Clear As Mud
Jan 27th, 2006 at 12:05 pm by Susie
Here’s that “clarification” we were promised by Perky Katie:
LAUER: Katie pressed him (Howard Dean) on that and we did some research. We went to the Center for Responsive Politics and found out that technically speaking, Howard Dean may be correct. But here’s what we found. That 66 percent of the money in this situation went to Republicans, but 34 percent of the money — not from Abramoff, but from his associates and clients — went to Democrats. So, can Democrats wash their hands of this?
RUSSERT: No, they will say it is a primarily a Republican scandal because the personal money of Abramoff went only to Republicans. But Matt, the issue is broad and wide. Democrats also understand that they accept trips from lobbyists and meals and so forth , and that’s why in order to reform all this, it has to be a bipartisan approach. But Democrats get raging mad when you suggest this is a bipartisan scandal.
Do you suppose it’s just too complicated for them to understand? Indian tribes continued to give to the same Democratic representatives from their states as they always did - but the amount they contributed actually decreased, as per Abramoff’s direction.
They directed that money to the Republicans instead.
I can believe that the amount given decreased and that would seem to be reasonable defense. Is there a quick clearinghouse of all the data on this, between work and a very active toddler I don’t have a lot of free time to do research but would like to see for myself.
Just to demonstrate the logical fallacy here:
Once upon a time there was a prince who made a yearly donation to the Salvation Army.
One day the Mafia came by and told him: “Mighty fine kingdom you got here, it would be a shame if something happened to it. Tell you what, if you give me your yearly donation, your kindom will be safe.”
So the prince gave them most of the money he normally gave to the Salvation Army.
One day, however, the Mafia got caught by the police, and the Mafia said: “But the prince gave money to the Salvation Army too, so both the prince and the Salvation Army are as guilty as we are!”
And the judge said: “But the prince was your victim, not co-criminal, and the Salvation Army has nothing to do with you! This suggestion makes so little sense, everybody who repeats it must be part of your organization!”
And the moral of the story:
Some people in the media are members of the Mafia, so don’t be surprised about what they say.
Do you suppose it’s just too complicated for them to understand?
Please, their position is very clear: Abramoff may not have given any money to Democrats–but he knows some people who did ! ! !
Timmie has joined Jack as holders of a not necessarily exclusive invitation to come on out to The Rez for a big back-country barbeque, knock back a few beers with the bucks…
Hey, media conglomerates…
You’re not making any friends in the Democratic Party. So don’t come crying to us when we break your little empires up.
I don’t watch seen Katie and Matt very often - but everytime I do watch, I am astonished at how rapidly they have deteriorating into GOP mouthpieces.
Does anyone know who are the main sponsors of the Today Show? It does no good to e-mail NBC - e-mailing the sponsors is more effective.
Susie - can you get a list going?
Why can’t you libs get off the scandal merry-go-round?
I’m a card carrying Republican,& frankly, I just don’t get it. All I hear is scandal after scandal w Bush & the administration,but yet the Dem party continues in free-fall. OFFER A SOLUTION! Don’t just keep on pointing fingers at those EVIL ones in charge, figure out how they got there(and honest,it’s not by stealing elections).
One thing’s for sure,the Democratic Party is NOT the party of JFK.
If you guys want any kind of chance of getting somewhere, I think that’s a good place to start. JFK believed in this country & the people in it.
I don’t hear that from ANY of your leadership.
Kevin–uh, if you see the scandal after scandal, why are you still a Republican?
And what is this crap about our side not offering any solutions?
Here’s a solution: How about let’s NOT support the perpetuators of these scandals?
Here’s the pattern: Your side comes up with something breathtakingly stupid–like going to war in Iraq, crapping on our Constitution, blowing off maintainence of the national infrastructure, destroying our military–and our side at that point, HAS a solution: We say Don’t do that. And we SAY Don’t do that because anyone with two brains cells to click together can see that if you do whatever greed-driven, ill-considered clusterfuck the Republicans are leading cheers for, it will lead to a situation so utterly fucked-up that it will not be b>unfuckable.
And when that happens–when we’re stuck in a completely pointless war in Iraq with no end in sight; when we’ve lost a major city through Republican nickel-and-diming of vital domestic programs; when, for most Americans except for the absolutely stinking drop-dead richest, the economy is the ground coming up at you, no chute, no safety net, no prospects, no hope; when what had been the strongest democracy in the world not only headed by a man who sees no difference between the perogatives of his office and that of the sort of monarch we started this country to avoid–but his party is systematically dismantling the checks and balances that would offer the rest of us the protections of democracy (including, yes, jimmying elections)–what do the Republicans say?
“Well, where’s your solution?
Where’s our solution?
Where the hell was theirs?
Where were their solutions ever, in the last 5 years that they’ve had control of everything ? Blame the Left, blame the Dems, blame Clinton–that’s pretty much been it.
BTW–Republicans sometimes complain that the Left thinks they’re gullible. But anyone who managed to convince himself that multi-billion dollar no-bid contracts in Iraq and NOLA were handed to Halliburton for any reason than Cheney wanted his old buds to have ‘em; or that Bush had a more honorable service than Kerry, is in no position to protest.
And by the way–we do believe in the people in this country. Which is why we think your party cheated in the elections.
Also–previous link was from driftglass