The Republican Revolution goes the way of all revolutions

Tareeq · Post by **Tareeq** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 1:22 am

From The Weekly Standard, the republican revolution's Pravda:

Though not yet as rich as his mentor, [Ralph] Reed is far more famous, and far more careful with his reputation. As a pillar among conservative evangelicals and an ardent foe of gambling, Reed refuses to take casino tribes as clients. The tribes therefore hired Scanlon, who hired Reed. Century Strategies was paid at least $4.2 million to organize a grass-roots campaign--working phone banks, writing letters--to shut down the Texas tribes' casinos and, as Reed put it in one email, "get our pastors riled up." Half of the $4.2 million sum received by Reed's firm came from the American International Center, the think tank on the beach. Sure enough, in February 2002, the Texas casinos were shuttered by a Texas court, acting pursuant to an order sought by the Texas attorney general John Cornyn (now a U.S. senator).

The Texas tribes were devastated, of course, but Abramoff was energized. Shortly after the court order, through an intermediary, he approached one of the tribes, the Tigua of El Paso, offering to use his lobbying magic in Washington to get their casino reopened. The Tigua had no way of knowing that Abramoff and Scanlon had been involved in the campaign to shut down their casino.

On February 6, 2002, Abramoff emailed Scanlon under the header I'm on the phone with Tigua: "Fire up the jet, baby, we're going to El Paso!"

Scanlon responded: "I want all their MONEY!!!"

...

In an interview about Abramoff for National Public Radio a couple months ago, his old friend Norquist said, "To this day I can't find anything he did or he's accused of doing that's illegal, immoral, or fattening." A few days later I came across another quote from Norquist, from a profile of Abramoff in the National Journal in 1995, soon after Abramoff had announced he would become a lobbyist, back when the Revolution was still young.

"What the Republicans need is 50 Jack Abramoffs," Norquist said. "Then this becomes a different town."

It was a bold statement, typical for the time, but even then it raised a question we now know the answer to: Would the Republicans change Washington, or would it be the other way around?

If you can take the time to read, it's absolutely disgusting.

DD · Post by DD » Tue Dec 14, 2004 7:26 am

So what is this about, and why should I care? I don't have time to read it all, I've got to concentrate on flipping a $10K investment in cattle futures into a cool $100 G's, baby!

dbt1949 · Post by **dbt1949** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 8:52 am

Tareeq · Post by **Tareeq** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 1:42 pm

DD wrote:So what is this about, and why should I care? I don't have time to read it all, I've got to concentrate on flipping a $10K investment in cattle futures into a cool $100 G's, baby!

Odd reaction from a man who depicts himself as an elephant pin. What it's all about is that the Weekly Standard (which is to Republicans what the Watchtower is to Jehovah's Witnesses) is reporting on the extent to which your party has been taken over by operators, from the House leadership (Tom Delay) to party powerbrokers (Ralph Reed) to ideological guiding lights (Grover Norquist) to K Street lobbyists every bit as bad as Clark Clifford and the Democratic lobbyists you people railed against in the 1990s. Although the context here is scamming Indians, it's symptomatic of a moral rot which will no doubt rear its head in scandals to come.

Your reaction strikes me as odd because, as a Republican, I would imagine you would want your party policed against crooks who bilk Indian tribes out of millions of dollars through political extortion. Instead, you give me a non sequitur about a relatively trivial scandal that took place 15 years ago. Everyone does it.

If your reaction is at all representative of your party, then it's evidence your party needs to be ejected from power. You've gotten fat, complacent, and amoral. You bitch about the mote (well, a forest really) Kofi Annan's eye while ignoring the beam in your own.

Bandero · Post by **Bandero** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 2:17 pm

Just when you think you can't get anymore cynical about Washington politics...That's a scheme worthy of Tammany Hall!

$iljanus · Post by **$iljanus** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 2:25 pm

We'll be fighting in the streets
With our children at our feet
And the morals that they worship will be gone
And the men who spurred us on
Sit in judgement of all wrong
They decide and the shotgun sings the song

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again

The change, it had to come
We knew it all along
We were liberated from the fold, that's all
And the world looks just the same
And history ain't changed
'Cause the banners, they are flown in the next war

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
No, no!

