Culture of Corruption Update

A federal court of appeals upheld the charges against Rep. William "Cold Cash" Jefferson (D-LA) yesterday which clears the way for a trial of this corrupt official to begin.

Coverage from the AP, Reuters, CQ Politics and The Hill.

I'd have to go back and check, but I'm pretty sure that the Ted Stevens (R-AK) thing came up AFTER the Jefferson story broke... I suspect that this Democrat is dragging this thing out as long as possible. Interesting to also note that while many Republicans -- including members of leadership -- have called for Stevens' resignation, there has been a resounding silence on the part of Democrats on this issue. (Granted, the Stevens trial is over and now on to appeal...but I recall GOPers calling for Stevens' head long before the trial was over)

Stevens Pleads Not Guilty

AP News Alert:

WASHINGTON (AP) Sen. Ted Stevens pleads not guilty in corruption case.

He's a fighter alright...but he's still going down. And he needs to resign immediately.

AK SEN: Stevens Indicted

There are a couple of things worth noting in this CQ Politics story on the Stevens indictment.

The first is that they are shifting their rating of the race from Leans Republican to Leans Democrat. That is pretty significant in and of itself because it represents the fundamental change that the indictment represents to the fabric of the race. Should Stevens win the primary, the race becomes about the indictment and I think we all know how that one should end.

The second thing to note is this bit about the Alaska GOP's endorsement policy:

Alaska Republican party spokesman Pierre McHugh noted that the state party does not endorse candidates who face primary challengers and therefore has not endorsed Stevens in the primary.

That seems particularly handy in this case, but I think state parties ought to consider such a policy in order to prevent the incumbent protection racket that we see going on elsewhere.

Back on point... There are six other candidates challenging Stevens in the GOP primary and the leader amongst that crowd is Dave Cuddy (WMD). If Stevens is to be ousted in the primary, it seems vital for the five other candidates to unify behind Cuddy. That seems the most logical way of preventing the Democrats from taking the seat and advancing their march towards sixty senators.



The latest Rasmussen poll, taken a week before the indictment, had Stevens down by 9 points in a head-to-head with Anchorage mayor Mark Begich. This indictment is not going to help those numbers improve. The best thing that Stevens could do -- for the party and for Alaska -- is resign immediately.

7/31/08 UPDATE: CQ Politics has a report on a guy named Vic Vickers who doesn't seem likely to quit and unite behind Cuddy. That's a shame really because so long as there is a field this wide open, Stevens is sure to win and the incumbent racket will continue on... If Stevens is to be defeated in a primary, the field will have to be reduced to one alternative. If the Alaskans can't figure out who that person should be, I am pretty sure the seat will be lost to Begich in the general because Stevens will survive the primary.

Guest Blog from Dave Cuddy: "Republican Choice in Alaska for US Senate"

This just in...

The Democrats ran our country for 40 years. They gave us many budget deficits, started stealing from Social Security and Medicare, and brought us corrupted officials. In 1994 Republicans promised reform and limited government. We promised the voters we’d balance the budget, and fix Social Security and Medicare. The lobbyists and special interests simply walked across the aisle and bought Republicans where they used to buy Democrats. The national debt is much worse under Republican leadership. The power and control by the federal government is much worse. More money has been embezzled from the Social Security and Medicare trust funds. In 2006, the voters began to throw the Republicans out of office…as they should. Immediately after the 2006 election, our Republican leaders said they’d learned their lesson. They would return to the basics of limited government, reform, and personal responsibility.

Based partly on this assurance and partly on the premise that if we don’t begin to fix our broken government, we will become a third rate power, I announced my run for the US Senate against a Republican who is everything the Republican Party says it will change. I am the “clean government candidate.” My background, a Duke Economics degree, Gonzaga MBA, a term in the Alaska State Legislature, twenty years as a commercial banker, and much public non-profit service, positions me perfectly as the profile of candidate the Republican Party says it is looking for….yet….it just can’t drop it’s big spending Senator. The other Republican members of “The Club” still support their incumbents. Incumbency is a very powerful factor, and it may destine the Republican Party for many decades in the wilderness.

Alaskans have a real choice in the primary...

By the way, a new Rasmussen poll shows Stevens down 9 points in a head-to-head against the Democrat.



And here is some video of Dave Cuddy...



Part 2: