This time that candidate is Ken Blackwell! You remember Ken. Considering Blackwell’s role in the controversial election of George Bush in 2004, it may be that he’s the one the Republicans needed this year. But, then, it seems Ohio voters didn’t take too well to that role, and he lost heavily when he ran for Governor in 2006, by well over 20 points. That’s a landslide for Ted Strickland, but despite his connection to Ohio vote and funding scandals, despite that perfume of eau de culture of corruption, Ken Blackwell thinks he’s the man to run the RNC.

What does Ken Blackwell stand for? He’s four square with the social conservatives, having worked hard to pass the anti-gay marriage amendment in Ohio. He’s admired by the wing nuts, as evidenced by his popular column in that haven for wing nuts, Townhall.com. The gun nuts love him as do the exteremist Christians, as he serves on the Board of the NRA and on the Family Research Council Board. This guy’s got the constiuencies of all of the major Republican groups, and he wants to take the party back in time by recalling the recent success of the “surge” strategy in Iraq. Here’s an excerpt from the letter he sent to the members of the RNC announcing his candidacy, from Townhall.com:

Each candidate for chairman has emphasized the importance of technology. And technology is important … but we need to use technology in the right ways. We need to use technology to identify voters, energize the base, and communicate with younger voters in the venues where they want to communicate.

We also need substantive changes in the way the RNC operates.

I will be proposing an “RNC Conservative Resurgence Plan” that will be a dramatic overhaul of the way the RNC does business. I have a general outline of what I believe this plan should entail, and I will be contacting members of the RNC in the next week to gather additional ideas for inclusion.

Hey, he might even try to hire David Petraeus to run the campaigns. The “surge” may be the only success of the last eight years for Republicans, so I suppose that’s why he uses such a turn of phrase, but frankly, I find it offensive. Also, I’m thinking this guy doesn’t know the littlest bit about how to employ technology to GOTV or anything. He represents the past, and a failed past in his own biggest election attempt. The past, you say? Well, he calls for technology-enhanced micro-targeting of voters in future GOP GOTV measures, and then he quotes an expert on the subject, from the same letter:

“Organize the whole state so that every Whig can be brought to the polls… Divide the county into small districts and appoint in each a sub-committee. Make a perfect list of all the voters and ascertain with certainty for which they will vote, keep a constant watch on the doubtful voters and…Have them talked to by those in whom they have the most confidence, and on Election Day see that every Whig is brought to the polls.” -Abraham Lincoln 1/21/1840

Yeah, that’s the funniest part of Blackwell’s letter, that he uses Abraham Lincoln’s words from one hundred and sixty eight years ago to advocate for new and innovative ways to use technology in winning elections. This from a guy still enmired in Diebold controversies and such.

Ken Blackwell is a failed candidate and aligned with several scandals over the last several years. The Republicans would be stupid to choose him as RNC Chair. I don’t expect that to stop them, though.

The sentencing memorandum on behalf of Mitchell Wade is in, and there’s some indications that he’s told some stories about yet more Republican office holders who accepted illegal campaign contributions. Among those office holders is Katherine Harris, she of the Florida vote recount that was so pivotal to giving us the failure that is George Bush in 2000. Seth Hettena has the story, as does Politico. Here’s a bit from Seth:

Mitchell Wade, the man who bribed Randy “Duke” Cunningham and then did much to speed the congressman’s spectacular fall, is asking a judge to sentence him to a year of home detention for all the help he provided the government. Prosecutors don’t dispute that Wade was helpful, but they believe that four years in prison is more appropriate for $1.8 million in bribes.

Would Cunningham ultimately have been convicted without Wade? Probably, but Wade made it happen much, much faster. He was debriefed 23 times by government investigators and supplied them a searchable electronic database of 150,000 documents, including the infamous “bribe menu.” And Wade’s cooperation didn’t stop with Cunningham. He provided damaging evidence against several others, including his testimony at the bribery trial of his former boss, Brent Wilkes, who’s now serving time in prison.

