Wrong. Dems (and their supporters) are not offering up as the only defense that the Repubs are doing the same thing. You need to read comments 52, 55, and 56 more closely.

About all I agree with each party on is the assessment of the other party. Republicans call Democrats corrupt, and Democrats call Republicans corrupt. That is about the only truth coming from each party.

Total distortion. While it’s true that there have been a couple of Dems in the last couple of years that have been shown to be corrupt, to compare these relatively few, isolated individuals to what has been called the “culture of corruption” on the Republican side is ridiculous. Not only have there been WAY, WAY more corrupt Republicans, they also are often not single individuals acting alone, but are part of a web of Republican corruption. Further, it’s the Repubs that control everything right now and have stifled investigations into potential corruption. There’s no comparison between Dems and Repubs concerning corruption right now or in the recent past.

somebody responded by saying Reid didn’t take actually money directly from Abramoff, as some sort of “defense” of Democrats.

Yes, that’s true — more accurately, we’ve said this in defense not of Dems in general but of Reid specifically. And it’s a perfectly valid defense. Re-read comments 52 and 56 to see why.

As somebody pointed out, some of Abramoff’s [clients] are big time direct contributors to politicians, including Reid. McCain gets a lot of tribal money as well.

And your point? Just because a contributor to a politician happened to be the sometime client of a criminal lobbyist, does not mean that the politician is guilty of wrongdoing. The politician may have had no involvement or knowledge of the lobbyist’s criminal activity — and this appears to be the case with Reid.

Nothing of the sort; just commenting on wingnuts’ proclivity for disappearing when they’re proved wrong.
And that’s “accepting of all RATIONAL points of view.” (railing against a “liberal” MSM clearly disqualifies you for this category)
When someone posts crap we call them on it. The liberal “reality based community” is real; your cardboard cutout idea of what a liberal is “supposed to be,” ain’t.

We’ll see after the mid-term elections if the MSM has performed their marching orders from the DNC properly.

Comment by Randy — May 25, 2006 @ 5:06 pm

See what I mean? The MSM is CORPORATE media, and as such, predominately republican. You’re pathetic. Try harder, little wingnut.

Two differences between Hastert and Reid:

1. “[Jack Abramoff] reportedly has provided details of his dealings with Hastert as part of his plea agreement with the government. The letter was written shortly after a fund-raiser for Hastert at a restaurant owned by Abramoff. Abramoff and his clients contributed more than $26,000 at the time. Hastert says the story is untrue and has demanded a retraction.”

None of the above is true of Reid, except that he too opposed the legislation and, after the fact, received donations from tribes who also opposed the legislation and who happened to be clients of Abramoff (neither of which actions are illegal or unethical as far as I can tell). (And by the way, if there was nothing wrong with what Hastert did, why would he be reacting to the story so fiercely? And don’t you find it a little bit suspicious how strongly Hastert came out against the FBI raid of Jefferson’s office?)

2. While Reid did oppose the legislation and receive donations from certain tribes that also opposed the legislation, he has a long track record of opposing similar legislation on principled grounds, which suggests that the donations had nothing to do with his opposition:

[from Media Matters:] Reid said the legislation was flawed because it would allow the Bay Mills tribe to build an off-reservation casino “under the guise of settling a land claim.” From the November 19, 2002, Congressional Record:

REID: [A]llowing a tribe to settle a land claim and receive trust land hundreds of miles from their reservation for the express purpose of establishing a gaming facility sets a very dangerous precedent.

This pursuit of off-reservation gaming operations should continue to follow the procedures outlined in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, Public Law 100-497, which authorizes tribal gaming operations on off-reservation ”after-acquired lands” where the land to be acquired has no relationship to the land upon which the claim was based.

Let me say that the first gaming compact ever approved with an Indian tribe in the history of the country was done in Nevada. So it is not as if Nevada is here opposing this request. The first compact ever approved in the country was in Nevada. That is still an ongoing operation and a very successful one.

The proposed casino would be located just north of Detroit on a major link to Ontario that is in the lower corner of the lower peninsula. Bay Mills is located in the upper peninsula. The legislation is fundamentally flawed because it allows Bay Mills to establish gaming facilities under the guise of settling a land claim.

The land claim is simply — and everybody knows this — an excuse to take land into trust for off-reservation gaming. I object. [end of quote from Reid]

This position was entirely consistent with Reid’s longtime opposition to off-reservation gambling. As early as 1988, Reid supported the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, which generally prohibited Indian gaming on non-tribal lands. He proposed separate legislation in 1993 “prohibit[ing] states from opening gaming operations on off-reservation land” [AP, 5/28/93].

This is an argument you should be taking up with thinkprogress, not me, since they “irrationally” tie Hastert to the criminal for the same relationship that Reid has with Abramoff clients.

See their post…
Breaking: Speaker Hastert Under Investigation By the FBI Over Abramoff Ties

CONTRIBUTIONS — DONATIONS FROM ABRAMOFF AND HIS CLIENTS.
Reid received 66,000 from Abramoff clients. Ties to the criminal.

COUSHATTA CAMPAIGN.
Reid also supported. Ties to criminal

FUNDRAISER AT ABRAMOFF OFFICE.
Yes Reid does have ties to the criminal, at least according to thinkprogress’s standards.

Now I am convinced that there can never be any civil political discourse in America as long as people are willing to be unfair and untruthful.

Intellectually dishonest; you are without morals, and you know it.

What’s the difference? Oh, the liberal double standard. Thinkparanoid exploits “the details” of Hastert’s ties to the criminal Abramoff that sound just like Reid’s ties:

Reid also sends a letter to the Interior Secretary urging her to refect Choctaw casino. Beneficiary? The Coushatta Tribe. Reid receives a donation the following day, and more donations to follow. Tied to the criminal? Yes.

Reid also receives donations from Abramoff’s clients. Yes, thinkparanoid includes donations from Abramoff clients as a tie to the criminal when it applies to Hastert.

A fundraiser for Reid was held at Abramoff’s offices. At least it wasn’t at Abramoff’s restaurant, right? Still a tie to the criminal.

Reid receives over 66o benji’s from Abramoff clients. Another tie to the criminal, according to thinkparanoid’s standards. Oh, that’s right. It only applies to Republicans.

Non-partisan? Bwahahahahaha!

Comment by Randy — May 25, 2006 @ 4:19 pm”

Not really. The underlying story about Bush’s inexplicable absences from TANG are true. The fact that it got turned into “Rather-gate” instead of “AWOL-gate” is just another example of the sheer brilliance of the right when it comes to cynical manipulation of the MSM.

#47 “Are you saying that I am not welcome here?

Comment by Randy — May 25, 2006 @ 5:06 pm”

No, you aren’t welcome here. Unlike conservative websites you won’t be censored for expressing a contrary opinion. But nobody invited you; this is a liberal site you voluntarily came into yourself. Stay as long as you like and post as much as you want. Just don’t expect to be treated with kid gloves because you don’t deserve it.

Are you saying that I am not welcome here? I thought liberals were supposed to be open-minded and accepting of all opinions, not that you have to agree with them though. We’ll see after the mid-term elections if the MSM has performed their marching orders from the DNC properly.

I have to agree with you. When I saw this, it immediately smelled of “Rathergate”. It’s just one more dagger in the credibility of the MSM. I hope ABC gets sued for a pretty penny. That won’t help the damage already done to Hastert though. I guess I’ll just have to settle for their continued ratings decline.

Don’t you just love that MSM “Honesty”?

Comment by C2W? — May 25, 2006 @ 4:06 pm

Still looking for those weapons of mass destruction, C2W?

Was the evidence regarding yellowcake URANIUM FAKE BUT ACCURATE?

I just love the smell of cooked wingnut – see you in November, royalist.

disclosedenny

It’s pretty good. It’s run by Lukery who also hosts wotisitgood4 with some excellent political commentary.