Pendragon_6
05-10-2006, 08:56 AM
5/9/2006
By Jim Drinkard, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — For the past year, Democrats have been jockeying for the high ground on congressional ethics, hoping a largely Republican lobbying scandal would help propel them into the majority come November's elections.
But the issue is proving to be a two-edged sword, as Democrats themselves have come under scrutiny for allegations of bribery and conflicts of interest.
"You can attack one party for having a lack of ethics, but if any of your own members have problems, it dulls the message with the American people," said Leon Panetta, an ex-Democratic congressman from California and chief of staff under President Clinton. "They begin to put everybody in the same box. It clearly loses some of its impact as a clean campaign issue."
Carl Forti, spokesman for the GOP House campaign committee, said the "culture of corruption" argument doesn't worry Republicans. "People vote for a person, not a party," he said. "We don't think it's going to be effective."
In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken over the weekend, Americans said the Washington scandals don't have a distinct partisan tilt: 76% say they affect both parties equally, 15% said corruption involves mostly Republicans and 5% said Democrats. But respondents gave a 41%-29% edge to Democrats when asked which party would do a better job of cleaning up corruption.
Democrats facing ethics problems:
•Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana, who is under investigation of alleged bribery in connection with helping market broadband telecommunication services in Nigeria. Former aide Brent Pfeffer and businessman Vernon Jackson have pleaded guilty. An FBI raid on Jefferson's houses in New Orleans and Washington last year found $90,000 in cash in his freezer. Jefferson hasn't been charged and has denied wrongdoing. His attorney, Robert Trout, declined to comment.
In Full
USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-09-democrats-ethics_x.htm)
By Jim Drinkard, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — For the past year, Democrats have been jockeying for the high ground on congressional ethics, hoping a largely Republican lobbying scandal would help propel them into the majority come November's elections.
But the issue is proving to be a two-edged sword, as Democrats themselves have come under scrutiny for allegations of bribery and conflicts of interest.
"You can attack one party for having a lack of ethics, but if any of your own members have problems, it dulls the message with the American people," said Leon Panetta, an ex-Democratic congressman from California and chief of staff under President Clinton. "They begin to put everybody in the same box. It clearly loses some of its impact as a clean campaign issue."
Carl Forti, spokesman for the GOP House campaign committee, said the "culture of corruption" argument doesn't worry Republicans. "People vote for a person, not a party," he said. "We don't think it's going to be effective."
In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken over the weekend, Americans said the Washington scandals don't have a distinct partisan tilt: 76% say they affect both parties equally, 15% said corruption involves mostly Republicans and 5% said Democrats. But respondents gave a 41%-29% edge to Democrats when asked which party would do a better job of cleaning up corruption.
Democrats facing ethics problems:
•Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana, who is under investigation of alleged bribery in connection with helping market broadband telecommunication services in Nigeria. Former aide Brent Pfeffer and businessman Vernon Jackson have pleaded guilty. An FBI raid on Jefferson's houses in New Orleans and Washington last year found $90,000 in cash in his freezer. Jefferson hasn't been charged and has denied wrongdoing. His attorney, Robert Trout, declined to comment.
In Full
USA Today (http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-05-09-democrats-ethics_x.htm)