Rohrabacher And Abramoff: A Beautiful Friendship
Rohrabacher And Abramoff: A Beautiful Friendship
Rep. Dana Rohrabacher has sprung to the defense of his college buddy, disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, calling him “a good person.” In fact, Rohrbacher admitted he thought “a lot of other things that have been characterized as corruption on the part of Abramoff are actually standard operating procedures for lobbying in Washington, D.C. — arranging trips and things like that.â€
Let’s take a look at the beautiful friendship between the two men:
– Rohrabacher enjoyed free dinners at Signatures, Abramoff’s high-end restaurant, once or twice a month.
– Rohrabacher took one of Abramoff’s “Standard Operating Procedure”-style trips, visiting the Northern Mariana Islands while Abramoff was working to convince Congress keep factories in a U.S. territory free from complying with fair labor laws. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 28, 2005]
– Rohrabacher helped Abramoff score a $60 million loan to buy the SunCruz fleet of casino boats in Florida by allowing the lobbyist to list him as a personal reference. (Abramoff added a faked $23 million wire transfer to Rohrabacher’s reference to close the sale.)
I guess for Rohrabacher, that’s standard operating procedure.
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Are you accusing Rohrabacher of being corrupt? Are you saying he did anything illegal? If so, could you just come right out and say it?
January 10th, 2006 at 1:08 pmWe report. You decide.
January 10th, 2006 at 1:11 pmthis may well be SOP in DC… that’s the problem, and we need to put a stop to it ASAP, OK? Abramoff’s a good place to start – he’s very well connected…
January 10th, 2006 at 1:12 pmA TRUE FRIEND will stick by you even when you’re about to testify against him on felony charges. :-)
January 10th, 2006 at 1:15 pmRep. Rohrabacher should resign form the House in shame! His ties to Jack Abramoff are vulgar and his defense of Jack is plain putrid too! Since Dana thinks swindling Indian Tribes is cool and bribing members of Congress is ok, then he is sick!
January 10th, 2006 at 1:24 pmThe LA Times has an article today about it. Rohrabacher says about Abramoff, “I see him more as a good person who’s done bad things and has to be punished for doing bad things.” Jack Abramoff isn’t a child! He’s a lousy person (adult) who did criminal things.
January 10th, 2006 at 1:32 pmI agree that if this is SOP in DC, then the entire system, and those who desperately want to keep things the way they are, have to go. And yes, my conservative friends, this applies equally to Democratics, too.
The fact that “everyone does it” is not a defense for immoral behavior.
These people are clearly forgetting just who it is exactly that they are supposed to be representing in Congress.
January 10th, 2006 at 1:36 pm1- the facts seem to be speaking volumes re Rep. Rohrabacher’s ethical leanings. As for him being corrupt, that will be for the jury/voters to decide.
January 10th, 2006 at 1:36 pmAbramoff has already agreed to a plea bargan, and entered a guilty plea. This guy is defending him and his illegal actions saying it is SOP for Washington? We need to get these jokers out of office, November cannot come too soon.
January 10th, 2006 at 1:36 pmRohrabacher’s quote smells like a message to Abramoff – “I’m your friend so please don’t tattle on me”.
January 10th, 2006 at 1:39 pmThe ReDubyaKins are going to become exhausted and look even more foolish jumping to the defense of Abramoff. It’s getting hard to put lipstick on this pig ;-)
January 10th, 2006 at 1:41 pmJudd,
The Common Dreams article you linked above makes no reference to the 60$ million loan you mention, or to the fact that Rohrabacher allowed Abramoff to list him as a personal reference with a fake $23 million transfer (Did Rohrabacher know about the fake transfer added to his name?)
Your article would be improved if you included a link to the source of that information.
My two cents.
January 10th, 2006 at 1:44 pmAt the very least Rohrabacher has a serious lack of judgment.
January 10th, 2006 at 1:46 pmHere you go Gregor…
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13477233.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
and…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/08/11/AR2005081101108_pf.html
You can GOOGLE it!!! It was not that hard to find, unless you just did not want to look for it???
January 10th, 2006 at 1:52 pmA ‘real friend’ isn’t someone you use once and then throw away. A ‘real friend’ can be used again, and again, and again!
I guess ‘ole Rep. Rohrabacher is already missing the bushels of cash that were being thrown at all the Republicans. Too bad there are no Democrats listed as having taken money from Abramoff. It makes it very difficult to claim ‘bi-partisan scandal’ when there are only one-party criminals.
January 10th, 2006 at 2:01 pmThe fact that “everyone does it†is not a defense for immoral behavior.
