Hastert's Other Scandal

Hastert should resign his seat in Congress, but not because he spent two three years sitting on evidence of possible harrasment pederasty predatory behavior.  Hastert's other scandal is that he used his position as Speaker of the House to enrich himself by securing federal earmarks for a Highway to Denny's House.  See below the fold...

Norman Ornstein and Scott Lilly are trying to get the national press to cover this damning (non-handjob related) story that locals have investigated, showing that Hastert is involved in a very shady real estate deal.

He basically used his control over legislation to build a Highway to Nowhere in rural Kendall County, IL, that happened to raise the property value of his own property.  Yes, he aggressively shepherded a $207 million earmark through for the bullshitly named "Prairie Parkway Corridor" or "Federal Road to my Ranch."

Virtually overnight, Hastert's net worth went from approximately $300,000 to at least $6.2 million.  Cha-ching.  How did he think he wouldn't get caught with his hand in the cookie jar?

Read the details.  It's shockingly brazen.  Only the party of Abramoff and Delay would try to pull this shit and think they can retain power.  [Thinkprogress http://thinkprogress.org/...
 covered it] in June and Capitol Hill Blue had the story too, not to mention local groups in Illinois forming to block the unnecessary Sprawlway, but the public seems to have a limited number of brain cells to devote to monitoring rampant corruption at the GOP leadership's highest levels.

Here is Denny's official statement, with some helpful edits from me:

As we have been reminded in recent months, dealing with growth is never easy --it's hard work. There are many tough decisions to be made, and good people can disagree with me about how to proceed. But I think we can all agree that it is essential for our region to address growth before it arrives. And working together, I am confident we will embark earmark on a strategy that best meets the needs of our communities, and the people who call them home me and my wife.

I hope we can help, um, raise awareness on behalf of Hastert's challenger, John Laesch (D-IL), who is bravely contesting this seat in Kendall County, IL.  Hastert should not continue to hold public office.

•  ABSOLUTELY!

  EVERY discussion about Hastert's ethics needs to include this nugget.  When describing his sins, it is always better to have a laundry list than a single example.  If you just say "Foley" then it is easier for someone to shrug it off and say "I heard there were two sides to that story"

  But when it becomes apparent that he is corrupt through and through in every venue... then we have a mind-shift.

  KEEP SHOUTING ABOUT THIS ONE!

  by WI Deadhead on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 08:26:14 AM PDT

•  2006 gives everyone something to be enraged about

  Don't like being misled into a war of choice?
  Don't like to see Americans coming home in body bags?
  Don't like the sound of "Torture, American-Style"?
  Don't like the Abu Graib "follies"?
  Don't like being lectured to about "understanding the post-9/11 world" by people who ignored all the signs, blamed everything on Clinton, and then went off and attacked the wrong country?
  Don't agree that Brownie and Rummy did a superb job and that Tenet and Bremer deserve Presidential Medals of Freedom?  A promotion for Condy Alumninum Tubes 16 Words Rice?

  Don't like the blastocyst-loving Supreme Court?  How about using your only veto in 6 years to veto life-saving stem cell research?
  Don't like signing statements that give the middle finger to checks and balances?

  Ok, you need a sex scandal?  JimJeff GannonGuckert as a plant in the White House press room was not enough? How about one involving boys who had to interrupt their cyberjackoff session with a Congressman to finish their homework before their Mom in the other room gets mad?

  Not enough?  You want indictments, as in the Vice President's chief aide Scooter Libby or former GOP Majority Leader Tom DeLay or do you want more people to be indicted before you're angry?

  You want convictions, like GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff?  Safavian?

  What? Not enough?  YOu want GOP officials to actually shoot someone in the face?  Well, it was friendly fire and he said something the next day, so Dick Cheney gets a pass.

  Well, hand it to Speaker Dennis Hastert.  Using public money to make yourself rich is the old fashioned way to be corrupt.  It used to be enough to get you voted out of office.

  Tip me by emailing this to someone who's not already pissed off enough to vote Democrat.

  by Steve G on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 08:31:06 AM PDT

•  Hastert is a walking obscenity!

  Corrupt to the bone and given his girth, this is saying a lot.

  I am starting to think that I underestimated Repug hypocrisy and evil and this is also saying a lot.

  Let's reccomend this diary.

  by Shockwave on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 08:32:48 AM PDT

  •  Thanks

    Denny is old-fashioned when it comes to corruption, choosing to use his office as Speaker to enrich himself.  That used to be enough to get you voted out of office.

    by Steve G on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 08:43:59 AM PDT

•  My brother lives in Porkville...er...Yorkville.

  He and I have always wondered how Denny came by an 800K house when at that time, 250K would buy you 4000SF of splender in Yorkville, and now he's moved into a 1.2-million-dollar house.  In that part of the world, that is suitable for a head of state, no ordinary house.

  by venatrix on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 09:09:03 AM PDT

•  Can't trust 'em

  Can't trust him with your highways
  Can't trust him with your money
  Can't trust him with your kids

  Why would you vote for this man?

  by nytcek on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 09:20:59 AM PDT

•  In addition to that

  ... we should also highlight the multitude of shady Hastert-DeLay deals at every opportunity.

  by Jules Beaujolais on Sat Oct 07, 2006 at 10:10:17 AM PDT