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Third columnist caught with hand in the Bush till (drip, drip, drip . . .)
Salon ^ | 1/27

Posted on 01/27/2005 6:14:20 PM PST by ambrose

Third columnist caught with hand in the Bush till Michael McManus, conservative author of the syndicated column "Ethics & Religion," received $10,000 to promote a marriage initiative.

- - - - - - - - - - - - By Eric Boehlert

Jan. 27, 2005 | And three makes a trend.

One day after President Bush ordered his Cabinet secretaries to stop hiring commentators to help promote administration initiatives, and one day after the second high-profile conservative pundit was found to be on the federal payroll, a third embarrassing hire has emerged. Salon has confirmed that Michael McManus, a marriage advocate whose syndicated column, "Ethics & Religion," appears in 50 newspapers, was hired as a subcontractor by the Department of Health and Human Services to foster a Bush-approved marriage initiative. McManus championed the plan in his columns without disclosing to readers he was being paid to help it succeed.

(Excerpt) Read more at salon.com ...


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: marriage; michaelmcmanus
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1 posted on 01/27/2005 6:14:20 PM PST by ambrose
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To: All

ENOUGH!!!!

Enough of this drip drip drip. How many damn columnists were feeding off our tax dollars to spread RINO propaganda?

2 posted on 01/27/2005 6:15:20 PM PST by ambrose (.)
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To: ambrose

The Dems have decided that this will be the second term scandal dejour


3 posted on 01/27/2005 6:16:54 PM PST by zarf
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To: ambrose

Who cares!

Were they paid for by tax dollars? No one said so.
If no tax dollars were spent, then paying for things is how it works in a capitalist economy.
4 posted on 01/27/2005 6:18:59 PM PST by nanomid
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To: zarf

It IS a scandal. How can anyone say otherwise? PEOPLE MUST BE FIRED OVER THIS.


5 posted on 01/27/2005 6:19:29 PM PST by ambrose (.)
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To: nanomid
Were they paid for by tax dollars? No one said so.

Where do you think HHS money comes from? The tooth fairy?

6 posted on 01/27/2005 6:20:23 PM PST by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: ambrose
I agree - it is a scandal. Why did the columnists do it? Easy - money to push what they already believe in.

Why did the government do it? That's the question. Some real bonehead plays here.

7 posted on 01/27/2005 6:22:00 PM PST by Izzy Dunne (Hello, I'm a TAGLINE virus. Please help me spread by copying me into YOUR tag line.)
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To: ambrose

Probably did it because they couldn't get decent news coverage from the Libs.


8 posted on 01/27/2005 6:23:20 PM PST by Bosco (Remember how you felt on September 11?)
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To: Izzy Dunne

If someone doesn't lose their job over this, I am going to be quite annoyed.


9 posted on 01/27/2005 6:23:53 PM PST by ambrose (.)
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To: ambrose

So if the shoe was on the other foot, and it was a Democratic president paying columnists to push "gay marriage," that would be OK too.


10 posted on 01/27/2005 6:25:19 PM PST by valkyrieanne (card-carrying South Park Republican)
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To: ambrose
What about Walter Pincus? George Soros' buying of columnists? etc. etc.

The Democrats do it all the time, it's business as usual... Repubs do it, it is criminal...

11 posted on 01/27/2005 6:26:08 PM PST by ikka
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To: ambrose
It IS a scandal.

I really am a lot more upset about the vote fraud in Wash. & Wisc.

12 posted on 01/27/2005 6:26:41 PM PST by Tribune7
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To: nanomid
No, they weren't paid with tax dollars. They were paid with YOUR dollars. Yep, You've been buying propoganda to promote mushy ass government programs that are wholly outside the bounds of the constitution and conservative thouht.

Kinda sucks, huh.

Pray for peace and Pray for either the full on demise of the Republican party, or, at least, a full blown makeover.

13 posted on 01/27/2005 6:29:52 PM PST by FreeRadical (Please, God, make a few of us Conservatives. We could really use some help.)
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To: ambrose

Who is Michael McManus? Never heard of him.


14 posted on 01/27/2005 6:30:05 PM PST by Trippin
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To: Tribune7
YAWN!

Yeah, wake me when something really good happens (like Sandy Berger...wait, not that...like George Soros...wait, no one cared about that either...like Dan Rather...

15 posted on 01/27/2005 6:32:22 PM PST by Lurking2Long
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To: valkyrieanne
So if the shoe was on the other foot, and it was a Democratic president paying columnists to push "gay marriage," that would be OK too.

The way it seemed to mostly work was Big Media hiring pols who they knew supported "gay marriage" at wages higher than government scale.

The point is nobody is paying anybody to "push" these things. The columnists were pushing these things on their own. The money was a subsidy.

16 posted on 01/27/2005 6:34:10 PM PST by Tribune7
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To: FreeRadical

Have you ever read Animal Farm?


17 posted on 01/27/2005 6:34:52 PM PST by ambrose (.)
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To: Lurking2Long
like Sandy Berger...

Exactly.

18 posted on 01/27/2005 6:34:58 PM PST by Tribune7
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To: zarf
I'll trade them all the rightwing journalists with their hands in the till for all the leftwing journalists whose hands are in the till...

Like those folks who arr paid to participate in conferences sponsored by groups receiving special tax deals as "charities" and arts groups and so on, and those receiving book deals indirectly supported by lobby groups in payment for their media services.

19 posted on 01/27/2005 6:35:29 PM PST by piasa (Attitude Adjustments Offered Here Free of Charge)
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To: Trippin

I think Armstrong Williams crossed the line. Maggy Gallagher was paid to do research, which is hardly the same thing as Williams. Whoever McManus is, I'm guessing for $10K he didn't get to do much. Here's an interesting take on the so-called payola situation, and how pervasive it is on the left if you apply the same standards to them :

http://www.nationalreview.com/adler/adler200501271606.asp


20 posted on 01/27/2005 6:35:55 PM PST by Trippin
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