Agreed … the entire lobbyist “profession” seems, to me, to be one big “dance along the line, but don’t really cross it” scenario … they shouldn’t be allowed to offer anything tangible (not even dinner) to ANYONE who has ANY influence in a voting situation (Congresspeople, Aides, etc.). They should “lobby” based upon the arguments overall merit to the company they represent(or, gasp, the merit to the people).
January 10th, 2006 at 2:02 pmIraqVet,
No need to get all worked up.
I can look up all that myself but, as I said, Christy’s article would be airtight if it included a link to all the information it mentions. That’s all.
Also, it would be interesting to find out what else Rohrabacher knew about Abramoff’s dirty dealings, and about Abramoff’s involvement in Boulis’ death.
Thanks for the links.
January 10th, 2006 at 2:06 pmIraqVet,
Chill, Gregor is ok, just pointing out omissions. If the facts/links aren’t here, we can’t point the trolls to it.
Giacomo,
We agreee once again. Politicias should not be paid stooges. they should here both sides of the arguement from both sides and then make a descision based on both sides.
But, will that ever happen?
January 10th, 2006 at 2:12 pmNo, that will NOT happen, Spudgeboy, unless no corporation or special interest group cares about that particular issue.
January 10th, 2006 at 2:18 pmThey only care if it affects their bottom line. But if it does, then they send the PAC money to whatever politician the lobbyist says will vote their way and, voila, legalized bribery. As long as those PACs give ‘em the money, they are hiring employees who also “just happen” to be members of Congress. I don’t know about you, but when I am hired help, I tend to do what my boss tells me to do.
I’m just sayin…
At the very least the Congressman has displayed very poor judgment. He is my representative in the House and I really don’t need my Congressman publicly defending convicted felons under any circumstances. I just can’t imagine what he was thinking.
January 10th, 2006 at 2:21 pmI find it interesting how we speak and think of our elected representatives in the abstract. We talk of “those folks” as if they just fell to the planet instead of being our neighbors, and classmates, or even our brothers and sisters.
I’m really not sure what point I’m making, it’s just an observation that may or may not be relevant.
January 10th, 2006 at 2:32 pmBut, will that ever happen?
It could happen if a scandal (I’m not saying Abramoff) is bi-partisan … if Abramoff is indeed uniquely Republican, then, likely, it will only be used for political gain and not long-term change. A call for change only occurs when the people get pissed off and take notice … maybe the Republicans not swept into this scandal will call for such a change to “bilge the ship” … but maybe not.
January 10th, 2006 at 2:39 pmIt’s seems the whole idea of lobbying has been bent right out of shape. There seems no connection between what’s best for the country and what gets done due to lobbying. Corruption coming from lobbying? No, say it isn’t so.
January 10th, 2006 at 2:44 pmFrat boys gone wild.
January 10th, 2006 at 2:58 pmOk folks, lets get serious here:
http://www.madcowprod.com/06202005.html
January 10th, 2006 at 3:05 pmIt makes it very difficult to claim ‘bi-partisan scandal’ when there are only one-party criminals.
Comment by Democrat Soldier
Oh I think there are enough criminals to go around to make it a bi-partisan scandal.
Nearly ninety percent of Senate Democrats took money linked to disgraced “Republican†lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to a list compiled by the Republican National Committee.
Though reporters continue to insist that the Abramoff imbroglio is “a Republican scandal,†2008 Democratic presidential frontrunner Hillary Clinton took more than $12,000 in tainted cash.
Compared to the party’s 2004 standard bearer, however, she’s a piker. John Kerry raked in nearly $100,000 in Abramoff-linked donations.
In fact, 40 of the party’s 45 U.S. senators made the Jack Abramoff dishonor roll, including:
• Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), who received at least $22,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN), who received at least $6,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE), who received at least $1,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), who received at least $2,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), who received at least $20,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), who received at least $21,765 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Tom Carper (D-DE), who received at least $7,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Hillary Clinton (D-NY), who received at least $12,950 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Kent Conrad (D-ND), who received at least $8,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Jon Corzine (D-NJ), who received at least $7,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), who received at least $14,792 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who received at least $79,300 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), who received at least $14,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who received at least $2,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), who received at least $1,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), who received at least $45,750 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Daniel Inouye (D-HI), who received at least $9,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Jim Jeffords (I-VT), who received at least $2,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Tim Johnson (D-SD), who received at least $14,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), who received at least $3,300 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator John Kerry (D-MA), who received at least $98,550 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA), who received at least $28,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Pat Leahy (D-VT), who received at least $4,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), who received at least $6,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT), who received at least $29,830 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) Received At Least $14,891 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), who received at least $10,550 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), who received at least $78,991 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Bill Nelson (D-FL), who received at least $20,168 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) Received At Least $5,200 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Barack Obama (D-IL), who received at least $7,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Mark Pryor (D-AR), who received at least $2,300 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), who received at least $3,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), who received at least $68,941 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator John Rockefeller (D-WV), who received at least $4,000 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Ken Salazar (D-CO), who received at least $4,500 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-MD), who received at least $4,300 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who received at least $29,550 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), who received at least $6,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.
• Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who received at least $6,250 in Abramoff-linked cash.
January 10th, 2006 at 3:15 pmI-RIGHT-I,
I must understand you didn’t get your copy of the National Review…
January 10th, 2006 at 3:20 pmWhat is so hard to understand that donations are not illegal unless there is a quid pro quo – bribery? Votes changed. Legislation pushed.
January 10th, 2006 at 3:33 pmDemocrats did not take money from Abramoff — why should he bribe them? They have had no power for ten years.
This is a Republican scandal that they are trying to splash on the Dems, but as their own Rich Lowry of the National Review points out, it’s a single party issue.
I-WRONG has DONE it again! Repeatedly distorting the facts to further his own inadequate quotes to validate a corrupt establishment that he supports…
There is a HUGE difference in the names and the way it is described…Here’s the REAL story!
http://mediamatters.org/items/200512190014
In fact, while Democrats have received contributions from Abramoff’s lobbying groups and his clients, Kornblut’s statement ignores the difference between accepting contributions from groups linked to Abramoff, which is legal and proper, and taking contributions in exchange for official actions, which is illegal, and which is at the heart of the ongoing investigations.
However, if tainted money is tainted money, then shouldn’t BUSH resign? I mean, if you will label the money as fruit from the poisonous tree, then EVERY NAME listed in connection with Abramoff should resign, and if that is the case then it may be 99% of the REPUBLICAN Congress that will be jobless tomorrow!
YOU CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS, I-WRONG!!!
January 10th, 2006 at 3:37 pm#27 Hahahahahahahahahahahaha
January 10th, 2006 at 3:40 pm#11 Lipstick – pig, I really can’t get the picture of Rove in hot pink dancing around like Hoover kissing pictures of Bush and Rummy. Oh God, make it stop.
#26 – You are a day late and a dollar short, even with the big fat Dow.
January 10th, 2006 at 3:41 pm#30 – Ewwwwww….
What a horrible mental image…
Funny…But Horrible!!! Oh what the hell…
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha
January 10th, 2006 at 3:44 pmAP has a story about an instance when DeLay failed to come through for Abramoff.
http://edwardcopeland.blogspot.com/2006/01/hammer-couldnt-come-through-for-jack.html
January 10th, 2006 at 4:00 pmYOU CAN’T HAVE IT BOTH WAYS, I-WRONG!!!
Comment by IraqVet
Wrong. I can have it the way I like it and I like the idea that the Donks are falling all over themselves to put a lot of miles between them and Abramoff’s money. If they weren’t guilty or didn’t know where the money came from how would they even know how much to give back? Let’s ax Hillary as she was one of the first to make a real quick “charitable donation”. Probably the first she’s made in thirty years.
January 10th, 2006 at 4:35 pmI think this good person quote might have been a missquote . I think “good fellow” is more like it . What he did down in miami is loke something out of a Sopranos episode .
January 10th, 2006 at 4:37 pmI R I your support for conservative efforts is one thing , but supporting what Abramof did isn’t even a political view , it’s a psychotic thought . It’s time you just cut your losses and move on and save some face here . Ten years from now you wont even admit to the things you say .
January 10th, 2006 at 4:42 pmRohrabacher took one of Abramoff’s “Standard Operating Procedureâ€-style trips, visiting the Northern Mariana Islands while Abramoff was working to convince Congress keep factories in a U.S. territory free from complying with fair labor laws. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 28, 2005]
What the hell exactly were all of these Representatives doing in the northern Mariana Islands? They all just seemed so eager to go there and stay for a couple of days, maybe even a week or two at a time. The answer to that question is “What is there?” and the answer is the SICK, SICK!!! truth we will discover is that all of these bastards were flying there to fullfill their demented and perverted fantasies (Tom Delay included) with the enslaved CHILDREN who worked in the factories during the day and were bartered and sold by their bosses as prostitutes to OUR F***KING US REPRESENTATIVES at night.
