Top Ten Topics Team Blunt Is Terrified To Talk About

One of the most amusing rhetorical devices I've seen this cycle from the Roy Blunt campaign is the suggestion that Robin Carnahan and Democrats are trying to make the race about "anything but the issues," by which be means "I'd like to talk about anything other than the issues with record in Washington."  On one level, it's interesting to hear the candidate from the Party of Personal Responsibility work so hard evade responsibility for his votes and actions -- but I also find it hard to blame Blunt and his staff for the ploy.  Would you want to try to explain away the bipartisan condemnation of your unethical behavior?

Regardless, any suggestions that a candidate's public record shouldn't be scrutinized are absurd and should raise red flags about what said candidate is trying to hide.  So here, in no particular order, are the top ten things I'd be particularly averse to discussing if I were a certain candidate for the U.S. Senate.

1. Blunt has TWICE been named one of the "Most Corrupt Members of Congress"
   CREW, 2006: "Beyond Delay: The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress" Blunt comes in at #1: "Rep. Blunt's ethics issues stem from the misuse of his position to benefit family members, his connections to Jack Abramoff, and a trip paid for by a foreign agent."
   
   CREW, 2005: "Beyond DeLay: The 13 Most Corrupt Members of Congress" "Rep. Blunt’s appointment is a case of ‘new boss, same as the old boss.’ While Rep. Blunt may be new to the job, he has long followed Rep. DeLay’s pattern of ignoring campaign finance laws and ethics rules."
   
   Public Citizen, 1/13/06: "Roy Blunt: Ties to Special Interests Leave Him Unfit to Lead" "In this report, Public Citizen compiles a disturbing dossier on Blunt, based on original research and a comprehensive compilation of news accounts of recent months. In the end, what emerges is a portrait of a legislative leader who not only has surrendered his office to the imperative of moneyed interests, but who has also done so with disturbing zeal and efficiency."
    
2. Blunt got in trouble in 2003 when the Washington Post reported that he had included a clause in a homeland security bill that would have benefited Philip Morris; the move was particularly problematic because Blunt was dating Abigail Perlman, a Philip Morris lobbyist
   The Washington Post's WhoRunsGov.com: "WhoRunsGov.com: "In 2003, Blunt got in trouble when the Washington Post reported that he had included a clause in a homeland security bill that would have benefited Philip Morris. The measure was particularly problematic because Blunt was dating a Philip Morris lobbyist at the time; they’ve since married and adopted a daughter from Russia."
   
   Washington Post, 6/11/03: "It is highly unusual for a House Republican to insert a last-minute contentious provision that has never gone through a committee, never faced a House vote and never been approved by the speaker or majority leader. Blunt's attempt became known only to a small circle of House and White House officials. They kept it quiet, preferring no publicity on a matter involving favors for the nation's biggest tobacco company and possible claims of conflicts of interest...."
       
3. Roy Blunt is not the leader of the House Republicans right now because his own colleagues were concerned about his many ties to Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff.
   Post-Dispatch, 2/3/06: "Blunt's downfall was not solely due to his status as an incumbent. Lawmakers said that his deep ties to the lobbying effort, his status-quo agenda, and his close relationship with ex-House Majority Leader Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, helped doom his bid. DeLay was forced to step aside after a Texas grand jury indicted him last year; he also is under scrutiny in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal."
   
   Washington Post, 2/3/06: "Post-Abramoff Mood Shaped Vote for DeLay's Successor" "What Blunt presumed would be his greatest asset -- his links to the current leadership's system of power and favors -- turned out to be a liability. "
    
4. Roy Blunt was on the "Friend of the Owner List" at Jack Abramoff's DC restaurant, entitling him to free food and drinks at Casino Jack's expense.
   The New York Times, 7/6/05: "Often, guests dined with Mr. Abramoff and did not receive a check, employees said, though Congressional rules prohibit lawmakers from receiving expensive gifts, including food...Other lawmakers whose names carried the "FOO" notation [i.e., "Friend of Owner"] include Republican Representatives Roy Blunt of Missouri..."
    
5. Blunt and Tom DeLay swapped campaign donations in a scheme the AP called a "financial carousel" -- including money from Jack Abramoff
   The Associated Press, 10/05/05: "When the financial carousel stopped, DeLay’s private charity, the consulting firm that employed DeLay’s wife and the Missouri campaign of Blunt’s son all ended up with money, according to campaign documents reviewed by The Associated Press. Jack Abramoff, a Washington lobbyist recently charged in an ongoing federal corruption and fraud investigation, and Jim Ellis, the DeLay fundraiser indicted with his boss last week in Texas, also came into the picture.
    
6. Blunt inserted a provision into a Senate bill -- without debate -- on behalf of United Parcel Service Inc, an Andy Blunt lobbying client
   Washington Post, 6/11/03: "In April, for instance, Blunt managed to have a provision inserted into a Senate bill, without debate, on behalf of United Parcel Service Inc. and FedEx Corp. The two companies were seeking to block the expansion of a foreign rival's U.S. operations. Blunt's son [Andrew B. Blunt] also represents UPS in Missouri, as the Wall Street Journal first reported, and the two companies have contributed a total of $120,000 to Blunt since 2001, according to Federal Election Commission data.
    
7. Before this Senate race, Blunt was best known for his ethical lapses and work to develop the Republicans' K Street Project
   Washington Post, 5/17/05: "Working outside the glare of public attention, Blunt has maximized the organization's influence by delegating authority to Washington business and trade association lobbyists to help negotiate deals with individual House members to produce majorities on important issues. Blunt's organization in scope has begun to rival "DeLay Inc." -- the political fundraising committees, extensive favor-giving and alliances with Republican lobbyists that the majority leader has used to become one of the most influential leaders in memory."
   
     
8. Blunt contributed the largest individual donation, $20,000, to Rep. DeLay’s Legal Defense Fund.
   The two men could not be closer. CREW: "Additionally, according to the Associated Press, Rep. Roy Blunt’s Political Action Committee (PAC), Rely on Your Beliefs Fund, has paid roughly $88,000 in fees since 2003 to J.W. Ellis Co., a consulting firm run by Jim Ellis. Mr. Ellis, a long time ally of Rep. DeLay, has been indicted along with Rep. DeLay for conspiracy to violate Texas campaign finance laws. It is unclear what services Mr. Ellis performed for Rep. Blunt, who listed Mr. Ellis as a 'consultant.'"
     
9. Blunt provided assistance for a Jack Abramoff client from his official office
   CREW: "Blunt and his staff have close connections to uber-lobbyist Jack Abramoff, who is the subject of criminal and congressional probes. In June 2003, Mr. Abramoff persuaded then-Majority Leader Tom DeLay to organize a letter, co-signed by Speaker Hastert, then-Whip Roy Blunt, and Deputy Whip Eric Cantor, that endorsed a view of gambling law benefitting Mr. Abramoff’s tribal client, the Louisiana Coushatta, by blocking gambling competition by another tribe. Mr. Abramoff has donated $8,500 to Rep. Blunt’s leadership PAC, Rely on Your Beliefs. If, as it appears, Rep. Blunt was accepting campaign contributions from Mr. Abramoff in exchange for using his official position so support a view of gambling law that would benefit Mr. Abramoff’s client, he would be in violation of the law."
     
10. Blunt and his wife are staples on the DC Party Circuit
    Politico: "Together, they are part of the old-school Georgetown social establishment, which keeps them in the pages of Washington’s glossy society magazines. (They even lived in one of JFK’s first homes.)"