The dittoheads take ABC to task for their usual biased reporting. When was the last time ABC's Political Radar blog had well over 1000 comments on a single story? I'm assuming never...
Hmmmm...no mention of the fact that Rush is matching the winning bid. ABC, part of the "Drive By" Media, clearly wants ignorant readers to think that Reid and the Dems actually had something to do with this. Typical. Liberals and the henchmen in the left wing media are all liars.
Posted by: Rick | Oct 19, 2007 1:16:47 PM
Harry Reid and the other 40 oh-so-patriotic senators are absolutely disgraceful. I hope their constituents remember their attempt to break the constitution when election time comes around.
Posted by: Dusty | Oct 19, 2007 1:17:30 PM
The letter shows Senator Reid and the other signers as the demagogues they are. Now that he is trying to claim credit for the amount raised for a worthwhile charity, I will be waiting to hear how much of his money (not my tax money that I already know he likes to 'invest') he has donated. In other words, will he put his money where his mouth is?
Also waiting for ABC to get the story straight. Please hurry, I'm not young!
Posted by: Mary Ellen | Oct 19, 2007 1:47:28 PM
Harry Reid is a complete Jackass. He is now trying to take credit for Rush Limbaugh's smart action to turn Harry Reid's abuse of government letter into a charity for our troops. Harry Reid who tried to get a "private citizen" fired for something he didn't say is now trying to take credit for Rush Limbaugh turning it around on him. Harry Reid is dispictable and you people in Nevada must be the dumbest people on Earth to send this guy to Congress. Please take him back, he is a total creep.
Posted by: Ray | Oct 19, 2007 2:27:21 PM
W Zip
Anyone who thinks Congressmen and Senators represent broad public interests is terminally naive. Irresponsible hyper-partisans insulated from all accountability are laws unto themselves. Geriatric legislators perpetually in office not only stifle serious debate but block entire generations from political participation.
This extraordinarily unhealthy "office as personal entitlement/property" syndrome dates to Andrew Jackson's Whig successors from the 1830s. But democracy's great virtue is procedural: Ten lines of Constitutional text (which the Founders debated in 1787) would suffice to lift the curse.
First: Limit Congressional terms to twelve years, two six-year ones for Senate, six two-year ones for House. Second: Constrain gerrymanders by requiring all House Districts be compact, contiguous, within (say) 10% uniformity in population, and stable over time (no decennial variation to exceed +/- 10%). Finally, remove the Electoral College's extreme metropolitan bias: By analogy with the Great Compromise, whereby Rhode Island and New York State both elect two Senators, place Electoral Districts on a County vs. State-wide basis.
Repealing both 17th and 18th Amendments would be next on the agenda. Of course, Congress itself will never act, for self-serving professional politicians would revert to dogcatchers. But the Internet is a new game in town. Properly focused, citizens in ad hoc public-interest groups could well evolve "blogstorms" capable of decisive action-- in practice, a form of Initiative, Referendum and Recall.
All this is way past time. Add 18-year Supreme Court appointments drawn from a pre-qualified judicial pool, plus Unit Allocation Budgeting (which turns political incentives on their head), and our Great Republic may yet fulfill Franklin's admonition to "keep it, if you can."
By the way, to avoid socialized medicine and reform Social Security (sic), merely legislate to the effect that any medical or pension plans affecting private citizens must without exception or alternative apply in full measure to Congressmen themselves. Panic in the Streets!
Posted by: John Blake | October 19, 2007 at 11:47 PM
ABC modified some comments, and deleted others. Reposts and comments by several posters on the phenomenon were also deleted or modified.
For a while ABC was deleting comments almost as fast as they were posted, then eased off.
Oops, they're back deleting posts wholesale again.
Posted by: Looking Glass | October 20, 2007 at 01:17 AM
John Blake, you're calling for revolution. I like it!
I'm for immediate 100% turnover in Congress and elimination of most government beaurocrat jobs myself but I'll sign up for your list.
Posted by: Peg C. | October 20, 2007 at 07:40 AM
Democrats are forever taking credit for others' achievements. They also foist the blame for their failures on others.
They think that way, they'll look perfect!
Posted by: Brett | October 20, 2007 at 07:51 AM
I'm for immediate 100% turnover in Congress and elimination of most government beaurocrat jobs myself but I'll sign up for your list.
I'm with John on this one as well, but I agree with Peg that there needs to be a term limit for bureaucrats as well.
Posted by: Kev | October 20, 2007 at 02:17 PM
Oops, the first sentence up there was a quote from Peg's comment. I didn't realize this comment section didn't accept HTML tags.
Posted by: Kev | October 20, 2007 at 02:18 PM
"I'm with John on this one as well, but I agree with Peg that there needs to be a term limit for bureaucrats as well"
I agree Kev, when douchebags like Ted Kennedy become automaticlly elected nothing good comes from it.
Posted by: W Zip | October 20, 2007 at 05:51 PM