We Listen, So You Don't Have To -- Ethics Edition
This week, we had a very upstanding edition of "Inside Utah Politics," as Sen. Howard Stephenson determines in just a few seconds what the entire House Ethics Committee hasn't been able to figure out in hours of hearings: Greg Hughes is innocent! Free Greg!
-- First, some good news. Red Meat Radio has its own Web site: read it here. This of course means that my court-mandated public service is nearing an end, since you can get your recap straight from the elephant's mouth.
-- Stephenson says Hughes isn't the only Republican being smacked with bogus ethics charges. It's part of the Democrats' game plan nationally. For example, the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked for an ethics investigation because Sen. John McCain reportedly won thousands of dollars on the craps table at an American Indian casino in 2000. (Really? You can win at craps? Maybe it helps if you're chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.) Even worse is the ethics investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of the public safety commissioner who refused to fire her ex-brother-in-law. Clearly a partisan hatchet job (Except the investigation was initiated by Alaska's Republican-dominated Legislature and the investigator appointed by the bi-partisan committee found she had indeed abused her authority: here.
-- So why the media obsession with ethics? (Obligation as a public watchdog? Public's right to know? Belief in good government?) "This is cash," says Stephenson. (Oh. Right.) "This is their money-maker. This is the profit center for the media, these kinds of allegations. This generates big bucks for the media." (You can find me at the craps table in Wendover. I'll be the one with the big stacks of black chips). "They love to draw this kind of thing out," says Howard. (Absolutely. Because the 20 hours I've spent parked on the lumbar-cracking torture benches outside the closed-door ethics committee has been a gas. I can nearly feel my legs.)
-- Stephenson says that the radiation emitted by EnergySolutions is less than you would be exposed to naturally standing in the State Capitol or Salt Lake temple. (That explains why those buildings glow.)
-- Stephenson calls out Democrats, arguing they offered campaign money to several Republicans if they would switch parties. Why hasn't the media reported that?!? Where's the ethics investigation of the Democratic Party?!? (Well, we did report it. And nobody requested an ethics investigation of the legislators involved, and the Legislature doesn't really have jurisdiction over the party.)
-- Caller Steve from Ogden is upset that Sen. Bob Bennett took so much money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Steve would help vote him out but says he doesn't live in Bennett's district. (D'oh!) Howard says Utah's senators don't listen and don't represent the state. (Eyeing a higher office, Howard?)
-- Senators John Valentine and Curt Bramble tell the story of how they became the most powerful couple in the state. Evidently, the manly men were climbing up a big mountain, going fishing. They get to the fishing spot and it turns out they have identical rods and tackle. (I think I've seen this movie before.) On another fishing trip with Utah Republican Party Chairman Stan Lockhart and his kids, they got to the fishing hole and were told by the people on the water that they'd only pulled out 12 fish in three days. The Valenbramhart Group proceeded to shatter every fishing record ever, catching "well over 300 fish" in under three hours. (A rate of one for each of the eight of them about every 5 minutes. Impressive, but probably untrue. I demand an ethics investigation!)
-- Hughes' attorney, Thomas Karrenberg, is on to discuss the allegations that Hughes offered a bribe to former Rep. Susan Lawrence to get her to support school vouchers. Karrenberg summary: There wasn't a bribe, it wasn't illegal, Hughes is being tried in the press. (A point Tom made last week in a press conference). "I don't know when anything has undermined the public's trust in the Legislature more than these trumped-up charges," Stephenson says. (On a completely unrelated note, did you see the lobbyists gave legislators more than $25,000 worth of meals, golf and other gifts in the last three months?)
-- Craig Frank talks about his skateboarding, including the story behind his now-legendary Youtube video (which is actually pretty cool). here.
-- Back on the Hughes ethics probe. Stephenson says the media is telling people Hughes offered former Rep. Susan Lawrence a bribe. (That's a word that has been used by the accusers.) "I don't care which party you're in, nobody should be doing this kind of sleazeball attack," says Karrenberg. (Party check: Rep. Susan Lawrence, Republican; Rep. Sheryl Allen who worked on the complaint, a Republican; attorney David Irvine, who helped write the complaint, a former Republican legislator. It is true the three who signed the complaint were Democrats.) Stephenson says "I wonder why that committee is even continuing." (Nothing to see here! Move along!). Karrenberg goes the whole show without swearing. (Nice job, Tom. No FCC fine!)
-- Stephenson comes back to the point that we're making money on the Hughes story. "The more this is strung out the better for them. Greg Hughes is their biggest fundraiser this month," he says. (And we didn't even have to support vouchers!) "It's amazing," Stephenson said referring to news reports, "that this trumped General Conference. In Utah!" He continues: "It's cash in the pockets of the media outlets. They are a business. They are here to entertain and compete above their competitors for your attention." (I will dance like a monkey for dollar bills. Really. I have no shame.)
-- Robert Gehrke
-- First, some good news. Red Meat Radio has its own Web site: read it here. This of course means that my court-mandated public service is nearing an end, since you can get your recap straight from the elephant's mouth.
-- Stephenson says Hughes isn't the only Republican being smacked with bogus ethics charges. It's part of the Democrats' game plan nationally. For example, the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington asked for an ethics investigation because Sen. John McCain reportedly won thousands of dollars on the craps table at an American Indian casino in 2000. (Really? You can win at craps? Maybe it helps if you're chairman of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.) Even worse is the ethics investigation into Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's firing of the public safety commissioner who refused to fire her ex-brother-in-law. Clearly a partisan hatchet job (Except the investigation was initiated by Alaska's Republican-dominated Legislature and the investigator appointed by the bi-partisan committee found she had indeed abused her authority: here.
