Ethics are for Everybody

Thanks to the republicans and their "progressive" enablers, there is a narrative that that all Democrats, especially black elected democrats, are corrupt and unethical. The jails are full and getting fuller of Democratic elected officials convicted after widely publicized media investigations. It has the "appearance" of political prosecutions.
For the record I'm not defending people who misuse public funds or who are trying to enrich themselves or their families. I'm defending our justice system and the rule of law.

The justice system that says defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, not the court of public opinion. The justice system that says justice is blind not partisan and political. The justice system that says we have the right to fair trial. The justice system that says the jury pool should not be tainted by pre trial publicity. The justice system on which this country was founded.

Laurence Lewis writes;

It would be foolish and naive to presume that all of even the best progressive members of Congress are above the temptations of corruption. Many a seeming political hero has proved flawed or worse. But it also would be foolish and naive to presume guilt when official charges of corruption are made. It also would be outside the spirit of our judicial system, which presumes innocence unless guilt is proven.

Take the recent charges against Charlie Rangel and Maxine Waters for example.

The easiest and most simple-minded approach to the charges against Rangel and Waters is to suggest that they say something larger about the ethics of the Democratic Party. And never mind that neither Rangel nor Waters has been convicted of anything. But the right wing would like people to believe that these charges indicate that the Democratic Party is rife with corruption. And for those reporters who prefer to keep things simple and partisan, that's the angle to report.

David Dyden says Maxine Waters case has Portor Goss arguing on the other side;

The Office of Congressional Ethics complaint against Maxine Waters, which they completed a year ago but has only just now been unsealed, is available here. I think you have all you need to know about this complaint by learning that disgraced former CIA Director Porter Goss, no stranger to ethics violations, is the co-chair of the Office of Congressional Ethics.

Republicans have ethical problems too, we just don't here about them on TeeVee

So much for that “culture of corruption” meme that the Republicans have been trying so hard to turn around on the Democrats. Turns out that Nathan Deal, the Republican who resigned from Congress after voting against health care reform to run for Governor in Georgia, has been cited by the Office of Congressional Ethics for rules violations:

Timing is everything;

It would seem that trials for two prominent AA Representatives are perfectly timed to support GOP talking points for the midterms. It reinforces the GOPs racial subtext that Beck/Beinhart/etc. have been cultivating for months.

The point I'm trying to make is this;

But let the process unfold, and let Democratic leaders be unafraid of the process and its consequences. Fair trials mean fair justice. And for fair justice Democrats should stand. Cracking down on corruption doesn't mean making examples of people, it means making an example of how the process should work.

Peace!