This time he is a Democrat:
Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who denies partisan motives for his investigation of a political group founded by Republican leader Tom DeLay, was the featured speaker last week at a Democratic fund-raiser where he spoke directly about the congressman.
A newly formed Democratic political action committee, Texas Values in Action Coalition, hosted the May 12 event in Dallas to raise campaign money to take control of the state Legislature from the GOP, organizers said.
Earle, an elected Democrat, helped generate $102,000 for the organization.
In his remarks, Earle likened DeLay to a bully and spoke about political corruption and the investigation involving DeLay, the House majority leader from Sugar Land, according to a transcript supplied by Earle.
“This case is not just about Tom DeLay. If it isn’t this Tom DeLay, it’ll be another one, just like one bully replaces the one before,” Earle said.
“This is a structural problem involving the combination of money and power,” he added. “Money brings power and power corrupts.”
The crowd of 80 to 100 Democratic activists responded by making donations that exceeded the event’s fund-raising goal.
Irony. Dead.
I have no problem with politicians raising money, and, in fact, I hate CFR. The only mandate I would have is make it required that every donation is immediately documented and put on the internet, so everyone can see who is funding what. Get rid of the 527’s, all of it.
And just so we are clear, Earle did nothing illegal or wrong. He should be free to raise as much money as he can for his causes.
But didn’t anyone, not one single person, recognize that the person leading the corruption charges focussing on illegal fund-raising by Tom DeLay probably shouldn’t be the headline speaker at A DEMOCRATIC PARTY FUND-RAISER? Not one person in the decision-making ranks said- “Hey- maybe it would be better to have Al Franken down. Or Ann Richards?”
Not one person thought this might make the DeLay matter look like a politically motivated witch hunt?
Not one person said- “Gee- we might be giving DeLay an excuse to say ‘everybody does it’ if Earle shows up and makes a pitch for big bucks.”
No one?
Sometimes I think that none of them really give a shit what we think, because the prospect of incompents like this running things is really terrifying.