Kerrey No Hsu-In

Captain's Quarters ^ | September 28, 2007 | Ed Morrissey

[jdm]

The Norman Hsu scandal has affected more than just the Democratic presidential primaries. The Politico reports that Nebraska Republicans have already started talking about Bob Kerrey's connections to the con man turned Democratic fundraiser, just in case Kerrey decides to run for Chuck Hagel's open seat in 2008:

If former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey decides to run for the Senate, it’s clear that he will have to address his connections with Hsu, whom he recruited to serve on the board of the New School under his presidency.

The Hsu affair already is being used by Republicans as leverage to try to ward off a run by Kerrey, the Democrats’ favored candidate to compete for the seat of retiring Republican Sen. Chuck Hagel.

Republicans privately acknowledge that Kerrey is a first-tier candidate and hope their attacks dissuade him from jumping in. They would have an easier time retaining the seat if Kerrey didn’t run.

“Bob Kerrey was not only a receiver of contributions [to the New School], he actively recruited [Hsu] to the New School,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee spokeswoman Rebecca Fisher. “Nebraskans need to be aware of that.”

Kerrey arguably had more responsibility to vet Hsu than any of the Democratic politicians that took his contributions. Kerrey essentially hired him to oversee the New School as a member of the Board of Trustees. The fact that Kerrey never even bothered to have a competent background check done on a man connected to a school calls his judgment into question. What if Hsu had other, more sinister convictions on his record?

Nebraska would present a tough challenge for Kerrey in any case. He hasn't lived there for a while, spending his time in New York in his role as head of the famously liberal New School. His entire family lives there with him, which doesn't exactly build a case for the more conservative Nebraskans to send him back as their representative. The Hsu case emphasizes Kerrey's ties to East Coast liberalism as well as the corruption in this cycle's presidential campaign.

Kerrey and the Democrats will no doubt object to the Republican attacks. However, the echoes of their Jack Abramoff accusations in the 2006 cycle have not yet disappeared, and Abramoff had plenty of ties to Democrats, including Harry Reid. Norman Hsu will be this cycle's Jack Abramoff, and so far, no Hsu money seems to have graced Republican coffers. Hsu will be sauce for the gander in this season.

[Cicero]

This wouldn’t stop Kerrey if he really wanted to run. The difference between Abramoff and Hsu is that although Hsu is a lot shadier—with connections to the Chinese Reds and the clintonoid treason—the media aren’t going to publicize that. Why would they want to gear up a propaganda campaign against their best friends?

But Kerrey already quit politics once. Maybe he’ll choose to stay right where he is, rather than risk it.

The Republicans had better be careful not to smear him too indiscriminately, however, because the last thing they need is to inflame a scandal that might force him out of his job at The New School.

[freespirited]

The fact that Kerrey never even bothered to have a competent background check done on a man connected to a school calls his judgment into question.

Competent background check? No background check at all is probably more like it. The most routine check would have turned up his conviction.

It was obviously about money. Kerrey saw Hsu as someone who could bring in big bucks to the school and gave him a complete pass. To say that calls his judgment into question is putting it mildly.

[freespirited]

The Republicans had better be careful not to smear him too indiscriminately, however, because the last thing they need is to inflame a scandal that might force him out of his job at The New School.

Rumor has it he has his eyes on Mike Bloomberg's job. I'm so sick of Bloomin' Idiot, that if I lived in NYC, I think that would sound good to me.

[bill1952]

A democrat with ties to corruption and crime?

He is guaranteed to win. - Write the seat lost.

[CutePuppy]

Actually, Bob Kerrey is a good source to be asked who recommended Hsu (a man without any political or financial credentials) and what was the basis for the recommendation? This is really a crucial question for Hsu matters, as New School appointments are Hsu tie-ins to politicos and preceded his Components campaign money laundromat.

He doesn't have much love for Bill or Hillary, and in Nebraska it could be an asset, if he runs, so he should have a good answer for "new Hsu at New School" question (better one than "I don't know")... If he doesn't, he has much more to answer for.

[skinkinthegrass]

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