This week, the powerful chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, Representative Jerry Lewis was revealed to have set up secret accounts for his cronies in Canada, into which corporate lobbyists could make contributions of stock options. It was also revealed that Congressman Lewis allowed corporate lobbyists to write legislation that he then passed off as his own.
A new story like this about Republican corruption comes out almost every week. So, Democratic congressional candidate Michael Arcuri should be all over this issue, hammering his Republican rival Ray Meier hard with the taint of a Republican culture of corruption, right?
Well, yes, Arcuri ought to be doing that. But, he's not. Instead of actually campaigning, Michael Arcuri seems to be relaxing, celebrating his victories over the other Democratic candidates, and turning his attention back to the day job that he refuses to quit in order to launch a genuine congressional campaign.
So it is that the first candidate to attack the Republican culture of corruption in Congress is the Republican, Ray Meier.
A few days ago, Ray Meier issued a statement calling for significant changes to combat corruption in Congress. The statement begins:
"As Congress returns from its Memorial Day recess, Congressional Candidate Raymond A. Meier is calling on them to drop their claim of privilege status with regard to judicial search warrants, ban gifts and travel paid for by lobbyists, and form an independent bi-partisan commission to recommend further steps to restore integrity to the legislative process."
Well, there you have it. Ray Meier has innoculated himself on this issue. If Michael Arcuri ever does bother to get around to the issue of rampant corruption in Congress, his statement will be regarded as a "me-too".
Clue to the Arcuri for Congress campaign: You attack before your opponent builds a defense.
If Michael Arcuri doesn't want to bother campaigning for Congress, he ought to have stayed out of the race and left the campaigning to a Democrat who really wanted the job.
4 comments:
Wow Ray Meier is going to end corruption? That's a miracle. His own mentor and teacher, Sherry Boehlert, took money from Jack Abramoff and is the number one recipient in the Walter Rich scandal. I wouldn't trust Ray Meier with my wallet unless it was empty.
Hey, I don't trust Ray Meier either, and he's not getting my vote.
But this isn't about what you and I think, or about the reality of whether Ray Meier is trustworthy. It's about the public face that the two campaigns are creating.
Ray Meier is the candidate who has bothered to take a public stand against corruption. Michael Arcuri has not done so.
Arcuri, as the Democrat, should have been first with this issue, ready to use it against Ray Meier, tainting him by association with the Republican culture of corruption currently ruling on Capitol Hill.
The Arcuri for Congress campaign is moving so slowly that it let the Republican candidate beat him to the issue. Now, Ray Meier has a ready defense for anything Mike Arcuri says on the issue: "I'm glad you're finally joining me on this issue."
It should have been the other way around. The Arcuri team is letting us Democrats down with their lethargic campaign. Everyone who donated to the Arcuri for Congress campaign - and that includes me - deserves to see a hell of a lot more action.
Michael Arcuri is the underdog in this campaign. It's time he stops acting like he's ahead and can just coast to victory.
Have you noticed that even the passionately pro-Arcuri blogs have mostly stopped writing? You Go Mike is gone. The Weekly Democrat has been left to regurgitate old material every few days, trying to create the illusion that the Arcuri for Congress campaign is actually out there doing something.
We're seeing now what really happens when the primary competition is eliminated - the Oneida County Democrats get complacent and lazy.
Oneida County Democrats have been bragging for months about how tough and powerful they are. Well, where the hell are they now? Now that they have the chance to show their stuff to the Democrats in the rest of the district, what the hell are they doing?
A BIG FAT NOTHING.
jeeze... all u wanted for youre bucks was a website and now u want more... greedy, aint u?
Yah, mon. Like, it's so craaazy that he would want Arcuri to actually use the web site... and maybe, you know... campaign a little bit... or something...
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