January 10th, 2006 at 4:42 pmR I your support for conservative efforts is one thing , but supporting what Abramof did isn’t even a political view , it’s a psychotic thought .
Comment by MichDem
I don’t cotton to crooks of any political persuasion. Show me where I support Abramoff and his dirty dealings.
January 10th, 2006 at 5:01 pm(Tom Delay included) with the enslaved CHILDREN who worked in the factories during the day and were bartered and sold by their bosses as prostitutes to OUR F***KING US REPRESENTATIVES at night.
Comment by John Paul Rice
That’s a disgusting lie. It’s over the top even for a loser of the Filthy Left.
January 10th, 2006 at 5:04 pmIRI how ’bout post # 34 and also the fact you’re even on this board is enough proof , man that was too easy .
January 10th, 2006 at 5:08 pmFrom FOX NEWS – http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,154708,00.html
Some of the lawmakers Abramoff arranged to travel to the islands included Reps. Dana Rohrabacher and Brian Bilbray, both California Republicans, and Ralph Hall, a Texas Democrat.
If lawmakers weren’t interested in traveling, Abramoff found other ways to reach out to them.
Let this bastard know what you think of his b***s**t!
And while we’re at it, let’s ask Dana if he supports child prostitution in the Northern Mariana Islands since he (with Delay and others) helped block a ban on child traffiking in the NMI’s.
Washington, D.C. Office
2338 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-2415
Fax (202) 225-0145
District Office
101 Main Street, Suite 380
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 960-6483
(310) 377-9493
Fax (714) 960-7806
Constituents can e-mail the Congressman at Dana@mail.house.gov
January 10th, 2006 at 5:10 pm“I don’t cotton to crooks of any political persuasion. Show me where I support Abramoff and his dirty dealings.”
January 10th, 2006 at 5:15 pmBut iri, you need corruption in a civilized society so it appears you have cotton from your ear to your rear.
Hey Bob it’s funny IRI mentions the Clintons , how much US tax dollars were waisted investigating them when the repugs “dirty dealing” are right on the surface for all to see . There’s not much debate here , it’s like a cat and mouse game and we’re the cat just playing with them while they’re fighting for their lives .
January 10th, 2006 at 5:20 pmIRI – Prove me wrong.
It is KNOWN AS FACT around the world that child slavery and prostitution is going on in the NMI’s.
Seriously, ask yourself, why the hell did the congressmen who “traveled” there who saw the horrible conditions for themselves vote AGAINST human right standards and labor laws?
1. The Northern Marianas have weaker labor laws than the mainland U.S. and the garment industry likes it that way. They bring in labor — some would say slave labor — from China and other Asian countries, and pay them a pittance while exploting them. Some go into prostitution.
2. CMNI hired Jack Abramoff to lobby for them and paid him roughly $9 million to prevent the Clinton Administration from stregthening labor and human rights standards.
3. As part of Abramoff’s lobbying, Tom DeLay took a trip with his family and some staff members there in 1998. While there, as ABC News caught on tape, DeLay extolled the factories as the way capitalism ought to operate. When he returned he declared the Clinton Administration efforts to raise wages and clamp down on immigration dead on arrival.
4. Abramoff also funneled more than a million dollars, it appears, to David Lapin, who is a conservative rabbi, for promoting ethics in government. Rabbi Lapin later ran a school, now defunct, that was supported by Abramoff. CMNI cannot account for what David Lapin did for the islands.
5. Who is Lapin? First off, he’s the brother of Daniel Lapin, the principal of Strategic Business Ethics, a West Coast consulting operation. (Isn’t that rich!) More importantly, Daniel Lapin introduced Abramoff and DeLay in 1994, just after the GOP won the House.
(Need a scorecard yet?)
6. Why would Tom DeLay care about some islands halfway around the world? Well, clearly there’s the Abramoff connection. The more Abramoff made, the more he could contribute to conservative causes and campaigns to further DeLay’s big money agenda. The second reason is more direct: ENRON.
7. Enron hired Ed Buckham, DeLay’s former chief of staff, to lobby for their interests in a new power plant in CMNI. When Enron lost to a Japanese bid, Buckham got DeLay to try to re-open the bidding. Enron was one of Tom DeLay’s biggest benefactors. Buckham, it should be noted, is the linchpin to a lot of sleaze in and around DeLay’s operations, a Washington source tells me.
Island intrigue. Slave labor. Prostitution. Enron. No-bid contracts. Unaccounted for millions. All with Tom DeLay at the center. Lovely.