-- So why the media obsession with ethics? (Obligation as a public watchdog? Public's right to know? Belief in good government?) "This is cash," says Stephenson. (Oh. Right.) "This is their money-maker. This is the profit center for the media, these kinds of allegations. This generates big bucks for the media." (You can find me at the craps table in Wendover. I'll be the one with the big stacks of black chips). "They love to draw this kind of thing out," says Howard. (Absolutely. Because the 20 hours I've spent parked on the lumbar-cracking torture benches outside the closed-door ethics committee has been a gas. I can nearly feel my legs.)
-- Stephenson says that the radiation emitted by EnergySolutions is less than you would be exposed to naturally standing in the State Capitol or Salt Lake temple. (That explains why those buildings glow.)
-- Stephenson calls out Democrats, arguing they offered campaign money to several Republicans if they would switch parties. Why hasn't the media reported that?!? Where's the ethics investigation of the Democratic Party?!? (Well, we did report it. And nobody requested an ethics investigation of the legislators involved, and the Legislature doesn't really have jurisdiction over the party.)
-- Caller Steve from Ogden is upset that Sen. Bob Bennett took so much money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Steve would help vote him out but says he doesn't live in Bennett's district. (D'oh!) Howard says Utah's senators don't listen and don't represent the state. (Eyeing a higher office, Howard?)
-- Senators John Valentine and Curt Bramble tell the story of how they became the most powerful couple in the state. Evidently, the manly men were climbing up a big mountain, going fishing. They get to the fishing spot and it turns out they have identical rods and tackle. (I think I've seen this movie before.) On another fishing trip with Utah Republican Party Chairman Stan Lockhart and his kids, they got to the fishing hole and were told by the people on the water that they'd only pulled out 12 fish in three days. The Valenbramhart Group proceeded to shatter every fishing record ever, catching "well over 300 fish" in under three hours. (A rate of one for each of the eight of them about every 5 minutes. Impressive, but probably untrue. I demand an ethics investigation!)
-- Hughes' attorney, Thomas Karrenberg, is on to discuss the allegations that Hughes offered a bribe to former Rep. Susan Lawrence to get her to support school vouchers. Karrenberg summary: There wasn't a bribe, it wasn't illegal, Hughes is being tried in the press. (A point Tom made last week in a press conference). "I don't know when anything has undermined the public's trust in the Legislature more than these trumped-up charges," Stephenson says. (On a completely unrelated note, did you see the lobbyists gave legislators more than $25,000 worth of meals, golf and other gifts in the last three months?)
-- Craig Frank talks about his skateboarding, including the story behind his now-legendary Youtube video (which is actually pretty cool). here.
-- Back on the Hughes ethics probe. Stephenson says the media is telling people Hughes offered former Rep. Susan Lawrence a bribe. (That's a word that has been used by the accusers.) "I don't care which party you're in, nobody should be doing this kind of sleazeball attack," says Karrenberg. (Party check: Rep. Susan Lawrence, Republican; Rep. Sheryl Allen who worked on the complaint, a Republican; attorney David Irvine, who helped write the complaint, a former Republican legislator. It is true the three who signed the complaint were Democrats.) Stephenson says "I wonder why that committee is even continuing." (Nothing to see here! Move along!). Karrenberg goes the whole show without swearing. (Nice job, Tom. No FCC fine!)
-- Stephenson comes back to the point that we're making money on the Hughes story. "The more this is strung out the better for them. Greg Hughes is their biggest fundraiser this month," he says. (And we didn't even have to support vouchers!) "It's amazing," Stephenson said referring to news reports, "that this trumped General Conference. In Utah!" He continues: "It's cash in the pockets of the media outlets. They are a business. They are here to entertain and compete above their competitors for your attention." (I will dance like a monkey for dollar bills. Really. I have no shame.)
-- Robert Gehrke
11:49 AM
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4 Comments:
Hughes' attorney is a shlub. Why in the world would Greg hire a cigarette-smoking, whiskey-drinking, profanity-laced has-been attorney to represent him at an ETHICS hearing??
Representative Hughes is better than that - and he's better than these BS two-year-old charges that were laid against him in the last-minute campaign of 2008.
Shame on most everyone involved.
Funny how Utah, of all places, likes to suddenly prostitute the election process.....
Hughes
- ignores his constituents
- tried to shove vouchers down everyone's throats
- referred to a Utah Senator as an f*ing midget
- had to be escorted away from the capitol by police
- has 6 charges (not just 1) levied against him in an ethics complaint which was drafted by Republicans and signed by Democrats.
- hired an attorney who shares his foul mouth to defend him
However, none of this is the fault of Greg Hughes. He's BETTER than that!
Tribune's Bob Barr Blackout Watch: The Libertarian Party nominated Bob Barr as its presidential candidate 139 days ago, and today The Salt Lake Tribune finally informed its print edition readers of his candidacy.
See "McCain or Obama: Utahns want next leader to heal economy"
In the interim, the Tribune's web site administrators disabled the accounts of individuals who noted the omission of Barr's candidacy from the Tribune's national political coverage in the TribTalk forums or comments sections of SLTRIB.COM.
Barr will be on at least 45 state ballots across the United States.
Nationwide polls show Barr receiving support from between 1 to 2 percent of voters (or about 1 in 50 American voters), and up to 11 percent support in some battleground states.
Only a handful of other presidential candidates can claim the same thing.
The CEO of MediaNews (which owns the Tribune), William Dean Singleton, was a significant financial supporter of Republican U.S. President George W. Bush.
www.BobBarr2008.com
Your recaps are getting more and more entertaining -- Red Meat Radio's blog ain't got nothin' on you! Except maybe that little poll it's running, asking whether the ethics complaint is "legitmate" or a "campaign attack strategy." Don't back away from the burden of listening and reporting on this weekly entertainment, please! You're the only voice of reality in this realm.
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