"The time has come that the American people know exactly what their Representatives are doing here in Washington. Are they feeding at the public trough, taking lobbyist-paid vacations, getting wined and dined by special interest groups? Or are they working hard to represent their constituents? The people, the American people, have a right to know."Give up?
"As Tom DeLay became a king of campaign fundraising, he lived like one too. He visited cliff-top Caribbean resorts, golf courses designed by PGA champions and four-star restaurants - all courtesy of donors who bankrolled his political money empire.posted by ericb at 1:42 PM on December 21, 2005
Over the past six years, the former House majority leader and his associates have visited places of luxury most Americans have never seen, often getting there aboard corporate jets arranged by lobbyists and other special interests.
Public documents reviewed by The Associated Press tell the story: at least 48 visits to golf clubs and resorts with lush fairways; 100 flights aboard company planes; 200 stays at hotels, many world-class; and 500 meals at restaurants, some averaging nearly $200 for a dinner for two.
Instead of his personal expense, the meals and trips for DeLay and his associates were paid with donations collected by the campaign committees, political action committees and children's charity the Texas Republican created during his rise to the top of Congress.
Put them together and an opulent lifestyle emerges."[Associated Press | December 20, 2005]
Democrats Also Got Tribal Donationsposted by ericb at 4:46 PM on December 21, 2005
Top Democrat in Abramoff Rrobe Returns Funds
Lobbyist Abramoff Linked to Democrats' Trips
Do I think Abramoff-gate is the Watergate of the 2006 election cycle? No, I don't think it alone will generate a tidal wave of change equal to what happened in 1974. Instead, I believe Abramoff is more likely to become the Tongsun Park of the '06 cycle. Park, for those who forget, was the foreign lobbyist who bribed several prominent members of Congress in the so-called Koreagate scandal and then fled the US to avoid prosecution. Between Koreagate and other assorted scandals, Congressmen Richard Hanna (D-CA), Joshua Eilberg (D-PA), Daniel Flood (D-PA) and Otto Passman (D-LA) were all implicated in having collectively accepted hundreds of thousands in gifts, bribes and kickbacks. All were eventually convicted of corruption charges -- and every one implicated in Koreagate who ran for re-election lost their seats.Plus ça change...
Stevens accused ANWR opponents of not knowing what was in the bill, and he pledged that he wouldn't let their constituents forget.posted by darkstar at 12:04 PM on December 22, 2005
"I'm going to go to every one of your states, and I'm going to tell them what you've done!" he said. "And I'm sure the senator from Washington will enjoy my visits to Washington, because I'm going to visit there often. This was wrong!"
...He said he'd never asked for their votes in return for that help, but he said he was "drawing a line now with a lot of people I've worked with before."
"I really am. I really am," he said, his voice wavering. "I can't put (out of) my mind the amount of time, the days I spent with you, working on your problems, and to know you've said about me the things you've said in the last two months."
He said he was going home to think about what to do next year. "I say goodbye to the Senate tonight," he concluded. "Thank you very much." Some observers wondered if he was saying he was resigning, but an aide said she thought he was just saying he was tired and going home.
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posted by mullingitover at 12:17 PM on December 21, 2005