In a recent column, Paul Krugman publicly stated what many of us have know for years, that during the period of recent Republican ascendancy, particularly during the years 2002-2006, America was governed by monsters. (Krugman column here: http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.com/... It is hard now to even remember how corrupt, despicable and incompetent many of these people really were because the Democratic victories of 2006 and 2008 have (or will, as of January) consigned the vast majority of them to the perdition they so richly deserve. Donald Rumsfield, Karl Rove, Rick Santorum, and Tom Delay are just bad memories now, a distant nightmare best forgotten. The most corrupt members of the extortionate Delay gang like Duke Cunningham, Bob Ney, John Doolittle and Richard Pambo are in jail, under investigation or in disgrace, as are Rick Renzi and Curt Weldon. Tom Tancredo has resigned and Bill Sali and Marilyn Musgrave finally earned defeat this year. Ted Stevens will soon be gone, one way or another.
Looking at Congress today it is getting harder and harder to work up any serious outrage. Still, there are a few people there who merit our special attention, not because they are actually in power, but simply because justice must be served.
Here is my list of the congressmen we need to target for defeat in 2010. Unfortunately Joe Lieberman isn't eligible because won't be up for reelection until 2012, but he can be an honorary member. Feel to add your own suggestions so that I can complete the list.
- Michelle Bachmann (MN 06) - This is an eminently winnable district, and it is an embarrassment to Minnesota that Bachmann was returned to office after her disgraceful display of McCarthyism on Hardball recently, not to mention her homophobia, her belief in creationism and her general nuttiness. Next time, Bachmann needs to go.
- William Jefferson (LA 02) - Zero tolerance for corruption should be - must be - bipartisan. Jefferson is a disgrace to the Democratic Party and should be either defeated or, preferably, forced to resign.
- Jean Schmidt (OH-2) - "Mean Jean" began her career in the House by denouncing John Murtha, a 38 year veteran of the Marine Corps, as a "coward" for his opposition to the war in Iraq. This year she falsely - and bizarrely - accused her Democratic opponent of participating in "grotesque medical experiments" on AIDS patients in Africa without their consent. Enough said, really. Schmidt was reelected this year with only 45% of the vote. She can be beaten.
- Don Young (AK) - Contrary to what one might think from listening to Sarah Palin, Alaskans seem to like pork barrel spending, corporate handouts and corruption because they returned Don Young to Congress yet again, though by the narrowest of margins this time.
- Jerry Lewis (CA- 41) - Here's what CREW had to say in 2006 about the man they called the King of Payoffs: "Aside from future jailbird William "Dollar Bill" Jefferson, the sitting congressman most likely to be indicted is Lewis." Yet he just won reelection by a wide margin.
- James Sensenbrenner (WI-05) - With Tom Tancredo's departure, Sensenbrenner now inherits the title of Meanest Man in Congress. He is rigidly authoritarian in both his policies and his managment style, having once proposed sending college students who failed to narc on their dormmates to prison and, more ominously, having stifled all debate and discussion about the shame of Guantanamo when he was chair of the House Judiciary committee. Simply put, this man is a fascist, yet he ran for reelection unopposed this year. That makes no sense.
- Lynn Westmoreland (GA-03) - This is the man who famously dismissed Barack Obama as "uppity" earlier this year.
- Steve King (Iowa-05) - King is infamous for nasty comments and extreme positions. Here is what he said about Obama in March of this year: "I will tell you that, if he is elected president, then the radical Islamists, the al-Qaida, the radical Islamists and their supporters, will be dancing in the streets in greater numbers than they did on September 11 because they will declare victory in this War on Terror." Again, nothing more needs to be said.
- Joe Baca (CA- 43) - Another Democrat, Baca makes the list for calling Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez a "whore" after she caught him misusing monies from the Hispanic Caucus. The California Congressional delegation is, as a whole, shockingly venal.
- [This one is up to you}
We may not be able to get all of these in 2010, but can we get a few? Yes, we can!