So let's review the first week...
Item 1:
Campaign Promise - "This congress will be the hardest working congress in decades...we will return to the 5 day work week" ~ Pelosi
In Reality - It took less than one week for the house to have a short work week...why...several of them had tickets to the Ohis State/Florida game.
Campaign Promise - "We will be the most ehtical congress in history"
In Reality - Sen Harry Reid pushed through an ear mark for construction of a bridge in Laughlin, NV. The original money was ear-makred a few years ago, but since then, the city got private funding, and a new bridge has already been constructed. The city no longer wants/needs the federal money. Sen. Reid however, earmarked it anyway (in one of those late night deals) so now a 3rd bridge will be constructed over the same river. Why? Well it could be that Sen. Reid owns about 15 acres of land that would be purchased to make way for the bridge, and he personally would stand to make a butt-load of money.
Campaing Promise - "We will be the most ethical congress in history" Part Deux
In reality - While the Dems were hot to force Mark Foley to resign, let's keep in mind, Mr. Foley made suggestive remarks to pages, though he never actually (nor has been accused of) doing anything to any of those pages. Rep. Wm Jefferson is under investigation for accepting bribes, and does not deny that he had $90k hidden in his freezer...it's just were he keeps his money. Rep Jefferson, however, has been allowed to stay. And when Rep Jefferson was being challenged in last Novembers election by a new Dem with no such money storage issues...Pelosi refused to even return her calls.
Campaing Promise - "We will be the most ethical congress in history" Part C
In reality - Though I don't think he is all that ethical, Pelosi passed on John Murtha as head of the house intelligence committee. Her choice instead? Alcee Hastings...who...in 1988 was impeached as a Federal Judge by both the House and Senate, and removed from the bench. The voting was an overwhelming 413-3 to impeach...amoung those voting to impeach Mr. Hastings...Nancy Pelosi.
Campaign Promise - "We will not bow to, or be bought by lobbiests"
In Reality - The night of the Dem takeover of the house, a grand ball was thrown, $1000 per plate...30% of those in attendance were lobbiests and PAC representatives.
Campaign Promise (more of a fact) - The Dems won based on their claims that they will make resolving Iraq their primary focus.
In Reality - The agenda set forth last week does not even mention Iraq. It talks about minimum wage, healthcare, and a few other things...but nothing about Iraq.
And just a few more bullet points on the "ethical Dems"
- John Conyers is going to see to it that Bush is investigated and impeached....well maybe not anymore...see he's busy with his new lawyer defending ehtics accusation levied against him by his staff, for being forced to perform personal errands, babysit, etc on campaing and tax payer dollars. However, Rep Coneyrs does say he "accepts responsibility"
-Rep. John Murtha (D. Pa.) is an un-indicted co-conspirator from the Abscam scandal of the 1980s. Recent revelations on Murtha expose a charity, The Pennsylvania Association for Individuals with Disabilities, where lobbyists who serve as directors on the nonprofit group's board have served as "intermediaries" between Murtha, his aides and the defense contractors and businessmen on the board. Murtha says “it is not political.”
-Rep. James McDermott (D Wa) who has been investigated for giving reporters access to an illegally taped telephone call involving Republican leaders and is facing litigation for this action.
-Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-W.Va.), under Federal Investigation for blending his commercial investments with his duties as a Congressional Appropriator, acknowledged ... that he misstated more than a dozen transactions on his financial disclosure forms. Will he too receive a pass by simply stating, “I accept responsibility?”
-Pelosi voted against a provision "to prohibit registered lobbyists from giving gifts to members, officers, or employees of the House and Senate," and was joined by the number-two Democrat in the House, Steny Hoyer. Pelosi also has accepted many awards from unions for her pro-union stance in the House, yet she and her husband own a vineyard and interest in restaurants that do not hire union employees nor sell grapes to union wineries.
-Democrats made a big fuss over the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal, yet with nearly 100 Democrats in the House and Senate also accepting money of $1,000 or more from him
-Rep. Rahm Emanuel, (Who also heads the Dem Campaign Committee) had heard of former Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate e-mails to a former male page a year before they became public, a campaign committee aide told CNN. Along with Matt Miller (Dem Caucus Comm Director) and Bill Burton (Comm Director for the DCCC)....so instead of making sure no pages were being abused, they sat on it until it could be a fresh scandel for the elections. BTW, all this is in the House Investigation report...but it doesn't get much airplay.
So in the end, and it's really no surprise...they are no more ethical than those they claim to be better than. What is a surprise to me are those Dems out there that really believe these politicians are so much better than the Reps that got removed.
