What is good for the goose is good for the gander

One of my favorite expressions is “conversation killer”. It was a term I first heard in college and have used ever since. I define it as the moment someone says something unfunny, inappropriate, not germane or downright nasty in an otherwise enjoyable discussion that brings the whole thing to a halt. Usually, the killer will either be shouted down, belittled, or worst of all, force the disbanding of the conversation for fear that they will speak again. The best example of this I have seen recently is from “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, when Andrea Martin’s character corners the mother and father of the groom at the engagement party and relates the tale of discovering her long dead twin in a biopsied lump on her neck. The groom’s parents look like they would do anything to escape – a telltale sign of a confirmed conversation kill. This preamble leads me to the following.

A major theme in the Democratic Party’s effort to retake the Congress in ’06 has been to emphasize the Republican “culture of corruption”. From Jack Abramoff to Tom Delay to Duke Cunningham to Halliburton to Florida 2000 (dammit), the GOP is DRIPPING in corruption. The Democrats may well have ridden that theme all the way to victory in November. But consistent with recent history, they find a way to fuck it up badly. Enter one William Jefferson (D-LA), allegedly guilty of taking one hundred thousand dollars in bribes from an FBI undercover agent informant (thanks to Madelyn for correcting me in Comments) while on camera. Ninety thousand of which was found wrapped in foil in his freezer. Are you fucking kidding me? Have you never heard of a safety deposit box or a coffee can in the yard? This same idiot is claimed to have bemoaned the use of notes to communicate to his alleged bribers (I presume because it was too complicated) as though “the FBI was watching”. No way that could happen – what with the recent care our government has taken to protect our civil rights. And the fact that Jefferson represents New Orleans – yeah, the Feds are not going to be paying extra special attention to a potentially corrupt Democrat from the recently destroyed Jewel of the Mississippi.

The facts of the case may still be in dispute. Jefferson, as of this writing, is not yet charged. Fine – whatever. I find it extremely unlikely that the ninety large hidden in the freezer is going to be explained away. If I find that kind of money in my freezer, the first thing I ask my wife is “What is really going on at yoga?”

Jefferson has yet to say anything meaningful in his defense. That should be the sign for the Democratic leadership to throw this guy an anchor and let him sink. He may well be innocent (I cannot imagine a scenario were that is possible but that is why God gave us defense attorneys), but fuck him. November is too important to let one guy sink the chance to make some much needed changes in the way OUR government is run. Ditch Jefferson now. He is our conversation killer for the corruption charges. We need the issue WAY MORE than we need him.