Posted on 06/08/2007 8:17:01 PM PDT by lowbridge
The midterm election theme of the "culture of corruption" functioned as an argument for Democratic control of Congress, after several scandals rocked the Republican caucuses. The Democrats apparently like the theme so much that they plan to incorporate it into their presidential campaign -- but perhaps not in the manner some might expect (via Big Lizards):
The Clinton Campaign today announced that Florida Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Congressman Alcee Hastings have been named national Campaign Co-Chairs.
"We need a leader with a clear vision and sound judgment, who can work with a Democratic Congress to renew the promise of America. Hillary is that leader," Rep. Wasserman Schultz said.
Rep. Hastings said, "When we elect the next President Clinton, this country will be a much better place for the African-American community, Floridians and all Americans."
Both Reps. Wasserman Schultz and Hastings serve in the Democratic leadership in the House of Representatives, and Hastings is the Vice Chair of Florida’s congressional delegation.
That's not all Alcee Hastings is. He's also the last federal judge to get impeached -- and that was by some of Hillary Clinton's current colleagues in Congress. In fact, his impeachment took place less than 20 years ago, and Hastings has long been a controversial figure in the Democratic caucus.
Hastings got appointed to the federal bench by Jimmy Carter in 1979. In less than two years, he got indicted for soliciting a bribe in an FBI sting. In 1983, he won an acquittal, but a subsequent House investigation found that he had committed perjury in that trial. The House Judiciary Committee authorized a whopping seventeen counts for impeachment against Hastings in 1988.
The man chairing Judiciary at the time? None other than John Conyers, Jr, a longtime member of Democratic leadership. In fact, the House voted to impeach Hastings in a massively bipartisan vote of 413-3, and the Senate convicted him on 8 of 11 counts they considered. He became only the sixth federal judge ever removed by impeachment. Hastings attempted to play the race card, but Conyers strongly rejected that, and a majority of the Congressional Black Caucus voted for his impeachment.
This all came out again last year, when Nancy Pelosi started assigning committee chairmanships in expectation of winning the majority in the midterms. It became a major embarassment to Pelosi, who had already angered the CBC with her removal of William Jefferson from the Ways and Means Committee. She wound up having to remove Hastings from her list of committee chairs.
Now Hillary has embraced Hastings, and indeed has made the former perjurer and corrupt judge as her campaign's national representative. She says that with Hastings' help, her "message of change" will get rolled across the country. The message is that the Clinton campaign has its own idea about the culture of corruption -- they want to pursue it.
UPDATE & BUMP, 6/8: A hearty welcome to readers of James Taranto's Best of the Web at OpinionJournal. Take a look around, and be sure to catch CQ Radio at 2 pm CT today, where Duane "Generalissimo" Patterson and I will discuss this story, among others -- and be sure to read the rest of Captain's Quarters!
Debbie should write for Leno or Letterman. some real whoppers in there.. and Alcee? Hastings? Oh please.
;-)
Not very bright of the Smartest Woman in the World.
Judge Alcee Hastings, a federal district court judge, was removed from office by the United States Senate after he was convicted on articles of impeachment on October 20, 1989. Impeachment is an extraordinary remedy...
http://classes.lls.edu/archive/manheimk/fedcts/hastings1.html
Clinton Pardoned Hastings’s Co-Conspirator
The convicted felon who went to jail rather than testify against Alcee Hastings.
William Borders was a prominent Washington, D.C. lawyer when, in 1981, he was charged with conspiring with his good friend, federal judge Alcee Hastings, to solicit bribes from defendants seeking lenient treatment in Hastings’s courtroom. Hastings was charged, too, though the men were tried separately.
When it was all over, Borders was convicted, disbarred, and sentenced to five years in jail. Hastings was acquitted, but later impeached and removed from office.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MmYzZmUzYjA1ZWJlNmIzOTQ5YjY3YTRjY2ZkYzNmNTI
The Clinton’s are not embarrassed by anything. They are driven by their ideology. Very scarey people with alot of money and the MSM behind them.
When anyone is impeached by the House and convicted by the Senate, the Constitution gives the Senate the option of barring the convicted person from ever holding any federal office in the future. Hastings played the race card there, saying that the last judge convicted, Judge Nixon, was not so barred.
But Nixon was a 64-year-old judge, already in prison for tax evasion. Hastings was a relatively young man, with the potential to come back and haunt the Congress, which is exactly what happened.
Hastings is slime. But it seems appropriate that Hillary would chose a corrupt former judge as co-chair of her national committee. What a fool.
Congressman Billybob
Latest article, "John Edwards: 21st Century Marie Antoinette"
No doubt Rep. Jefferson, LA would agree with Hastings fervor and directive.
Has anyone ever seen the grade transcripts of “the Smartest Woman in the World”?
Another hit showing us great unwashed masses they are the ones who count.
He must have done the Clntons a big, big favor.
Alcie is My congress critter.
Now if I had a load of money or was black I may get his attention. As it is He is a criminal in the Jefferson image.
On a related but different note: Did anything ever come of the tease that Rush used, (Wed., I think), to end his show? The tease that a little birdie told him that something was coming out about Hillary’s campaign the next day. Is this it?
heil hillary!!!
Hillary has the right idea. Hire the most accomplished crooks who are above the law. This way they have free reign, unlimited funds and the ability to buy off people in the name of ideology.
I really don’t know.
It would be only fitting if the embarassment Pelosi feared would fall upon Hillary's campaign.
The Hastings story — http://youtube.com/watch?v=i8MvSMW9WHc
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