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New York Times: Democrats Already Backing Off on Ethics Reform
Federal Review ^ | Saturday, November 18, 2006

Posted on 11/18/2006 6:01:53 PM PST by Behind Liberal Lines

WASHINGTON--They won't take over congress until next year, but there are already signs that Democrats are abandoning any real effort at reforming the so-called "culture of corruption" in Congress. According to the New York Times:

Sweeping change... may be a tough sell within the party. Representative John P. Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania, was embarrassed by disclosures last week that he had dismissed the leadership proposals with a vulgarity at a private meeting. But Mr. Murtha is hardly the only Democrat who objects to broad changes.

Senator Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat who will oversee any proposal as the incoming chairwoman of the Rules Committee, for example, said she was opposed to an independent Congressional ethics watchdog.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Times reports, the Democrats are now saying that real reform is not needed, now that those "wascally wepublicans" are out of office:

“There is an understanding on our side that the Republicans paid a price for a lot of the abuses that evolved,” said Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, alluding to earmarks. Senator Tom Harkin, an Iowa Democrat and a senior member of the Appropriations Committee, said the scandals of the current Congress were “about the K Street Project for the Republicans,” referring to the party’s initiative to put more Republicans in influential lobbying posts and build closer ties to them.

The Times notes that even earmark reform will probably go nowhere, now that they are controlled by Democrats:

Two House Democrats, Representatives Chris Van Hollen of Maryland and Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, have proposed a measure they say would block a lawmaker from requesting an earmark that would benefit a company, group or lobbying firm that employed a member of the lawmaker’s family or a former member of the lawmaker’s staff.

But almost no one expects the Democrats to enact such a change, in part because many have close ties to former staff members or family members in the lobbying business.

What was that Roger Daltry sang about the new boss again...?


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Front Page News; Politics/Elections; US: California; US: District of Columbia; US: Iowa; US: Massachusetts
KEYWORDS: barneyfrank; democrats; earmarks; election; feinstein; harkin; murtha
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1 posted on 11/18/2006 6:01:54 PM PST by Behind Liberal Lines
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Hard to clean the floor when your feet are covered in mud.


2 posted on 11/18/2006 6:03:00 PM PST by technomage (Protest Voters are ignorant, immature, selfish people who have no capacity for long term thinking)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Another oxymoron for my collection --- "Democraps" and "Ethics Reform" ----

You really did not think this would actually happen, did you???


3 posted on 11/18/2006 6:03:55 PM PST by EagleUSA
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

And this surpises.............who?


4 posted on 11/18/2006 6:05:54 PM PST by Gabz (If we weren't crazy, we'd just all go insane.)
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To: EagleUSA

It'sd hard to teach a Donkey new tricks when the old ones work so well.


5 posted on 11/18/2006 6:06:19 PM PST by Paladin2 (Islam is the religion of violins, NOT peas.)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

The Clintons were going to be the most ethical administration in history. Who takes these people seriously?


6 posted on 11/18/2006 6:07:02 PM PST by Irish Rose (Will work for chocolate.)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines
Like the French Police officer in Casablanca said wryly:

"I'm shocked to learn that there is gambling going on here"


Same old same old, they need too raise cash, ethics reform would get in the way of that.

Watch the committees will issue subpoena's and whattdoyaknow a large donation arrives in a election campaign coffer...
7 posted on 11/18/2006 6:07:13 PM PST by padre35 (We are surrounded, that simplifies our problem Chesty Puller)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines
Democrats and Hypocrisy who could have seen that coming?
8 posted on 11/18/2006 6:09:25 PM PST by spikeytx86 (Pray for Democrats for they have been brainwashed by their fruity little club.)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines
Well, well, I guess that idiot Murtha was right about something after all.........''All that stuff coming out of Pelosis mouth (promises to have the most ethical house in history)is nothing but a load of cr-p!
9 posted on 11/18/2006 6:09:28 PM PST by Bush gal in LA
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Barney Frank lecturing us on ethics is really all we need to know about the Dems' attitude in the matter.


10 posted on 11/18/2006 6:10:41 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Billthedrill

Sin and ethics are they the same? /sarcasm


11 posted on 11/18/2006 6:12:57 PM PST by bmwcyle (The snake is loose in the garden and Eve just bit the apple.)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Does this mean that the Democrats are also against ethics reforms when they involve the Republicans?


12 posted on 11/18/2006 6:13:01 PM PST by johnthebaptistmoore
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Is it proper to use "Democrats" and "Ethics" in the same sentence?


13 posted on 11/18/2006 6:14:57 PM PST by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: bmwcyle
Oh, I dunno - maybe we're being too rough on the guy. After all, who better than Frank to really get to the bottom of things in D.C.?


14 posted on 11/18/2006 6:17:58 PM PST by Billthedrill
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

All the Democrats wanted was to regain power. Now there is no need to deliver. All those special interests, lobbyists and earmarks are GOOD now.


15 posted on 11/18/2006 6:20:47 PM PST by Sender ("Always tell the truth; then you don't have to remember anything." -Mark Twain)
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To: Billthedrill

I like to pay about 10 40 year old fat Harley chicks to rape him.


16 posted on 11/18/2006 6:21:05 PM PST by bmwcyle (The snake is loose in the garden and Eve just bit the apple.)
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To: smoothsailing; RedRover; jazusamo; freema; W04Man
Murtha, Democrat of Pennsylvania, was embarrassed by disclosures last week that he had dismissed the leadership proposals with a vulgarity at a private meeting. But Mr. Murtha is hardly the only Democrat who objects to broad changes.
17 posted on 11/18/2006 6:24:38 PM PST by Just A Nobody (I - LOVE - my attitude problem! NEVER AGAIN...Support our Troops! Beware the ENEMEDIA)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

Don't ya just love it when the RATS talk about "Ethics"? Should be fun to watch.


18 posted on 11/18/2006 6:26:49 PM PST by teletech (Friends don't let friends vote DemocRAT)
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To: Just A Nobody

19 posted on 11/18/2006 6:33:26 PM PST by smoothsailing (Support The Troops-Support The Mission--Please Visit DogMurtha.com)
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To: Behind Liberal Lines

How can Democrats reform, something, they know nothing about?


20 posted on 11/18/2006 6:37:50 PM PST by AmericanMade1776 (Democrats don't have a plan)
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