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CREW Calls for Criminal Investigation of Dem Senator
You might say there's an art, a finesse to earmarking. And Sen. Mary Landrieu's (D-LA) $2 million earmark in 2001 to the Voyager literacy program was bad art.
The Washington Post laid it all out in a big piece late last year: four days after getting a heap of campaign contributions from Voyager executives and relatives, Landrieu delivered the earmark, which provided the money to city school officials in Washington, D.C. on the condition that it be used on Voyager.
Now the D.C. watchdog Citizens for Responsibility for Ethics in Washington says the feds should investigate whether Landrieu was bribed. The group filed complaints today with the Justice Department, two U.S. attorneys offices, and the Senate Ethics Committee based on the earmark.
The basic facts aren't pretty. Voyager's founder Randy Best is a Texan and Bush supporter (he signed up to be a Bush Pioneer in 2000, but apparently didn't raise enough money to qualify). He only approached Landrieu in 2001 after striking out on the Republican side of the aisle; when he hired a second lobbyist for help, they approached Landrieu. After an apparently positive meeting between Best and Landrieu, someone from her office approached Best to see if he would host a fundraiser for her. Voyager executives and relatives delivered $30,000 in contributions for Landrieu, and "most had never before given to a Democrat running for Congress." Four days later, Landrieu followed through for Voyager. Over the years, Voyager execs and relatives gave her almost $80,000.
As far as the quality of the literacy program itself goes, the Post calls the reviews "mixed." Suffice it to say like most curricula, some educators like it more than others. It's neither a smash hit nor a lemon.
Landrieu refused to speak to the Post for its story. It was only in the course of an interview with a local news station two weeks later that she addressed it. And besides dismissing the odor of the timing of that fundraiser ("But people come into my office all the time. We sometimes help them, sometimes don't. They sometimes help us raise money. Sometimes they don't. I have to raise money."), she contradicted two important facts from the Post's story. The first is that the city didn't ask for the money. She said that she'd conferred with the mayor before adding the earmark. The other is that officials weren't required to spend it on Voyager. Why she didn't offer those corrections earlier -- and why city school officials seem not to have been aware of all that -- is unclear.
"...As far as the quality of the literacy program itself goes, the Post calls the reviews "mixed." Suffice it to say like most curricula, some educators like it more than others. It's neither a smash hit nor a lemon..."
We'll it ain't no IGNITE! Learning product by Neil Bush now, is it?
January 8, 2008 12:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
Lets toss all the crooked politicians out of Washington.... oops, that would leave the place empty...
January 8, 2008 12:30 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, are the corrections correct or not? Call the mayor's office and see if they will comment on it, and check the text of the actual bill that contains the earmark for Voyager.
January 8, 2008 12:44 PM | Reply | Permalink
Landrieu is Zell Miller in a dress.
She has sold out her State, Nation and least of all, her Party, so often that it’s impossible to understand why even a simple-minded twenty-nine percenter would support her.
Good riddance to bad rubbish, may she rot in jail where she belongs.
January 8, 2008 12:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
No - just public finance of elections - so lawmakers can actually focus on laws and not worry about having to raise quadzillion of dollars for their jobs.
It is a broken system - and John Edwards knows that.
January 8, 2008 1:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
she just toured Alaska with who else?
None other than Ted Stevens himself in October 2007
January 8, 2008 1:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
Earmarks must go. Period, end of story. The practice should be discontinued.
January 8, 2008 1:31 PM | Reply | Permalink
She has been a disgrace,remember this is the Senator who said she had to side with Bush on so many legislation,because that would entice Bush to help New Orleans residents in the wake of Katrina.Well,we all know our fellow Americans from NO are still being crushed by Bush.Good riddance to her.She failed her Dem party like on of the previous post said.
January 8, 2008 1:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
Actually, the odd thing here, is why would a Senator from LA have any interest in earmarking for Washington DC at this detailed a level? Yes, she is on the committee that oversees the Wash budget, but still...
