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Sunday, July 29, 2007

Ohio's John Boehner: DCCC Says GOP House Leader Is Quiet Now Over Republican Boodling Report

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- House Democrats have accused Rep. John Boehner -- the GOP Minority Leader from Butler County -- of a double standard when it comes to Republican members of Congress who are under a corruption cloud. Boehner wanted Louisiana Democrat U.S. Rep. William Jefferson booted off a committee, then expelled when he was targeted by the FBI. But Boehner hasn't said a word about Alaska's Don Young, a member of his party who may have taken gifts and bribes for political favors.

Jennifer Crider, communications director for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee took the shot at the Ohioan's purported hypocrisy:

"Apparently, Minority Leader John Boehner didn't mean it when he said that the 'clear likelihood of of serious transgressions will lead to suspension from important committees.' Don Young is being investigated for bribery -- one of the most 'serious transgressions' a Member of Congress faces -- but he still sits on the Committees overseeing the issues important to the company that allegedly bribed him. Clearly, Republicans haven't leared their lesson about holding their Members accountable for their wrong doing."

The DCCC's blast is HERE and followed news reports last week about Young's problems with an on-going corruptions investigation that has brushed up against several political figures in Alaska.

When Jefferson was in the headlines, Boehner was outspoken about ethics and cleaning the crooks out of Congress. Cynics and skeptics might suspect he only wants to clean out Democrats. Others say there is another double standard at work -- Jefferson is a black man, and the Republicans targeted him especially because of race.

3 comments:

  1. "Others say there is another double standard at work -- Jefferson is a black man, and the Republicans targeted him especially because of race."

    "Other say" is a journalist speak for "I think." Maybe people (including Boehner) were targeting Jefferson because the crook was caught with 90K of marked bribery money in his freezer. Boehner may be being partisan by not speaking out against Young, but being partisan is not being racist. Are you also calling all the people who defended Jefferson, while now assuming Young is guilty, racist?

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  2. Hi LargeBill --

    You asked if I think John Boehner is a racist. There is no doubt that, in my opinion, the attacks on William Jefferson smacked of being racist, not by Boeher alone but by a lot of people. For example, we hear much about the money that was found in his office, on ice.

    But Bob Ney had payoffs stored in his office, too. In the safe, not the fridge. They were from Abramoff's operation.

    Boehner wasn't too outspoken about Ney. Jefferson obviously presented a better target -- a Dem, somebody from New Orleans (a minority city), and a black guy.

    Now, Bill, I'm not the first or only person to notice. And I don't think Boehner is a racist per se. He unloaded his salvos at a target of opportunity who happened to be a black man. By the way, there is nothing the matter with raising cane about corruption. We need to hear more of that from Washington, from both parties. Neither the Dems or the Rs are clean as the driven snow. The verbal and oral bashing or Jefferson from the GOP seemed offensive to me -- particularly from Boehner, who was pretty much mum about his Ohio colleague -- and I felt race was a factor. Reasonable people can disagree, of course. (and I hope they do.)

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  3. LargeBill --

    I reread your question and missed one of your points. Yes, some of the people who defended William Jefferson were probably motivated to speak up for him because of his race.

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