A 42-page sentencing memo filed by Wade’s attorneys says he aided the government in its investigation “of at least five other members of Congress” who were under investigation for “corruption similar to that of Mr. Cunningham.” These no doubt include Virgil Goode and Katherine “Pink Sugar” Harris. Wade wanted to open facilities in their districts and made $78,000 in “straw” contributions to grease the wheels. Neither Harris nor Goode has been charged with wrongdoing.

Prosecutors drop tantalizing hints about an even bigger, ongoing investigation. Wade was debriefed in 2006 and provided “moderately useful” background information in another “large and important corruption investigation” that also has not yet resulted in any charges.

“Large and important corruption investigation?” Man, this Duke Cunningham, Wilkes, Wade thing is the gift that keeps on giving. Sure, we all expect that there will be Republicans who escape the culture of corruption web they wove, but I’m sure we’re all hoping Katherine Haqrris gets caught in this one. This would be true justice in pursuit of voter fraud, eh?

A Bush aide, Felipe Sixto, resigned last March amidst some serious rumors that there were some financial improprieties involving the USAID money he administered while he was working for the Center for Free Cuba. When he resigned last March Mr. Sixto was serving as Special Assistant to President Bush for Intergovernmental Affairs. He has now been indicted. From the Washington DC Examiner:

On Thursday, Sixto was charged in federal court with stealing thousands of dollars from the nonprofit agency. The alleged theft occurred from March 2005 to January 2008, while Sixto, a 29-year-old graduate of American University, worked at the Center for a Free Cuba and after he went to work for the White House in July 2007, court documents said. Sixto was charged via criminal information, which typically signals that a plea agreement is in the works.

As TPM notes, this is theft of taxpayer dollars. Seems to me that’s a whole lot worse than the usual Bush Administration crime of tragic misuse (Iraq) of taxpayer dollars.

Well, that title doesn’t have a great pun, now does it. Heck, I once had a dart team I named “Future Rodeo Clowns of America,” and I thought that was the wittiest thing in the whole world, at least for a while. But I digress. . . .

We’ve all been speculating about who Bush will pardon when he leaves office. Sure, some would say he’s already started the pardoning, but no big fish as yet. Still, I’m not seeing lists of names or anything. The speculation that Bush would pardon Cheney, then resign and Cheney would pardon Bush is all the rage. Wouldn’t that be cute?

OK, I’ve got some names. At the very least they are candidates for a gathering a few years from now at a reunion at the Crawford Ranch of the last people to support Bush, those he pardoned in the waning days of the administration.

OK, the Washington Post does have some names. Michael Milken wants his record clean, and given the good works of his family foundation and his prostate cancer foundation, I actually support the move, except for the timing. We are in financial crisis right now, in case nobody noticed, caused by some slick Wall Street types who securitized risky mortgages. Wasn’t Milken convicted of a similar crime?

The WaPo list also includes Randy “Duke” Cunningham, one of the poster boys for the Republican “culture of corruption,” and Edwin Edwards, former Governor of Louisiana, also convicted on corruption charges. Were Bush to pardon them, then it would be a public relations problem for the GOP, reminding us all that the Republican Brand stands for corruption nowadays. Still, Bush has no fear of ruining his own already soiled reputation, so I think he’ll likely go for it. Ted Stevens has not applied for a pardon.

Now for some new possiblities, some Republicans who just might qualify in time for a Bush pardon by the end of his tenure in office, or perhaps should get a premptory pardon. How about Katon Dawson, the current candidate for RNC Chair? Sure, it is not a crime to belong to a Whites Only club, but this kind of stupidity probably indicates Dawson is guilty of something somewhere. Hey, and maybe a Bush pardon could get him free of the charge of the stupid move of thinking he could lead the Republicans even though he’s belonged to such a club for 10 years? Seriously, in the Whites Only Republican Party, one that says it wants to appeal to all Americans, isn’t this about as stupid as they come?

Of course, we’ve got to include Alberto Gonzales. Bush likely thinks he’s an All-Star Patriot, despite the extreme lengths Gonzales went to defend syping on his countrymen, torture, and politicizing the DOJ. But maybe we should add Mike Mukasey to the list, just out of principle, and also for spending DOJ money for Gonzales’ defense.