If she had earmarked the funds for literacy in her home state, it would have been muck, but I would have been more comfortable with it!
January 8, 2008 1:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Side note - The add at the top of TPM currently reads get all of Ann Coulter's articles free. Can't imagine them making much money off of this bunch.
January 8, 2008 1:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
DLC member Landrieu wrote:
DLC | New Dem Daily | June 12, 2001
Landrieu On Target
[Continued from "Education Amendments...."]
In other action on the ESEA bill, the Senate last night took an important step to affirm that federal education dollars should be better targeted to the neediest students. By a vote of 57-36, the Senate approved LA Sen. Mary Landrieu's amendment to ensure that communities with the highest poverty rates receive the bulk of the new federal funding provided in the bill. In the past, efforts of this nature have routinely been thwarted by Congressional appropriators who insist on spreading the money around, regardless of actual need. That's why it was significant that Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Sen. Robert Byrd (D-WV) and the ranking Republican on the Education Appropriations Subcommittee, Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), supported Landrieu's amendment.
As we demand more of schools serving our most at-risk students, we must give them more support as well. The Landrieu amendment is a strong step in that direction.
http://dlc.org/ndol_ci.cfm?kaid=110&subid=181&contentid=3444
funny the DLC web site used to list membership but have recently removed those lists. I guess their brand of corporate backing is not as popular to tout as it used to be.
January 8, 2008 2:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
Strictly speaking, JL, isn't interest for D.C. part of the duties of the Congress? I mean, with the screwy system of governance we have for D.C., I'm hardly going to be upset that a legislator takes interest there.
January 8, 2008 2:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
@JL
For a start, the good Senator from Louisiana owns a consididerably large house in DC and her husband is a very successful realtor in DC so that might indicate some interest.
Of course BStu also has a point, where "federal city" DC is not a state with a vote. On top of that the city can't spend a dime of its own money (money rasied from income tax) without Congressional approval. And the DC schools are a collective basket case. Not surprising Congress has its hooks in, then.
January 8, 2008 2:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
There also seems to be a possible connection here between Voyager personnel, the lobbyists mentioned & Elan Corp. It might be interesting to see how many members of Congress who voted on health care legislation own Elan stock.
January 8, 2008 3:01 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's a plan -- once a year congress comes up with a bill that gives something to every single state. There would be an equal dollar amount allotted to each state and it would be up to the state's legislators to decide which porkbarrel project to allocate their share to.
It would replace earmarks and would give some accountability to the legislators.
Just a thought.
January 8, 2008 3:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
What is it with Louisiana politicians? They are always getting in trouble. Oh, brother.
January 8, 2008 4:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
My friends & colleagues who teach in the DC public school system have long complained about the way they are literally "swamped" with competing math and literacy programs sent down from on high in the central offices. As you can easily imagine, implementing 4 literacy programs in parallel can be less than effective. At least now I know why there are so many. I'm sure this inefficiency has been laid at the feet of the public school system, as well.
Maybe if DC had a voting representative in Congress, Voyager could at least bribe them instead...
January 8, 2008 5:18 PM | Reply | Permalink
"Actually, the odd thing here, is why would a Senator from LA have any interest in earmarking for Washington DC at this detailed a level? Yes, she is on the committee that oversees the Wash budget, but still..."
This may be a totaly crooked deal, but the comment above is just silly. Yes, why would a Senator on the committee that oversees the DC budget take an interest in how the DC budget is spent?
I understand the Senators on the military appropriations committe also take an interest in how the military budget is spent. Whatever could they be thinking?
January 8, 2008 5:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
You know, when they take roll call in the Senate, these characters are so torn between stating "present" or "not guilty."
Even the late Ray Charles could see that "campaign contributions" are nothing more than legalized bribery. And knowing Louisiana politicians and the questionable "family values" of the Landrieu clan, this is not surprising, at all. The scum's rising to the top once again in the cauldron of Louisiana politics.
January 9, 2008 11:50 AM | Reply | Permalink