We heard it during the confirmation hearings for Sec. Treasury Tim "TurboTax" Geithner. He was ignorant and couldn't be blamed for tax evasion because TurboTax (aka IRS for Dummies) was too complicated. We heard it a couple of weeks ago when ethics charges popped up against pre-historic Rep. Charlie Rangel. He can't be blamed because he didn't know what was moral, ethical and legal. The cliche has always been that "ignorance of the law is no excuse."
Now we've got it in my backyard where Dem. Congress-critter Eddie Bernice Johnson is under the gun for doling out Congressional Black Caucus scholarships to friends and family as though they were M&Ms at the circus.
There Were No Qualified Applicants
Have I got that story right? She's a multi-term congress-person elected from a predominantly black district in Dallas. She is a member of the CBC and they've got a scholarship program set up to assist constituents. The Hon. Ms Johnson didn't know that giving multiple scholarships per year to her grand-children was nepotism? She didn't know that the focus of the program should be the under-privileged in her district rather than her own family? She didn't know that ethically she should be at arm's length from the awards process? She didn't know if there were any more qualified applicants than her own kin?
I don't know either. I don't know if we can be served by legislators who are so incredibly ignorant and devoid of scruples.
Do you think she will be re-elected? Charlie Rangel? Yeah, me too...
7 comments:
"Do you think she will be re-elected? Charlie Rangel?"
Why not, AZ just sent John "Keating" McCain and NV may very well send Harry Reid back for some more time at the trough.
Why not Eddy and Charlie? After all The Man has been holding them down for years...
The Keating charges were largely dismissed and a very long time ago. AZ did not "send" McCain anywhere. The Republican party nominated him and that was largely because the opponent brought very little to the table other than a radio-show and a smear campaign. I was disappointed in J.D.s effort.
You've demonstrated a stereotypical argument of the left--you divert with an unrelated issue, you draw upon innuendo and incomplete recollection of the connection, you reflect a knee-jerk aversion without much support, you fail to distinguish between primary elections and a general election choice to return individuals whose defense is their ignorance. You finish with a soupcon of racism which is inappropriate for your position.
You can disagree with McCain about many things regarding his policy proposals, but he has never used the ignorance defense and has always been willing to defend his positions.
John McCain was also willing to fight for his country as was Rangel. You may not like either one of them but if the voters in their district and state want to send them to Washington that's their privilege.
Ed,
You do not recognize tongue in cheek?
The electorate routinely sends unqualified, ignorant thieves to Washington. You said that McCain has never used the "ignorance defense". That is not exactly true as I remember a lot of "I don't recollect/remember" comments from him during the Keating investigation.
Yes, I do recognize the difference between a primary and general election. But, judging from history, I see no reason to believe that the good people of AZ will not send McCain back to DC. Wanna bet a beer on the general election outcome?
The operative word is "largely" dismissed. He is a thief and a liar who facilitated the bilking by Keating of a lot of people.
Trying to fit a reasoned argument in this little box is a bit difficult, so sometimes one must use shorthand phrases. Sorry I was not explicit enough.
Racist? Rhonda? C'mon....
Since Rangel and Eddie play that card all the time, I could not help but have a little fun with it. You be da guy who don't mind using a little street smack talk from tahme to tahme (sic) and I thought you might enjoy it.
But thanks for the lecture.
Bongobear,
Adolph Hitler fought for his country, too. So did I. So what?
McCain is a loose cannon who has done much to harm the very Constitution he fought for.
While it is the privilege of the AZ electorate to return him to DC, their recurrent stupidity hurts the country and they should be ashamed of themselves, as should the people of Massachusetts.
A pox on him, Rangel and Johnson, too.
An educated-guess; a prediction:
Unless Charley Rangel gets convicted of a felony, he will be re-elected.
He may have the same sort of ethics as Blago, but as lefty democrats go, he's one of the more level-headed congressmen of that ilk.
Even I have to like the guy: he was the only man in congress with the guts to call for full mobilization (including restarting the draft) after 09/11.
And George Washington fought for his country, jjet. The point is these men put their lives on the line for this country and that gives them the right to run for elective office and the voters have a right to vote for them.
The ignorant elect the ignorant to lead them. Somewhere along the line, the American people forgot we are supposed to expect MORE from our leaders and hold them to a HIGHER standard...now we expect them to be scum and re-elect scum. The American People deserve what they get. The original intent was that Educated land owners would be doing the voting, not those on the public dole.
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