Melanie Sloan was just on Al Franken's show.

[AX10]

She said that the Democrats "dropped the ball" on corruption reform and now the GOP might have an edge. Is any of this true? If so, what parts?

Thank you.

edited at 2:33 pm

[hlthe2b]

1. that was not Rachel but rather Melanie Sloane

She's an attorney who runs an independent center on ethics.

[seabeyond]

2. i knew dem was going to diss dem and i didnt even make it into

thread yet. never disappointed. we just do it so consistantly

[AX10]

3. I did not "dis" the Dems. I asked a question.

:eyes:

[seabeyond]

6. look at you, i didnt even look that far to your reply. dem dropped

the ball. i am talking whoever this person on franken show (a liberal radio) saying dem dropping the ball. well, how about all the fuckin balls repugs are dropping, throwing and punting. why even bring up the dems. go after the f*IN REPUGS..... more threads are gewtting the dems on this site than repug

[Dawgs]

5. Agree...

Instead of figuring out how Dems can take back control, we make comments like 'we should just give up'. I'm really tired of it.

[Mabus]

4. she's from CREW -Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

You should check with their website: http://www.citizensforethics.org/index.php

on edit: Her segment with Franken will be posted on the CREW website (look at the bottom). You can listen to it again and if you have questions don't hesitate to call them.

Citizens for Responsibility and
Ethics in Washington
11 DuPont Circle, N.W., 2nd Floor
Washington, D.C. 20036

202-588-5565 phone
202-588-5020 fax

[gratuitous]

7. Did she have an explanation or an alternative?

I mean, the last time I checked, it was the GOP that was in charge in the House. And the Senate. And the Executive. And the Judiciary. Certainly the Democrats should field their own reform proposals, and they did just that. Of course, the Republicans hustled out their own half-assed version the day before the Democratic announcement. Is that what she was referring to? I guess if something is worth doing, it's worth doing badly, which seems to be the guiding principle for the GOP proposals.

Did she think the Democrats should have moved their announcement up a day to clash with the GOP grandstand play? Most of the sources I've seen that have analyzed the two proposals seem to agree that the GOP plan is unworkable, ineffectual, and was rushed out just to steal some of the Democrats' thunder. Is that what she meant by the GOP getting an edge on corruption reform?

Is she saying that the Democrats should have, what, proposed legislation? Is she aware that NOTHING gets in the hopper or on the House or Senate floor without passing by the GOP gatekeepers, who block every Democratic initiative? Was she arguing for a suspension of the rules? Armed insurrection? How, exactly, did she recommend that the Democrats take the lead on corruption reform?

I'd really have to know a great deal more about Sloan and her comments before I could effectively demolish her contention that the GOP might have the edge on reforming their own culture of corruption.

[NYCGirl]

8. Listened to the segment again, thanks to Mabus' post above, and the OP

seems to have misunderstood. Ms. Sloan was discussing how ethically challenged Roy Blunt (the man who hopes to take over the leadership from DeLay) is, and how no one is filing a complaint with the Ethics Committee. She urged all of us to contact our congresspeople and suggest they look into this.

[gratuitous]

9. That sounds a great deal more reasonable

Roy Blunt has several skeletons just waiting to come rattling out of his political closet. I think there may actually be a strategy in the works on the Democratic side of the aisle. Blunt hasn't been confirmed yet as the new Majority Leader in the House. It might be a far more effective political move to wait for him to be installed, and THEN open the closet door and let the bones come clattering out on the floor.