Hey, the Jack Abramoff gift that keeps on giving has given us another corrupt Republican. Maybe James F. Hirni is a good candidate for a late pardon by Bush. Here’s his crimes detailed from the Associated Press:

James F. Hirni will be charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to papers filed by the Justice Department in U.S. District Court.

A Hirni spokesman said he is cooperating with the Justice Department.

“He regrets one single instance as a first-time lobbyist over five years ago when a mistake in judgment by agreeing to a client’s request led to an unfortunate chain of events on one evening,” spokesman Scott Sobel said. “Jim has acknowledged his role and the involvement of those responsible for that incident.”

Hirni, who most recently worked for Wal-Mart Stores Inc., was implicated on Thursday as part of a plea agreement reached by federal prosecutors with former congressional aide Trevor L. Blackann.

Blackann pleaded guilty in federal court to not reporting more than $4,100 in illegal gifts from lobbyists on his 2003 tax forms, including tickets to the World Series, concerts and sporting events.

Court documents say that one of the lobbyists who provided the World Series tickets was Hirni. In exchange, “Blackann agreed to provide favorable official action to, and to use their influence on behalf of, defendant Hirni,” two other unnamed people and an unnamed equipment rental company.

Come on, W, it was just a pair of World Series tickets involved in this quid pro quo! This guy obviously just loves baseball and wanted to reward a fellow baseball fan! Pardon him!

Of course, this list is not exhaustive. I didn’t even mention Larry Craig! It would take too much work to list all the Bush pardon possibilities. What is instructive is that so many Republicans are lining up hoping to be the beneficiaries of Bush’s pardon pen, and so many of them are connected to some corruption or other. Were Bush to fully exercise his rights and pardon lots of corrupt Republicans, and then later have a convention of the Bush Pardonees, he’d likely have to rent out the Alamo Dome to hold them all. Hey, maybe they could just hold such a meeting in conjunction with the Republican Convention in 2012?

As noted on here many times, Rick Santorum is a weasel.

OK, let me start again. Rick Santorum has had his ballot questioned. He voted absentee in Penn Hills, where he owns a home he rents out. His status as a Penn Hills voter is being challenged by Ed Vecchio, the husband of the Democratic Chairwoman there. OK, this might be about politics, but it is also clear Santorum doesn’t live there. Why should he vote there, perpetrating voter fraud?

Well, Santorum has decided to fight the charges no longer. That’s the real story here. From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Mr. Santorum, who served as a Pennsylvania delegate to the Republican National Convention this September, said he’s tired of fighting with the Vecchios. He has no plans to attend. Or to fight. Or to think about it if he can help it.

“They can do whatever they want to do. It’s just — I’m just not going to engage in that,” he said. “If someone who has lived in that community for the past 22 years who still owns a home and pays taxes there can’t vote there, then that says something about the Democrats in Allegheny County.”

Poor little Rick Santorum being picked on by those big bad Democrats. Of course, they wouldn’t pick on him if he voted where he actually lives. But Rick would rather play the victim and place the blame for his actions on anyone but himself.

As it appears, voter fraud in PA was not committed by Mickey Mouse, who was registered by ACORN, but by a former Republican Senator, Rick Santorum.

Ted Stevens has lost the election in Alaska to Mark Begich. Hey, it only took two weeks. Here’s a guy who almost won reelection to the Senate after having been convicted of felonies. Were I Michelle Malkin I would say something about stupid Alaskan voters, mostly because Michelle likes the word “stupid.” Malkin is working with stupidity as evidence, though, so there’s something tragically ironic there — Oh, I forgot tragedy implies a fall from great heights for the central tragic figure — heights of stupidity don’t count. But I digress.

Ted Stevens has lost his Senate election in a state that did reelect Don Young, and in a state that elected Sarah Palin a mere two years ago. I’ll let you conclude as you will about the citizens of Alaska. My comments today note that the articles about Begich’s historic win — becoming the first Democratic Senator in Alaska in 30 years IS historic — all focus so much on the convict Stevens that you’d think the guy died! Breitbart carries the AP story, and the headline is all Stevens, the update i all Stevens, and Begich, the man who won the seat, is buried in the story. It’s almost like a eulogy, or an obituary. Well, that’s pretty much what Andrew Malcolm wrote, an obituary to a political career. The only thing he didn’t mention was the big grill Stevens got from, well, whoever.

