From
blog.bruderly06.com
I was reading a new Gallup poll article today. It made me really unhappy, for a number of reasons. It was about how the public felt about the culture of corruption on Capitol Hill, particularly the latest story, that Jack Abramoff could be turning over on nearly 20 Representatives.
First, let's get one thing straight. Jack Abramoff did not donate to Democrats. Not at all. Here is proof: Proof 1 Proof 2
Open Secrets is not a partisan site. You can look up anyone on there, so see, not partisan. Abramoff just DIDN'T give to Democrats.
Second, President Bush is giving $6,000 that was raised for him, by Abramoff, to charity. Unfortunately, Abramoff
bragged consistently about raising 20 times that amount.
Anyhow... to the article in question, the Gallup poll article...
49 percent of those polled believe that Congresspeople are, unilaterally, corrupt. 44 percent believe at least "many" Democrats are corrupt, 47 percent believe "many" Republicans are.
This is what makes me unhappy. It's not even the fact that the Republicans are soooo far ahead on the "guys who are getting indicted" scoreboard.
It's that the American people have somehow managed to completely lose faith in those who they elect. Why do they keep voting for them, if they believe they are corrupt?
That is the bad news, the American people vote for those who they believe are corrupt. Nice. People say I'm cynical, but 40+ percent of the public doesn't think that NOT VOTING for corruption would help. That is cynical.
OK, but here is the good news. Jack Abramoff pled guilty. Duke Cunningham is probably going to jail. Tom Delay is under indictment. Scooter Libby is under indictment.
We are catching the people who do this. We are catching, we are trying, and we are punishing the people who use their positions as public servants to attack the Constitution they have sworn to protect and defend.
Our system is doing it's job, and how great is that?
I just finished reading the late Tip O'Neill's book. It was amazing to compare today's wedge-building and fearmongering to the cooperation between Republicans and Democrats of yesteryear. In the book, the Tipper said something that made me think of our problems today.
He said that he thought most of the elected officials in Washington were there to do a good job, and were, by and large, clean, upstanding individuals. He said that the Congress was so large and it's interests so diverse, that bribing one or two Representatives or Senators would basically be a waste of money. The Congress guides and checks itself, ensuring that the Real People are still represented by the moderates (Remember the Gang of 14 in the "nuclear option" debate?).
He gave me a lot of hope, and, as he discussed Koreagate, the Iran-Contra scandal, Watergate and ABSCAM (just google them, I'm not going to explain.), he made me realize something that makes me a little less nervous about the culture of corruption that seems to be popping up all over neo-con Washington.
We're catching them.
We're stopping them.
We're putting them in jail or kicking them out of office.
We're going to take back our government from those who abuse it.
Because it's ours.
-PK