January 10th, 2006 at 5:21 pmMichDem, according to Bush today, you have to debate in the proper way. Which is to say “your either with us or against us” and don’t be confused by the facts.
January 10th, 2006 at 5:42 pmHmmm, IRI, seems JPR provided the information and facts that you requested. He leaves out the issue of how they, the factories, are able to label their products as “Made in the USA” which provides them with many benefits including exemptions from levies and tarriffs, but his other points are salient and disturbing.
I find myself wondering how you are going to defend your “boys” on this one without baselessly blaming it on Mr. Clinton or Democrats.
What am I thinking? Of course you’re going to try to blame it on others wrongly. You are, after all, a card-carrying member of the new breed of Republicans.
January 10th, 2006 at 5:43 pmHe leaves out the issue of how they, the factories, are able to label their products as “Made in the USAâ€
Comment by Optimist — January 10, 2006 @ 5:43 pm
If you are asking how is it that the factories in the Northern Mariana Islands can label their products as “Made in the USA” -that’s because the Mariana islands are a US territory: Together with Guam to the south, also a United States territory, the Northern Mariana Islands make up the island arc of the Mariana Islands.
Northern Mariana islands
So, technically, all products made in the islands are made in the USA.
January 10th, 2006 at 6:08 pmWho is Lapin? First off, he’s the brother of Daniel Lapin, the principal of Strategic Business Ethics, a West Coast consulting operation. (Isn’t that rich!) More importantly, Daniel Lapin introduced Abramoff and DeLay in 1994, just after the GOP won the House.
Comment by John Paul Rice — January 10, 2006 @ 5:21 pm
Just to add to John’s comment, here is more background on Rabbi Daniel Lapin, from Joe Conason at Salon.com:
This particular man of God, vaunted for his scholarly understanding of the Bible and his apologetics for Christian fundamentalism, turns out to have served as a money launderer and fraudster for Abramoff. He was paid by Abramoff’s bogus Washington charity, the Capital Athletic Foundation, which passed money along to the wife of California Rep. John Doolittle, among other dubious “charitable” payments. Lapin’s own peculiar “religious charity,” Toward Tradition, took in thousands of dollars from an online gambling firm, which it then passed along to the wife of DeLay staffer Tony Rudy.
January 10th, 2006 at 6:10 pmLet us prey
Gregor,
Yes, I am aware of that which allows the islands to produce under the “Made in USA” label. However, there are conditions which come along with the label regarding labor issues (child labor, safe environments, etc…)and that is what the republicans were making sure were NOT applied.
Isn’t exploitation wonderful.
January 10th, 2006 at 6:27 pmOptimist,
I misunderstood your point -didn’t mean to sound condescending in any way.
As for the labour laws in the Mariana Islands, since they are a territory of the US (or commonwealth), they are exempt of certain federal laws. Like those that regulate children labour in the rest of the US.
Puerto Rico is in a similar situation. In spite of being US citizens, they do not pay federal taxes nor do they cast vote in the presidential elections. As a matter of fact, Puerto Ricans are not even counted in any US population census.
Exploitation is wonderful indeed….
January 10th, 2006 at 6:43 pmSorry the link stuff screwed up.
January 10th, 2006 at 6:56 pmAbramoff should be told that either he spills the beans on all the Republicans or he gets turned over to the Indian Tribes he swindled to be buried alive in an ant hill > lol.
January 10th, 2006 at 11:54 pmJack and Adam were trying to expand the Suncruz operation in Guam too while they were there.
January 11th, 2006 at 12:03 amHmm. Another potty mouth of the Left, I see. Allow me to explain why the Abramoff scandal, like so many others before it, will prove to be more devestating to the Dems then it could possibly be to the GOP, much less conservatives.
The Dems bleat daily that they are the “minority” party. That they are the “loyal opposition.” Yet who actually does something when a scandal arises? Who opened the investigation into the Plame non-leak? Who is pursuing the leak of an NSA program that threatens national security and possibly civil liberties? Who addressed possible torture at Abu Ghraib? Who is set to clean house over the Abramoff tempest in a teapot that threatens to implicate some of the biggest names in the Republican Party, perhaps the very culture of Republican politics?
Not the “loyal opposition” … but rather the Bush Administration.
Teh public knows this. Or is growing to know this with each passing day. They, the voting public, will be left to wonder, if the “loyal opposition” cannot even muster the courage to bring such scandals to the light of day, then for what are they good for?
Americans are already starting to realize that if a “loyal opposition” cannot even do its job of defeating the party in powers’ corruption and misgovernance (examples of which are legion, apparently), then how can we possibly entrust them with the real job of governing the nation?
