House democrats will break ethics truce (about bribery on Medicare vote)

[NewJerseyDem]

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/49_71/news/4170-1.html (subscription required)

An End to Ethics Truce?
Democrats Hint at Imminent Filing of Complaint

By Erin P. Billings
Roll Call Staff


February 2, 2004

House Democrats are on the cusp of breaking the seven-year cease-fire with Republicans over filing ethics complaints, sources throughout the Caucus confirm.

Senior aides and Members say a rank-and-file Democrat will file a formal ethics complaint in the coming weeks unless Republicans — most likely Speaker Dennis Hastert (Ill.) — persuade the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct to investigate at least one of several matters they say warrant an inquiry.

The move is part of a broader effort by Democrats to focus on alleged ethical breaches as the 2004 elections move closer.

“We have reason to believe, given Hefley’s comments, that they are not going to do anything,” said a senior Democratic aide. “If nothing is done with this phase, we’ll be forced by Republicans’ inaction to take it to a more intense level. They may leave us with no other option.”

[MoonAndSun]

1. The Dems in Washington DC have finally decided to get those

spines working again. For too long they have let the repubs roll over and steamroll them on every issue and situation.

It's about F***ing time!!

[Nlighten1]

2. Seven year drought...

:wtf:

7 years and no ethics complaints? That is a happy crowd there in Washington.

[0007]

30. Ya know what they say mate? "The folks that cut the pie together..

dines together."

Go gat 'em Dem's and screw the gipper.

[gulfcoastliberal]

3. What about the illegal hacking..

..the thugs in Frist's office, et al, did to break into the Dems senate computer servers? I understand the sergeant-at-arms is doing an investigation, but why are the Dems not doing more about it? It seems that this is just as serious (if not more so) as the Medicare shenanigans.

[alittlelark]

7. Huh? try WATERGATE...

This issue is on par...given the geopolitical situation, well overpar!!!! Let's call it what it is!!!!

[wellst0nev0ter]

4. Question: Why Have They Waited This Long????!!!

Were they BLIND for the past several years? Republicans emulate Vladimir Lenin in their quest for power. Give them an inch, they will take it a country mile.

And this is supposed to be our "opposition party"? What a crock.

[truthisfreedom]

11. the timing is politically useful, imho.

[NewJerseyDem]

17. Republicans will retaliate

I believe that the republicans have some information about some minor campaign finance issues with Nancy Pelosi and will probably launch an investigation into that to embarras her. They will find other things to investigate. The last time this happened there was an ethics war and the democrats are probably worried about what will happen to them if a war over ethics does begin.

[Bandit]

31. Those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

That is why the drought on ethics complaints. Republicans warned if Democrats filed ethic complaints they would do the same and I guess they (Democrats) have something to fear.

[IndianaGreen]

36. So there was a conspiracy of silence between the 2-major parties?

I didn't know that, and shame on both of them!

[Robbien]

5. There is a rumor out there that there is a bribery/strong arm

situation going on with the passage of the Medicare prescription bill. Wonder if that is what this is about.

[stevedeshazer]

6. Hadn't heard such a rumor

Do tell.

[baby_bear]

8. Can you elaborate, Robbien?

Anything on the record or is this personal information?

Sounds interesting at the least.


s_m

[uhhuh]

10. Probably this

http://slate.msn.com/id/2092242/

[Robbien]

16. Probably the rumor came from that Drudge thing

Sorry, I just read the rumor in another forum. Didn't realize it came from Drudge. Well, I guess we will have to wait and see whether Drudge is spreading truth or fiction. Either is okay with him.

[Melinda]

22. In 11/04, HHS Tommy Thompson on floor during 3 am vote

Thompson was not suppose to be on that floor... he was pressuring the R's. Republican House leaders offered a bribe to Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich) for his vote on the Medicare bill... they promised to leverage money toward his son's future House run, or something close. Smith told media but later recanted... I'll see if I can find the story.

[Melinda]

23. Here is Nick Smith's (R-Mich) Own Story (since recanted)

A Medicare Showdown

The House passed a deeply flawed Medicare prescription drug bill by a vote of 220-215 at 6:00am, November 22. Votes in the House usually last 15 minutes plus a traditional two minute cushion. But because the leadership did not have the votes to prevail, this vote was held open for a record two-hours-and-51-minutes as bribes and special deals were offered to convince members to vote yes.

I was targeted by lobbyists and the congressional leadership to change my vote, being a fiscal conservative and being on record as a no vote. Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson and Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert talked to me for a long time about the bill and about why I should vote yes. Other members and groups made offers of extensive financial campaign support and endorsements for my son Brad who is running for my seat. They also made threats of working against Brad if I voted no. Brad heard about what was going on and called me to say he didn=t want to get to Congress

http://www.house.gov/nicksmith/col31123.htm

[stevedeshazer]

29. Thanks, Melinda

I remember now. So many lies and scandals, I can't keep them all straight.

[truthisfreedom]

14. drudge is hinting at something...

INQUIRY SOUGHT IN HOUSE VOTE ON MEDICARE DRUG BENEFITS: allegations of bribery... Developing...

[NewJerseyDem]

19. It is about the medicare vote

The rest of the story mentions that the democrats will launch an investigation in the Ethics Committee into potential bribes to Nick Smith during the Medicare vote if the Ethic Committee doesn't do it by itself. Joel Hefley (R-CO) has indicated he won't have an investigation unless he is forced to and the democrats are going to ask Dennis Hastert to use his influence to get an investigation. Like that will happen. I guess it is just so they can say they asked.

