The Candidates We Deserve?
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Gary [email protected]
Seems to me that the political process in this country is broken. It only attracts byproducts of itself as candidates.
The concept of a citizen legislature is out the window. Pity, really, because that's precisely what the founders of this great nation intended.[[In-content Ad]]People in politics were supposed to be, well, us. They were supposed to go to Washington and serve a limited amount of time. They were supposed to do the bidding of the people they represented.
What a joke that has become. Politicians do the bidding of the biggest campaign contributor or 527 corporation. Politicians are influenced mainly by big corporate donors.
And, of course, the laws they pass mainly benefit the biggest donors. It's all about money and staying in power. Politics has little to do with the good of the people.
All of this leads us to the current crop of potential political candidates. Now remember, these are all candidates for president of the United States of America.
These are the best and brightest - apparently - we have to offer.
So, let's take a little quiz.
I will list, in no particular order, "attributes" of the candidates.
See if you can guess which "attributes" go with which candidate.
In the interest of keeping this brief, I will only include the "frontrunners." You know, the only ones the media tells us have a chance of winning.
∂ In addition to a long and sordid ethics record, this candidate filed false financial disclosure forms at least twice. The candidate's top campaign contributor was exposed as a felon and a fugitive from justice. He pleaded guilt to one count of grand theft for defrauding investors as part of a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme. The candidate also blocked release of documents that likely would have contained information linking the candidate to a number of serious Washington scandals. This candidate is listed No. 1 on the "List of Washington's 10 Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians for 2007" by Judicial Watch, a public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption.
∑ While in a former political office, this candidate accepted a $1,000 pair of cufflinks from a supporter, tens of thousands of dollars in clothing from a wealthy businessman and thousands in gift certificates and cash from staff and appointees. He got a $3,695 pair of cowboy boots and a $500 belt. One supporter gave him more than $20,000 in clothing and blew $7,500 on a party for his staff. This candidate's career has also been colored by 14 ethics complaints and a lot of questions about his integrity, ranging from his management of campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his destruction of computer files on his way out of office. This candidate is Judicial Watch's No. 6 Most Wanted.
∏ This candidate, after inking a book deal, bought a $1.65 million mansion $300,000 below asking price. Interestingly, he bought it the same day the wife of his governor's top fund-raiser bought an adjacent vacant lot for the $625,000 asking price. The fund-raiser guy was indicted in an alleged kickback scheme involving giving government jobs and contracts to the governor's top contributor. The fund-raiser guy and his wife live miles away in their own mansion. The candidate pays to keep the vacant lot next door nicely mowed. The candidate purchased $50,000 worth of stock in speculative companies whose major investors were his biggest campaign contributors. One of the companies benefited from legislation the candidate pushed just two weeks after the candidate purchased $5,000 of the company's shares. Judicial Watch lists this candidate at No. 8 Most Wanted.
π This candidate drew criticism after it was discovered in 2007 that his office billed obscure agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses amassed during the time when he was beginning an extramarital relationship with a future spouse. He provided her with a vehicle and driver at taxpayer expense. A business partner and former appointee of his faces federal indictment on corruption charges. The appointee pleaded guilty to accepting a $165,000 bribe. This candidate made No. 5 on the Judicial Watch Most Wanted list.
∫ This candidate, who has made alleviating poverty one of the central themes of his candidacy, recently built a 28,000-square-foot house for $5.3 million. The complex of several buildings on 102 acres reportedly includes an indoor basketball court, an indoor pool and a handball court. One of the most wealthy trial lawyers in the country, the candidate made his fortune largely by convincing juries that botched treatment of women by obstetricians during delivery caused their children to develop cerebral palsy, a disabling brain disorder. The cause of the disorder has been debated since the 1800s. Two studies in 2003 undermined the scientific premise of the court cases that helped the candidate become a multi-millionaire. More and more, researchers believe, the most likely cause of cerebral palsy is genetic. The candidate also postured himself strongly against 527 corporations - political entities that allow anonymous donors to spend huge amounts of money to promote candidates outside campaign finance laws. Yet the candidate didn't bother to ask the head of a 527 to stop a $600,000 radio ad campaign and a $750,000 TV ad buy - all promoting this candidate - in Iowa. The candidate could easily have gotten in touch with the head of this 527. It's his former campaign manager.
This candidate isn't so much ethically challenged. He just tells dumb lies. Seems he will say anything to get elected regardless of the truth. Some examples? This candidate told supporters that he was "pretty much a hunter all his life." Of course, it didn't take Associated Press very long to figure out that the candidate had only been hunting a couple of times. In addition, all four states where the candidate resided had no record of him ever getting a hunting license. Must have been a lifetime, serial illegal hunter. The candidate also said he owned a gun, but doesn't, even though he was made a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. This candidate also said he saw his father march with civil rights leader Martin Luther King, although news reports of the day showed his father did not march with King. He was for abortion until he was against it. During a previous term in political office, the candidate was a moderate, leaning liberal on social issues. Now the candidate is a raging right-wing conservative.
The answers: 1 - Hillary Clinton. 2 - Mike Huckabee. 3 - Barack Obama. 4 - Rudy Giuliani. 5 - John Edwards. 6 - Mitt Romney.
Happy voting, everybody.
Seems to me that the political process in this country is broken. It only attracts byproducts of itself as candidates.
The concept of a citizen legislature is out the window. Pity, really, because that's precisely what the founders of this great nation intended.[[In-content Ad]]People in politics were supposed to be, well, us. They were supposed to go to Washington and serve a limited amount of time. They were supposed to do the bidding of the people they represented.
What a joke that has become. Politicians do the bidding of the biggest campaign contributor or 527 corporation. Politicians are influenced mainly by big corporate donors.
And, of course, the laws they pass mainly benefit the biggest donors. It's all about money and staying in power. Politics has little to do with the good of the people.
All of this leads us to the current crop of potential political candidates. Now remember, these are all candidates for president of the United States of America.
These are the best and brightest - apparently - we have to offer.
So, let's take a little quiz.
I will list, in no particular order, "attributes" of the candidates.
See if you can guess which "attributes" go with which candidate.
In the interest of keeping this brief, I will only include the "frontrunners." You know, the only ones the media tells us have a chance of winning.
∂ In addition to a long and sordid ethics record, this candidate filed false financial disclosure forms at least twice. The candidate's top campaign contributor was exposed as a felon and a fugitive from justice. He pleaded guilt to one count of grand theft for defrauding investors as part of a multi-million dollar Ponzi scheme. The candidate also blocked release of documents that likely would have contained information linking the candidate to a number of serious Washington scandals. This candidate is listed No. 1 on the "List of Washington's 10 Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians for 2007" by Judicial Watch, a public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption.
∑ While in a former political office, this candidate accepted a $1,000 pair of cufflinks from a supporter, tens of thousands of dollars in clothing from a wealthy businessman and thousands in gift certificates and cash from staff and appointees. He got a $3,695 pair of cowboy boots and a $500 belt. One supporter gave him more than $20,000 in clothing and blew $7,500 on a party for his staff. This candidate's career has also been colored by 14 ethics complaints and a lot of questions about his integrity, ranging from his management of campaign cash to his use of a nonprofit organization to subsidize his income to his destruction of computer files on his way out of office. This candidate is Judicial Watch's No. 6 Most Wanted.
∏ This candidate, after inking a book deal, bought a $1.65 million mansion $300,000 below asking price. Interestingly, he bought it the same day the wife of his governor's top fund-raiser bought an adjacent vacant lot for the $625,000 asking price. The fund-raiser guy was indicted in an alleged kickback scheme involving giving government jobs and contracts to the governor's top contributor. The fund-raiser guy and his wife live miles away in their own mansion. The candidate pays to keep the vacant lot next door nicely mowed. The candidate purchased $50,000 worth of stock in speculative companies whose major investors were his biggest campaign contributors. One of the companies benefited from legislation the candidate pushed just two weeks after the candidate purchased $5,000 of the company's shares. Judicial Watch lists this candidate at No. 8 Most Wanted.
π This candidate drew criticism after it was discovered in 2007 that his office billed obscure agencies for tens of thousands of dollars in security expenses amassed during the time when he was beginning an extramarital relationship with a future spouse. He provided her with a vehicle and driver at taxpayer expense. A business partner and former appointee of his faces federal indictment on corruption charges. The appointee pleaded guilty to accepting a $165,000 bribe. This candidate made No. 5 on the Judicial Watch Most Wanted list.
∫ This candidate, who has made alleviating poverty one of the central themes of his candidacy, recently built a 28,000-square-foot house for $5.3 million. The complex of several buildings on 102 acres reportedly includes an indoor basketball court, an indoor pool and a handball court. One of the most wealthy trial lawyers in the country, the candidate made his fortune largely by convincing juries that botched treatment of women by obstetricians during delivery caused their children to develop cerebral palsy, a disabling brain disorder. The cause of the disorder has been debated since the 1800s. Two studies in 2003 undermined the scientific premise of the court cases that helped the candidate become a multi-millionaire. More and more, researchers believe, the most likely cause of cerebral palsy is genetic. The candidate also postured himself strongly against 527 corporations - political entities that allow anonymous donors to spend huge amounts of money to promote candidates outside campaign finance laws. Yet the candidate didn't bother to ask the head of a 527 to stop a $600,000 radio ad campaign and a $750,000 TV ad buy - all promoting this candidate - in Iowa. The candidate could easily have gotten in touch with the head of this 527. It's his former campaign manager.
This candidate isn't so much ethically challenged. He just tells dumb lies. Seems he will say anything to get elected regardless of the truth. Some examples? This candidate told supporters that he was "pretty much a hunter all his life." Of course, it didn't take Associated Press very long to figure out that the candidate had only been hunting a couple of times. In addition, all four states where the candidate resided had no record of him ever getting a hunting license. Must have been a lifetime, serial illegal hunter. The candidate also said he owned a gun, but doesn't, even though he was made a lifetime member of the National Rifle Association. This candidate also said he saw his father march with civil rights leader Martin Luther King, although news reports of the day showed his father did not march with King. He was for abortion until he was against it. During a previous term in political office, the candidate was a moderate, leaning liberal on social issues. Now the candidate is a raging right-wing conservative.
The answers: 1 - Hillary Clinton. 2 - Mike Huckabee. 3 - Barack Obama. 4 - Rudy Giuliani. 5 - John Edwards. 6 - Mitt Romney.
Happy voting, everybody.
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