what are pelosi and the dems thinking...!?!?
inmytree
Posts: 4,741
appointing Jefferson to panel...I agree with the Repubs in this one....so much for fighting the culture of corruption...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/28/AR2007022801945.html
House GOP Pushes Floor Vote For Rep. Jefferson Appointment
By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 1, 2007; A04
House Republicans plan to force a floor vote on the appointment of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), who is the subject of a federal bribery investigation, to a seat on the Homeland Security Committee.
The decision to put Jefferson on the panel was made by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), and House Democrats endorsed the move at a private meeting Tuesday night, but his appointment must be confirmed by a vote on the House floor. Such an action would normally be a formality, but Republicans said yesterday that they would pursue a rarely used maneuver to force a recorded vote on the matter.
"This is a terrible mistake by the Democratic leadership, to take someone with serious ethical allegations against him and put him on one of the most sensitive and important committees in Congress," said Rep. Peter T. King (N.Y.), the ranking Republican on the committee.
Pelosi ousted Jefferson from his seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee in June after federal investigators raided his Capitol Hill office. In an earlier search of his home, $90,000 was found in a freezer. The money allegedly was accepted in a bribery sting involving an African technology company. Jefferson, who has not been charged, has maintained his innocence and was elected to a ninth term in December after a runoff election.
"You gotta wonder where Jefferson's gonna store all those homeland security secrets," said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (N.C.), a deputy Republican whip. Other Republicans said Pelosi's decision contradicted her promise to create "the most ethical Congress in history." Said King: "It shows hypocrisy. Before the election, they made a big point of pulling him from Ways and Means and after the election, they put him on Homeland Security."
A spokesman for Pelosi said she opted to place Jefferson on Homeland Security because the panel oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Jefferson had been a vocal critic of FEMA's performance during Hurricane Katrina, which affected thousands of his constituents.
But his appointment must be formally approved by the House, and Republicans said they would take the rare step of challenging the vote and requiring members to record their votes so Democrats will be forced to go on the record in their support of Jefferson.
Such appointments usually are ratified on the House floor by unanimous consent.
"I have a hard time seeing how the Democrats will vote in the open to put a person with serious ethical charges against him on Homeland Security," King said. "If he was too unethical to be writing tax law, he certainly shouldn't be on Homeland Security where he has access to intelligence materials and ongoing operations. Even with FEMA, we're going to be looking into allegations of corruption related to contracting around Hurricane Katrina."
Brendan Daly, a spokesman for Pelosi, said that if Republicans follow through on their threat, they would set a "dangerous precedent. A number of their own members are under investigation," he said, referring to Republicans allegedly under scrutiny by the Justice Department.
Jefferson called the Republican criticism "politics as usual."
"Speaker Pelosi did the right thing by placing the congressional member who represents hurricane-ravaged New Orleans on this committee," he said. "My district desperately needs a voice on this panel."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/28/AR2007022801945.html
House GOP Pushes Floor Vote For Rep. Jefferson Appointment
By Lyndsey Layton
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, March 1, 2007; A04
House Republicans plan to force a floor vote on the appointment of Rep. William J. Jefferson (D-La.), who is the subject of a federal bribery investigation, to a seat on the Homeland Security Committee.
The decision to put Jefferson on the panel was made by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), and House Democrats endorsed the move at a private meeting Tuesday night, but his appointment must be confirmed by a vote on the House floor. Such an action would normally be a formality, but Republicans said yesterday that they would pursue a rarely used maneuver to force a recorded vote on the matter.
"This is a terrible mistake by the Democratic leadership, to take someone with serious ethical allegations against him and put him on one of the most sensitive and important committees in Congress," said Rep. Peter T. King (N.Y.), the ranking Republican on the committee.
Pelosi ousted Jefferson from his seat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee in June after federal investigators raided his Capitol Hill office. In an earlier search of his home, $90,000 was found in a freezer. The money allegedly was accepted in a bribery sting involving an African technology company. Jefferson, who has not been charged, has maintained his innocence and was elected to a ninth term in December after a runoff election.
"You gotta wonder where Jefferson's gonna store all those homeland security secrets," said Rep. Patrick T. McHenry (N.C.), a deputy Republican whip. Other Republicans said Pelosi's decision contradicted her promise to create "the most ethical Congress in history." Said King: "It shows hypocrisy. Before the election, they made a big point of pulling him from Ways and Means and after the election, they put him on Homeland Security."
A spokesman for Pelosi said she opted to place Jefferson on Homeland Security because the panel oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Jefferson had been a vocal critic of FEMA's performance during Hurricane Katrina, which affected thousands of his constituents.
But his appointment must be formally approved by the House, and Republicans said they would take the rare step of challenging the vote and requiring members to record their votes so Democrats will be forced to go on the record in their support of Jefferson.
Such appointments usually are ratified on the House floor by unanimous consent.
