Posted on 03/22/2010 4:31:57 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Congressman Alcee Hastings is no stranger to controversy. After his appointment as a United States District Judge for the Southern District of Florida by President Jimmy Carter, Hastings was arrested on charges of accepting a bribe from the Mafia. According to the indictment filed against him, the judge agreed to enter a judgment returning nearly $1 million forfeited to the government in exchange for a six figure payment.
After a criminal trial in the Federal Court where he once presided, Hastings was found not guilty. His defense was that William Borders, a long-time friend and associate, had used Hastings’ name without the judge’s knowledge to secure the bribe. However, that explanation found no favor within the ranks of the Federal judiciary or among members of Congress. Hastings was impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted by the U.S. Senate on the bribery charges, which resulted in his removal from office and disbarment. For his part, Borders refused to answer any questions about the matter either at Hastings’ criminal trial or at the impeachment proceedings. He has remained silent on the affair to this day, was convicted of the bribery attempt, and was eventually pardoned by President Bill Clinton in his last day in office.
However, Hastings’ checkered past did not become an impediment when he ran for office in South Florida’s 23rd congressional district. He was elected to Congress in 1992 and has represented that predominantly-African-American district for the past 18 years.
Today he is a prominent member of the Democrat leadership and sits in the powerful House Rules Committee. His comments made this morning in connection with the health care reform bill, scheduled to be voted on later tonight, provide a telling glimpse on the process which the Democrats have followed. In a nutshell, there are no rules. They make them up as they go along. Hastings’ words follow:
(VIDEO AT LINK)
The idiots should face charges.
I don’t know who is dumber — Hastings or the people who keep on voting for him.
Here in Kansas we have open meeting laws that says that all meeting must be open to public and no two people of office can meet and discuss policy in private. The same should be for the federal congress everything should be out in the open so all these back room deals could not be made in darkness.
The Bible does say that God will give us the leaders that we deserve so I would guess that this is the type of leader that the district he comes from deserves.
I have no doubts myself, but someone to whom I sent this video challenged me, pointing out that the audio and video do not match. Can anyone explain that, or provide a better video?
Scumbag. I have always hated that guy and he’s not even my representative. however, he is telling the truth: they make up the rules as they go along and have no regard for the citizenry.
Put Hastings, Conyers and Pelosi brains together and maybe their total IQ pushes the upper limit of MORON level.
I watched the Rules Committee hearing on CSPAN on Saturday and this fool is a disgrace!
try this link: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2810738/alcee_hastings_there_aint_no_rules.html
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The latter.
Let me just say that synced or not, this is the kind of clip I don't like seeing from the left or the right. There is no context given or shown. It appears that Hastings is speaking in the third person as to say, "Some are saying that there are no rules...." and presumably lies about the unprecedented use of reconciliation and deem and pass. He would of course still be lying about the previous use of both tactics in comparison but this is not the kind of clip that deserves being given legitimacy in regards to it's accusation since a longer clip would have removed all doubt as to the context.
I say the same thing when a written article has a headline that claims Statement A but then involves the writers claim of what was said tacked on to a single (or couple, few) words in quote marks and we are supposed to accept their interpretation as being true.
We need empirical evidence that is irrefutable. Just because Hastings is obviously a leftist political hack of the highest order does not justify the lack of complete context. Full clips/quotes are necessary to be credible. In this day and age where the internet has no space limitation be it audio/video/text means there is no excuse for such selective editing even if in this case the context may be true.
I can’t help you with the audio/video thing - it looks like a technical glitch from the original CSPAN recording. Every recording I have seen of the incident has that same issue. (Hot Air, Beltway Blips, etc.)
What I CAN do, however, is vouch that this fool said exactly “That there are no rules, we make them up as we go along.” because I saw and heard him do it myself at Saturday’s Rules Committee hearing.
Perhaps you can google Alcee Hastings quote rules and show your doubting Thomas how widely this story was reported.
Good luck.
Mark Twain was right.
See the link at post 14
Thanks for your comment. When I look at the whole video, I am amazed that Hastings compliments conservative Republican Ryan. It does appear that he is cynical about the whole Congressional process, which is a feeling I share. I think hardly anyone in Congress today honors the Constitution, but those who do have a better chance of prevailing over the Left than those who don’t.
“...I don’t know who is dumber-Hastings or the people who keep on voting for him...”
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I am convinced it is the latter of the two.
I can not blame a dog for behaving like a dog;
but I can blame the people who let it into the kitchen.
Our problem is much bigger than Obama, Pelosi, Reid, Franks, et. al.
Our problem is their enablers; and they are legion.
A black somebody once said “ya don’ vote against blood”.
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