Regarded tainted money scandals, we know the “Iowa Democrat Way” is to be evasive, non-responsive and to hang on to the money. Unfortunately the Iowa Democrat Way, has two enablers. The “no story here” Iowa press, but more significantly, Iowa Republican leadership. As we have tried to make the point at length, See: TAINTED MONEY SCANDALS . . . REPUBLICANS HAVE EVERYTHING TO GAIN . . . BY DOING THE RIGHT THING https://www.veritaspac.com/?p=633, there we conclude that Democrats can be shamed, can be denied ill-gotten gains that are a matter of course for them, and Republicans can build a party brand of integrity.
As a follow-up to the above linked article which included reference to the political donations of R. Allen Stanford, then undergoing trial for bilking investors out of billions of dollars , we note that he has now been convicted on 15 of the 16 charges against him. The primary beneficiary of his political donations were Democrats, but also Republicans to a much lesser extent. The advantage to calling Democrats to task to give up the money received, while doing the same, was set forth. The politically tone deaf excuse of not doing anything because Stanford had not been convicted has now been eliminated. We hope Republicans have been first up to return all associated tainted money with deliberate speed.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/nathanvardi/2012/03/06/allen-stanford-convicted-in-7-billion-ponzi-scheme/
Still another tainted money scandal denouement has come to our attention, this one out of Delaware. There the judge sentenced Christopher Tigani, a wealthy liquor distributor, to two years in federal prison for illegal donations to political campaigns. One Joseph Biden figured prominently into Tigani influence buying tactics, as well as former Governor Ruth Ann Minner, another Democrat.
In sentencing Tigani the judge is reported to have said that Tigani “acted with a sense of entitlement and undermined the public’s faith in government.” As we have tried to impart, every politician who has received proceeds from a tainted source, if they have not given it up, is guilty of the same charge.
Assistant U.S Attorney Robert F. Kravetz, who prosecuted the case, referred to the “soft corruption” of the “Delaware Way” a reference to how a purported bipartisan way of finding political solutions to state problems has possibly come to mean backroom dealings among the wealthy and politically connected.
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20120307/NEWS/203070328/Tearful-Tigani-gets-two-years-prison?nclick_check=1
The “Iowa Republican Way” should be to be proactive in guarding against the undermining of the public’s faith in government. Keeping quiet about Democrats being hip-deep in tainted money scandals is not the way to encourage the public that someone is watching out for them. Of course Republicans cannot allow themselves to be even ankle deep. Republican leadership in Iowa should be all over the Stevens – Aviva tainted money scandal described in our earlier post, hounding Democrats to give up the substantial amount of stolen money.
