Laws against corruption a 'distraction' to Democrats

Donald Lambro:

It is payback time for Republicans, who have been burying Democrats in a blizzard of attacks about a "pay-to-play" scandal that has embarrassed and distracted Barack Obama's presidential transition and tax-evasion charges against a powerful political ally in the House.

Two years ago, it was the Democrats who were pounding congressional Republicans for a string of lobbying, legislative-payoff and sex scandals, but now it's the Democrats and President-elect Obama who are on the defensive a little more than one month before they are to take charge of the government and strengthen their grip on Congress.

Democratic Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich of Illinois, whom Mr. Obama endorsed and supported in two gubernatorial campaigns, was arrested last week by federal authorities in a brazen "pay-to-play" scandal said to involve attempts to extract payoffs for filling Mr. Obama's open Senate seat.

And Rep. Charles B. Rangel of New York, the influential chairman of the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee -- who would be in charge of Mr. Obama's tax plan -- is being investigated for, among other things, failure to pay his taxes and helping a wealthy donor to a center named in his honor to obtain a tax loophole in return for a large contribution to the facility.

Last week, Republican campaign committees unleashed a barrage of press releases promoting a flood of press stories about the Democrats' latest troubles with headlines that read "Did Obama team have contact with Ill. governor?"; "Rangel's troubles create a problem for the Democrats"; and "Democrats' web of corruption continues to grow."

The smell of a partywide scandal "might be building, though it's not there yet," said Jennifer Duffy, senior political analyst at the Cook Political Report. "But Democrats who have won on this message of 'culture of corruption' now find the tables have turned on them, and they do have to be very careful that it doesn't get bigger."

"It's a distraction they don't need right now," she said.

The Democrats have been hit by one scandal after another in the past year that have toppled some of their party's biggest names. New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer was forced to resign his office after being caught in a high-priced prostitution ring. Flamboyant Democratic Rep. William J. Jefferson of Louisiana, awaiting trial on bribery charges and money laundering, was defeated in a runoff election last week by a little-known Republican in a heavily Democratic district. Florida Rep. Tim Mahoney, who replaced disgraced Republican Mark Foley -- forced out in a congressional-page scandal -- was defeated last month after purportedly keeping his mistress on the House payroll and trying to buy her silence.

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Since Obama was running against distractions as much as he was running against President Bush, it would seem he is the ideal guy to deal with all these distractions. Except he mostly wants voters to ignore them and focus on his priorities, but I don't think they will go away this time. These latest cases don't even begin to address the embedded culture of corruption in Democrat states and cities. You know where many of them are, like Baltimore, Newark, Chicago, and New Orleans. Besides Illinois, there is New Jersey, and Maryland. All of these places are controlled by Democrats.