About That Culture Of Corruption Thingee
Remember when the Democrats were touting that as the strategy that would propel them to victory in November? I said at the time that they were playing with a dangerous double-edged sword. Told ya so.
Cantwell, a Democrat who is in a tight re-election race, has reported for years that former campaign manager Ron Dotzauer owes her between $15,000 and $50,000 for a personal loan predating her first Senate election in 2000. Dotzauer now runs a lobbying firm.
The loan was still listed as outstanding on the financial disclosure report Cantwell filed in May. The senator's office said Dotzauer continues to advise informally Cantwell's campaign as an unpaid adviser.
Since last fall, Cantwell has helped persuade Senate appropriators to set aside $9.6 million — known as "earmarks" in congressional parlance — for a dam project benefiting two clients of Dotzauer's firm and $2 million more for the biotechnology company Inologic also represented by his firm.
Cantwell's spokesman said Thursday the senator's efforts to secure the money had nothing to do with Dotzauer or his personal loan, and were driven by the fact that the projects benefited her home state.
"She believes a senator from Washington state should fight for the people and companies of the state when it comes to matters before the federal government. That's part of her job," spokesman Michael Meehan said.
Senate ethics rules require lawmakers to avoid even the appearance of a conflict of interest in taking official acts that benefit people with whom the senators have a personal financial interest.
Ethics experts said Cantwell's case illustrates the difficulties lawmakers can get themselves into when they have personal dealings with a lobbyist who has client business before their offices. They said she should have avoided helping the clients or made sure the loan was repaid before she helped.
"It is clear that this financial relationship web between the senator and the lobbyist creates a huge conflict of interest," said Ellen Miller, head of the nonpartisan Sunlight Foundation, which is working to highlight how lawmakers use earmarks to reward special interests.
"At the end of the day, there is a private lobbyist who is making a lot of money off her public actions. And it certainly appears, with the loan, to give her a stake in his financial success," she said.
Whoops. The appearance of impropriety is rather obvious here. That's why I said this was a bad idea right from the start. Then again, I've noticed the Dems really toned down that issue lately.
By Dan, Friday, 8 September , 2006 @ 9:59 am
Wow. You should be a political strategist. You fool. Employing a strategy where the “culture of corruption” is attacked means cleaning out your own trash as well. Gingrich did it in 1994. Of course Democratic powerhouses were his main target, but you don’t think the “Revolution” took out some Republicans as well?
Let’s see…DeLay gone…so is Cantwell…Cantwho?!?
Exactly.
Read a book.
By Gaius, Friday, 8 September , 2006 @ 10:21 am
Hey Dan, I let this in only because you’ve been commenting here a long time. No more ad hominem attacks or you’re not going to be commenting here again.