The only surprise in the news is that Stevens is supposedly not going to ask President Bush for a pardon. That’s the scoop from the Crypt over at Politico. Seems Stevens is a bit testy. He even challenges a reporter on the meaning of the word “corruption,” but presumably he hasn’t a problem with the meaning of “no.” From The Crypt:

He continued to strike a defiant tone regarding his felony convictions. “That’s just your words,” he said to a reporter who asked about “corruption” charges. “As a matter of fact, when the Department of Justice announced this case, they said this was not a corruption case, this was not a bribery case. This was a simple matter of failing to disclose. So maybe some of this verbage that you’re using is not” accurate, he said.

He wouldn’t comment, though, on the appeal. “I’m still in the situation where there are still motions hanging, and everything else, on the trial. I’m not at liberty yet to talk about it, “he said. “We haven’t filed an appeal yet. We haven’t had the final motions of the trial. It won’t be till February. It’s a long process.”

That long process, he said, could complicate the vote on whether he remains in the GOP conference, which has been postponed until Thursday. “That is really the problem – a great problem – with the appeals process, because we won’t know until February. You understand? The whole proceeding with the court has been put off till February. I have no control over that,” he said.

In the meantime, would he be seeking a pardon from President Bush?

“No, no, no,” he said.

He complains he has no control over timing. He did have control over accepting all those gifts, though. He accepted them anyway, then decided not to report them. The real question is whether folks are going to investigate the building of the Palin home, now that the building of the Stevens home got him into trouble.

We’ve got too many labels. One of the big inside baseball arguments lately is whether our country is center-right or center-left. Do we lean towards Reagan or are we all becoming socialists. It’s a bogus argument, in my book, but it’s got a whole bunch of folks atwitter. Here’s a long-time Republican, Tod Lindberg, arguing that the nation has changed, and that we are now “center-left.” From the Washington Post:

Some analysts like to explain this shift by pointing to Democratic gains and Republican losses among particular regions and demographic groups, arguing that the GOP has growing problems winning over such areas as the Southwest and such groups as Latinos, educated professionals, Catholics and single women. There’s something to this, but the Republican problem is actually larger and more categorical. In 2004, Republicans and Democrats each constituted 37 percent of the electorate. In the 2006 congressional election, Democrats outnumbered Republicans 38 percent to 36 and won big. This year, the Democrats made up a stunning 39 percent of the electorate, compared with just 32 percent for the Republicans. Add the painful fact that Obama outpolled McCain among independents, 52 percent to 48, and you have a picture of a Republican Party that has lost its connection to the center of the electorate.

Shortly after the GOP convention, McCain looked as if he could still come back. But it was the “maverick” McCain, running against party type, who was winning over independents at that point, not a conservative campaigning as a conservative (compassionate or otherwise).

Perhaps, as Rove says, Obama was running to the center. But can anybody make a serious case that people were mistaking him for a center-right politician? Or even a “New Democrat” such as former president Bill Clinton? The McCain campaign was not shy about letting voters know about the elements of Obama’s record that marked him as a man of the left. Perhaps voters simply didn’t believe a word of it, but a better explanation is that a majority of them heard McCain’s warnings and just didn’t mind. Center-left nation, anyone?

I like part of this, that despite the McCain campaign calling Obama a socialist nearly every third breath, it just didn’t take. But I’m not thinking that’s because American is now a center-left country anymore, but that it is a country starved for competence. the last time we had an economy that charged ahead for an extended period was during the Clinton years. Yeah, that’s about the last time we had competence in government. The Republicans hounded Clinton on issues both political and moral, and look what they gave us in return, a stock market laid to waste, record mortgage defaults, two wars, deficits higher than God’s armpit, and so much GOP corruption that President Bush is going to run out of ink, red or otherwise, before he gets around to pardoning all of the GOP crooks. This isn’t a center-left nation so much as it is one pining for competence.