Rather, American voters will know they would be wiser to turn to the REpublican Party, which has made some partisan, ideological and hubristic missteps, yes – even engaged in a pattern of criminal behavior it would seem. All those sins, yes, but still the GOP is not so grossly incompetent or lacking in power that it would allow what it has done over the past few years to pass, if it had been the Democrats who had done it.
Truly, the Dems attack the Abramoff scandal at their peril.
Bush has simply to give a speech to the American peoople in which he asks of the Democrats, “Where were you, the party that was supposed to keep us in check, during the troubling 12 months that have recently passed? Keeping politicians honest has been your only job this past few years, but you have failed at that job. America has found you wanting. America needs better from you.”
I would not be surprised if some variation of the above were to be included in the upcoming SOTU.
I await your responses, feeble as they may be.
January 11th, 2006 at 3:21 amOh, I see, they are “Goodfellas”. How tender…
January 11th, 2006 at 7:52 amThe heart of the issue (for conservatives in particular) is the undermining of the very foundation of the free market/capitalist ideal. Allowing companies, foreign or domestic, to purchase access to markets and capital effectively excludes any competition without regard to product quality, service, or pricing.
Corporate lobbying is not only a political problem, but the unique source of economic trouble in the US. Follow the money.
January 11th, 2006 at 11:34 am#57 To Halliburton?
January 11th, 2006 at 11:52 amI await your responses, feeble as they may be.
Comment by William G. Henders #55
Billygoat,
Do you know what the word “whistleblower” means?
How about “press leak”?
See it’s easy to prove that the criminal bushite junta opened investigations ONLY because the damaging information was “LEAKED BY WHISTLEBLOWERS”…dumb sh*t…
The Bushites had no choice, just think of how it would look had the Bushites said “we’re not going to investigate rumors and innuendo”…
January 11th, 2006 at 11:56 amBeing from the real O.C., there is no way that Roachabaker will be voted out. Remember, this county still votes Repug even though we were the largest county to go bankrupt under their watch. Until the O.C. Dems are seen by the DNC as having a chance it will not happen. I can’t wait to throw my vote away on some unknown teacher again.
As for the Repug’s attempts to cast this as a problem for the Dems, they will get away with it. The “liberal” MSM and the sheeple that vote will just get blurry eyed and overwhelmed by the truth. It is much easier to hide your head in the sand. Besides, everyone wants to be a patriot. In this day and time, that means that you have to agree with everything that Hannity, Limbaugh, and the Pres. say, right?
But this is a great day for the Repugs. They are fulfilling the desire to “shrink the government so that they can drown it in a bathtub.” Paraphrasing of course. The sheeple will see this as bipartisan, and that government sucks. That will deepen the “Joe Sixpacks” desire for less government event though the government is the only protection they have from becoming a sub minimum wage slave to the oligarchy of corporate control of the masses.
January 11th, 2006 at 12:34 pm# 55 – You say that Pres. Bush should say “Keeping politicians honest has been your only job this past few years, but you have failed at that job. America has found you wanting. America needs better from you.”
So, you’re implying that Pres. Bush would admit that he’s not being honest and that he’s being dishonest?
Oh. My. God! A Republican admiting that the current administration and President are doing nothing but lying to the American people! I am shocked that you would admit such a thing!
January 11th, 2006 at 1:27 pm#55-
so you’re actually claiming that bush should say “the buck stops with the democrats?”
or to put it another way: in september there wasn’t a republican in sight who wanted to play the ‘blame game’, but now doing exactly that is going to save your asses?
your comments illustrate that you have no clue whatsoever how the legislative process works. the “party in power” sets the agenda. that means the “minority party” doesn’t get to introduce legislation, investigate wrongdoing, ANYTHING (except shut down the gov’t completely), unless the republicans want to do it. your admission that the bush administration is being allowed to guide investigations into it’s own purported shenanigans underscores one great sin of the so-called “republican leadership”: congress is supposed to conduct oversight of the executive branch, and for the last five years, there’s been no oversight.
now i’ll agree with you that the dems need to grow a pair, and quick. but aside from being a more vocal opposition or completely obstructionist (which i don’t entirely disagree with at this point), they don’t have much recourse.
i sure hope the republicans hire you as a political consultant… dems will have the house, senate, and white house by 2007.
oh, and another thing: if plame wasn’t a leak, libby wouldn’t be indicted. that stupid logic you wingnuts are still beholden to ignores one fact: a criminal investigation requires a crime to have been committed. there’s no way it would’ve gotten this far if the *distinctly non-partisan* investigators thought there wasn’t a leak.