I'll move myself and my family aside
If we happen to be left half alive
I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky
Though I know that the hypnotized never lie
Do ya?

There's nothing in the streets
Looks any different to me
And the slogans are replaced, by-the-bye
And the parting on the left
Are now parting on the right
And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
Don't get fooled again
No, no!

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Meet the new boss
Same as the old boss

SuperHiro · Post by **SuperHiro** » Tue Dec 14, 2004 2:51 pm

I heart Tareeq.

Yankeeman84 · Post by **Yankeeman84** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 7:36 pm

Life is a bitch!

The Emperor · Post by **The Emperor** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 8:49 pm

Get the spin-doctors a-spinning faster than DJ's on X!

Works every time.

Exodor · Post by **Exodor** » Wed Dec 15, 2004 8:52 pm

The Emperor wrote:Get the spin-doctors a-spinning faster than DJ's on X!

Works every time.

nah, just blow it off and blame the "liberal media".

Works every time!

DD · Post by DD » Thu Dec 16, 2004 12:01 am

Tareeq wrote:
DD wrote:So what is this about, and why should I care? I don't have time to read it all, I've got to concentrate on flipping a $10K investment in cattle futures into a cool $100 G's, baby!
Odd reaction from a man who depicts himself as an elephant pin. What it's all about is that the Weekly Standard (which is to Republicans what the Watchtower is to Jehovah's Witnesses) is reporting on the extent to which your party has been taken over by operators, from the House leadership (Tom Delay) to party powerbrokers (Ralph Reed) to ideological guiding lights (Grover Norquist) to K Street lobbyists every bit as bad as Clark Clifford and the Democratic lobbyists you people railed against in the 1990s. Although the context here is scamming Indians, it's symptomatic of a moral rot which will no doubt rear its head in scandals to come.

Your reaction strikes me as odd because, as a Republican, I would imagine you would want your party policed against crooks who bilk Indian tribes out of millions of dollars through political extortion. Instead, you give me a non sequitur about a relatively trivial scandal that took place 15 years ago. Everyone does it.

If your reaction is at all representative of your party, then it's evidence your party needs to be ejected from power. You've gotten fat, complacent, and amoral. You bitch about the mote (well, a forest really) Kofi Annan's eye while ignoring the beam in your own.

Well, I'm not a Republican and don't know who Ralph Reed is, and have never picked up a copy of the Weekly Standard. Don't know anything about Jehovah's Witnesses either, other than the fact that a 110 lbs mutt barking furiously at the door can indeed cut their sales pitch short - it was a near thing, however. So I guess I stand by my original point, though obviously I'll have to explain it more clearly for you...

WOW!!!11!!!!1!!!! SOEM 1 USSED TEH POLITIKS AND IS CORRUPD!!!!11!!!11 OMG LOL IM SHOKED!111!!!!!111!1!!!

Tareeq · Post by **Tareeq** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 12:13 am

DD wrote:Well, I'm not a Republican

Coulda fooled me!

Eightball · Post by **Eightball** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:00 am

Tareeq wrote: If you can take the time to read, it's absolutely disgusting.

From someone who thought they couldn't be disgusted by lobbying stories anymore....that one is wretched.

And DD, not a republican? Hey, then I'm not a permanent student, either!

WAW · Post by **WAW** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:14 am

The most amazing about the Republicans is some how they have convinced their followers that they aren't common politicians. Hey when someone spends millions for a job that pays thousands it might be a good idea to keep your hand on your wallet no matter what party they belong to.

Poleaxe · Post by **Poleaxe** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:40 am

WAW wrote:The most amazing about the Republicans is some how they have convinced their followers that they aren't common politicians. Hey when someone spends millions for a job that pays thousands it might be a good idea to keep your hand on your wallet no matter what party they belong to.

"It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing."

CSL · Post by **CSL** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 1:54 am

Tareeq wrote:
DD wrote:Well, I'm not a Republican
Coulda fooled me!

ZING!!!

Enough · Post by **Enough** » Thu Dec 16, 2004 4:32 am

Tareeq wrote:
DD wrote:Well, I'm not a Republican
Coulda fooled me!

All hat, no cattle.

Octopus Overlords

The Republican Revolution goes the way of all revolutions

The Republican Revolution goes the way of all revolutions

Re: The Republican Revolution goes the way of all revolution