Congressman John T. Doolittle: A Legislative Eunuch

John Doolittle’s reelection is a lose-lose for the Fourth Congressional District. First, all moral people lose by having an immoral person representing them. Also, he will almost certainly be indicted by the new Democratic House leadership for illegality with Jack Abramoff and Brent Wilkes. His constituents are now pariahs, people who do not value morality, people who overlook immorality in order to keep a much-damaged Republican in power simply because he is a Republican. Voters have legitimized pay-for-play politics and have like tar babies attached themselves to Doolittle’s corruption; they have lost their innocence. All this is the first loss.

The second loss is sending a much-damaged Republican to Washington in the face of a Democratic landslide. So doing really guarantees that nothing substantive will be accomplished during his term for the people. He will simply draw his $165, 200 pay, and 15% of all contributions, and accomplish nothing for his constituency. He will earn a retirement three to four times that of the private sector and enjoy it for life. He will continue to enjoy taxpayer funded franking privileges which he uses to campaign. He has health and life insurance largely paid for by the taxpayers. He enjoys taxpayer funded travel including limousine service and parking at major airports. He will continue to accept benefits from lobbyist because the message his constituency sent him is it does not care about his immoralities/illegalities. The voters have reelected a legislative eunuch of sullied morality to sit in Washington and watch the world go by, collecting his pay and bountiful perks (http://www.ntu.org/main/press.php?PressID=343) while doing nothing to earn them.
If he were a moral man, he would resign for the welfare of his constituency. Of course, he is not a moral man and will not resign and approximately 51% of the voters will get what they deserve, and 49% will stand appalled and nauseated but helpless.