January 11th, 2006 at 7:04 pmIt’s laughable that Rohrabcher is defending Abramoff ? Who was indicted on taking monies from poor indian tribes. for his own use. Rohrabcher him self is under suspicion of enjoying free meals and tripps. On the Abramoff tab. What did the indians get out of this arrangement?
January 12th, 2006 at 11:01 amRep. Dana Rohrabacher should be investigated for corruption. Check out this story >
http://www.ocnus.net/artman/publish/printer_23380.shtml
Dark Side
Rohrbacher and Abramoff
By D.C. News 23/3/06
Mar 23, 2006, 09:28
U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, a California Republican who has sponsored legislation aimed at damaging Ethiopia, has strong ties to the scandal-plagued lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who was recently convicted of defrauding several of his clients of millions of dollars. Earlier this year, he pled guilty to numerous federal conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud charges. He has agreed to tell the FBI about alleged bribes to as many as 20 members of Congress and aides.
In March 2005, Rohrabacher introduced a bill, HR 1061, the American Property Claims Against Ethiopia Act, which would ærohibit United States assistance to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia until the Ethiopian Government returns all property of United States citizens and entities that has been nationalized, expropriated, or otherwise seized by the Ethiopian Government in contravention of international law, and for other purposes.?/span>
This bill was introduced by Rohrabacher at the behest of Gebremedhin Berhane, a former Eritrean national whose son, Petros, was described by the Daily Pilot newspaper of Newport Beach (California) as æŠne of Rep. Dana Rohrabacher’s surfing buddies.?nbsp; The Berhane family has contributed at least USD1,250 to Rohrabacher抯 political campaigns in recent years. Gebremedhin Berhane has a property claim against the Ethiopian government that dates to when the Mengistu regime expropriated his business. The current Ethiopian government has offered to settle the claim, but the Berhane family has refused to accept a settlement; instead, it has enlisted the help of a U.S. Congressman to write a law for that family抯 particular benefit.
When asked about the Berhane legislation by the Orange County Register, a newspaper based in Rohrabacher抯 congressional district, the U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, David Shinn, said: æ‘ don’t think that this is the best way to go about foreign policy.?/span>
More recently, on March 7, 2006, Rohrabacher introduced HR 4895, an amendment to the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 æ•o limit the provision of United States military assistance and the sale, transfer, or licensing of United States military equipment or technology to Ethiopia.?/span>
On that same day, Rohrabacher joined as a cosponsor of HR 4423, the Ethiopian Consolidation Act of 2006, which has the benign-sounding purpose to æºncourage and facilitate the consolidation of security, human rights, democracy, and economic freedom in Ethiopia.?/span>
In all these cases, it is easy to see the hidden hand of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In an article entitled æœohrabacher And Abramoff: A Beautiful Friendship,?the American Progress Action Fund抯 online publication, ThinkProgress, writes:
æœep. Dana Rohrabacher has sprung to the defense of his college buddy, disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff, calling him æ³ good person.?In fact, Rohrbacher admitted he thought æ³ lot of other things that have been characterized as corruption on the part of Abramoff are actually standard operating procedures for lobbying in Washington, D.C. ?arranging trips and things like that.?/span>
æ•et抯 take a look at the beautiful friendship between the two men:
??Rohrabacher enjoyed free dinners at Signatures, Abramoff抯 high-end restaurant, once or twice a month.
??Rohrabacher took one of Abramoff抯 ætandard Operating Procedure?style trips, visiting the Northern Mariana Islands while Abramoff was working to convince Congress keep factories in a U.S. territory free from complying with fair labor laws. [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, April 28, 2005]
??Rohrabacher helped Abramoff score a $60 million loan to buy the SunCruz fleet of casino boats in Florida by allowing the lobbyist to list him as a personal reference. (Abramoff added a faked $23 million wire transfer to Rohrabacher抯 reference to close the sale.)?/span>
Well-known journalist Arianna Huffington ?who, as a one-time candidate for governor of California, is intimately familiar with the inner workings of American (and California) politics ?wrote of Rohrabacher and Abramoff that the æ•wo pals are also members of the Brotherhood of the Would-Be Hollywood Players.?/span>
The Abramoff connection goes a long way in explaining Rohrabacher抯 favoritism toward Eritrea and antipathy toward Ethiopia. For several years, when Abramoff was a paid lobbyist for the Eritrean government, he cultivated Rohrabacher as a friend of Eritrea.
