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Major Hogwash

(17,656 posts)
Fri Oct 24, 2014, 11:19 PM Oct 2014

Well, it's over for me, I'm done. Finished. Fin. Finito. Abgeten. Acabado.

Last edited Sat Oct 25, 2014, 12:27 AM - Edit history (1)

I voted today.
By absentee mail-in ballot.
Straight Democratic ticket.

Now I can get a good night's sleep knowing that I did everything I can to right the course this nation is on.
Even if for some odd reason I should pass away unexpectedly between now and election day, I will sleep sound tonight because I know my votes will still count.

I didn't know until earlier this month that the FBI is currently conducting an investigation of our Republican Governor.
Turns out that several years after Governor Otter gave a very lucrative state contract to a private prison management company to manage the new minimum security prison built a few miles to the south of Boise, that they gave him rather large campaign contributions just 4 years ago, when he ran for his 2nd term as governor.
Kickbacks are illegal, as far as I know.
Pretty sure that's what the law says about kickbacks.
But, hell, a little ol' thing like that wasn't enough to cause the state's Republican Attorney General a case of heartburn.
Because he didn't even look in to it.

However, after the local newspaper wrote a few articles about the way the private prison company had been managing that prison, they came under scrutiny for breaking various, numerous laws.
So, what did the Governor do?
The Governor intervened, and somehow he managed to have the official investigation into those wrongdoings stalled, and kept an investigation from ever being started . . for nearly a full year!

The private prison management company claimed they was innocent, dont'cha know.
And for some coincidental reason, decided they didn't want to renew the contract when it came to an end this past spring.
They were assessed a slap on the wrist, paid a paltry fine, and some of the Republicans even scolded that company in public.
Can you imagine that?
They sounded like a group of Gomer Pyles saying, "Shame, shame, shame", all wagging their fingers at that company.

Naturally a few questions about the ethics of the Governor's handling of this incident were then raised.
So, the Republicans in the state legislature looked in to it.
You see, since Idaho is only 1 of 2 states in the entire United States that does not have an independent ethics committee not tied to members of the state assembly or legislature, any wrongdoings by the Republicans have to be approved by the Republicans.
Err, I mean, investigated.
Err, I mean cleared.

Nevertheless, after nearly all of the Republicans in the state legislature agreed that it could have been handled better, there was nothing to see here, the Governor is the Governor, after all.
And the Governor is the one who decides who gets those lucrative, no-bid state contracts.
However, after the state's Republican Attorney General came out publicly and cleared the Governor of any wrongdoing, the smell must have reached clear to Washington, D.C.
Otherwise, the FBI wouldn't be looking into it!

This is how Republicans are . . they are so freakin' bold, that they don't give a damn if they are being investigated by the FBI while they are currently conducting their own re-election campaign.

The average man would know better, and he would simply be content with having been the Governor of a state for 2 full terms, and then he would quietly drop out of the public eye until the FBI is done investigating him.
But, make no mistake about it . . Republicans are NOT the average man, they are greedy!
They want more, and more, and more!
More control, more power, and more money, lots and lots of money!

Like Joe Pesci's character said in the movie "Casino" --- "It's all about the fucking dollar."

You have to remember this is the state that gave the nation Representative George Hansen.
This is the state that gave the nation Representative Helen Chenoweth.
This is the state that gave the nation Representative Bill Sali.
This is the state that gave the nation Senator Larry Craig.
All of them were Republicans, and all of them were ginormous hypocrites.
All of them were caught breaking the law and then acted like they didn't!
And then they started screaming their innocence to the high heavens, hoping that someone would eventually save their ass from being kicked out of office.

Because there are only 2 ways to get rid of Republican rats like this . . vote for a Democrat for their office, or drive them out of office.