That’s something we see everywhere. The longest serving Governor in Michigan history, Bill Millikin, a Republican, after examining his state and the dire economic consequences it was in, endorsed and voted for Obama. I’ll argue he was looking for competence, not leftism. What’s the response to the rumors that Hillary Clinton might be named Secretary of State? Henry Kissinger and Jon Kyl, both of whom endorsed and supported McCain, think Hillary will make an excellent Secretary of State. It isn’t that these guys have turned leftist all of a sudden, but that they are pleased as can be to see someone competent might be getting the job.

You know, as I talk to regular people out in the world, whether it was in the park or while consulting or in the classroom, people just don’t understand the “right” and “left” terminology. Sure, there are folks out there for whom the charge of “socialist” makes their hearts beat furiously, but for the most part I think people see “right” and “left” as referring to social issues. Those issues, as I’ve written many times, are going to the Democrats because of time, because the most conservative of our electorate is getting older and dying off. The Republicans over the last eight years, through their display of intense and unrelenting incompetence, have trained the American people to think of “conservative” as bumbling, as wanting to spy on your phone calls, as being overly partisan, and as advocating torture, all one form of incometence or another as measured against our constitution, which we Americans are brought up to idealize.

That’s the real truth here. Forever and ever the Republicans have said we need Justices who revere the constitution. So what happens when they get in power? Their hand-picked Justices such as Scalia and Thomas, vote to twist the constitution, to allow torture and renditions, etc. They call for faithful adherence to the letter of the constitution as part of the sales gimmick to get in power, so they can, as fast as possible, pervert the very document they claimed to love. Come on, folks, the American people understand that not in terms of “left” and “right,” but in terms of “right” and “wrong.”

There we are, then. It’s inside baseball to think in terms of right, left, center-right and center-left. It is more important to think of steady, competence, honesty. Those are the qualities this election was about, and Barack Obama simply embodied those qualities far more than did John McCain. I’m guessing that in four more years the American public will make judgements based on the same criteria. It’s up to Obama to measure up, and up to the Republicans to avoid blocking legislation and work with this administration.

The people on either side of the political spectrum who think in terms of “right” and “left” may be influenced by talking heads and pundits who speak int he same terms, but every American is thinking in terms of right and wrong, or incompetent and competent, and the Dems right now understand that. The GOP is still arguing about right and left, like an old married couple in a car arguing over who is reading the map right and who won’t stop to ask directions. I say we let those pundits keep bickering with each other while we express to our duly elected officials that competence and trust comprise our bottom lines.

Today’s Republican crime report and perp walk is brought to you by the letter “T” and the number “6″. John Toplikar is the “T” in question, the Republican incumbent for Johnson County Commission District “6.” He’s just lost his reelection, according to Life in Sojoco, by being cited for misdemeanor theft this weekend. It seems Mr. Toplikar stole his opponent’s yards signs. Here’s the scoop from the Kansas City Star:

Olathe police cited Johnson County Commissioner John M. Toplikar on a charge of misdemeanor theft over the weekend.

The crime: stealing two of his opponent’s campaign signs.

“You always think it’s a campaign worker or kids or just vandalism,” said Toplikar’s 6th District opponent, Calvin Hayden. “You certainly don’t think that the candidate would do it. It’s almost surreal. You just can’t believe it.”

. . .

Hayden and his wife said they saw Toplikar throw signs on the ground on Friday. But police told them they could not act unless the crime was caught on tape, the couple said.

That is when Kelly Hayden became determined, waking up at 4 a.m. Saturday and grabbing a video camera. She was with campaign volunteer Teri Atwell.

“They took walkie-talkies, tailed him,” Hayden said. The signs were worth less than $6.

“You don’t sacrifice your integrity for that.”

Of course, that’s assuming John Toplikar had any integrity to start with. Yes, Toplikar’s raid to steal $6 worth of yard signs, including his being confronted by a couple police officers, is on Youtube already.

I really like John Toplikar’s official bio, on the Johnson County Board of Commissioners web site:

“Keeping Johnson County an affordable place to live is a top priority in my role as a county commissioner,” says Toplikar. Toplikar has also made a top priority the enhancement of key components of county infrastructure, including roads and public safety.

