Matt Gunterman September 6th, 2007

First, I want to ask everyone reading this a question: Do you think it’s a good use $8.3 million of your taxes to send Chinese-made music players to Afghanistan with audio messages about democracy encoded on them?

How many of you out there think, like me, that 1) nobody ever listened to the damn things [would you?] and 2) no-one ever expected anyone to listen to the damn things because 3) it was all a gimmick to get $8.3 million of taxpayer money into the pockets of some crooked American fat-cat and a Chinese manufacturer?

So, that having been said, I have to say that Ryan Alessi’s article on the ad from Public Campaign Action Fund and the reaction of Senator Mitch McConnell (R) and his cronies to it misses the mark a bit.

The issue here is how corrupt McConnell’s operation is. The issue IS NOT whether the music players were used in Afghanistan to play music or play messages about democracy (because both are just plain silly, quite frankly).

Here’s how things work for McConnell:

Step 1: Hunter Bates, Senator McConnell’s underling, left the senator’s offices to become a fat-cat lobbyist.

Step 2: Bates was paid $200,000 from fat-cats to promote their $8.3 million earmark for the music players.

Step 3: Senator McConnell works to deliver American taxpayer dollars to the sham.

Step 4: In return, Bates raised $120,000 to grease McConnell’s political machine.

That’s the issue here: how corrupt Mitch McConnell and his operation are.

Oh, and — despite Alessi’s article’s claim — there’s plenty of roll call evidence that McConnell has voted against body armor for our troops. Here it is:

October 2003 vote on body armor:

On October 2, 2003, Sen. McConnell voted to table an amendment by Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), that would have added $322 million for body armor and battlefield clean up for U.S. troops. The amendment was to be attached to the $87 billion emergency supplemental bill.
[Source: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes, 108th Congress, 1st Sesson, vote number 376, October 2, 2003.]

“Many American soldiers in Iraq have not been equipped with the latest body armor that can protect against high-caliber bullets. During the Senate debate on an $87 billion emergency supplemental bill, Dodd offered an amendment to shift $322 million in reconstruction funds to pay for modern safety equipment and battlefield clearance.
The amendment failed…”
[Source: Peter Urban, “Lieberman eyes war shakeup,” Connecticut Post, October 26, 2003, available online for fee.]

“Troop safety: Voting 49 for and 37 against, the Senate on Oct. 2 tabled (killed) an amendment to transfer $322 million in S 1689 (above) from nation-building to the Army for provision of additional survival gear for U.S. troops such as high-tech body armor, bullet-proof helmets and special water packs. […]

“Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., said he has heard of soldiers ‘paying hundreds of dollars out of their own pockets to buy the equipment’ because ‘the administration did not procure enough personnel equipment for these men and women.’ A yes vote opposed the funds transfer.”
[Source: “Roll Call,” Aberdeen American News, October 5, 2003, available online for fee.]

“The Senate late Thursday also voted 49-37 to table an amendment by Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., to add funding for soldiers’ body armor, communications and other equipment offset by cuts the administration requested in line items such as money to build prisons and purchase computers.”
[Source: “GOP Holds Line on Iraq Votes, But Key Test Still To Come,” National Journal’s CongressDaily, October 3, 2003, available to subscribers.]

April 2003 vote on body armor:

On April 2, 2003, Sen. McConnell voted to table an amendment by Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-LA) that would have added $1 billion to the 2003 supplemental bill for the National Guard and Reserves.
[Source: U.S. Senate Roll Call Votes, 108th Congress, 1st Session, vote number 116, April 2, 2003.]

In her March 26, 2003 press release about her amendment, [Senator Landieu] explained that her bill was meant to “fill any equipment needs of Reservists and Guardsmen currently training for service in the second wave of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While all troops in the field today are properly equipped, reports indicate that subsequent call ups may be hindered by a lack of equipment. The Marine Corps Reserve reports that before they could deploy a second wave of troops a shortage of helmets, tents, bullet-proof inserts, and tactical vests must be fulfilled. Likewise, the Army Reserve reports a shortage of rifles - both the M4 and M16 – would have to be replenished before deploying a second wave of troops. Landrieu’s amendment would increase funding for the Reserves and Guard by $1 billion…”

[Source: press release from Senator Landrieu’s office, March 26, 2003.]

• Mitch McConnell , Money-Grubbing
• Comments(3)