14 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Well, it's over for me, I'm done. Finished. Fin. Finito. Abgeten. Acabado. (Original Post) Major Hogwash Oct 2014 OP
Preach it, brother! Stardust Oct 2014 #1
Best rant I've read on DU in a while!!! Well done!!!!! nt MADem Oct 2014 #2
Wasn't it Just, MADem! Cha Oct 2014 #5
I enjoyed that very much. And I also voted straight DEM. FTW! ffr Oct 2014 #3
Yeah, some Pesky details come out that pointed straight to Otter.. ya never know, do ya! Cha Oct 2014 #4
Righteous Rant! sheshe2 Oct 2014 #6
I voted against Susana la Tejana, our Koch owned governor Warpy Oct 2014 #7
I voted a couple of days ago.. yuiyoshida Oct 2014 #8
Early GOTV in NC DAMANgoldberg Oct 2014 #9
I voted, luckily for Democratic incumbents for Gov and Congress. mountain grammy Oct 2014 #10
dropped my ballot into the ballot box yesterday hopemountain Oct 2014 #11
Maybe your governor could bunk with Christie IrishAyes Oct 2014 #12
Same here. Long ballot too. ucrdem Oct 2014 #13
Awesome post ismnotwasm Oct 2014 #14

ffr

(23,116 posts)
3. I enjoyed that very much. And I also voted straight DEM. FTW!
Fri Oct 24, 2014, 11:45 PM
Oct 2014

And yes, I believe Kickbacks are illegal, if you get caught, which is sounds like if you're in Idaho, it's more difficult to do, if you're a Republican.

Cha

(305,136 posts)
4. Yeah, some Pesky details come out that pointed straight to Otter.. ya never know, do ya!
Fri Oct 24, 2014, 11:55 PM
Oct 2014
"The Governor intervened, and somehow he managed to have the official investigation into those wrongdoings stalled, and kept an investigation from ever being started . . for nearly a full year"

Well Done, Major.. and Thank you to the FBI, too! The FEDS!

sheshe2

(87,272 posts)
6. Righteous Rant!
Sat Oct 25, 2014, 12:02 AM
Oct 2014

That was beautiful! Bravo!

Well done and voted as well. I will be there on election day come hell or high water!

You have to remember this is the state that gave the nation Representative George Hanson.
This is the state that gave the nation Representative Helen Chenoweth.
This is the state that gave the nation Representative Bill Sali.
This is the state that gave the nation Senator Larry Craig.
All of them were Republicans, and all of them were ginormous hypocrites.
All of them were caught breaking the law and then acted like they didn't!
And then they started screaming their innocence to the high heavens, hoping that someone would eventually save their ass from being kicked out of office.


GOTV 2014!













Thank you Major!

Warpy

(113,130 posts)
7. I voted against Susana la Tejana, our Koch owned governor
Sat Oct 25, 2014, 02:00 AM
Oct 2014

but her opponent is the latest member of a political dynasty and I sincerely doubt she will lose to him. Susana has kept a low profile after her disastrous first few weeks and getting slapped down by the courts. That is why she will get back in.

DAMANgoldberg

(1,278 posts)
9. Early GOTV in NC
Sat Oct 25, 2014, 03:15 AM
Oct 2014

Straight Democratic Ticket, even left a republican unopposed blank. Non-partisan races for other jobs, chose the woman if possible.

mountain grammy

(27,227 posts)
10. I voted, luckily for Democratic incumbents for Gov and Congress.
Sat Oct 25, 2014, 08:55 AM
Oct 2014

but we have our share of ugly, greedy, lying Republicans, and one just may succeed in taking the senate seat. But everyone in my household voted. Our ballots were mailed to us, so we voted as a family... Democratic family values!!!

Great rant!

IrishAyes

(6,151 posts)
12. Maybe your governor could bunk with Christie
Mon Oct 27, 2014, 09:03 PM
Oct 2014

and the other GOP govs under investigation along with various senators, when they all get sent to the same prison.

I've always enjoyed voting in person, so I can march in in front of other people and get my voting sticker too. But I'm getting older now, and it never occurred to me that anything could happen to me before I could make it to the polls. Maybe I should rethink the matter.

ucrdem

(15,703 posts)
13. Same here. Long ballot too.
Mon Oct 27, 2014, 09:49 PM
Oct 2014

Two giant sheets. Lots of judges and so forth that looked complicated but turned out to be easy for the most part (incumbent vs. "entrepreneur," vote for two out of two, incumbent vs. high school student, etc).

The weird thing was that not a single 3rd-party candidate got on the ballot. I think it has something to do with Cali's new instant-runoff elections. Anyway it's kind of a shame as I'm still registered Peace and Freedom and used to dutifully vote up the P&F candidates (where feasible, i.e., in no-contest races) to help them keep their ballot status, and I wonder where that handful of perrenial candidates went. Haven't contacted them in years.

So I voted straight Dem just like I used to do when I first started voting. Kind of weird that way. But not unpleasant!

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