Thursday, November 23, 2006
Don't Forget
William Jefferson is a loser and a eunuch. As the Black commentator observed, another label could also apply to Jefferson:
It also pointed out that Jefferson always had a safe seat, so he didn't have the excuse for questionable votes that a Democrat like Melancon might have. And don't forget telecommunications "reform".
It's an absurd overstatement to say that, since they're both corrupt, the only reason to vote for "Princess Bold" is to save us the embarrassment of re-electing Jefferson. Let's not forget what Jefferson is accused of: solicitation of bribes. That's a euphemism for shaking people down-- in this case demanding not just money, but an actual piece of some businesses. That's a lot worse than standard, run-of-the-mill, venial venality. Knowing cynicism is no reason to excuse the inexcusable.
Finally, don't forget that what's at stake is more than mere embarrassment. If congress doesn't forgive the city's emergency loans, the city will be broke for years to come. The Democratic victory in the recent elections makes forgiveness of those loans much more likely, but it's by no means a done deal. Nagin has already given Foghorn Republicans all the material they need to grandstand when the issue comes up. We can probably expect both Democrats and Republicans to question some of Nagin's statements like "FEMA will pay for it" (about the expensive car removal contract earlier this year) or that federal loans would cover part of the cost of the new sanitation contracts. Those would be entirely reasonable issues to raise. Re-electing Jefferson will only add to those difficulties.
Also among the Republican fellow-travelers were William Jefferson (LA), who is not a member of the DLC or Blue Dogs, but often votes like it
It also pointed out that Jefferson always had a safe seat, so he didn't have the excuse for questionable votes that a Democrat like Melancon might have. And don't forget telecommunications "reform".
It's an absurd overstatement to say that, since they're both corrupt, the only reason to vote for "Princess Bold" is to save us the embarrassment of re-electing Jefferson. Let's not forget what Jefferson is accused of: solicitation of bribes. That's a euphemism for shaking people down-- in this case demanding not just money, but an actual piece of some businesses. That's a lot worse than standard, run-of-the-mill, venial venality. Knowing cynicism is no reason to excuse the inexcusable.
Finally, don't forget that what's at stake is more than mere embarrassment. If congress doesn't forgive the city's emergency loans, the city will be broke for years to come. The Democratic victory in the recent elections makes forgiveness of those loans much more likely, but it's by no means a done deal. Nagin has already given Foghorn Republicans all the material they need to grandstand when the issue comes up. We can probably expect both Democrats and Republicans to question some of Nagin's statements like "FEMA will pay for it" (about the expensive car removal contract earlier this year) or that federal loans would cover part of the cost of the new sanitation contracts. Those would be entirely reasonable issues to raise. Re-electing Jefferson will only add to those difficulties.
