Ladies and Gentlemen, the Republican Party

That’s Where the Money Is

by BOB HERBERT

It’s beyond astonishing to me that John Boehner has a real chance to be speaker of the House of Representatives.


I’ve always thought of Mr. Boehner as one of the especially sleazy figures in a capital seething with sleaze. I remember writing about that day back in the mid-’90s when this slick, chain-smoking, quintessential influence-peddler decided to play Santa Claus by handing out checks from tobacco lobbyists to fellow Congressional sleazes right on the floor of the House.


It was incredible, even to some Republicans. The House was in session, and here was a congressman actually distributing money on the floor. Other, more serious, representatives were engaged in debates that day on such matters as financing for foreign operations and a proposed amendment to the Constitution to outlaw desecration of the flag. Mr. Boehner was busy desecrating the House itself by doing the bidding of big tobacco.

Embarrassed members of the G.O.P. tried to hush up the matter, but I got a tip and called Mr. Boehner’s office. His chief of staff, Barry Jackson, was hardly contrite. “They were contributions from tobacco P.A.C.’s,” he said.
When I asked why the congressman would hand the money out on the floor of the House, Mr. Jackson’s answer seemed an echo of Willie Sutton’s observation about banks. “The floor,” he said, “is where the members meet with each other.”

For the love of all that is good, if you can't or wont' vote Democratic, vote Libertarian.  Vote Independent.  Vote the Green Party if there is one you can vote for.  But don't, by any means, vote Republican.  They're for themselves.  They're for Big Business.  They're for the corporations.  They're decidedly not for you and me.  They're not for the "little guy".  They're not for the middle or lower classes.
 
Link to original post:  http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/05/opinion/05herbert.html?_r=1&ref=opinion&pagewanted=print