So Does This Make Me an Ethics-er? Or a Corruption-er?
By Linda Anselmi on October 8, 2009 at 7:00 PM in Current Affairs
How can it be? After 8 years of the Bush Administration and EVERYTHING that they did wrong, how could we, a mere 9 months after President Obama stepped into office, have reached the point where Parties Nearly Tied for Congress in 2010. Could it be that the American people are opposing Obama’s health care, when they claim to actually want health care reform for the same reasons? And is it too far fetched to think that the reason just might have an ethics/corruption connection?
“The Republican Party’s relatively strong position on the generic ballot in the latest poll, conducted Oct. 1-4, stems from the support of political independents, who now favor Republican over Democratic candidates by 45% to 36%.”
And worse yet for the Democrats, the Rasmussen polls gives the edge to Republicans this week in their latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot:
43% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 39% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent.
Support for Democrats fell two points over the past week, while support for the GOP rose by one point.
Looking back one year ago, support for the two parties was strikingly different. Throughout the summer of 2008, support for Democratic congressional candidates ranged from 45% to 48%. Republican support ranged from 34% to 37%.
But are the Republicans really looking better? Or could it be related to this Rasmussen poll on what issues Americans feel are Very Important?
83% now view government ethics and corruption as very important, placing it just ahead of the economy on a list of 10 key electoral issues regularly tracked by Rasmussen Reports.
Survey of 1,000 Likely Voters
September 26-29, 2009
Issue Very Important
83% Gov’t Ethics/Corruption
82% Economy
73% Health Care
67% Nat’l Security/War on Terror
65% Social Security
62% Taxes
59% Education
49% War In Iraq
49% Immigration
41% Abortion
Could it be that the American people have seen enough proof from both parties (anybody have a list?) to believe Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) when she explained that ‘Many members’ of congress suffer from disclosure problems like Rep. Charles Rangel (D.N.Y.).
From The Hill:
“I want to tell you, there are many members who, if you go back over all of their records, over all of the years, you’re going to find that there were disclosures that were not made,” Waters said during an appearance on MSNBC Wednesday morning.
“What happens is, unfortunately with the requirements for disclosure that we all have, mistakes are made,” she said. “And you do get a chance to correct them. And so it looks as if he is correcting those mistakes.”
And if we are not at all surprised to learn that Charlie Rangel retains Ways and Means gavel does that mean we are happy?
Democrats easily rebuffed another Republican attempt to remove Rep. Charles Rangel from his chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday. But there was a small sign of eroding support for the embattled New York Democrat: Mississippi’s two House Democrats voted against him.
Congressional ethics investigations are notoriously opaque and can often take months to complete, which is why Republicans are frustrated with the Rangel situation. But the chairman continues to have the full backing of Democratic leaders.
“We will await that [ethics] report,” Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland said Wednesday. “Prior to that, any actions making reference to Chairman Rangel would be premature.”
Could this Gallup poll further explain why this summer so many Americans revealed their deep seated, secret preference for tea:
Americans’ approval of the job Congress is doing is at 21% this month, down significantly from last month’s 31% and from the recent high of 39% in March.
…significantly below the average 36% rating found across the past two decades. …The current drop in overall job approval to 21% particularly reflects a substantial drop in approval among Democrats, whose 36% rating this month is 18 points lower than last month’s 54%, and the lowest since January of this year.
…the steep decline in approval among Democrats, who appear to be souring on the job Congress is doing despite the fact that their party controls both the House and the Senate. For the first time since February, Democrats’ approval of the job Congress is doing is below 50% – with only slightly more than a third of Democrats now approving.
And what does it mean when the American people are no longer shocked to hear these words of confirmation from Special Inspector General of TARP, Neil Barofsky:
The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve lied to the American public last fall when they said that the first nine banks to receive government bailout funds were healthy
“The fact that here we are a year later and treasury still refuses to require those financial institutions to tell us the investor, the taxpayer, how they are using the TARP money.”
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
And wouldn’t that help to explain this Rasmussen Poll:
43% of voters say the president is doing a poor job addressing government ethics and reducing corruption, up five points from early September and the highest level measured since he took office. Forty percent (40%) now give the president good or excellent ratings on his handling of the issue.
And maybe it explains this Quinnipiac poll also:
On the negative side, voters don’t believe 71 - 19 percent that Obama can keep his promise that health insurance reform will not add to the federal deficit, down from 72 - 21 percent disbelief August 5. Even Democrats believe 50 - 32 percent that health insurance reform will add to the deficit.