That would be the public safety officers quizzing Toplikar about his theft in the latter half of the Youtube video showing his crime. The thefts happened on the sides of those roads he seems so concerned about.

That’s all today for this segment of the Republican crime report and perp walk. Stay tuned for more in the coming days.

I’m tired of Republicans riffing on voter fraud with only ACORN in their sights. It is time they focus on Mark Jacoby, head of YPM (Young Political Majors), a man arrested yesterday for voter fraud. You see, they haven’t arrested anyone from ACORN because they follow the law, including turning in every registration, even if they think a registration may be fraudulent. In the case of YPM, it’s head Mark Jacoby has been arrested for personally committing voter fraud. Here’s the story from the Los Angeles Times:

The owner of a firm that the California Republican Party hired to register tens of thousands of voters this year was arrested in Ontario over the weekend on suspicion of voter registration fraud.

State and local investigators allege that Mark Jacoby fraudulently registered himself to vote at a childhood California address where he no longer lives so he would appear to meet the legal requirement that all signature gatherers be eligible to vote in California. His firm, Young Political Majors, or YPM, collects petition signatures and registers voters in California and other states.

Jacoby’s arrest by state investigators and the Ontario Police Department late Saturday came after dozens of voters said they were duped into registering as Republicans by people employed by YPM. The voters said YPM workers tricked them by saying they were signing a petition to toughen penalties against child molesters.

The firm was paid $7 to $12 for every Californian it registered as a member of the GOP.

There’s the key, right there at the end. Jacoby runs his business for a profit. The profit motive is what led him to commit fraud. And all those Republicans thought that capitalism was so pure! Yeah, right.

As is the usual case, we look to the whiney excuses this Republican miscreant uses to escape his lawbreaking. We see little in this case, though there is whining by his lawyer about being persecuted. Here it is:

Dan Goldfine, an attorney for Jacoby, on Sunday denied any wrongdoing by his client and called the charges “baseless.”

He said the arrest outside an Ontario hotel, which involved seven squad cars and nine police officers, was part of a “long pattern of harassment against Mr. Jacoby for an entirely valid voter registration effort.”

Goldfine said the case that prosecutors are bringing against his client involves charges that are rarely pressed.

I do love the scene Mr. Goldfine paints, of so many police cars pulling up to Mr. Jacoby’s hotel to snare the desperado. There’s a Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid feel to the whole thing. As whiney excuses go, this is fun when Goldfine says something like, “nobody ever gets charged with this crime,” after Republicans nationwide have been howling for ten days to charge someone for voter fraud. The fun part here, though, is that the Republican Court Docket is filling up.

Update: Brad Friedman is all over this story, with a lot of background and new information. One has to wonder how deep this kind of fraud runs in GOP voter registration tactics.

The case is very simple, sort of like the one with Larry Craig, but with more open exposure. Republican Judge Douglas J. Chumbley, pictured at left, was caught exposing himself in a Starbucks bathroom stall at the University Miami campus. The U police caught him and arrested him. He is now charged with a misdemeanor, and is not fighting the charges. Here’s the story from the Miami Herald:

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Douglas J. Chumbley resigned Thursday after he was accused of exposing his genitalia in a Starbucks bathroom stall at the University of Miami.

Chumbley, 51, is facing a misdemeanor charge of indecent exposure.

He was in his final months as a juvenile division judge after losing his election bid in August. Chumbley will not fight the charge.

Instead, said his attorney, Mel Black, he will enter a pretrial diversion program for first-time offenders and the charge will be dismissed. Usually, that means rehabilitation classes.

Chumbley is not admitting to the charge but resigned to ”avoid the stress on his family from the spectacle of a drawn-out trial,” Black said.

Family? There’s actually a woman who would marry that man who looks suspiciously like a warlus, and there’s the real news here. They have two children.

OK, time to get a bit serious. The guy is a Republican. He failed in his duty to obey the law. Exposing oneself to others in a Starbucks bathroom may be very small potatos, but it is pretty odd behavior. I will not say this is typical of Republicans, but there’s something very disturbing about the notion of how often we are seeing these issues.