Taylor Marsh – TaylorMarsh.com – News, Opinion and Weblog on Progressive Politics

Swiftboating Harry Reid

Here we go again….

The guilty pleas of lobbyist Jack Abramoff have spread
fear throughout the nation's capital. Rumors and leaks suggest that staffers
and even members of Congress may ultimately be indicted based on information
provided by Mr. Abramoff as part of his plea deal. … … What does this return of money accomplish? It cannot
prove the politicians are innocent. … Harry Reid, the minority leader in the U.S. Senate,
has been an exception. He has refused to return the money on the grounds that
the contributions were legal and involved no wrongdoing on this part. Of course,
Mr. Abramoff may say that his contributions garnered favors from Sen. Reid.
The senator can say that the dance of bribery requires two to tango, and for
his part Mr. Abramoff's contribution was not a payment for a favor. The senator
can then ask the public whether they should believe him, or a man who has
admitted to felonies in two jurisdictions.
Harry
Reid is Right (first appeared in The Wall Street Journal)

Harry Reid is my Senator. So, I've been waiting for this for a while.

The swiftboating
of Senator Reid has begun. Republicans are trying to tie him to Jack Abramoff.
Good luck.

We've got to decide if we want to publicly finance campaigns. I've said time
and again, I'm for disclosure and transparency, over lobbying \”reform\” legislation. On that I'm in a minority in
the Democratic Party, but so be it. I am for lobbying reform, but not on the
meal, $25 b.s. side. I couldn't care less who takes whom out to dinner. If a senator can
be bought with a steak, the voters get what they deserve.

If you believe campaign finance works, well, you must also believe that the
McCain-Feingold bill did the job. If you're still on board, you also likely
believe that Bush's warrantless wiretaps are legal. At this point, you should
probably find another website to read, because I'll only give you heartburn.

Harry Reid accepts lobbying money. It's legal. It's politics.
It's life in Washington. What it isn't is a pay to play pay off scheme like
Jack Abramoff had going with Republicans.

Senator Harry Reid takes money from gaming and Indians tribes,
both of which happen to be in his constituency. How do I know? I live in Las
Vegas and have learned a lot about Harry Reid in the 3 years I've been traveling
between Nevada and California.

AP is reporting that \”Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid
wrote at least four letters helpful to Indian tribes represented by Jack Abramoff.\”
So what? Reid's one letter was in support of the construction of tribal schools,
which dovetails into his passion for improving education. Reid also wrote three
letters opposing the expansion of off-reservation Indian Gaming, which shouldn't
be news because he always held that view.

What I didn't know remember until the latest Reid swiftboating, was that
Reid played a leading role as a member of the Indian Affairs Committee in enacting
the Indian Gaming Regulation Act of 1988 (IGRA).

Did Reid collect $68,000 that had affiliations with Jack Abramoff?
Yes, but again, lobbying is legal. Accepting money from constituents who believe
in you and your work isn't wrong, unless you use it like Jack Abramoff and the
Republicans.

Let's also remember, Republicans control Congress. Harry Reid
is a Democrat and not much use to Jack. But given the Republicans ethics collapse
and credibility vacuum, the only thing they've got left is to smear a good man.

Give 'em hell, Harry! As a girl born and raised in Missouri, I
just love saying that.

No tags for this post.