tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post8747292702582284774..comments2024-03-29T06:44:19.414-04:00Comments on the daily howler: Supplemental: Maddow discusses McDonnell’s conviction!<b>bob somerby</b>http://www.blogger.com/profile/02963464534685954436noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-41277065321613492312014-09-08T16:09:58.263-04:002014-09-08T16:09:58.263-04:00Totally unnecessary.
And probably totally a fool&...<i>Totally unnecessary.</i><br /><br />And probably totally a fool's errand to try.deadratnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-37173097864014585032014-09-08T14:59:52.312-04:002014-09-08T14:59:52.312-04:00Anonymous @2:56A,
Yours aren't two disparate ...Anonymous @2:56A,<br /><br />Yours aren't two disparate thoughts; they're diametrically opposed. I'm not suggesting that it's a good thing to suppress the cognitive dissonance that should accompany the belief in contradictory things.<br /><br />Why do you place "minor" in scare quotes? Do you think that even in the course of the United States Code, Title 18, the McDonnells crimes amounted to much? Why does believing the cringe-worthy McDonnells aren't master criminals make me a rube?<br /><br />Anonymous @3:13A,<br /><br />Yes, there's nothing to see here but a little bit of bribe money. That doesn't make it right and that doesn't make it not a criminal offense. Is it impossible for you to understand that both those sentences are true?<br /><br />I haven't determined that Virginians don't care that much about the McDonnells' crimes. Virginians have. What the McDonnells did is not a state crime in Virginia, and from the reporting I've read, people there were genuinely surprised that their former governor and first lady were convicted. This attitude about graft is wide spread enough in that state to have been given a name, "the Virginia way."<br /><br />Please don't mischaracterize what I've said. It's not "simply" that the McDonnells were unlucky to govern in a 4th Circuit state. Their avarice and absent ethical sense contributed mightily to their predicament. But if what they did amounted to much in the annals of crime, it would still be a crime had they been the Jindals.deadratnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-7547112108633798372014-09-08T10:19:13.655-04:002014-09-08T10:19:13.655-04:00"See how that two-idea thing works?
Try it. ..."See how that two-idea thing works?<br /><br />Try it. Sure, it takes a little practice, but if I can do it, so can you."<br /><br />Let's suggest Bob try it as well. Instead of.....<br /><br />"the prosecution.... seemed like a shaky idea....a bit of a stretch, with a bit of a banana republic feel....Meanwhile, the amount of money...is a very tiny amount." <br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-86847231776941902712014-09-08T03:13:08.214-04:002014-09-08T03:13:08.214-04:00From Somerby: "She wants to see people thrown...From Somerby: "She wants to see people thrown in jail because they once took a ride in a white Ferrari."<br /><br />From deadrat: "That was acceptable to the citizens of Virginia as were the money and the Ferrari rides he took."<br /><br />Yep, nothing to see here but a little bit of bribe money and a few Ferrari rides. That's all this case was ever about. After all, deadrat has determined somehow that the "citizens of Virginia" didn't mind anything the McDonnells did one little bit.<br /><br />They simply had the misfortune to choose the wrong federal circuit to get elected first family in.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-50040845681091025802014-09-08T02:56:18.297-04:002014-09-08T02:56:18.297-04:00Here are two disparate thoughts.
