should recognize her, and implies they all are racists. When the security guard stopped her, she allegedly hit him with her cell phone.

Now she is seeking publicity, again. She held a press conference last week, defiantly declaring "This whole incident was instigated by the inappropriate touching and stopping of me, a female black congresswoman."

The "inappropriate touching" appears to have been when the officer touched her arm when stopping her attempt to bypass security without showing identification. It's on videotape, so we will see for ourselves at some point.

Of course the term "inappriate touching" has lots of overtones, as she well knows.

Today she is planning another press conference. Since she won't talk about the incident, which is under investigation and may result in assault charges against her, what is her objective for the news conference, if not simply to keep herself in the news?

News stories are everywhere -- from mainstream media, including print and TV, to Fox News and right-wing radio and blogs. Much of the coverage has focused on her history of confrontation and her regular accusations of racism -- like when she wrote to President Clinton and accusesd security officers who didn't recognize her of racism. Several news stories and blogs have quoted her as saying she was tired of having to have her identity "validated by white people."

Racism exists, and we should all work hard to eliminate it, no matter how daunting that task seems.

Unfortunately, Rep. McKinney's own apparent racism, attitude and tactics don't help. In fact, by providing ammunition for some to paint her as a radical or a flake, she marginalizes herself, and actually hurts the effort to eliminate racism.

If she asked me, I would suggest that she face the fact that not every single bad or inconvenient thing that happens to her -- like having to show identification to avoid the metal detector in the House of Representatives' office buildings -- is harassment by white people.