"I have a hard time seeing how the Democrats will vote in the open to put a person with serious ethical charges against him on Homeland Security," King said. "If he was too unethical to be writing tax law, he certainly shouldn't be on Homeland Security where he has access to intelligence materials and ongoing operations. Even with FEMA, we're going to be looking into allegations of corruption related to contracting around Hurricane Katrina."
Brendan Daly, a spokesman for Pelosi, said that if Republicans follow through on their threat, they would set a "dangerous precedent. A number of their own members are under investigation," he said, referring to Republicans allegedly under scrutiny by the Justice Department.
Jefferson called the Republican criticism "politics as usual."
"Speaker Pelosi did the right thing by placing the congressional member who represents hurricane-ravaged New Orleans on this committee," he said. "My district desperately needs a voice on this panel."
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
He represents part of the reason New Orleans was fucked to begin with....bad corrupt politicians.
The guy was caught with 90 thousand dollars of stolen money in his freezer wrapped up in aluminum foil....how much less "ethical" can you get?
This isn't even a Partisan thing, Pelosi says it sets a dangerous precedent. No. it sets a fantastic precedent. Let's get all of these corrupt bastards out of there. I don't give a shit what party they are from.
Republicans are getting elected based on "morality" it'd behoove the democrats to start exposing just how corrupt both parties are and start getting assholes like Jefferson put in Jail where they belong.
a little more info as to what I'm talking about from the same news source.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/15/AR2006021502752.html
I don't care if it's Tom Delay or William Jefferson or Abramoff or Duke Cunningham, these guys need to go.
Didn't they learn ANYTHING AT ALL from the previous congress. Nice. Politics as usual. Smart people.....stop voting for Republicans and Democrats.
Jefferson shouldn't even have a job... if the cops found $90k in my refrigerator, my company couldn't fire me quick enough.
was like a picture
of a sunny day
“We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
― Abraham Lincoln
we need more mugwhumps....
Jefferson had Sheriff Harry Lee (of Jefferson Parish, coincidently enough). In the last week or two between the general and the run-off, Harry Lee, a rather popular sheriff, urged people not to vote for Carter. In fact, I believe he spent some of his own campaign money - not on Jefferson, but against Carter. The reason? She said some mean things about the Jefferson Parish police in Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke" - you know, that whole thing about the police not letting people walk across the bridge from New Orleans to the West Bank shortly after the storm. You know, justified criticism.
Anyway, while the vote in New Orleans was about 50/50 between the candidates (horrible for an incumbant), Jefferson Parish's portion of the district went something like 70-30 in Jefferson's favor. Not because people were converted - but because people stayed home rather than vote for either. Ironic, because in the general election, Jefferson Parish was pretty much in Carter's corner. She should have won - would have won.
But Jefferson had Sherrif Harry Lee. Unfortunately, I can't vote against Harry Lee. I'm not in his district. Mother fucker.
Pensacola '94
New Orleans '95
Birmingham '98
New Orleans '00
New Orleans '03
Tampa '08
New Orleans '10 - Jazzfest
New Orleans '16 - Jazzfest
Fenway Park '18
St. Louis '22
Is it getting annoying to you yet that all these politicians announce their "frustration" with the slow rebuild?
It is me. Who the fuck do they expect to do it? It takes a week of all the work a team of around 12 people can do to gut a house, and there are like 300,000 houses that need it done, then, if you do want to rebuild you have to find a freaking honest contractor (also a scarcity) so I'm just sorry that the President and all these other politicians are "frustrated" at the progress. Oh really? Well go down and help instead of walking around and talking about it you freaking A- holes!! When you consider the amount of work that has to be done, I think it's coming along pretty well.
A major problem, and one I haven't the slightest how to fix, is with the devastated areas themselves. Sounds like common sense, right? By that, I mean many people don't want to rebuild in those areas because no one lives there; and since no one lives there, no one's building there, so no one lives there. A textbook example of a viscious cycle. A slow process, to be sure. And good luck to those who want to buy in non-devastated areas.
Anyway, to the topic of the thread. It makes sense that Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District seat would be on this panel - just like the article states. What pisses me off is that seat is currently occupied by Jefferson. I wonder what it would take to Swift Boat Harry Lee out of office - wonder what I could do? Perhaps rent some billboards in Jefferson Parish that read "Happy that William Jefferson was re-elected? Thank Harry Lee."
Mother Fucker. Still, he throws such cute refrigerator magnets during the St. Patrick's day parades.
It would be pretty funny, I wonder how much that would run?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Lee - harry lee for the lay person 27 years is plenty of time to become nicely corrupt and entrenched.
http://www.comics.com/creators/wizardofid/
They'll only say this around election time. As soon as it's over, they'll go right back to saying how both parties suck.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.
-Oscar Wilde
anyone that trusts either party has little knowledge of history; whether local, national, or global.