1. You stated Bo...Here are two disparate thoughts.<br /><br />1. You stated Bob's case far more clearly and succinctly than he did, both in favor of the McDonnells and their "minor" crimes, and against "Darlin'" Rachel.<br /><br />2. You and Somerby are both full of shit to the point that the only thing left to do is laugh at you.<br /><br />But you are a very good rube, deadrat.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-23240718491183439822014-09-08T01:44:27.759-04:002014-09-08T01:44:27.759-04:00Don't get me wrong. I think politicians shoul...Don't get me wrong. I think politicians should be held to "some kind" of ethical standard, and I even think that states should enact that standard into law. The Commonwealth of Virginia doesn't agree with me. But the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals does, and the McDonnells had the misfortune to come under their jurisdiction. If they'd had the good fortune like Bobby Jindal to live in the Fifth Circuit's jurisdiction, they would not have been indicted.<br /><br />It's possible to keep simultaneously two disparate thoughts in one's mind. On the one hand, that the McDonnells stepped over the line and on the other that their transgressions were relatively minor. So Bob McD deprived the citizens of his state of the good services of their government. That's practically the Republican Party platform. That was acceptable to the citizens of Virginia as were the money and the Ferrari rides he took.<br /><br />I can be glad along with Darlin' Rachel that Bob McD was convicted, and I can wish along with TDH that people like Bob McD would get thrashed at the polls instead of in federal court. See how that two-idea thing works?<br /><br />Try it. Sure, it takes a little practice, but if I can do it, so can you.<br />deadratnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-81768718679318081732014-09-07T15:15:49.631-04:002014-09-07T15:15:49.631-04:00The way to get the right perspective here is to dr...The way to get the right perspective here is to drag all those other corrupt MF's in front of a grand jury, NOT to minimize what the McDonnels did. It was criminal, they got justice, hooray, next.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-37561885661152604322014-09-07T14:37:45.848-04:002014-09-07T14:37:45.848-04:00So demanding that politicians be held to some kind...So demanding that politicians be held to some kind of ethical standards is "heading for the fainting couch." Well, well, well. I guess some of us are just grownups, and understand that part of being a grownup is to shrug off the buying of our politics by the wealthy. Of course, that's what they do in banana republics, but maybe they are just better at "manning up" than we are.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-90441303780201015392014-09-07T14:37:07.474-04:002014-09-07T14:37:07.474-04:00Totally unnecessary. BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA!Totally unnecessary. BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-33718335040918957992014-09-07T13:33:02.124-04:002014-09-07T13:33:02.124-04:00You can head for the fainting couch to bemoan the ...You can head for the fainting couch to bemoan the fact that the McDonnells broke the public trust. You can even reasonably insist that their prosecution was proper even if they broke no state ethics laws. About half the Circuit Courts of Appeal would agree with you. But the McDonnells' sins are venial if only by comparison. In my state, we had one governor who tried to sell a US Senate seat. Another (when he was Secretary of State) oversaw a corrupt system that gave licenses to unqualified truck drivers, one of whom ended up killing six people in a collision. Scott Walker sold the right to strip mine northern Wisconsin to his political cronies. Chris Christie spent $250M in state pension money on hedge-fund fees. Bobby Jindal does favors for big businesses and they've given over $1M to his wife's foundation. The Jindals are just more careful than the McDonnells. Rick Perry and Nathan Deal tried to derail ethics investigations.<br /><br />When bad things happen to bad people, it's hard not to gloat, but try to keep things in perspective.deadratnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-47974539681757937952014-09-07T12:52:36.344-04:002014-09-07T12:52:36.344-04:00What about the conspiracy charges don't you un...What about the conspiracy charges don't you understand? I'll be glad to explain it.deadratnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-83731347541635133092014-09-07T11:59:39.440-04:002014-09-07T11:59:39.440-04:00Interesting article. Written by a dour reporter, ...Interesting article. Written by a dour reporter, however.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-43171981224304499062014-09-07T08:48:38.448-04:002014-09-07T08:48:38.448-04:00"Bob McD didn't throw his wife under the ..."Bob McD didn't throw his wife under the bus; he tried to push her out of its path."<br /><br />BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-78589104277827524782014-09-07T05:58:36.972-04:002014-09-07T05:58:36.972-04:00Propotion, urban, proportion. If you want to talk ...Propotion, urban, proportion. If you want to talk about the absolute lowest, worst episode in recent U.S. political history, that would be the sliming of John Kerry's service in Vietnam based on absolute lies.<br /><br />At least there was a grain of truth -- albeit a small one -- in taking "I took the initiative in creating the Internet" and turning it into "I invented the Internet." <br /><br />What we had in 2004 was absolute lies spread by hired surrogates to the extent that the GOP delegates were wearing Purple Heart Band-Aids at their convention, while the candidate himself could pretend to be above it all, while the press corps felt obligated to cover "both sides" <br /><br />And that was a very close election as well. But when was the last time Somerby mentioned it? <br /><br />What I find amusing, because that's all it is, is how Somerby himself is those "See? He's not like us" elements from the "War on Gore" -- particularly, "Don't trust him. He's not like we are. He's privileged and rich and always has been" -- and is applying him to his favorite targets.