The New York Times editorial page rips Rep. Roy Blunt today, for "half legal corruption" that ultimately took down the Republican majority in Congress.
Edsall writes that while Blunt is a low-key figure, it will be the Democrats challenge to give Missouri's 7th District Congressman a national identity.
"Last Friday, the Republicans gave the Democrats a gift that will keep on giving: Roy Blunt of Missouri," writes guest columnist Thomas Edsall as the lede of his stinging repudiation of Blunt.
"Roy Blunt embodies the insidious, half-legal corruption that has permeated the G.O.P. majority since 1995. Blunt's election as minority whip, by a 137-to-57 margin, was a defiant Republican rejection of calls to clean up their act."
Edsall says that Blunt modeled himself off of Former Majority Leader Tom Delay, creating a big network of committees that helped raise money from the same lobbyists.
According to Edsall:
*In 2003, after DeLay moved up to majority leader and turned the so-called K Street Project over to him, Blunt promptly converted a legion of Republican lobbyists into an arm of the House whip operation.
*In 2004, Blunt turned his lobbyist team loose to win passage of a bill eliminating a $50 billion corporate tax break that the World Trade Organization had ruled in violation of international agreements. These lobbyists inserted $143 billion worth of new corporate tax breaks, turning the bill into a Fortune 500 Christmas tree.
*After divorcing his wife of 35 years to marry a tobacco lobbyist, Abigail Perlman, he cleared his second marriage with the House Ethics Committee to get ''a waiver of the limitations of the gift rule to allow me to accept gifts in connection with my wedding.''
* Almost all Altria subsidiaries -- Kraft, Miller Brewing, Philip Morris (remember Abigail Perlman) -- hired Andy Blunt (his son), along with other financial backers of Roy Blunt.
1 comment:
"This is your brain on a blunt... this is your brain on Roy Blunt. Any questions?"
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