The coverage up to the 2006 elections has been sprinkled with plenty of big media banter. It isn’t whether or not the Republicans can hold onto their current percentage in The House but whether or not the Democrats can cut the mustard, seizing a slim majority thus capitulating an American Nightmare-California Democrat Nancy Pelosi as House Speaker. Additionally plenty of chat on who will run on the 2008 Republican Presidential ticket provides many predictions and guesses. Of course the Democrats have but one viable candidate-another American Nightmare-Hillary R. Clinton, who has yet to express an interest on whether she will run or not. Your author has previously stated in the old Infinite Speculator blog, which can be accessed on the links section, that Mrs. carpetbagger will get a few votes in Manhattan, LA-Hollywood and maybe a few of the foolish faithful in Little Rock.
One campaign that is not being reported on involves Jim Henley, a Democrat running for the US House, 7th District of Texas. He once served as a campaign staffer for the failed Democrat Walter Mondale/Geraldine Ferraro 1984 Presidential bid. While Bill Clinton, the last remaining Democrat with any significant political moxie, has yet to come out to shine for the camera with an endorsement, someone from his past has lent her face to campaign; Henley’s sister and probably the best example of a Clinton faithful-Susan McDougal.
Before we take a trip down memory lane, when morality, ethics and legality were pretty murky, let us review Henley. A quick rundown on the issues shows:
Education: Henley, a public school teacher for 20 years, believes that America must be competitive. In order to be competitive he throws out the tried and true Liberal chant of ‘more money for teachers’. He also supports fellow Democrat, Senator from Illinois and the ‘new face’ for their party, Barack Obama’s proposed National Teachers' Academy. The Academy would place 25,000 teachers in needed areas. Nowhere does he say much about performance standards except that pay would be based on incentives. Mr. Henley this would be just fine except for that ever critical component you fail to mention-the Teachers’ Union.
Energy: Raising fuel efficiencies for future automobiles. This has been done before. Then he suggests a tax credit for when people purchase hybrid automobiles. Two things immediately come to your author’s mind A. President Bush has already previously implemented this tax credit. B. I thought the Democrats opposed anything that would reduce federal tax cash flow? Remember the poor pay more taxes as their mantra and poor people aren’t buying hybrids. Another point he believes is expanding additional refinery capabilities and exploration for crude, this is nice but try and pass this off to your rank and file environmentalists.
Economy: Henley opposes tax cuts, believes in a balance budget and somehow manages to squeeze in Medicare reform under this same blip. He believes that the federal government should have the authority to negotiate the price of prescription drugs. Here is an interesting side note to Medicare: According to report released by the federal government- the most affluent beneficiaries, which means those retired and claiming $80,000 or more a year in income, will have their Medicare premiums rise by as much as 83% by year end 2007. The less affluent beneficiary will see an increase of 5.6%.
In the next breath under his economic proposals is to close loopholes that encourage businesses to move overseas. Now what loopholes would that be? Oh yes the wage standards in the United States, entitlement programs, etc, which you guessed it, Henley believes in increasing the minimum wage. If the Democrats have their way maybe your author will just take a minimum wage job. It surely will be $10 an hour in their utopia. This isn’t even considering overtime and plenty of paid leave.
Immigration: Your author has spoken on this subject to ad nauseam. The genuine answer is a wall on the southern border. Practical? No. Henley supports Democrat disguised as a Republican Senator John McCain’s proposal of a workers’ program, thus creating another leg of the federal government. Here is an idea-let’s just enforce the present laws.
War In Iraq: Henley is against it. He believes this is taking the eye off the war on terror. Last I checked there hasn’t been a large-scale terrorist attack on American soil since 9/11/01-five years for those of you glued to your television sets during the broadcasted memorials. Henley supports the removal of the Secretary of Defense (Donald Rumsfeld) and Secretary of State (Condoleeza Rice) and your author guesses the impeachment of President Bush as well. He then wants to have US forces deployed to Afghanistan to wipe out Al-Quaeda. Yes bring me Osama’s head on a plate and terrorism will be wiped out his supporters are surely to chant. The problem is that terrorism in all likelihood will continue; Henley and his supporters’ fail to see the bigger picture. So let’s waste our resources chasing after Osama and his merry band of kooks in favor of implementing a long lasting change in a region of the world that was the birthplace of the present day Muslim terrorist.
Henley’s campaign is the same old song and dance being played out by other Democrats across the states. However it’s the role of his sister Susan McDougal that made your author stand at attention. Just who is Susan McDougal? Let’s go back shall we, well before her name even became known to the country.
