Doolittle Votes For His Own Interests

Generally when you send someone to Congress the idea is for them to represent their constituents. Not so in John Doolittle's case. When the House voted overwhelmingly for indicted members to be thoroughly investigated by the Ethics Committee, he marked an emphatic 'Nay.' Why would someone that claims to represent his district not vote for this piece of common sense legislation? Probably because he is about to face indictments against him for...you guessed it, corruption.

From The Sacramento Bee:

A Democratic resolution called for the House ethics committee to determine within 30 days of criminal charges being issued whether an investigation of the affected member should be launched. It was approved by a 387-10 margin.

Minutes later, a Republican resolution ordering an investigation of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La. -- indicted Monday on federal bribery charges -- was approved on a 373-26 vote.

Doolittle opposed both measures, drawing a harsh rebuke from the political arm of the House Democratic caucus, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. It charged that the embattled Republican "refuses to uphold a high ethical standard and take responsibility for his actions.""We want to make sure that that process works the way it was intended," said Ohio Rep. John Boehner, the House Republican leader.

Obviously John sticks with his own, meaning the criminal element in the House of Representatives. Doolittle is currently being investigated for his dealings with convicted felon Jack Abramoff. He recently had federal agents search his home for pertinent information relating to his crimes.

Many corrupt officials are already out of work and in jail, including Bob Ney, fellow Californian Duke Cunningham and William Jefferson will be joining them shortly. It is time for these crooks to be booted out of office. His district can do their part next year by voting for Charlie Brown, who ran against him last year and narrowly lost. I can hardly wait to see Congressman Brown take this filth's place.

Doolittle More Than A Crook, Rather A Bookend For The Conservative Era

Congressman John Doolittle's political career is pretty much over now that Federal investigators raided his and his wife's offices last month. Now that we know they skimmed campaign contributions and put approximately a quarter of a million dollars into their bank account, he's toast. Not only will the Republican party abandon him, but he'll most likely end up in jail for his illegal activities.

Doolittle is another Republican crook whom karma got around to, just as Duke Cunningham, jack Abramoff, Bob Ney and many other have found out for themselves. Yet there is more to it. The Sacramento News and Review took a good look at their local slimebag and saw a bigger picture.

...But Doolittle’s devious machinations may not have amounted to all that much if it also had not been for larger forces at work. In hindsight, one can identify the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978 and the election of Ronald Reagan as president in 1980 as the beginnings of a conservative ideological ascendance, one that more or less continued--and perhaps crested in the 2006 election. Whatever its sources and whatever accounts for its relative longevity, Doolittle’s rise and fall serve as the bookends of the era.

Whether it’s their aggressive overreach abroad or their negligent under-reach at home, the neoconservative Republican agenda with its ersatz Christian halo exhausted itself in failure. Iraq, Hurricane Katrina and climate change are among the key indicators of their collapse.

(snip)

To whatever extent Doolittle’s decline signals a shift in the larger forces that are reshaping the state’s and the nation’s political dialogue, there still seems something exquisitely inevitable about him personally facing the prospect of criminal prosecution. His successful unbroken ride to power, while regularly violating the most basic ethical standards, must have had the effect of deluding him to believe there need not be any boundaries to his behavior.

In a remark suggestive of both his ambition and his underlying amorality, when he first arrived in Congress in 1991 Doolittle told a reporter, “You can do what you need to do here, and the only thing holding a person back is the person himself.” There is a growing likelihood that, in the near future, Doolittle will have some significant time on his hands to contemplate this insight.

In twenty-six years the conservative movement has had plenty of time to prove that their grand ideas would work for the country. Unfortunately for all of us the neo-con agenda has led to a tremendous downfall for our country that is left with the muck of Republican corruption. Doolittle is not just a bad duck, he exemplifies the entire G.O.P. movement.

FBI Raids Another Abramoff-Connected Congressman

Prosecutors who are recommending a reduced sentence for the corrupt con Jack Abramoff seem to be justified in their actions since Jack is providing so much 'fruit' for them. The latest crooked politician that is shaking in his boots is John Doolittle. He barely won his strong Republican district last year amidst allegations of criminal behavior. Although the voters didn't show him the door, the Feds might just do it for them.

From RawStory:

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reportedly raided the home of Republican congressmember John Doolittle (R-CA), according to The Hill.

"The FBI searched the Virginia home of [Doolittle] last Friday," write Mike Soraghan and Susan Crabtree, "in its investigation into the ties of the congressman and his wife, Julie, to disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff, according to law enforcement and other Congressional and K Street sources."

So what does a Republican such as John do when faced with severe legal troubles? Like any other, blame it on someone else. Amazingly he put the blame on his wife since the FBI raided her office as well, conveniently leaving out the fact that he was thoroughly searched as well. He said he supports his wife 100 percent, so at least he isn't completely abandoning her. She might have been in on the schemes, but it is because of him that this is all taking place.

Regardless of what happens to Julie Doolittle, the facts are clear when it comes to the Congressman. He took in tens of thousands in contributions and all sorts of goodies in exchange for political payoffs. Now that Abramoff is in jail and singing as loud as he can, it is only a matter of time before Doolittle will have to stand before judge and jury.