WP: In Ga., Abramoff Scandal Threatens a Political Ascendancy

[Pirate Smile]

In Ga., Abramoff Scandal Threatens a Political Ascendancy

By Thomas B. Edsall
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, January 16, 2006; Page A01

DAWSONVILLE, Ga. -- Ralph Reed, candidate for lieutenant governor, had just finished his opening statement to the Dawson County Republican Party when retired pulp paper executive Gary Pichon sprang from his seat with a question that cut to the chase:
"Did you accept any gifts, commissions or other payments of any kind from Mr. Abramoff, and are you likely to be a party in the unfolding investigation?"

-snip-
At age 44, he still has the choirboy looks that have been noted in dozens of profiles over the past 20 years. But the first major dent in Reed's carefully cultivated image came with the disclosure in the summer of 2004 that his public relations and lobbying companies had received at least $4.2 million from Abramoff to mobilize Christian voters to fight Indian casinos competing with Abramoff's casino clients.

-snip-
In 2004, when the casino payments to Reed were disclosed, Reed issued a statement declaring "no direct knowledge of their clients or interests." In 2005, however, Senate investigators released a 1999 e-mail from Abramoff to Reed explicitly citing the client: "It would be really helpful if you could get me invoices as soon as possible so I can get Choctaw to get us checks ASAP."

One of the most damaging e-mails was sent by Abramoff to partner Michael Scanlon, complaining about Reed's billing practices and expenditure claims: "He is a bad version of us! No more money for him." Scanlon and Abramoff have pleaded guilty to defrauding clients.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/15/AR2006011500915.html

[coldiggs]

1. LOL what a tool.

[NoodleyAppendage]

2. Ralph Reed - Poster Boy for Hypocritical WASP Xtians & Closet Crooks

If Reed goes down, I just maybe will start to believe in a higher power. I've hated the guts of this asshole since the Bush 41 years, and I knew instinctively that he was a scumbag from day one.

JB

[vickie]

4. Reed is a sanctimonious, hypocritical scumbag - I don't see how

anyone with half a brain could see him as anything else...

[Pirate Smile]

3. Oh, good! They include this oldie but goodie.

"After Reed first entered national politics as executive director of the Christian Coalition, he described to the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot his tactics in mobilizing Christian conservatives to sway elections: "I want to be invisible. I do guerrilla warfare. I paint my face and travel at night. You don't know it's over until you're in a body bag. You don't know until election night."


Such a friggin piece of slim.

[Catrina]

10. Don't you love how cowardly chickenhawks talk tough, but never put

their own precious bodies in harm's way. He really thinks he's a tough guy, using military language. What is it with them? They are so fascinated with the military and with war, yet not one of them has joined up.

They are the scum of the earth and it's mind-boggling that they ever got the power and the money they have.

He doesn't even have the decency to go away and hide his hideous, odious face, knowing that we now know for sure what a slimebag he is. They have no shame. They are all psychopaths with no ability to tell the difference between right and wrong.

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. I think Reed is one of the few

who actually was in the military. Either way he's a weird dude.

[Carni]

24. Yes and yet a 12 year old girl could probably kick his ass

The man is a wimpy, pantywaisted looking guy--pale, skinny, short--he looks like a good scream would send him running under his bed to hide.

What sorts of morons admire these people?

[Joanne98]

5. Reed was in charge of Georgia in 2002! The first Diebold steal

Bob Ney blocked HR2239 in committee. The paper trail bill. They flew with Abramoff to Scotland in a private plane. Diebold machines, slot machines. I wonder what they talked about?

[ovidsen]

6. Reed is toast

There's lots of voters in Georgia who dislike liberals...

but they HATE hypocrites.

[Lochloosa]

7. This quote WILL bite him in the ass

"No," he replied. "No to all these."

[Liberal Veteran]

8. For some reason, Reed has always set off my gaydar

Go figure.

[mcctatas]

11. Agreed...

my gay friends all tell me it's insulting when i mention it about Reed (or lindsey grahm or rick santorum), but I like to think if they could get past the self-loathing they would be mush nicer people...or maybe not.

[hippiechick]

23. Yep ...

:hi:

[ShockediSay]

9. I like those kind of questions.

We need more of them!

[f-bush]

12. Fuck "Mr. Christian"

I hope they nail his as to the wall!

[dogfacedboy]

14. Reed is a piece of crap.

All of his kind are going to get so fed up with me this year. My hobby for 2006 is going to be using any means necessary, just short of committing a felony, in order to destroy the political and personal lives of these hypocrites.

[dryan]

15. I guess Reed...

miseed Sunday School when they discussed the passage about "serving two masters".

[OKNancy]

16. kick

[Judi Lynn]

17. Ties to Abramoff shadow Reed's run in Georgia

Posted 1/17/2006 10:46 PM Updated 1/17/2006 11:01 PM

Ties to Abramoff shadow Reed's run in Georgia
By Jill Lawrence, USA TODAY
DANIELSVILLE, Ga. — Races for lieutenant governor aren't usually the stuff of high drama. But they don't usually feature an ambitious Republican strategist with links to both the White House and a national corruption scandal.

Ralph Reed, a former Christian Coalition leader and high-ranking Bush 2004 campaign official, mobilized Christian conservatives into a grass-roots army for Republicans in the 1990s and has helped crush Democrats in contests from president on down.

The mix of religion and hardball turned him into a lighting rod years ago. Now his longtime ties to fallen Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff are giving new fuel to his opponents and turning the race into a closely watched test of the Abramoff effect on the 2006 elections.
(snip)

"Reed is a polarizing figure" to begin with, says Trey Hood, a political scientist at the University of Georgia. Now, he says, "who knows what Abramoff's going to say?"
(snip/...)

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-01-17-ralph-reed_x.htm



Ralph Reed

[leftchick]

18. and hopefully he and his buddy grover

will end up in jail.

[Tesla]

19. Ralph and Grover

a couple of hot studs!!!:sarcasm:

[Judi Lynn]

20. I can't find a photo of the two of them I had. It has disappeared

from google images. I wonder what that's about.

What a nasty team. Yuck.

[leftchick]

22. cleansing the internets of the criminal photos

what a surprise. :eyes:

I just found this lovely photo of grover... :puke:

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. Well, if he gets in it will because of the votes from the people his

buddy Abramoff calls wackos, and I guess they really are wackos if they vote for him knowing that Reed didn't show any signs of defending them.