http://www.conyersblog.us/archives/00000353.htmSunday, January 15th, 2006
Buying Time, Part I
Today's Republican party is gifted, you have to admit. In the face of insurmountable odds, with the help of a pliant press corps, they have mastered the art of buying time. Over the next few days, I'll give you a few examples (also come up with your own, if you are so inclined):
First, there is the Abramoff scandal. And we all know, by now, what it is all about -- a deliberately engineered culture of corruption. It is about a "K Street Project," where corporate America was extorted into hiring former GOP Members of Congress and former top aides to Republican leaders. Once there, these individuals bilked their clients for exorbitant fees which, in turn, were contributed to the Republican party establishment (some are now alleging this included explicit quid pro quos) in the form of campaign contributions and lavish trips and meals. At its core, as indicated in the Abramoff plea deal, it is a bribery scandal.
The Republican response? Pretend this is about something else.
Initially, Republican members were asked whether they would return contributions from Jack Abramoff. Their response: to point the finger at Democrats and say that they too received contributions from Jack Abramoff or his clients. This obviously dishonest phrasing is nonetheless suited to cable news and Sunday talk shows where there is little opportunity for rebuttal or critical questioning. As every reader of this blog is no doubt aware, Jack Abramoff did not give a single dime to any Democratic Member of Congress. Nor did he direct a single dime from his clients to any Democrat. Period.
But these guys know the media is a sucker for this narrative. (I am not talking about the overtly right wing media, which will put whatever trash is necessary for Republican survival on paper). It is a story they like to write and editorialize about: the corruption of big money on politics. This narrative makes it a bipartisan scandal by positing that the whole "system," not one political party, is corrupt.
The Republicans are aided by good government advocates, longtime allies of mine, who see an opportunity to advance a campaign finance reform agenda. While I have long agreed with the view that there is too much money in politics and have been a leader on campaign finance reform issues, this scandal has nothing to do with that.
The facts show this not about the stunning inadequacy of existing campaign finance laws, it is about behavior that is already illegal. Prosecutors were not lacking in legal violations when it came to Jack Abramoff. This is not a bipartisan scandal, it is a Republican one, involving violations of criminal laws on the books.
I submit to you that Republicans know this is the truth. They also know that prosecutions, if any, will focus on Republicans, not Democrats. But this is not about the truth, it is about buying time before public opinion can solidify against a Republican Congress, they have to say something, ANYTHING. In so doing they hope a counter narrative will take hold.
In the meantime, a second response is being formulated and that involves reforms of the existing House ethics rules and laws. Trips paid for by lobbyists will be banned, as will meals (but look out for the loopholes). I may favor all of these things, but the true purpose is clear -- to imply that somehow the existing laws and rules are inadequate, that existing laws and rules do not prohibit bribery. That, of course, is false. But by then, they hope, the narrative fostered by the first response will have taken hold -- the false claim that this is a problem with the "system" -- and Republicans will try to posture themselves as the reformers of this broken "system." It's like a habitual drunk driver volunteering to be your designated driver.
More on this to come.
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