Good messaging from the Democrats, from AP:
The political ramifications of the Abramoff probe were apparent, with minority Democrats intending to make ethics a campaign issue in this election year. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said Abramoff's confession in court was "not a surprise because this Republican Congress is the most corrupt in history and the American people are paying the price."That's the right way to talk about it. The GOP owns Abramoff. He helped build and sustain their power. He provided vast amounts of resources to them. Abramoff = GOP corruption, plain and simple.
Some political consultants and analysts are comparing potential damage from the Abramoff investigation to the 1992 House banking scandal that led to the retirement or ouster of 77 lawmakers.
On the other hand, not good spin, via the NY Times:
While Mr. Abramoff is most closely linked to Republicans, even Democrats, many of whom also benefited from his largesse, acted skittish.Memo to Democratic aides on the Hill -- and off the Hill: If you're one of the skittish ones, don't talk to the media. If you don't understand that this is hard ball politics time, don't talk to the media. Leave it to the people who do get it.
"We're talking about people who have longstanding careers in Congress who took contributions from somebody who knew somebody who knew somebody who knew Jack Abramoff," said a Democratic Congressional aide who insisted on anonymity so as not to drag his boss into the scandal. "Now they're panicked. The hope is that this investigation will root out the wrongdoing without innocent people getting hit with the ricochet."
