The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

[BarTopDancer]

I'll check there.

And it's a start. Though I read they want to attach some spending bill no one wants to it so it will be rejected.

[scaeagles]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Not even a job. An unpaid position on an advisory panel. It was, "Hey, we think the party would be better served with you in this position over here rather than in the Senate. Take it or leave it." Big effing deal.

So you accept that this is the case because they say this is the case? Hearing previous interviews with him he certainly made it sound as if it was a high level position.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I haven't seen anyone with evidence to the contrary.

But even if it was high level, I still don't care.

[scaeagles]

Would you not consider offering a high level position something of value to influence a federal election? If you think it is not, OK. If you think it is but there is not problem, that's different, as that is against the law.

[Ghoulish Delight]

I don't consider asking someone not to run is "influencing a federal election".


If that's the case, wouldn't a President never be able to offer any member of congress a high level position? Because if I say, "Hey, do you want to be Secretary of State," it follows that I'm also saying, "Hey, don't run for reelection, or another federal office."

Unless there was some under-the-table payments or threats, all I see is a job offer.

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by scaeagles

Would you not consider offering a high level position something of value to influence a federal election? If you think it is not, OK. If you think it is but there is not problem, that's different, as that is against the law.

But it was perfectly fine when Reagan did it?

[Ghoulish Delight]

Speaking of things that Regan (and Bush and Bush Jr.) did, anyone besides Glenn Beck* care that Obama will be looking at soldiers' graves in Chicago instead of Washington, D.C. on Monday?


*Hell, I can't imagine even Glenn Beck doesn't care, he just pretends to care to make himself seem superior

[JWBear]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

Speaking of things that Regan (and Bush and Bush Jr.) did, anyone besides Glenn Beck* care that Obama will be looking at soldiers' graves in Chicago instead of Washington, D.C. on Monday?


*Hell, I can't imagine even Glenn Beck doesn't care, he just pretends to care to make himself seem superior

No, not at all.

Guess which President in the last 30 years was the only one to attend the Memorial Day activities in Washington DC every year he was in office?

William J Clinton.

Guess which President in the last 30 years was the only one who never attend the Memorial Day activities in Washington DC in any year he was in office?

George H W Bush.

Fun little trivia, no?

[scaeagles]

As far as the Reagan link, I think it distasteful, yes, but I suppose it depends on when that happened compared to when the law was passed that prohibits offering something of value in influence a federal election. Unlike GD, I do think being offered a level fed job to drop out of an election is being offered something of value. I do not regard it the same as an appointment of someone currently serving in office to a position in the fed government unless it happens in such a way theat is intended to influence the election. If someone hasn't filed papers yet to run, they aren't running yet.

It does seem clear, based on what I would suspect were promises made to Specter by the White House (or someone on the staff of the white house) that it was clearly an effort to influence and get Specter in the general, knowing the Specter was indeed trailing in the polls by a large margin.

Personally, I wish Specter had won (even though I have made it clear I'm glad he's gone forever) because polls showed him trailing any republican by double digits, but Sestak is basically even. I could have waited a few more months for Specters demise.

One thing though - I will cry "foul" on the Reagan link. I get chatised whenever i dare mention something that has happened before and it is viewed as justification by saying "see, your side did it too".

[Ghoulish Delight]

As far as I can tell the relevant law's been on the books since the 40s.

And I didn't say that being offered a high level job isn't something of value. I said that what they were offering it in exchange for doesn't amount to tampering with an election. Asking someone not to run is not, in my eyes, influencing an election. Especially when we're talking about a primary. That's party politics, not federal politics. A billion different considerations and offers come into play when a candidate is deciding to run, or continue to run in a primary, other job opportunities I'm sure being high on that list. I can't imagine how one would begin to parse which forms of, "If I run in this primary A will happen, but if I don't, B will happen," constitute illegal influence. In my opinion that law was written to prevent illegal influence on who people vote for in the election and what the candidate might due if elected, not to prevent a party from trying to convince one of its members that the party would be better served if someone else ran.