4 minute read
The political gutting of ethics for politicians
During the 2023 battle for the House Speaker, the number of ballots needed to pick a leader gathered the most attention, following by the need for concessions to win over “House rebels.” Less attention has been paid to one of those concessions, the “gutting” of the Office of Congressional Ethics. Yet that moment should command more of our attention than remembering exactly how many votes it took to pick Kevin McCarthy.
The
JOHN TURES Columnist
this practice. I guess someone doesn’t want those kinds of investigations. I thought GOP voters had a problem with insider trading.
that you want honest government when you won’t even properly police themselves. Hopefully a Special Prosecutor will be appointed to look into this mess.
As the debate over the House Speaker was taking place, the most famous member of the House became a newly elected politician, George Santos. There was an outcry over how this candidate extensively fabricated his resume, and he’s wanted abroad. State and local officials are investigating him.
Normally, this kind of candidate seems to be exactly what the Office of Congressional Ethics, a generally independent body, was created back in 2008. The look at the allegations, and determine which cases have serious enough charges, and enough information, to be investigated. Now, not so much.
It wasn’t just the investigations that the OCE did, but their public revelations also helped produce good governance. When they reported on a House member and family accused of insider trading, it led to a law designed to curb
The organization has effectively been defanged, with fewer counsels, forced resignations, and a nearly impossible mission to hold members accountable, even as Bloomberg News documented how this organization of private citizens has done a better job of holding members of Congress more accountable than institutions that “police themselves.”
One person who will be happy by the Republican rules passage that defanged the Office of Congressional Ethics is Joe Biden. He was wounded by the recent revelations that a batch of classified information was found at his VP library, and at his Delaware home. Though there are huge differences between what he did and Trump did (as well as Biden’s cooperation with authorities instead of having the hubris to try and hold onto classified material and demand it back), the episode could have hurt him politically. But with Republicans showing disdain for ethics, it’s hard to demonstrate
The other most relieved individual is George Santos himself, who is quoted as praising the decision (calling it “fantastic”), even as he misled his constituents that he was sworn in before the House Speaker vote, and had already voted against the Omnibus bill, when he didn’t, showing how little he had learned from 2022. Despite calls from local Republicans and organizations for Santos to resign and to hold a new election, McCarthy has his full confidence in Representative Santos, the gift who is likely to keep on giving for Democrats in the next election cycle.
As I write this, a religion candidate to be a professor at our college is giving a presentation on sin and crime and analyzing the difference. Her point is that some sins aren’t listed as crimes in laws generated by the secular world, especially when political expediency and concerns are at stake. But that don’t make ‘em right.
John A. Tures is a professor of political science at LaGrange College in LaGrange, Georgia. His views are his own. He can be reached at jtures@lagrange.edu. His Twitter account is JohnTures2.
By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor
A day of fun for the girls will fill the streets of downtown Wetumpka next month.
Main Street Wetumpka’s Gallentines returns Feb. 4 for its second year.
“It is the ultimate girls’ day,” Main Street Wetumpka director Haley Greene said. “It encourages moms, daughters, friends and groups of people to spend the day in downtown Wetumpka. It is a day of fun and shopping.”
The idea is a spin on Valentines Day but it also meant to help support small businesses.
“January and February, after the holidays is the toughest time of the year for small businesses,” Greene said. “The purpose of the event is to encourage people to get out and come downtown. We are encouraging people to spend the day downtown, eat at the restaurants, shop small, eat local.”
Greene said the downtown Wetumpka businesses are doing their part to attract the ladies.
“The merchants will be offering deals and discounts,” Greene said. “They will still have some winter items and will also have spring items. The businesses will be decorating their windows for ‘Gallentines’ making for photo opportunities.”
Greene said there will be live music and more.
“We will have some vendors set up in the Alleyway,” Greene said. “There will be food trucks in addition to the shops around downtown.”
By CLIFF WILLIAMS News Editor
Things are kicking into high gear for the Wetumpka Depot Players.
Two productions are almost ready for the public and the Penguins return.
Feb. 2-18 the Depot Players are producing a new play Hollywood, Nebraska written by Kenneth Jones.
“He is familiar to Alabama audiences because he wrote a play called Alabama Story,” Wetumpka Depot Players artist director Kristy Meanor said. “It was actually in production at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival when the pandemic started and then shut down. Ken is just a phenomenal playwright.”
Meanor said Jones reached out to the Wetumpka Depot about doing something unique with Alabama Story.
“He asked if we wanted to be a part of what he’s calling a rolling premiere,” Meanor said. “We are one of three theaters across the U.S. who are producing and premiering this work.”
Meanor said Jones wrote the new play during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It is a great romantic comedy,” Meanor said. “It’s got themes that are appealing to everyone. There is the theme of coming back home. There is the theme of coming back home to take care of aging parents. Then discovering new relationships when you come home. It is a great story.”
But the magic at the Wetumpka Depot doesn’t stop with Hollywood, Nebraska.
“As soon as that gets started then we are back remounting A Storm Came Up,” Meanor said. “It was our original play last season that got selected to move to the Southeastern Theatre Conference in March.”
Just on the heels of finishing a cabaret last year, a special group is returning to the stage.
“We are kicking off our penguin project again in a couple weeks,” Meanor said. “We are hopping here at the Depot.”
