This is a report from TPM Muckraker.com on a national study -- the timing on this coming out is handy for Sen. Fumo:
A study of reported federal investigations of elected officials and candidates shows that the Bush administration’s Justice Department pursues Democrats far more than Republicans. 79 percent of elected officials and candidates who’ve faced a federal investigation (a total of 379) between 2001 and 2006 were Democrats, the study found – only 18 percent were Republicans. ...
"The chance of such a heavy Democratic-Republican imbalance occurring at random is 1 in 10,000," according to the study's authors.
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Fumo
Can anyone name one thing that Fumo has done to upset George W. Bush?
Did he donate thousands of dollars to John Kerry?
Has he been vocal in criticism of the Iraq war?
Did he mobilize his considered political network on behalf of Democratic candidates across the state?
I might believe these fairy tails about being a target of the Bush administration if Fumo had been, well, a little bit more progressive.
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http://benwaxman.com
apples and oranges
fumo is corrupt, but in terms of votes, he is progressive. go look at his record.
on gays, on taxes, on lending, he's been good and sometimes a leader for progressive issues.
i hate to be a pain, but anti-reform, pro-corruption is not always antithetical to being progressive on issues.
don't get wrong: i am no fumo supporter, but let's be somewhat consistent here.
further. i do think it is interesting to look at US Attorneys and who they prosecute. It may be far-fetched, but it is interesting to look at the larger trends in the country.
on gays, on taxes, on
Not to harp on this, but... while I am all for giving him credit when it is due, he is sometimes progressive on this stuff, sometimes not. He led the fight to kick payday lenders out of PA. Awesome. He also led the fight to let predatory mortgage lenders stay, after Philly passed Tasco's bill to ban the practice.
But, yeah, generally I agree with this. Just like Street, it is conceivable to think that they could be going after corruption that legitimately exists (Vince, a bulldozer? Really? Spying on Rendell with our money?), while still believing that there is an implicit or explicit focus on Democrats.
mired
Talk about wading through a mire of ambiguity...
It would be fascinating to
It would be fascinating to see if there a historic correlation in the frequency of investigatory probes based on the length of time either party holds the White House.
I also believe . . .
. . . . that cheering on casinos, as opposed to constituents, is not a progressive position.
depends on which side of the
depends on which side of the divide you inhabit- progressive for whom? - money trumps powerless constituents--sounds like a headline.
How much of that is because
How much of that is because Fumo has to be liberal because of his district? I would never say that Fumo hasn't done some good things. He's brought billions of dollars to Philadelphia. That can't all be bad.
However, I think progressives should be very distrustful of this type of politics. Ultimately, Fumo is interested in one thing: he wants power. Centralized power. It might sometimes be a force for good, but we've really got to transform the way we do business if we want serious change.
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http://benwaxman.com
And in addition
he has been a crucial cog in a machine system that simply has not delivered for this City over a period of decades.
No doubt, he has brought signficant amounts of money into Philadelphia. Uh, wasn't that his fucking job? He did his job well, and so do I.
Meanwhile, he has been THE MOST POWERFUL PLAYER in a political machine that has been in place while our City has fallen behind others, and certainly not progressed in myriad ways we would have liked.
He has a history of highly suspect dealings, and wasn't jailed before (as far as I can tell, only) because of technicalities. He has been surrounded by colleagues who have been convicted and jailed for illegal dealings (are we to believe that he wasn't in any way connected)?
They confiscated 200 firearms from his various houses (no wonder he's been part of preventing gun legislation from getting off the ground in this city).
Please, enough with the "he delivered for his constituents" already.
As was pointed out, why should we praise him for being a "liberal" in a liberal city? Why should we praise him for supporting labor when his constiuency was largely union-based? Should he be praised for working well with diverse folks when he represents a city that is very diverse in its makeup? I get it, he should be praised for not being a Republican, union-hating, racist that didn't do anything to please people so he could stay in power?
Again, he was part of an entrenched machine which has delivered only marginal returns. Good riddance.
See, I think this goes
See, I think this goes overboard.
Vince Fumo is not responsible for every bad thing that happens in Philadelphia.
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http://benwaxman.com
I'm not saying that
Although my statement about his blocking gun control was factually wrong.
I'm saying that as a major part of the system, he should be seen as a major reason for why the Democratic Party has not, to a large degree, delivered for this city.
Is he responsible for everything wrong? No. Is he singularly responsible for why things aren't better? No. Is he significantly responsible for why things aren't better? Yes.
Sorry, but this is part of a pattern that I've seen over an over here over the last few days. This politician or that politician is a good politician because s/he delivered the goods for some people. But this and that politician together form the machine, and the machine hasn't performed satisfactorily. I'm saying that any politican that has been as integral a part of the system as Fumo, unless they've been actively fight to reform the system at the same time, is major part of the problem.
On second thought, you're right Ben
I did go overboard.
But I guess I needed to vent at what strikes me as a lack of accountability. There are parts of the country where people that have histories of questionably illegal activities don't remain in political office, and don't win praise after being indicted. Why is that different in Philadelphia? I think that in the answer to that question lies some important aspects of what needs to change in this city.
But yeah, he was a State Senator, and there is a limit to which he should be held accountable for the problems with the City government.
Actually, Ben, he has been a
Actually, Ben, he has been a very vocal opponent of the war in Iraq. And, I have first hand seen Fumo takeout a well thought of Republican State Senator--how do you think Stack got his seat--because Hank Salvatore pissed off Fumo.
I'm not saying he is a target of anything. But, you should learn a bit more about the Senator and you will see that, yes, while there are certainly issues with his career and some questionable legislation (casinos come to mind), controlling for these issues, his legislative career has been impressive.
Supporting Michael Nutter in 2007!
Gaetano P. Is Right
Vince Fumo has repeatedly spoken out on the floor of the Senate against the War in Iraq.
He has made a lot of deals, but his record is, as Brady Dale has noted, a generally progressive one.
If he is convicted of any of the charges, he will be forced to resign his seat in the Senate. A wise man once noted that experts are experts only on the past; there are no experts on the future, he said. But it is unlikely that the first Senatorial district will elect someone who is more pro-choice, more pro-gay rights, more pro-social services funding than Fumo.
my original point and my eternal point
my original point:
Fumo has been on the right side of some issues that he did not have to be that fall in the realm of traditional liberal interest and he has acted on them more than many other members of the entire General Assembly.
my eternal point:
Corruption can exist in a person who has generally good ideals or at least positions on issues. Obviously, we need to weed out corruption, but we can't replace corrupt people with uncorrupted people who are wrong on the issues
Progressive vs. reform.
I agree with your point.
I agree with your point. The problem is, people are taking that point and twisting it to say we are better off with someone like Fumo because it could be worse, which is not an appropriate justification.