Dems’ Definition of Congressional Oversight
In 2006, Democrats talked at length about holding congressional oversight hearings into the Bush administration, which they faithfully held. Most of these hearings were fishing expleditions trying to dig up dirt on the Bush administration. None of the witch hunts turned up anything, which was predicted. Now that a real scandal has arisen, though, Democrats have forgotten about oversight hearings. Apparently, the only time Democrats hold oversight hearings is when (a) there isn’t any evidence of wrongdoing and (b) when it involves a Republican.
Apparently, oversight hearings aren’t meant for real scandals with real evidence involving Democrats.
Now that there’s evidence that Chris Dodd, the chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, got the V.I.P. treatment from Countrywide, the thought of holding oversight hearings is the furthest thing from the Democrats’ minds. The good news is that House Republicans, led by Jeb Hensarling and Minority Leader Boehner, are demanding that an investigation be launched into this scandal:
House Republicans further intensified their rhetoric on the Countrywide VIP situation Thursday night as House Minority Leader John Boehner’s office called Democratic leaders hypocrites who are “thumbing their noses at calls for oversight hearings.”
In a press release, Boehner’s press office says that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and other Democratic leaders demanded hearings on the Enron and WorldCom scandals, which the Republican-led Congress did.
“Under Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), who once ironically pledged to ‘drain the swamp’ in Washington, the House has stood flatfooted as scandals have erupted involving the trial lawyer industry and possible sweetheart deals between senior Democrats and mortgage lending giant Countrywide,” the release says.
Everyone knew that Nancy Pelosi didn’t take reform seriously because it’s never been a priority of hers prior to her becoming Speaker. Saying that she was going to drain Washington’s swamp was just said to retake the majority. I said then that it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.
Not only are they pouncing on Ms. Pelosi’s lack of zeal to investigate real scandal, the House GOP leadership is also going after the senior Democratic leadership:
“Now settled into their majority, senior congressional Democrats have lost all traces of the investigatory zeal they demonstrated during the dark days of Enron and WorldCom. Instead they’re thumbing their noses at calls for oversight hearings on industry scandals involving the trial lawyer industry and Countrywide,” the Boehner release says.
Rest assured that the NRCC will run tons of ads this fall talking about the Countrywide scandal and the Democratic Culture of Corruption.
Jack Abramoff was a relatively big scandal but it’ll look tiny when this Countrywide scandal is done being investigated. That’s because the Abramoff was closed within the Beltway loop. People will relate more to this scandal because alot of people are experiencing troubles with their mortgages. They’ll be upset that Washington insiders get preferential treatment while the lose their share of the American Dream.
Technorati Tags: Chris Dodd, Countrywide, Banking Scandal, Byron Dorgan, Barney Frank, Nancy Pelosi, Friends of Angelo, Jack Abramoff, John Boehner, Jeb Hensarling, Enron, Election 2008
Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog
June 20th, 2008 at 9:37 pm
Strange how it’s always noted that Enron and WorldCom were “investigated” because they were all “cozy” with the Republicans, but how often is it heard that all those things happened during the donkey reign of the 90s? Maybe the donks were just setting up the Republicans in case their woefully misbegotten choice for prez in 2000 would fail? Nefarious, but plausible.
June 20th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
And now your only problem is that any investigation of Countrywide and the mortgage crisis is going to lead straight to:
who just happens to be McSame’s economic adviser.
Two observations: who would have thought a former Congressman from Texas would be involved in a financial scandal to the tune of trillions of dollars; and, this reeks of the criminal Bush and his tactics, which paints McSame in even more Bush-tones.
So, please continue to push this investigation and if you work really hard, it can be a campaign issue. Then, Obama can use it to add to the mountain of evidence which shows how McSame is, in fact, a 3rd term for Bush.
June 21st, 2008 at 2:21 pm
Well, Rocky, if the investigation does lead to Gramm, let’s do it! Let Pelosi get things started. And if that hurts McCain, then too bad for him. Then Obush can dance right into the White Lie House.
June 22nd, 2008 at 6:35 pm
Hey, I don’t care if a guy has a heavenly halo. If he’s a real criminal (as opposed to the wishful-thinking ones the donks dreamed up in their witchhunts), give them the max with no “good behavior” time off because they’ve violated the public trust.
Kinda like a certain congresscritter who’s gotten so much richer from military contracts since she’s been on military appropriations.