Arlington and Alexandria are great places, don't get me wrong. But do we really need this jerk as our congressman?
After 25 years in public life in Northern Virginia and on Capitol Hill, it has come to this awkward estrangement at home for Moran. Flush with the advantages of incumbency, and heading a disciplined army of party activists, Moran, 58, still worries whether voters will turn a final, cold shoulder to him after a string of polarizing controversies capped by a feud with American Jewish political leaders.Five weeks from Tuesday, Moran will face the first, intraparty challenge of his career, in Alexandria lawyer Andrew M. Rosenberg. The June 8 Democratic primary is tantamount to election in Virginia's liberal 8th District, which spans Alexandria and Arlington County and includes a Fairfax County spur to Reston.
Yeah yeah, Rosenberg worked for the Hero of Chappaquiddick...then became both a lawyer AND a lobbyist. (What, was Satan running a "buy one, get one free" sale that day? ;) ) But at least he's never done anything as sand-poundingly asine or corrupt as Moran.
"This issue," which Moran seems not to tire of raising, stems from his quoted remark at an antiwar forum at the outset of the Iraq war in March 2003 that "if it were not for the strong support of the Jewish community for this war with Iraq, we would not be doing this..."In office, Moran has been on the defensive for accepting, among other things, an unsecured $25,000 loan from a drug company lobbyist whose bill he supported and a $447,000 debt consolidation mortgage package he received from a credit card giant whose legislation he carried.
Rosenberg, in contrast, actually seems like a genuine nice guy. Liberal, yes, but still nice.
"I'm running to offer voters the choice of someone who votes the right way, and also demonstrates sound judgment. They want to be represented by somebody they respect and somebody who brings new energy and ideas -- who works hard, who stands up for the right thing, but who also earns the respect of his colleagues."
Hence, as the lesser of two jackasses, he gets my vote.
By the way, anyone else who suggests that the 17th Amendment should be repealed and the Senate elected by the state legislatures is wrong. Having three directly accountable representatives (2 Senators + 1 Representative) ensures that you have a very good chance of having one person in Washington with a connection to reality. (In my case, 2 out of 3 ain't bad.)
Posted by Thief at May 3, 2004 05:53 PM