<br /><br />You can read all about it in his "War on Vieira" -- of all people to choose to pick on.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-33149752757365094152014-09-07T05:44:11.824-04:002014-09-07T05:44:11.824-04:00And what does McDonnell do with his back against t...<i>And what does McDonnell do with his back against the wall? Throw the wife under the bus.</i><br /><br />Bob McD was convicted of three counts of honest-services wire fraud (that's using the telephone to do shady things) and six counts of obtaining property under color of official right (that's legalese for bribery). He was always going to be convicted of those nine counts. Because of the intangible nature of "honest services" and the lack of much quo returned for the quid he got, the judge instructed the jury that good character alone was enough to raise reasonable doubt. The jury disregarded his character witnesses because of his venality on display during the trial.<br /><br />Maureen McD was convicted of two counts of honest-services fraud and four counts of obtaining property under color of official right. She was as venal as he, but she wasn't a public official, so she had no services to defraud people of and carried no authority to demand bribes. What got her convicted of these counts were the two conspiracy charges, one for the fraud and one for the bribery.<br /><br />Bob McD didn't throw his wife under the bus; he tried to push her out of its path.<br />deadratnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-43130731907740760752014-09-07T02:10:59.770-04:002014-09-07T02:10:59.770-04:00Apparently you don't remember it very well.Apparently you don't remember it very well. urban legendnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-75992652064090586512014-09-06T19:52:29.948-04:002014-09-06T19:52:29.948-04:00Somerby has to find something to explain away why ...Somerby has to find something to explain away why Maddow was right and he so foolishly wrong.<br /><br />So he plays the "G" card.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-87135599618845962552014-09-06T16:02:22.523-04:002014-09-06T16:02:22.523-04:00Is Somerby a "heterosexual vanity blogger&quo...Is Somerby a "heterosexual vanity blogger"? I have seen little to no evidence of anything other a proclivity toward the imaginary inhabitants of his imaginary campus.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-32606513027460179492014-09-06T15:59:03.724-04:002014-09-06T15:59:03.724-04:00gyrfalcon there was no "war against Gore"...gyrfalcon there was no "war against Gore" in 2000 any more than there was a "war against Nixon" in 1960. Both elections were close and few have argued press for both Gore and Nixon was unfavorable. But to call unfavorable press a "war" is as fallacious without being as fatuous as FOX suggesting there is a "War Against Christmas."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-25616666675184743612014-09-06T15:49:28.203-04:002014-09-06T15:49:28.203-04:00Sorry, Anon @ 8:59, but your Whitewater/Paula Jone...Sorry, Anon @ 8:59, but your Whitewater/Paula Jones comparison is laughable.<br /><br />Whitewater was a political concoction that had no substance.<br /><br />The Paula Jones case was thrown out of court on its lack of merit by a federal judge.<br /><br />In the McDonnell case, as the jurors noted, the evidence against both Bob and Maureen was "overwhelming." And felonies, by definition, are hardly "minor" crimes.<br /><br />The McDonnells broke the public trust and violated the law on multiple, multiple counts. The trial was conducted fairly. There was no hint of anything that might remotely be described as "banana republic."<br /><br />Bob is wrong about this, and so are you. Egregiously so.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-81612157657400825922014-09-06T15:38:55.028-04:002014-09-06T15:38:55.028-04:00driven away, not drive away.driven away, not drive away.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-59684602077029350392014-09-06T15:38:03.594-04:002014-09-06T15:38:03.594-04:00Oh dear! gyrfalcon, the third of the commentators...Oh dear! gyrfalcon, the third of the commentators drive away has returned. Trolls are not doing their job.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-29719853777658466622014-09-06T11:25:41.304-04:002014-09-06T11:25:41.304-04:00Hilarious. Mercy for these powerful freaks? It'...Hilarious. Mercy for these powerful freaks? It's best saved for the infinitely more deserving.<br />I myself love a good gloat when the stupid, powerful greedheads are brought low. I couldn't care less about who thinks it's bad form, or whether it conforms to somebody's tired ideas about about what a liberal is. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-83286149556977184722014-09-06T09:28:38.054-04:002014-09-06T09:28:38.054-04:00And what is really sad here is Bob's lame effo...And what is really sad here is Bob's lame effort to pigeonhole her as such.<br /><br />Much easier for him to sink to that depth than to say, "I was wrong about the McDonnell case."<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8611810694571930415.post-64453369713135376572014-09-06T09:26:12.776-04:002014-09-06T09:26:12.776-04:00Proaction requires research, thought and work.
Re...Proaction requires research, thought and work.<br /><br />Reaction only requires sitting at a keyboard and typing whatever thought crosses your mind, as well as the ego to delude oneself into thinking those thoughts are always brilliant.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com