Ethics Questions Haunting Races of Democrats, Too

NY Times ^ | November 3, 2006 | MONICA DAVEY

[neverdem]

CHICAGO, Nov. 2 — First came a letter in June, in which federal prosecutors here revealed that they are investigating claims of “endemic hiring fraud” in agencies and departments that fall under the purview of Rod R. Blagojevich, the governor of Illinois.

Then, last month, one of Mr. Blagojevich’s top fund-raisers was indicted on accusations that he sought millions in kickbacks from investment companies seeking the state’s pension business.

Any of it would be a governor’s bad dream, but particularly so in the case of Mr. Blagojevich, a Democrat who faces a re-election vote on Tuesday in a state still bruised from the corruption that left its last governor bound for prison.

Yet Mr. Blagojevich appears headed toward victory, leading his Republican opponent by double digits in one poll, by The Chicago Tribune and WGN-Channel 9, that was released on Tuesday.

In what Democrats nationally have worked hard to portray as a “culture of corruption” in the Republican Party, more than a dozen Republicans in House races have wrestled with the taint of a Congressional page scandal; links to Jack Abramoff, the convicted lobbyist; and a smattering of individual woes from claims of financial shenanigans to sexual wrongdoing.

Still, there are Democrats like Mr. Blagojevich whose campaigns have also been marked by claims of ethical failings in widely varying degrees, from Representatives William J. Jefferson of Louisiana and Alan B. Mollohan of West Virginia to Senator Robert Menendez of New Jersey. In another governor’s race in the Midwest, that of James E. Doyle of Wisconsin, scandal has emerged as a serious issue.

But while the Democrats’ problems have certainly made these races tighter than they might otherwise be, they have for the most part not carried the lethal sting of the Republicans’ missteps, independent political scientists and election analysts say...

[neverdem]

It's hard to believe, but this was mentioned as a small story on the front page above the fold.

NYT Front Page

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/todayspaper/index.html

[bybybill]

Hard to believe this from the NYT

[dgallo51]

If Nancy's going to drain the swamp…she should start within her own party…

Enron En-Fluence: Bill Clinton

http://talking_points.tripod.com/enron/id9.html

[I still care]

It's ok now. They've pounded on Foley and such for weeks, now they can risk printing a few small stories about dem corruption and know they won't get into the national consciousness before the election.

Then they will say, "See? We're not biased. Why, just before the election we printed a story about the democrats!"

[Nateman]

Must not have many readers in Illinois. So they throw a tiny little bone of impartiality to create the impression of a paper which is not biased and/or lying

[logic101.net]

If they wanted to do a story on a corrupt Dem Gov, they should have gone one state north! The WI Governor makes both the current and former IL Govs look like armatures!

[maine-iac7]

...hard to believe...in NYT

Rats desert sinking ships - wonder what their polls really tell them?

[neverdem]

They covered Boyle later in the story. The story started with this picture after the title.

Darren Hauck for The New York Times
A supporter of Gov. James E. Doyle at a rally Tuesday in Milwaukee. Ethical questions have been raised on both sides of the race.

[bybybill]

The HO-CHUCK tribe is into gambling and casinos? Who knew? (Did John Wayne ever fight the HO-Chucks?)

[AliVeritas]

One slipped by... too bad Reid, Pelosi and Murtha didn't lead the list... as well as the big cast of Abramoff characters from the left.

[opinionator]

Et tu, brute?

[Tamzee]

I was just going to BUMP the thread, but speaking of Murtha...




"I worry about a slow withdrawal which makes it look like there's a victory" - JOHN MURTHA


http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110007779