I'd didn't talk about Debs challenging federal injunctions. I talked about him turning a blind eye to violence by lieutenants, which may have been useful in furthering the union cause, but was hardly ideal moral behavior.
A little patronage to grease political wheels is not ideal but it's sometimes been required to make political processes move-- and if the result is health care for children, I'd rather have the patronage and the health care versus neither.
-Nathan. I support good -Democratic legislation myself, but what's wrong withe -the Obama, Danny Davis, John Conyers approach of -promoting while staying on the right side of the law?
Let's see-- hmm, oh yeah. They aren't passing any because they have zero political power. I'm not saying you can't get political power while being honest, but it's a pretty unconvincing contrast.
I'm just absolutely underwhelmed by this fetish of horror at political patronage. Yes, we're all shocked, shocked to find political machines operating in Illinois. Bestill my heart. Horrors. I get palpitations just thinking of it.
I'm not arguing for repealing the political ethics laws, since they keep the political games within bounds, but you just aren't going to see me discounting real gains for working families, gays, women needing day-after pills, and everone else who have benefitted from legislative and administrative changes in Illinois in recent years.
-- Nathan Newman