I’ve seen a lot of grumbling among my fellow progressives about the complete loss of ethics among Republicans in the U.S. House. First the slap on the wrist that DeLay got for vote-buying a few months ago, and then this week’s news that Hastert is yanking the Republican head of the Ethics Committee and replacing him with one of DeLay’s guys in Texas. Pride goeth before the fall, and seldom has there been quite as much pride as there is right now.
House Democrats were in the same boat before the ’94 Gingrinch revolution. They got overconfident, started to feel invincible, and then got nailed for ethical violations. Today’s news that House Republicans are effectively eliminating ethics rules is the clearest sign yet that Republicans have become so over-cocky as to have lost all caution.
I think it’s great. Really, I’m excited. I feel a bit like all of Disney’s PAs probably felt before they hurled all of those lemmings over that cliff so many years ago. Republicans, though, are eliminating themselves — no assistance necessary.