My Kind of a Stand-Up Guy, Even if he is a Republican

Representative Kenny Hulsof has earned a lot of mensch points with me, and a lot of other Missouri Democrats by returning all DeLay contributions. "All of these things together, I think, is what really led me to, when this indictment came down, to say … ‘It’s time to sever any and all ties with the gentleman from Texas,’ " Hulshof said. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee had called on Hulshof and other Missouri Republicans to give up DeLay-linked money. Last night, committee spokesman Bill Burton said Hulshof’s action "makes it an even stronger challenge" to other Missouri lawmakers. I have a firm eye on the 6th, but Sam Graves has not yet disappointed me by doing something, you know, ethical or anything. Hulsof is the Republican who got himself kicked off the Ethics committee because he wanted to hold everybody accountable for their actions, not just the other side of the aisle.

It will be interesting to see if any other Republicans follow suit. If you live in a state with an ethical Republican congressperson who does the right thing, please leave that information in comments. The ones who do the right thing need to know we support them for being ethical, that we are not blinded and controlled by party loyalty like the other side seems to be. (I called both of my Senators last week. I gave Bond hell for being one of the "Nine Nays of Shame" and I thanked Senator Talent for his "Yea" vote on the same bill.)

But the real Congressman to watch is probably Roy Blunt, the Hammers former claw. He was DeLays most loyal minnion and strangest bedfellow, and has ethical problems of his own. If he returns DeLay contributions, that would be a strong sign that the Bug Man will be left to twist in the wind. It could get really messy for every Blunt in the clan, (with the possible exception of the former Mrs. Roy) this DeLay bidness. Apparently, Matt (The Boy Blunder) Blunt, our 12-year-old snot-nosed little punk of a Governor, was the recipient of some of the DeLay largesse during his short-but-its-still-lasted-way-too-long political career. Roy is currently married to a lobbyist, who received favorable legislative treatment before her relationship with Mr. Blunt was revealed. Son Andy is a lobbyist. (Matt signed scads of legislation that benefits Andy and his clients.) The whole damn lot of them are as filthy as a corporate hog farm. And everyone in Missouri knows some insufferably self-righteous clan with political aspirations who think they know better than the rest of us what's best for us. The Blunts are merely the current crop of corpulent Missouri corruption. Maybe the state has had a belly-full of them and we can toss the whole lot of them out on their asses and Matt can just stay in Springfield full time, and not have to worry about that 140-mile daily commute in a fleet of State Patrol SUV's, because the "mansion doesn't feel like home." (The little prick can kick everyone off medicaid because the state has to live within it's means, but he drives home every night in a six-SUV caravan on the state's dime because he's homesick? Bullshit! Grow the fuck up!)

My appologies. I really despise Matt Blunt, as do about 68% of my fellow Missouri citizens, according to the latest polls. Anyway, I just can't post about Missouri politics without ending up teeing off on Matt Blunt and the rest of his fetid gene pool. Two lobbyists and two elected officials and every last one of them facing ethics investigations. What a stellar record of public service! If I was Matt's baby son, I would be making plans to run away from home at the tender age of six months, bribing the state nanny or something, anything, to get me the hell away from those people so I could have half a chance of overcoming genetics.