"ALL CAPS IN DEFENSE OF LIBERTY IS NO VICE."

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

MSM JUMPS ALL OVER DELAY SCANDAL

The NYTIMES (and every other Left-wing news-outlet) is making a big deal out of this:

WASHINGTON, April 5 - The wife and daughter of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by Mr. DeLay's political action and campaign committees, according to a detailed review of disclosure statements filed with the Federal Election Commission and separate fund-raising records in Mr. DeLay's home state, Texas.

$500,000 is a lot of money. Divided by two (wife+daughter) it becomes $250,000. Divided by 4 (it state that this money was paid since 2001) it's $65,000 per person per year. And each of DeLays relatives are professional pols: they have been both on his campaign payrolls as key players (his daughter even managed a few of his campaigns).

But the NYTIMES (and the other Left-wing news-outlets in the MSM) did NOT make a big deal out of this similar scandal involving Left-wing black, female Congressperson Maxine Waters (D-L.A.):

LOS ANGELES - Rep. Maxine Waters family members earned more than $1 million in the last eight years doing business with candidates, companies and causes she helped, a newspaper reported Sunday. Waters' daughter and son pocketed fees from campaigns endorsed by the congresswoman while her husband worked for a bond underwriting firm that received government business from her political allies, the Los Angeles Times reported. Waters, an influential Democratic lawmaker since 1990, whose district includes parts of Los Angeles, would not answer detailed questions on the business dealings, insisting her family's fortunes were kept apart from her political activities. . . . The Waters' close financial ties are not expressly prohibited by state laws or congressional ethics rules. The Times reported that Waters and her children are linked through a political organization called L.A. Vote that publishes an election mailer listing campaigns she endorsed. Some candidates are included free of charge, while others pay tens of thousands of dollars, it said. . . Of the $1.7 million that L.A. Vote collected in the last eight years, nearly $450,000 went to Waters' daughter, Karen Waters, and her consulting firm, public disclosure reports show. About $115,000 was paid to the congresswoman's son. Waters' husband, Sidney Williams, was paid nearly $500,000 for consulting work with Siebert, Brandford & Shank, a municipal bond company, and with politicians his wife supports, public records show. The Times reported that Williams helped the company win a $40 million school bond sale approved by school board members that paid Waters' mailer operation to advertise her endorsement.

In the UNDER-REPORTED Waters scandal, there seems to be some actual QUID PRO QUO, which is NOT alleged in the DeLay matter. The dollar amount in the Waters' Scandal comes to about $300,000 per person TOTAL, or $38,000 per peson per year (for TWICE AS LONG as the alleged corruption of the DeLays).

So FROM STRICTLY A DOLLAR POV, the scandals are similar (and I want to be CLEAR: anytime a politician uses his official power to enrich himself or his family and friends it is BAD), but the DeLay case is getting HUGE NEGATIVE play in the MSM - whereas the Waters scandal got no play in the MSM.

Could it be because Delay is a GOP CONSERVATIVE and Waters a Democrat "liberal"!? YES.

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