During his days as Arkansas governor Bill Clinton with his wife Hillary were partners in the Whitewater Development Corporation. The accounts for this corporation were maintained by Madison Guaranty Savings & Loans (S&L), whose president was Jim McDougal, then husband to Susan McDougal. For the record Hillary Clinton, a partner of the Little Rock based Rose Law Firm, was the retained attorney used by the S&L.
The Arkansas S&L followed the same path as many other savings and loans institutions when it failed. This was a mantra used by the Democrats to bash then US President Ronald Reagan and his administration. In fact it was used inappropriately to slam ‘greedy capitalists’, however that is a different story but it is an interesting point when a macro view is employed.
Federal bank examiners would testify under oath that the Arkansas S&L was riddled with embezzlement, possible money laundering, questionable transactions, wire fraud and illegal campaign contributions. Following the failure of the institution monies were believed to have found their way into the pockets of the McDougals and Clinton’s 1990 gubernatorial campaign. The S&L’s failure left the taxpayer holding a $60 million bail out.
Hillary Clinton was able to circumvent the rush of state bank examiners while they lived in the governor’s mansion. The very fact that she was the wife of the state’s governor and was retained by the institution somehow failed to ring in ‘conflict of interest’ from those inside Little Rock’s political scene, at least not from a big enough bell. Never the less the Clintons ushered in new ideas upon moving into the White House with a nasty secret they were happy to forget, or at least not be brought out in public fashion. As far as the federal examiners and prosecutors, well President Clinton pulled a cat out of the bag and fired all US Attorneys upon entering the role as Commander-In-Chief. This was unique because this was considered unprecedented. No other previous US President had done such an act. Why would they do such an act? Why would they fire all US Attorneys across the board? This is a forgotten bit in an already tarnished legacy that has never been fully explained. Maybe memories of Arkansas weren’t so old and could not be forgotten. The act of this mass termination reeked of something fishy.
Paula Casey was then appointed as the new US Attorney for Arkansas. It should be noted that she was a Clinton campaign staffer. She had no prior experience but all the political connections, including that of Clinton’s Arkansas predecessor Jim Guy Tucker. While in office and as it relates to Whitewater, Casey was described as “less than cooperative”. The Clintons may have left Arkansas but they could play the good ole boy routine just as well anyone.
As the Whitewater scandal began to hit a feverish pitch Bill Clinton, in what is a classic testament of either his unbridled arrogance or an example of being void of all reasoning, assigned then US Attorney Janet Reno, who was chosen to be a member of Clinton’s cabinet, to investigate Whitewater. She appointed Special Prosecutor Robert B. Fiske. This was yet another classic case of Clinton’s conflict of interest. However the Halls of Congress made a poignant move that would forever change the investigation and one that would leave Clinton with little ammunition. In 1994 the Republican controlled Congress abolished the role of Special Prosecutor by passing the Independent Council Act, which caused a three judge panel to appoint Kenneth Starr to act as the investigator. Despite the numerous errs in the press, which attempted to dub Starr as Special Prosecutor, his title was Independent Counsel.
Starr’s investigation, as most know, led to investigating Paula Jones, which later led to Linda Tripp and finally Monica Lewinsky. This climaxed with President Clinton lying under oath about an extramarital affair and the possibility for grounds of impeachment. However it was Whitewater and the players that are most interesting.
Jim Guy Tucker was convicted of mail fraud conspiracy and forced to resign from the Arkansas Governor’s post. White House lawyer and Clinton crony Webster Hubbell, also a member of the Rose Law Firm, pled guilty to mail fraud and tax evasion as it related to the law firm’s billing. He spent nearly two years behind bars.
Jim McDougal died in federal prison following a conviction for conspiracy to commit fraud. He had offered his testimony in order for a lenient sentence. He testified that he, his wife and the Clintons had ante up $230,000 to jumpstart an Ozark Mountains development project. The project failed and he embezzled funds from his defunct S&L to cover the losses. He also had paid a Clinton campaign debt that totaled $50,000.
Upon McDougal’s agreement to testify he pressured his now ex-wife Susan to follow the same path. Susan McDougal refused and was convicted of four counts of fraud and conspiracy as it related to Whitewater. Later US District Court Judge Susan Webber gave McDougal seven weeks in solitary confinement for her refusal to answer three questions as it related to Whitewater, the Clintons and a $300,000 loan. Upon his much anticipated exit from the White House, President Clinton pardoned McDougal undoubtedly due to her full faith and refusal to cooperate.
Even if she is his sister should Henley have had her present at an August speaking engagement? She is best known as ‘the woman who wouldn’t talk’. Your author questions why she didn’t speak and not so much what she could have said, that was quite apparent. However how long will it be until the Clintons emerge for a Henley campaign pitch? This is the least they can do for Mrs. McDougal given her successful attempts to thwart federal law and spit in the face of lawful cooperation.
