Sunday, October 29, 2006
Straight from your pocket
The LA Times has a good look at how TurdBlossom is hard at work to keep the Republican grip on power. Part of that effort is to redirect a little of the monies borrowed from China and Saudi Arabia toward the lesser folks who are useful every two years, but not in between.
But the most significant element of Rove's effort to help four-term Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds keep his job may have occurred behind closed doors, when the White House strategist met with a federal disaster relief official contemplating how to respond to the storm. Four days later, Reynolds announced that President Bush would authorize millions of dollars in federal disaster aid for the area.The really sad part of this is that, had Tom Reynolds not been in trouble the designation would never have happened. To believe otherwise is to be living in Wolkenkuckucksheim.
The timing was perfect: Reynolds broke the news hours after testifying before the House Ethics Committee about his role in the Mark Foley sex scandal — knocking reports on the scandal out of the spotlight.
Reynolds' fate Nov. 7 could be a bellwether for Republicans in the Northeast — in the midterm election as well as the long term. And his poll numbers crashed after revelations that he had known about suspicious e-mails the former Florida congressman had sent to male congressional pages. In the wake of the announcement about federal aid, a survey by a Buffalo television station showed Reynolds regaining a narrow lead over Democrat Jack Davis.
The White House and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which will provide the funds, say Rove exerted no influence on the decision to grant relief or on the timing of the announcement.
"The stars were aligned. It was a coincidence," White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said.
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