I'm surprised that Hefley isn't having an investigation on his own. He is pissed off at the republican leadership because they passed over him for the Resources committee chairmanship and he has already gotten into battle of changes in ethics rules earlier in the year.

The article also says that this is part of a larger stategy to show ethics problems with the republicans like Billy Tauzin's expected move to lobbying and demands by some republicans to have only republicans as lobbyists.

[alittlelark]

9. Let's be realistic

There are faaaaar too many Dem's who 'facilitate' this kind of crap. Yeah- I know they wanna be rich (like their R beneficiaries). But they will only be given crumbs. The loaf goes to people they will never meet. They can play the REPUG fool until they are disgusted, or have enough in the bank (the good ones!!)

PS Did not vote for N - never will, but want a triad at least (when we can afford it!)

[CookieD]

12. What gives our elected officials the right to call an ethics truce?

When an elected official commits a breach of ethics the victims are almost always taxpayers and/or voting citizens. What gives members of Congress the right to ignore ethical violations just so that they can protect one another's fannies?

Here's an idea. Why don't we just have cops and robbers declare a truce all over America. Cops won't arrest people who steal money at gunpoint and gun-toting theives won't file brutality charges against cops who use excessive force.

Sound like a plan?

[Nancy Waterman]

13. This is on Drudge, but no story yet

INQUIRY SOUGHT IN HOUSE VOTE ON MEDICARE DRUG BENEFITS: allegations of bribery... Developing.

[Zhade]

15. Simple: most members of both parties are in collusion - against US.

Democrats and Republicans and every other person in this country.

They are equally guilty of fucking us over, repeatedly, over decades.

[Stephanie]

18. That's what I want to know

Screw all of them. Throw the bastards out!

[NewJerseyDem]

20. They had a really bloody ethics war back in the '90s

And that really got vicious and a lot in congress are worried about what another ethics war could do to congress. Also, there have been ethics investigations. Jim Traficant, of course, was subject to investigation and so was Earl Hilliard and Corrine Brown. There was also a short investigation against Steve Buyer and Bob Barr tried to launch an investigation against Gary Condit during the Chandra Levy disappearance. So, there have been some violations of the truce but nothing that led to a real partisan battle.

[baby_bear]

25. I say it's high time for ethics to come back onto the table

I realize if they got nasty before, but ethics should not be off the table. If the Republicans are conducting unethical business in the House, the Dems must call them on it.


And this Medicare bill, which I watched in horror during the middle of the night transpire from an honest "against" vote to an obviously arm-twisted "for" vote, is a prime example.

s_m

[NewJerseyDem]

21. New York Times article

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/02/politics/02ETHI.html?ei=5062&en=42d28fbf377fe887&ex=1076302800&partner=GOOGLE&pagewanted=print&position=

ASHINGTON, Feb. 1 — A leading House Democrat has called on Speaker J. Dennis Hastert to initiate an ethics investigation into accusations of bribery during last November's vote on the new Medicare drug plan, warning that Democrats will conduct their own inquiry if the House leader does not act.

In a Jan. 20 letter to the speaker, Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the Democratic whip, said an investigation by the House ethics committee was needed to protect the reputation of the House after Representative Nick Smith, Republican of Michigan, said groups and lawmakers had offered support for his son's Congressional campaign if Mr. Smith backed the measure, which passed 220 to 215.

"Until such time as the committee renders its own conclusions on the matter, the House will operate under a cloud of public suspicion," Mr. Hoyer wrote in his five-page letter.

Mr. Hoyer said a failure by Mr. Hastert to request an inquiry would leave "no alternative but for individual members" to seek one, a move that would shatter an unofficial truce the parties have observed in recent years after ethics complaints were wielded as political weapons in the 1990's.

[banana republican]

24. Tming is everything

[GoBlue]

26. Is it ethical to break an ethics truce?

Just asking.

[ignatius]

27. By God, I would hope so and it seems to me any TRUE

conservative would be mad as hell about a 34% increase in the cost just one and a half month after the bill was signed and ramroded through Congress.

A crappy bill that is a boondoggle for the drug and insurance companies, the administration knew it was going to be much more costly and intimidated congress into passing this piece of junk.
Heads should once again roll, if only Americans gave half a damn.

[dusty64]

28. They have been kicked

in the face for the last three years and they are FINALLY doing this, WTF!

[indypaul]

32. Always liked Dean Acheson's respsonse

to the question about Truman's opinion of
"situation ethics." Mr.Truman would tell you
that ehtics is a word that does not need hyphenation.
Any agreement to ignore ehtics violations by leadership
of both parties in the House is absolutely ridiculous
and can only be described as contempt. How in the
hell could these people even consider impeachment of
another elected official? No wonder Scalia can so
easily ignore judicial ethics when this type of
activity is condoned in the legislative branch.

[progressivebydesign]

33. What is wrong with us? An "ethics" truce?

That is just ridiculous. What were they thinking when they agreed to that? *Okay.. guys.. do what you want, and we promise not to tell on you." We deserve to have our asses kicked once in a while if we elect Democrats who think that way.

[NewJerseyDem]

34. The 1997 ethics war was vicious

It basically prevented the House from doing its work and nobody really wants that again. So, they had an unofficial ethics truce for a few years but it appears that it is over now. Most likely the republicans will retaliate and the democrats will retaliate for that and there will be a battle over ethics that will be more about partisan politics that true enforcement of ethics. However, that seems like what is necessary because the democrats can't just stand by forever and let the republicans walk all over them.

[enki23]

35. ethics truce...?

democrats and republicans had an ETHICS TRUCE? and this doesn't really ring any alarms with democrats? or with republicans, for that matter?

jesus christ. take me to a new party. i don't want to dance, or vote any more at this one.