Nice Try
Posted by on February 9, 2006 at 05:38 PM
The GOP simply will not cease in their attempt to muddy the waters in the exclusively theirs Jack Abramoff scandal. Another Harry Reid hatchet job just sprung up on the AP Wire:
Reid's office acknowledged Thursday having "routine contacts" with Abramoff's lobbying partners and intervening on some government matters _ such as blocking some tribal casinos _ in ways Abramoff's clients might have deemed helpful. But it said none of his actions were affected by donations or done for Abramoff.
"All the actions that Senator Reid took were consistent with his long-held beliefs, such as not letting tribal casinos expand beyond reservations, and were taken to defend the interests of Nevada constituents," spokesman Jim Manley said.
You don't say. You mean a Senator from Nevada, that represents Las Vegas, has an interest in protecting the expansion of off-resernvation casinos? Stop the presses!
And this is the most ridiculous claim of the entire piece -- and also the heart of the text:
The Marianas, U.S. territorial islands in the Pacific Ocean, were one of Abramoff's highest-paying clients and were trying to keep their textile industry exempt from most U.S. laws on immigration, labor and pay, including the minimum wage. Many Democrats have long accused the islands of running garment sweatshops.
The islands in 2001 had their own minimum wage of $3.05 an hour, and were exempt from the U.S. minimum of $5.15.
Republicans were intent on protecting the Marianas' exemption. Democrats, led by Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts and Rep. George Miller of California, wanted the Marianas to be covered by the U.S. minimum and crafted a compromise.
In February 2001, Kennedy introduced a bill that would have raised the U.S. hourly minimum to $6.65 and would have covered the Marianas. The legislation, which eventually failed, would have given the islands an initial break by setting its minimum at just $3.55 _ nearly $3 lower than any other territory or state _ and then gradually increasing it.
Within a month, Platt began billing for routine contacts and meetings with Reid's staff, starting with a March 26, 2001, contact with Reid chief of staff Susan McCue to "discuss timing and status of minimum wage legislation," the billing records say.
In all, Platt and a fellow lobbyist reported 21 contacts in 2001 with Reid's office, mostly with McCue and Ryan.
Ohh... Sounds damning, doesn't it? One small problem:
1.) Senator Reid was a co-sponsor of Senator Kennedy's legislation and actually spoke on the Senator floor urging its passage [C.R. 5/6/02].
Bottom line: Despite the best of attempts of a desperate Republican Party, Jack Abramoff is not a bipartisan scandal -- it is a wholly owned problem of the Republican Party. What is particularly troubling is that Democrats have had to beat back an attempt to portray it as a bipartisan problem from day one in the traditional media. It wasn't very long ago that reporters continuously repeated that Jack Abramoff had contributed to Democrats as well as Republicans... fact was, he had never given a penny to a Democrat. And now this -- it's the very definition of attempting to muddy the waters.
Comments (18) «
OK Tim, I'll give Sen. Reid the benefit of the doubt. Thank you for clarifying the situation because we all know that the Republicans will run this dog to death. However, I trust everyone at the DNC and the DLC to keep a close eye on this.
There are five hundred and fifty Indian Tribes in the United States and Jack Abramoff only did business with ten of them, none of which were any of the 20 in Harry Reid's state of Navada. Not only did Jack Abramoff NOT give any money to Democrats, nor direct any of "his clients" to give money to Democrats, he told the tribes he did business with to QUIT give money to Democrats, most of whom did as they were told. Republicans are liars. They never tell the truth.
Don't look now, but guess who the Republicans put on the subcommittee that is supposed to look into the Abramoff scandal...yup! good ol' Tommy Delay. Who wouldda thought!?
Well, guess who the Republicans put on the subcommittee that is looking into the Abramoff scandals? Yup! Good ol' Tommy DeLay. Damn, who wouldda thought!?
I really wonder how the Republicans can do this and then look themselves in a mirror without shuddering in shame!
Still Reed should resign his position and be a role model.
You can't blame the republicans with skeletons in our closets.
The only "skeletons in our closets" are lies that the lying dirtbag Republicans put there.
The Resident met with Abramoff almost a dozen times. The Resident should resign.
Abramoff says he met Bush "almost a dozen" times
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Jack Abramoff said in correspondence made public on Thursday that President Bush met him "almost a dozen" times, disputing White House claims Bush did not know the former lobbyist at the center of a corruption scandal.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060209/pl_nm/crime_abramoff_dc
They keep trying with that lie and everytime,their claim is rebutted.Aren't these folks Christian? I thought the Bible talked about bearing false witness agaist thy neighbor? I think it says NOT to do that? Oh well,it's an election year.Time to put the Lord back on the shelf.Ha Ha Ha !
This could be very major. A reporter or somebody with the DNC needs to check this out.
Mystery firm linked to US lobbyist scandal
There is no open thread and I don't get the time to read everything, but did you guys hear that Social Security private accounts have been slipped into the new budget proposal now before Congress? NPR has an audio, and here is a Washington Post link: Bush's Social Security Sleight of Hand</A?
as long as the republicans have all the power dems may as well be shouting in the wilderness we have got to come up with a better way to inform the masses
a lot of people are ignorant about a lot of facts and dems need to find a better way to get our message out in a clear and simple way, maybe fliers that are easy and simple to follow
we need to keep hammering on the domestic spying issue
Senator Reid should speak up for himself.
That he and his clients gave more in donations to Republicans is irrelevant, hell, the Republicans are in power, if I am a lobbyist, I'm going to donate money where it might actually accomplish something.
Irrelevant? IRRELEVANT? You call robbery and fraud irrelevant? Taking money from one tribe by promising them you'll help them get a casino opened, then taking money from a neigboring tribe by promising them to keep the first tribes casino shut down, then calling them both "monkeys, troglodites, and morons," and telling everyone you know that you want "to steal ALL their money", boy, you got a sick sense of irrelevantcy.
Let us come together and get rid of the first axis of evil, GW Bush and his cronies. They give to the rich until it hurts the poor. They bribe, steal elections, embezzle from no bid contracts,human trafficker, pornography seller,take money for Border hoppers, organized crime,hate and destroy careers, drug smuggling ,blackmail lobbyist,and many more evil actions.
Let us come together and get rid of the first axis of evil, GW Bush and his cronies. Posted by freeforall
The Rumsfailed, Cheney, Bush Jr axis of evil. Hear no evil, see no evil, and evil.
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