Republican Corruption used to be one of my main topics to write about in the leadup to the 2006 election. It had become so clear to me that corruption in the Republican party in recent years had grown to a degree not seen in America since the Harding administration...perhaps even longer. I dedicated a whole blog to covering corruption [1], mostly Republican but some Democratic as well. But more recently I had started becoming kind of numb to the massive flow of Republican corruption that I stopped covering it. Didn't even touch the FBI investigation of Doolittle (R-CA).
But this really is one of the most important topics to discuss. Republican corruption is not just criminal, it also decreases the effectiveness of our government, creating situations like the deaths after Katrina and the recent imported gluten scandal. And quite frankly, Republican corruption is destroying the Republican Party [2], which, some might be surprised to hear, I don't think is a good thing. We need two strong parties in America to maintain the balance between States and Federalism that has sustained our system since the Constitution was written. And the Republican Party has dropped the ball on its end.
The most recent Republican corruption is in Alaska. It isn't quite the level of sleaze as you will find in the Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky State Republican Parties where corruption is deep and extensive, but it involves three Republican politicians. From Salon.com [3]:
One current and two former Alaska legislators were indicted Friday on charges they accepted bribes -- including cash and a job offer in Barbados for one man -- to support legislation favorable to an oil services company.
All were arrested Friday in Juneau. Rep. Victor Kohring, a Republican from Wasilla, was charged with extortion, attempted extortion, bribery and conspiracy, according to a federal grand jury indictment unsealed Friday...
Prosecutors allege the scheme evolved as lawmakers weighed a new petroleum profits tax structure and a new contract for a natural gas pipeline. The tax passed, but the contract for the pipeline negotiated by former Gov. Frank Murkowski and BP PLC, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil was never approved.
From Ohio to Kentucky to Florida to Missouri to California to Alaska to...Republicans are falling right and left due to sleaze.
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