And why American Voters Oppose Obama Health Care Plan
American voters oppose 47 - 40 percent President Barack Obama’s health care reform plan and …
“overwhelmingly see the Republican opposition as not making a good faith effort to cooperate with Obama and the Democrats in Congress on health care and by a smaller 46 - 41 percent margin feel the Democrats are not playing fair with the Republicans,” said Brown. “They trust Obama more than congressional Republicans on health care. Yet there is no groundswell of support of his health care plan itself.”
Okay. So am I the only one seeing an ethics/corruption connection here for politicians? And does this make me an Ethics-er or a Corruption-er?
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When Edwards said there are two Americas, he should have said there are two justice systems. One for us and one for congress.
Indeed, but each contains the same single rule: Do as we say and not as we do.
My parents used to say that. Why is it the older I get the more intelligent my parents sound….
As did mine. On the one hand it does serve as an admonition to perhaps be better but on the other hand, does smack of a bit of hypocrisy.
I would certainly desire our elected officials, civi leaders, and other celebrities to lead by example or “do”. What they currently provide is an abominably wretched set of examples and by so doing set in motion that other golden rule: He who has the gold (or the power), makes the rules.
Charlie Rangel is more than just an elected official in the sense that he’s extremely entrenched and powerful. But most of all, he is a lawmaker for the rest of us. He writes and influences tax laws that you and I are bound to follow or pay a penalty or go to jail. Those same standards ought to apply to him. He broke the law, he lied to his constituents and to the body of the House to whom he had to make these disclosures. He’s demonstrated he has no ethics, he doesn’t feel constrained by the law so he must feel that he’s awfully special. I’m disgusted with him.
If I read Maxine Waters between the lines, she’s saying Rangel has dirt on half the Congress, so he’s not going anywhere.
Exactly–leading by example is the best way. My parents, I’m proud to say, never told us to do as they say, not as they do. Instead, they asked us to do as they say, and they also did as they said.
I guess that is why the hypocrisy of Congress grates so much on me.
Except he’s banking on that two American justice as HE is facing his own investigations….not to mention constantly lying about having an affair and empregnating his lover not before, but before, during and AFTER his wife was diagnosed the with return and now terminal cancer. The name, scumbag, really fits here.
He’s the very definition of scumbag.
Pretty funny Linda. Howard Dean could be campaigning “the party of corruption” all over again, except for the Dem’s this time.
Indeed no difference. Or, in my view, worse. Because they campaigned against such behaviors, but then spit and laughed at the voters while they did their dirty deeds.
Let’s not also forget about selling out the voters for their special interests/lobbyists. The stories this summer for Dem’s was ripe, with them flying all over to events and getting the lobbyist to just make an appearance to be held in check…with a friendly kiss on the cheek and off to the west coast for Pelosi’s.
“What happens is, unfortunately with the requirements for disclosure that we all have, mistakes are made,” she said.” Waters, what a dissapointment she has become. You take this behavior since Obama and prior on Fannie Mae and Freddie and I just want her tossed out. Anyhow, the saying “Two wrongs don’t make a right” come to mind And, I’d like to see the same standard applied to citizens. Such hypocrisy and entitlement behavior.
It will be interesting to see the Gov’s races this year…then on to next years elections.
ruh roh and now this just in.
October 8, 2009
Poll: McDonnell widens lead in Virginia
Posted: October 8th, 2009 07:32 PM ET
From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser
Poll: McDonnell widens lead in Virginia.
WASHINGTON (CNN) – With less than four weeks until election day, a new poll indicates that the Republicans are widening their lead over the Democrats in the Virginia gubernatorial race.
Republican candidate and former state attorney general Bob McDonnell leads Democrat Creigh Deeds 53 percent to 44 percent, according to a Washington Post survey released Thursday afternoon. McDonnell’s nine point margin among likely voters is up five points from his lead in a Washington Post poll from mid September.
The survey suggests that the gains Deeds had made following his attacks on McDonnell’s conservative views on social issues, have faded. The past five weeks the Deeds campaign has aggressively highlighted McDonnell’s 20 year old graduate thesis, a document that called working women detrimental to families and criticized “cohabitators, homosexuals or fornicators.”
But the poll indicates Deeds strategy may backfire. Fifty-six percent of people questioned say Deeds, a state senator, is conducting a negative campaign. Only 32 percent say McDonnell’s running a negative campaign. And for the first time in Washington Post polling, a majority of voters, 51 percent, say McDonnell is “about right” ideologically.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing as shiftless and corrupt as the “typical” democratic congressman - unless it’s a republican.
