Friday, July 14, 2017

Washington swamp

[Edit 7/17: See also Mo Brooks and Swamp.]

Let's get into the Washington Swamp. Let's first let Judge Roy Moore speak.




And let's set out the linked article in full:

Political Anomaly: Judge Roy Moore Looks to Drain Alabama Senate Swamp

 By Andrew West  July 13, 2017

President Donald Trump, in all of his unconventional revelry, has inspired a number of politicians to take up the “drain the swamp” mantra. America’s political nightmare has gone on for far too long.

And rightfully so:The acceptable level of corruption in our nation’s governmental atmosphere has exceeded what many of us would have ever envisioned growing up. We once believed in senators and congressmen fighting for the rights of the American people, raging against a machine of political chicanery and malice. Instead of achieving that idealistic utopia, we have been subjected to ever-increasing levels of acceptable mayhem.

In Alabama, however, there is one politician who hopes to break the mold, and his name is Judge Roy Moore.

“Judge Roy Moore has the Republican Establishment in an uproar. His crime is having the audacity to be leading the polls in the race to replace Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, who vacated the seat to become attorney general, over Senate Leader Mitch McConnell’s handpicked candidate, Luther Strange.

“Strange is the perfect McConnell acolyte. Strange is currently the un-elected senator from Alabama. The story of how he wrangled the Senate position is straight out of a Gulf Coast swamp. Strange was Alabama’s attorney general, and the governor at the time was the now-disgraced Robert Bentley.

“Otherwise known as Governor Love, Bentley carried on a love affair with political operative Rebekah Caldwell Mason, some 30 years his junior.

“Moore is best known for fighting unconstitutional orders to remove the Ten Commandments monument from the Alabama Supreme Court and the federal orders requiring Alabama to issue marriage licenses to lesbian women, gay men and transgender couples.

“A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and a Vietnam War veteran, Moore is known as incorruptible, and that makes him persona non grata among Mitch McConnell’s Senate GOP caucus. Why, Moore has already said he wants to repeal Obamacare, and McConnell has been doing his best to rescue Obamacare all summer.”

What the nation needs now may be an army of Roy Moores.

The American people have long clamored for out-of-the-box politicians the likes of Moore, but the political machine has been thrifty in coughing them up. Between the lobbyists and the entrenched, status quo lawmakers of the nation, there has been little room for legitimate change among our country’s ruling elite. Judge Roy Moore is seeking to change that, and his quest should be applauded by every American, regardless of political allegiance
.

Here is what Luther Strange says on his website:
Fighting Corruption

When Luther Strange was first elected as Alabama's Attorney General, he went to Montgomery as an outsider with one mission: fight corrupt insiders and special interests.

No one in Alabama history has done more to drain the swamp than Luther. He led a public corruption team that had over 25 convictions, including Republican Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard, and has always remained committed to holding government at all levels accountable to Alabamians. Luther fought the Obama administration’s overreach all the way to the Supreme Court, defending Alabamians from big government intrusions by career politicians and bureaucrats.

Luther enjoyed many successes in the fight against Montgomery insiders. As senator, he’s ready to help President Donald Trump do the same in Washington.


Here is what Mo Brooks says on his website
Drain the Swamp
FIGHTING WASHINGTON CORRUPTION
President Trump was right when he called Washington, D.C. a swamp. Big-moneyed lobbyists and special interest groups peddle influence with corrupt elected officials. Throughout my tenure in Congress, I have refused to play their nefarious games. As your next Senator, I will fight to “Drain the Swamp” by standing up to the corruption and powerful special interests who bribe, bully, and threaten elected officials into doing their bidding.


Mealy mouthed palaver from #alsen candidates
I think there will be only mealy mouthed palaver about draining the swamp. Here is my evidence and reasons:

First consider how lame the existing Alabama legislative delegation in Washington has been. 

Since November I have been badgering them with the likes of Priority questions for Alabama legislative delegation and Alabama legislative delegation lobbying ban positions. There has been no response, except Rep. Byrne expressed support for term limits.

If the Alabama legislative delegation was serious about draining the swamp, they could report to Alabamians how they think draining the swamp is going. They could make lists of the Senators and Representatives in Congress whom they believe willing to drain the swamp and those not willing to drain the swamp. These things will not happen because they know that draining the swamp will not happen. 

They could speak to Alabamians right now, and tell them draining the swamp is possible, and Alabama voters should take seriously what the #alsen candidates are saying. This is not going to happen because they know that draining the swamp will not happen.

The #alsen candidates could ask the Alabama legislative delegation to tell the Alabama voters to take seriously things about draining the swamp. That too is not going to happen, because no one believes the swamp will be drained.

Here are some tweets from today:



You draw your own conclusions about whether any of the #alsen candidates have any belief that swamp draining will take place. #ALSen candidates are invited to say to the contrary, and I will post what they say here.


Donald Trump is big part of the Swamp
A problem with swamp draining is that it is now fairly clear that Donald Trump doesn't really care about swamp draining and is now the biggest part of the swamp. This section will be expanded. For now, consider the below:




Statements from #alsen candidates about why Donald Trump is not part of Swamp
#ALSen candidates who do not think Donald Trump is a big part of Swamp have been asked to say why. Any statements will be posted below:

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