The Washington DC jury found Alaska Senator Ted Stevens – Joe the Nastyman – guilty of seven felony counts for receiving a quarter million dollars from oil executive Bill Allen. Or as Republicans would call him, Joe the Crook. By the way, you do know where all this “Joe The…” business came from that John McCain pounds so much?
It comes from his best pal once Texas Senator Phil Gramm, the loudest advocate of unregulated free market madness to hold national office. Can we call Phil Gramm, Joe the Economist? Gramm used the same game in all his elections including his run for President. It was Dicky Flatts the Printer. Down here in Dumbutt we used to hear so much about Dicky Flatts the poor printer who made half a million a year, that often during Phil Gramm speeches people from nearby Oklahoma could here a hum of the Texas electorate crying “Oh No! Not Dicky Flatts again!”
Speaking of Phil Gramm, it was only a few weeks ago that Phil – the spokesman for the father of unregulated free markets Milton Friedman, and our generations’ unregulated free market spokesman Fed Chairman Allen Greenspan – was going to be McCain’ top financial advisor in his cabinet. There has been a change of plans in that it seems.
There are three interesting issues regarding the Ted Stevens verdict.
First is the ongoing news that one jury member was a hysterical and potentially violent member which the jury told the judge they could not deal with. As soon as that person was replaced a guilty verdict came down. During that news cycle, and it being DC, Americans saw that person as one of those overweight black women with an attitude. You betcha we did! Turns out to be just the opposite, some crazyass Republican operative in the jury room…
Secondly is can Ted the Crook still win his Senate seat in the up coming Election in Alaska? Figuring Alaskans like shooting wolves from airplane, have their bars open until 5am and think Sarah Palin is an intellectual (probably related to the bars being open so late) what’s a little graft from a nasty a whole like Ted Stevens? It’s a tossup, very hard to poll.
And lastly, if Stevens wins and goes to jail, will he be replaced by the junior Senator from Alaska Sarah Palin?