According to a story in the Washington Post on November 2, 2002:
æŸo help make sure its message gets heard — and accepted — Eritrea has hired Greenberg Traurig, the law firm that includes a lobbying team headed by Jack Abramoff, who has close ties to the new House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.).
æ‚ccording to Greenberg Traurig’s contract with Eritrea, included in the firm’s Foreign Agents Registration Act filing at the Justice Department, the country is paying Greenberg Traurig $50,000 a month for helping “in implementing its public policy goals in Washington.” That’s $600,000 for the yearlong engagement from April 15, 2002, to April 14, 2003.
æƒy the way, the CIA World Factbook 2002 pegs Eritrea’s per-capita gross domestic product at about $740 for last year. Eritrea, which gained its independence from Ethiopia in 1993, went through a punishing war from 1998 to 2000 with its neighbor. Eighty thousand people were killed, and hundreds of thousands were displaced.
æ¼Their biggest issue is they want to reach out to America and have better relations,?says Padgett Wilson, director of governmental affairs at Greenberg Traurig.?/span>
In an article in the November/December 2002 edition of Washington Business Forward, reporter John Bresnehan wrote:
æ—ost people in this town, even many who work in politics, have never heard of the tiny African nation of Eritrea. But if lobbyist Jack Abramoff has his way, they抮e about to.
æ‚bramoff, a partner with Miami-based law firm Greenberg Traurig, says he believes in the free-market principles espoused by the Eritrean government and wants to help open the door to U.S. investment in this Red Sea country, which fought a bloody two-and-a-half-year border war with its larger neighbor, Ethiopia, that ended in 2000. Eritrea was part of Ethiopia until 1993.
æ‚bramoff is scaling back his standard $150,000-per-month fee, one of the highest in Washington, in order to represent the impoverished Eritrea for the bargain-basement rate of $50,000 per month. Why? æ…£hat抯 a very exciting client,?Abramoff says. æ…£hey want to be the Singapore of Africa ?that抯 their goal. They want to set up policies that encourage investment, encourage free markets. They want to be a U.S. base.挃
As recently as February 11, 2006, the prestigious publication, National Journal, reported that æœep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., who famously provided a personal reference for Jack Abramoff in 2000 when the lobbyist was seeking financing to buy SunCruz Casinos, took a six-day trip to Malaysia in January 2002, accompanied by his wife and two of Abramoff’s then-partners at the firm Greenberg Traurig. One of the lobbyists was Rohrabacher’s former aide Tony Rudy.?/span>
When Abramoff let go of the Eritrea account ?to move on to defrauding Indian tribes and buying a gambling casino boat ?his friends at Alexander Strategy Group took it on. (Alexander Strategies, which also has strong ties to indicted House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, recently closed its doors as a result of the Abramoff scandals.)
Alexander Strategy partner Paul Behrends contributed USD1,800 to Rohrabacher抯 congressional re-election campaigns between 2001 and 2005. Tony Rudy, also of Alexander Strategy, donated USD1,000 to Rohrabacher in 2004. Jack Abramoff himself donated USD1,000 in 1997, according to Federal Election Commission records, but Abramoff抯 modus operandi has been to arrange for contributions from clients so that they do not all look like they came from the same source.
Dana Rohrabacher recently appeared at an anti-Ethiopia rally in Washington, D.C. According to the Eritrean web site, Alenalki.com, Rohrabacher said: æŸhe American People are not fully aware of what is going on in Ethiopia and what we have now is a great opportunity to discard the corruption and discard the repression of the regime (Minority Regime in Addis) that should be ending.?/span>
Source: Ocnus.net 2006
March 27th, 2006 at 12:48 pmAbramoff…
What a scandal! When one finds bribery in Africa, they call it “Corruption”, and tell us it is terrible. However, here in Washington, it is an every day common thing. They just call it by another name: Lobby. It is the same damn shit!
Clean your own house here in USA before you can go around the world to teach about democracy!
March 27th, 2006 at 6:52 pm[...] Abramoff and Rep. Dana Rohrabaker (R-CA) http://thinkprogress.org/2006/01/10/rohrabacher-abramoff/ http://www.eritreadaily.net/News0306/article0306261.htm [...]
April 27th, 2006 at 12:05 am[...] Abramoff and Rep. Dana Rohrabaker (R-CA) http://thinkprogress.org/2006/01/10/rohrabacher-abramoff/ http://www.eritreadaily.net/News0306/article0306261.htm [...]
April 27th, 2006 at 5:03 pmI found your website after I have been surfing the internet to be useful
February 21st, 2007 at 4:37 am