Obama benefited from the sentiment that government no longer represents the people. Anything “Bush” was bad, anything republican was bad and so on. Now the people see that the government still no longer represents the people… further, now the government doesn’t care that the people might know that. This administration is very forward and in your face that it knows best, and it doesn’t give a flip what people think. The media is selling this line and the administration is holding to it. The election of Obama has just cranked the corruption and the disconnect up a notch. He is functionally Bush on steroids.
“What would move the American people so strongly?”
It’s also a simple of case of name calling being not a good way to win over hearts and minds.
Maya Angelou said, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you
did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
This particular bunch of Democrats have made me feel like a bitter small towner, racist, a brownshirt, mobster, teabagger, unpatriotic, hater, and dumber then a dining room table. We’re also being instructed to hate ourselves for being Americans. People simply don’t like to feel like crap all the time.
Wonderful quote from Maya Angelou. Thanks for sharing it here.
I agree. Awesome Maya Angelou quote yttik. Thanks so much for sharing it.
They are very adept at looking down their noses at others. Condescension breeds contempt…which is what I feel toward my old party and every member who opens their lying mouth.
Ironic, I am working on my pre-exam study in public policy tonight, and just finished Federalism and defining Liberals and conservatives, as per the texts we are working with. It is fascinating how far away each has gotten from their core concepts, and it is equally obvious that people are fairly sick of corruption. Seems historically we go a little nuts every so many years when this starts to happen and we seem to be able to correct it politically thanks to Federalism. It seems this time (maybe just because it is our time) it is a harder fight and stronger pull in both directions.
Katmoon, what an interesting exercise, much of it irrelevant for the current times as you noted. I bet they are all the same now because each on either side of the fence is thinking how to raise all that money for campaigns. But the appalling revelation of the last primary election is that despite millions of dollars spent in a campaign the people still have the good sense to not vote for the fatally flawed candidate. But as a reaction to that we saw that the party resorted to unethical means to prop him up and drag him through the finish line. There are no grand principles or ethical norms practiced in either party apparatus at this time.
Linda,thanks for running all those revealing stats.
Linda A,
Thanks for this excellent post. In regard to the whole corruption/ethics thing and also in regard to the idea that independents are now, perhaps, the growing “party”:
I have been writing and telling the people who call from the DNC, etc, to take me off their mailing and calling lists since clear back during the primary. No one has ever seemed to get the message.
One night last week, I got another call from the DNC, but before I would let the young man speak (I had seen who the caller was on my caller ID), I firmly said, “I have been trying so hard to get your organization to quit calling me for a long time, and I am really annoyed that you are still calling.”
The guy seemed to be a nice young man. He was surprised and verified my name, address, and telephone number. He then said that they had me on record as being a past donor. I said that he was right, but that I had tried to let them know for a long time that I was no longer a Dem, though I had been one since I could first vote in ‘72. I explained I quit the party at the end of the primary and that, in fact, I voted for McCain for president. He wanted to take the time, so he asked me if I wouldn’t mind explaining why a person who had voted Dem for so long would suddenly change.
So I obliged him with my opinions of the party’s currently “selected” POTUS. I explained how my experiences during the primary made me realize that no issue, no opinion on any stated issue was more important to me than the integrity of the voting process and the ethical character of a candidate. I had given him detail after detail and even directed him to the We Will Not Be Silenced videos. He seemed genuinely interested, and his interest first showed after I asked him if he didn’t know how the Dems and the Repubs are losing members to the growing ranks of independents–so obviously he was aware of this.
Long story short, he said he could put me on the no call/no mail list.
I’ll believe it when I am no longer made angry when I go to my mailbox. I even told him that there was a letter in my mailbox at the time marked “Return to Sender” since on the front was printed the sentence, “Barack Obama needs your help.”
I don’t know how to answer your question, except to say that at least you understand the value of good ethics and the terrible toll that corruption has on a democratic republic.
I was happy to hear the guy on the video mention the phrase I also used with the young man when I said that no issue is important if the party takes the stance that the ends justify the means. I made it clear that the means were more important than the end always as far as I was concerned.
Diana L.C.,
I’m so glad you got to tell that young man what so many of us are feeling. I wish we could get our congresspeople to listen. With your record with them for so long, there was no way he could turn away and pretend you were a Republican plant as so many conveniently do. They just don’t want to believe that they bear the responsibility for the loss of Democrats by cheating their way through this election. Good for you for telling it like it is.
I think my long comment went into the spaminator’s maw. I hope it is spit out soon.
Here it comes… “Son of Stimulus”.
http://www.slate.com/id/2231908/
Good article, Linda. Yes, the polls are going distinctly non-Dem. But I don’t think it has much to do with how “wonderful” the Republicans are. In fact, the public as a whole is caught between a rock and hard place. We had right miserable years under Bush&Co, only to have an ineffectual POTUS with an ethically challenged Congress and highly questionable characters running around the WH in the mask of czars.
