Republicans or the Mafia… Democrats Edition!
As any rational person would assume, the thuggery, corruption and shadeball tactics of today’s GOP aren’t practiced solely by Republicans– though there is no doubt that Republicans are better at it than anyone since, well… the Corleones.
But Democrats have done plenty of shady stuff, too. The reason they’re not being so shady right now is that they’re out of power. And, to paraphrase British Historian Lord Acton, it’s power that corrupts.
But there are exceptions to every rule. And today, Rep. William Jefferson (D-La), a Democrat, enters the fray of corruption with actions so bold and gangster-esque that we decided it was worth having an ROTM Dems Edition– DOTM!
Paul Kiel explains in today’s Daily Muck at TPMCafe:
Simply put, Jefferson offered to a help a business deal along in exchange for a cut. Pfeffer’s company was doing business in Nigeria; Jefferson’s part of the deal was to help ensure a loan from the Import-Export Bank of the United States and meet with Nigerian officials. In exchange, he wanted 5 to 7 percent of the Nigerian company and a family member on the payroll for about $2,500 to $5,000 a month.
A family member on the payroll? That sounds like what the Soprano family calls a “no show” construction contract. You know, the kind where you get paid even though your guys never even set foot on the job site. If you want to be generous, it might be a “no work” contract in Soprano lingo. That’s where you have to show up, but nobody actually does anything except sit and take in the sun.
A “no work” construction contract is what inspired Chris Moltisanti to sing a hilarious spoof of Bobby Darin to his crew: “If I were a carpenter… and you were a douchebag”.
Occasionally, fights break out between the gangsters. In the scene below, from ”No Work” (Episode 41, Season 4) Moltisanti is confronting Patsi Parisi for stealing a truckload of tile from this “no work” site. Later, Patsi will use the lead pipe to beat up a construction worker on the site for no reason. ROTM has no reason to suspect these kinds of confrontations took place at Rep. Jefferson’s “no work” sites.
We know what you’re thinking: Tommy “The Hammer” Delay (R-Sing Sing) did the same thing. His wife, Christine, took a $3200/month paycheck from a lobbying company for whom Delay was doing some favors. It’s true. But there are so many other disgraceful shenanigans to call Delay on that he’s got his own category. So let’s let Jefferson have his moment, okay?