Whatever Happened to K Street?

     I remember how appalled we all were when the K Street scandal came out.  A group of Republican members of Congress and lobbyists plotting to control the government!  What do you think happened to them when deLay and Abramoff were outed?  Do you think they all felt contrite and said, "Well, that was a bad idea," and went about their business of providing sound and ethical government?

How naive we are.  

How odd that not one House Republican thought that the stimulus bill was worth a try.  Not one.  Not one House Republican thought that their constituents might benefit from enough of the bill that it was worth their vote.  Not one thought that the governor of the state which they represent could use the federal funding to improve crumbling schools and bridges, put police back on the job.  How can that be?

They may or may not be meeting on K Street, and deLay may have been replaced by Mitch McConnell, but that old gang hasn't disbanded.

The power brokers of the Republican Party still wield the hammer.  They can woo members of Congress with calls for loyalty, promises that in time they will be back in power, and which side of the fence do you want to be on when that happens?   They can persuade Republicans by reminding them that it was the philosophy of the right that elected them into Congress.

But the Hammer is not wooing and persuasion.  The Hammer is the control that members like Mitch McConnell wield.  A man who has been described as frightening by members of his own party.  He has the power and money of the Republican Party behind him.  Are you planning on running for reelection?  Do you want a lucrative job when your career of public service is over?

No???  Well, then, go ahead and be a free thinker.  Or even worse, a non-partisan member of Congress.

Because if you support the President, and the Democratic Congress, don't look for help and support from your friends in the Republican party.

Now, I'm not saying that's the way it happens, but it explains a lot.

It explains the schizophrenic behavior of Judd Gregg, who, please recall, approached Obama for a cabinet position.  Who then began to set conditions for agreeing to the appointment, like, you must have the governor of New Hampshire agree to appoint a republican to his soon to be vacated Senate seat (I thought the Blagojevich fiasco established that that was a no-no, but maybe that's just for Democrats.).  Who was in such a state of conflict over where his loyalties lie that he did not even cast a vote on the stimulus package.  Was it the taking away of the Census from the Commerce Department, maybe his one big opportunity to prove himself to his party, that pushed him over the edge?

And what about ALL those no votes on the stimulus package?  Coincidence?  I think not.

I can imagine some of the conversations that have been going on in the halls of Congress--more likely behind closed doors.  Do you really think you are serving the Republican Party?  Do you think we can support your bid for reelection?  Isn't your daughter looking for an internship?  What do you plan on doing when you are no longer holding public office?

Now I can be really paranoid about how much of the Gregg fiasco was orchestrated by the right wing-nuts that control the Republican party, all the way from Gregg approaching Obama for a post, but lets just keep our minds open on that one.

But the bottom line of this Republican Party is the same as it has been since the Gingrich House:  we must--we will--stand strong against the Democrats.  We will defeat all opposition, and that includes all who support the enemy.

That, I truly believe, is the bottom line of the Republican Party.