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   Tom Donohue scares millions of dollars out of corporations and Republicans. But is his U.S. Chamber of Commerce good for business?
 Is it time for gainful employment rules about debt loads for students at traditional colleges?
 How medical supply behemoths stick it to the little guy, making Americas health care system more dangerous and expensive.
 How Sarah Palin has inspired an army of Republican women to run for office.
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August 15, 2010
ENSIGN HOPES HIS SUPPORTERS ARE EASILY FOOLED.... Major media outlets continue to give him a pass, but the ongoing FBI investigation into Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.) took an interesting turn recently when the scandal-plagued Republican started begging for cash for his legal defense fund. Ensign, at the center of a humiliating sex/corruption/ethics scandal, registered his legal defense fund as a tax-exempt 527 political organization, which itself was a bizarre move. But this week, the right-wing senator sent out his first appeal to help pay his legal bills, acknowledging his adultery, but denying corruption allegations that appear to be plainly true. Nevada journalist Jon Ralston described the appeal as "galling," adding that by sending the letter, Ensign "showed that not only does he lack self-awareness, but he thinks most people who receive the letter are ignoramuses."
Also note, instead of taking responsibilities for his own outrageous behavior, Ensign blamed his legal difficulties on Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which the far-right senator dismissed as a "liberal organization" going after him without cause. CREW's Melanie Sloan responded, "Senator Ensign had an extended affair with a campaign staffer, who happened to be married to his chief of staff Doug Hampton, fired them both, and had his parents pay them off without properly reporting it to the Federal Election Commission. He then conspired to help Mr. Hampton to set up a lobbying business to lobby his own office, in violation of federal law. So what exactly are the things that Senator Ensign is being accused of that he did not do?" What a good question. —Steve Benen 10:00 AM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (17)
Comments
Has Fox News listed him as a Democrat yet? Posted by: Speed on August 15, 2010 at 10:12 AM | PERMALINK"ENSIGN HOPES HIS SUPPORTERS ARE EASILY FOOLED" If they are his supporters then they are, indeed, easily fooled. It does remain to be seen how many there are left. Posted by: gelfling545 on August 15, 2010 at 10:20 AM | PERMALINKI wonder if his arrest, if it's in the cards, occurs before the election. If it does I think it will then become a much bigger deal in the media. They will have to start over with a detailed history of Ensign/Hamptons/Parents rather than a continuation of an ongoing story. That will tend to perk up people to something that has been out of sight. Posted by: CarlP on August 15, 2010 at 10:35 AM | PERMALINK@Speed - HILARIOUS! Ensign's a crook and a buffoon, but I have to ask: what is he supposed to say if he wants to get elected, right? "I did all this stuff, but it's not yet proven that they were criminal acts?" I'm not at all surprised when liar lie and when players play a game. He's both -- welcome to the Silver State! Posted by: ManOutOfTime on August 15, 2010 at 10:49 AM | PERMALINKIOKIYAR...and our MSM does little to hit back...do you EVER even hear his name mentioned on the MSM? Nah, too busy nit picking their way through EVERY BLINGING COMMENT Obama makes and giving us their very informed opinions on what he REALLY REALLY MEANS or should be saying in their not at all humble opinions...How about a campaign to dump all the old farts from the TV and get on some REAL PEOPLE for a conversation about our country and the direction it should consider moving in? This never ending recycled "news" is creating a nation of SHEEPLE...good news is, I guess it WORKS!!! Posted by: Dancer on August 15, 2010 at 10:54 AM | PERMALINKWhy doesn't he just ask his parents to pay his legal bills? Posted by: Jim H on August 15, 2010 at 10:55 AM | PERMALINKENSIGN HOPES HIS SUPPORTERS ARE EASILY FOOLED His supporters WILLING ENJOY THE KOOL AIDE he thinks most people who receive the letter are ignoramuses. Judging by what passes for political discourse and who is presented as a political leader on the right lately, it's not just Ensign's supporters or Nevadans that are ignoramuses. Posted by: qwerty on August 15, 2010 at 11:09 AM | PERMALINKNot only do ensign's supporters enjoy the kool aide, but the repug/neocons are SUPPLY IT IN MANY DIFFERENT FLAVORS Posted by: art on August 15, 2010 at 11:11 AM | PERMALINKWell, remember that what's her face, the Russian real estate cum lawyer, tried to get a defense fund going and didn't have too much luck. Posted by: Texas Aggie on August 15, 2010 at 11:19 AM | PERMALINKMy thoughts exactly Jim H @ 10:55 Maybe they are teaching him tough love. Kind of late but still necessary to know and helps tremendously if one takes up politics for example. Posted by: Kevin (not the famous one) on August 15, 2010 at 11:38 AM | PERMALINKI did a Google News search this morning, concerning the number of hits between "Charlie Rangel", "Maxine Waters", and "John Ensign". The results: Charlie Rangel: 3,231 Maxine Waters: 2,383 John Ensign: 244 Granted, as CarlP points out, this may become a bigger story if/when Ensign gets indicted, but it amazes me how a senator under both criminal and ethics investigations gets such lower coverage compared to two representatives facing ethics investigations. Liberal media, indeed. Posted by: 2Manchu on August 15, 2010 at 12:16 PM | PERMALINK"...Ensign blamed his legal difficulties on Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), which the far-right senator dismissed as a "liberal organization" going after him without cause." And I'll bet Ensign's supporters are just jealous about his exploits. Posted by: Hmmmmm on August 15, 2010 at 1:12 PM | PERMALINKENSIGN HOPES HIS SUPPORTERS ARE EASILY FOOLED Or as willing to ignore his conduct as Our Liberal Media™. Posted by: Fleas correct the era on August 15, 2010 at 3:44 PM | PERMALINKHas Fox News listed him as a Democrat yet? If they ever feel the need to mention him at all, they will. Posted by: exlibra on August 15, 2010 at 6:22 PM | PERMALINKThat part about thinking the people who are getting the letter are ignoramuses? That's probably a pretty sure bet. Posted by: dcsusie on August 15, 2010 at 8:55 PM | PERMALINKPost a comment
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