The telling jump is in the Independents–now representing somewhere around 43% of the American electorate. Neither party can win without substantial support from this voting block. People are weary, angry and frustrated with both parties. I think the polls are beginning to reflect that.
Are you an ethics-er or a corruption-er?
I’d call you a realist. The system is corrupted on both sides. And if we can’t clean it up? It will tumble down.
Peggy Sue and Diana L.C. -
I agree. Independents are the great untold story so far, and I think it is quite amazing how well politicians and media are able to ignore the whole group. Just because we don’t have a “party” affiliated with the name.
I’m wondering how much our negative opinion of George W Bush was ecouraged and promoted by the mad-stream media. A lot, I believe, His clumsy gaffes were repeated 24-7 and made fun of him and we the listeners bought into it. The opposite happened with Barak Obama. Gaffes, supid comments, unquestional actions and relationships were hidden from the public. I for one, will never, ever vote Democratic again. I hope we will have some decent independents running.
true repubs have their issues, however they never showed contempt and outright hatred of the average american. that really gets under my fingernails i have to tell you. i am now firmly convinced that barrack obama depises all things american. he got it from his mother. maybe his book should have read NIGHTMARES OF MY MOTHER.
I, too, am still contacted by various Dims I interacted with during the primary season. Also Patterson of NY has been sending me emails; my name on his list I suppose from contacting him during the Caroline issue (Please don’t appoint her).
Last week I had 2 emails form a local liberal radio station I used to listen to…until the misogyny became so thick I gagged. 1st one I merely responded by “take me off your mailing list.” Then another one Monday which I gave the same response…then another one with the dumb ass station owner asking me “Who are you?” First thought was if you don’t know why are you soliciting me? My answer: “Former listener-life long Democrat, now Independent aka Democrat in Exile.” That ended that. Their programming has become even more radical leftist since the election even putting on Karel, a left wing gay activist, who was fired from SF’s KGO after having a vile rant against Sarah and suggesting violence toward her. They didn’t like her either but couldn’t defend him. Used to listen to him all the time but that ended KGO for me.
Martha, you must be talking about kxra. I used to listen to that station a lot. You’re right. The sexism is rampant. I remember calling Hal, during the primary, and arguing about Obama vs Hillary. His big opposition to Hillay, was “supposedly” her vote for the Iraq War. My arguement against Obama was his lacking resume. That was the last time I listened until recently when I turned to it to see who was on, and lo and behold it was Karel. Yuck! I used to listen to Karel too, and then he just went off the deep end for Obama and against everyone else. Here he is a gay man, who is totally unrepresented by “the one”. I guess you get what you deserve. Wish I could find someone to listen to, I still can’t stand Limbaugh.
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Throw all the bums out and start over.
My usual choice for Senator is bad (Dem) or worse (Repub). and that goes for both Lincoln and Pryor.
Thanks for this article. I only wish that we could vote out a lot of corrupt dems in congress next month instead of next year. However, there is the danger that we exchange one brand of “corruption” for another.
But I do think, one thing politicians are learning even if some don’t want to acknowledge it, is that the American people are paying attention to what their representatives in congress and the White House are doing or “not doing”. The American people have shown with the “tea parties” and “town hall meetings” that they will not be cowled into submission with name-calling and dismissal of their concerns.
Also, contrary to the thinking of the “elitist” in both political parties, many Americans now have access to the internet - even people like myself who at the age of 60 only really started using the internet when Hillary Clinton was running in the democratic primaries. The saying “necessity is the mother of invention” was true for me because I didn’t like what I was seeing in the MSM so I turned to the internet.
Very good information, Linda.
One thing I won’t be calling myself is a feminist, no offense intended.
The polls that had Obama at 52% a week or so ago, were due to the unflagging support of women.
He had lost independents and some younger white males.
McCain/Palin only carried the senior population, so independents are the key to the coming elections.
I too deal with phone calls and shiny brochures asking for money.Even Chris Dodd sends e-mails wanting donations!!!!A lot of e-mails come from states asking for money to pay for campaigns for people you do not even know.I tell them how I have felt since the campaign but they could care less.This week I have gotten phone calls to call my senator and congressman to tell them I want them to vote for the Obama healthcare plan and his energy program.I finally tell them no and hang up.
I forgot to add that I was a democratic delegate in my district,an officer in the Democratic club and belonged to the state and county clubs in Michigan.I have had a rough time getting out of these doings but finally just quit attending and making excuses.I have lost friends but I try to be honest.Have joined the tea party and attended a couple of meetings and have been surprised at how many x-dems I have met.