Carol Platt Liebau: Claire McCaskill: Seeking Special Privileges

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Claire McCaskill: Seeking Special Privileges

She hasn't even been sworn in yet, but Missouri's US senator-elect Claire McCaskill's already seeking an exemption from federal law that would allow her to raise unlimited contributions to repay herself $1.4 million -- not from her 2006 Senate race, mind you, but from her unsuccessful 2004 gubernatorial run.

As the linked piece points out, the law was put into place to avoid influence-peddling. It certainly doesn't take a genius to understand why it might be much easier for a newly-elected senator (than for an unsuccessful also-ran) to raise money for a failed earlier campaign . . . but that doesn't make it right.

McCaskill already had to engage in some fancy legal footwork to keep the debt eligible for retirement -- as Missouri law only give candidates 18 months to retire campaign debts (and, obviously, November 2004 falls well outside that window).

Interesting that Claire McCaskill would decide to make a money grab her first priority as Missouri's new U.S. senator.

3 Comments:

Blogger Greg said...

Interesting that you would bring up the subject of "money grab" when that is exactly what Bush, Cheney, et al did when they first took office. The reckless, greedy tax cuts that have ruined our fiscal situation for the next generation were just that: a money grab.

More hypocrisy from the bromide lady.

10:00 AM  
Blogger The Flomblog said...

Lets get back to Keynesian, that Darling of the Democrats. You know keynsian economics - the philosophy that if the government needed funds it could just print more money. Just tax and spend.

We DO need to go back to 18% interest and runaway inflation! This moderate increase in productivity and marginal unemployment is ruining ius.

3:12 PM  
Blogger Greg said...

First of all, the "moderate increase in productivity" which you cite is totally unrelated to the tax cuts. Secondly, Keynesian economics is precisely what Duh-bya has been practicing vis a vis the Republican spending bills that he has never vetoed.

Interesting that you turn around and use the phrase "tax and spend" to deride the Democrats, as that is 50% more responsible than "don't tax yet spend."

11:09 PM  

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