Cunningham, Scanlon Help Keep Republican
Scandals in Public Eye
Bloomberg
Kristin Jensen and Catherine Dodge
December 1, 2005
Dec. 1 (Bloomberg) -- Republicans hoped that a raft of scandals involving
their party's lawmakers and the White House would fade from view before the
2006 elections. Then along came Randy ``Duke'' Cunningham and Michael
Scanlon.
Cunningham, the California congressman who resigned this week after
admitting that he took $2.4 million in bribes, and Scanlon, a former colleague
of indicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff who pleaded guilty last week to conspiring
to corrupt public officials, are the latest examples of what Democrats call
"the culture of corruption" in Washington -- and what they hope will propel
them to victory at the polls next year.
"This is not something that's going to go away soon or can be written off as
one bad apple," said Amy Walter, House editor of the Washington-based Cook
Political Report, which analyzes congressional races.
Republicans say their adversaries don't seem to be gaining an advantage in
polls, and that voters usually don't blame their own lawmaker for scandals in
which they are not involved. "I don't know of any member of Congress who's ever
lost because of something some other member did," said Carl Forti, spokesman
for the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Democrats plan to test that proposition. They've been sending e-mails to
supporters for months decrying what they call Republican ethical
transgressions, and running print and radio ads in targeted districts, such as
those represented by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay -- for whom Scanlon
used to work -- and, before he resigned, Cunningham.
Campaign Theme
The Democrats plan to campaign on the theme that ethics scandals have a
direct impact on voters because the public is losing out to special interests,
said Representative Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, the chairman of the Democratic
Congressional Campaign Committee. "Our whole argument is there's a cost to this
corruption, and you are paying for it," he said.
Some Republicans, such as Representative Jeff Flake of Arizona, are worried
that this theme will gain traction with voters.
Individual indiscretions become dangerous when they are perceived as a
symptom of a larger problem, Flake said. He's particularly concerned about
scandals such as the one that engulfed Cunningham, 63, because it suggests that
lobbyists have too much sway.
"We can't afford to be portrayed as `K Street conservatives,"' Flake said,
referring to the Washington area that is home to many lobbying firms and trade
groups. "That's what we're looking like."
Range of Cases
The cases that concern him and others include the White House as well as
Capitol Hill. Vice President Dick Cheney's top aide, I. Lewis Libby, was
indicted on perjury charges in October. DeLay, a Texas Republican, stepped down
from his leadership post in September after being indicted in his home state of
Texas in a campaign-fundraising abuse case.
In September, the Securities and Exchange Commission authorized a formal
investigation of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist's sale of shares of HCA
Inc., a Nashville, Tennessee-based hospital chain. Frist's HCA shares, held in
a Senate-approved blind trust, were sold shortly before the company issued an
earnings estimate that failed to meet analysts' forecasts.
"There isn't a week that goes by that the Republicans aren't involved in an
arraignment, an arrest, a subpoena or an indictment," said House Minority
Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat.
With President George W. Bush and Congress both suffering from
near-record-low approval ratings, analysts are drawing comparisons to scandals
such as Watergate, which led to an influx of Democrats in the 1974 elections,
and the series of ethical controversies involving Democrats in the 1980s and
1990s that helped the Republicans win control of the House of Representatives
in 1994.
`Tremendous Opportunity'
Pollster John Zogby sees a "tremendous opportunity" for the Democrats, while
adding that they must do more than just complain about corruption to capitalize
on it. He notes that the Republicans won in 1994 by promising specific reforms.
"It's incumbent on the Democrats to come up with a similar cohesive message,
and so far you're not seeing that," said Zogby, president of Utica, New
York-based Zogby International.
Democrats hold 202 of the House's 435 seats and would need 218 to control
the chamber. Redistricting after the 2000 Census made their task more
difficult, as the number of competitive seats decreased, said Walter of the
Cook Political Report.
Republicans in states that voted for Democratic presidential candidate John
Kerry in 2004 might be most at risk, said Sarah Chamberlain Resnick, executive
director of the Washington-based Main Street Republican Partnership. The group
says it takes a "centrist" approach to governing and has taken on battles such
as removing special-interest projects from appropriations bills.
Swing Districts
"We are concerned because it's the men and women of Main Street who are
primarily in swing districts," she said. "I don't know if Republicans will lose
power in the House, but Democrats certainly could cut into that majority."
One of the biggest concerns for Republicans is the investigation of
Abramoff, 46, who had close ties to DeLay and other party leaders. In Scanlon's
plea agreement, prosecutors said Scanlon, 35, and Abramoff attempted to bribe
lawmakers, including an unidentified "Representative #1." The lawyer for
Representative Robert Ney, 51, an Ohio Republican, has confirmed that he is the
lawmaker in question.
Abramoff, Scanlon and their lobbying clients combined to give campaign money
to a third of the members of Congress between 2001 and 2004.
Scanlon Cooperating
Scanlon is cooperating with investigators, and the next hearing in his case
won't take place until March 1. Ney announced Nov. 4 that he had received a
subpoena for documents as part of the investigation.
The impact of scandals on the 2006 election may depend on how many lawmakers
decide to retire, Walter said. An exodus by Republicans would create an obvious
opportunity for Democrats, she said.
There's also a chance that voters will opt for "outsider" candidates
unconnected to Washington, she said. In that case, the candidate's party might
not matter, unless Democrats can persuade voters that Republicans as a group
are corrupt, she said.
"Republicans are in power, and midterm elections are a referendum on power,"
Walter said. "On the other hand, voters right now are feeling pessimistic about
both parties. It's not that Democrats are better-liked. It's that they are less
disliked. That's not something you can necessarily take through the
election."
To contact the reporters on this story:
Kristin Jensen in Washington at kjensen@bloomberg.net;
Catherine Dodge in Washington cdodge1@bloomberg.net
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