Stabenow Tied to Abramoff
After spending a year hammering Sen. Conrad Burns over his ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, Democrats are now finding two of their own in some hot water over the same issue. Having received more than $6000 from Abramoff clients, Stabenow sought funds for the Saginaw Chippewa tribe, one of his clients. Stabenow´s staff will likely be working overtime doing damage control, attempting to avoid the same type of charges that have been leveled against her colleague who, it is now evident, worked closely with her on the issue.
When combined with the current ethics troubles of West Virginia Rep. Alan Mollohan, it is becoming more and more difficult to see how Democrats can run on a platform of ridding the federal government of corruption. More details of both scandals will surface between now and the November elections. As further details come out, it is likely that Sen. Burns´ defense, i.e. that he was working to secure the funds due to the influence of Michigan´s Senators rather than because of Jack Abramoff will get a boost. At the same time, a cloud, albeit perhaps a small one, has begun to form around the Michigan Democrats.
Sen. Levin will likely retire when his term expires, but this can only work to the advantage of Sen. Stabenow´s challengers, who are currently looking for ways to crack into the incumbent´s advantage. This creates an opening and will surely get some of those tentatively in Stabenow´s column to think twice, something that the challengers desperately need.
While the scandal will give a leg up to those seeking the GOP nomination in Michigan, the greater impact will probably be on the national scene. As one scandal after another pops up, the national sentiment against Republicans is more and more being directed at both parties, reinforcing the old notion of “They’re all the same”, something that Republicans can certainly welcome at this point. Without any national animus directed more heavily at one party than the other, the November elections will probably be about as status quo as they come. If the scandals continue, a shift of one or two Senate seats either way would be a lot.