The Chicago Tea Party

How bad is Roland Burriss’ situation? It’s so bad that even the New York Times and the AP are aware of it. Jennifer Rubin explores “The Culture of Cluelessness”:

Now it’s the New York Times’ turn to call for Roland Burris to resign. (Still, you have to hand it to the Gray Lady’s editors for ignoring the cause of the mess — the Democrats’ refusal to hold a special election.)

It is getting harder and harder, even for those cheer-leading the new administration and the new epoch of Democratic rule, to ignore the obvious: this is one corrupt party. The problem  is not isolated or casual, but pervasive at its highest levels.

The AP has a devastating critique today, declaring the Democrats to be “self-destructing over ethics” and proceeding to list the usual ethically-challenged suspects: Blago, Burris, Tom Daschle, Tim Geithner, Nancy Killefer, Bill Richardson, Jack Murtha, Charlie Rangel, and William Lynn. (It omits Chris Dodd and James Moran.) The AP reminds the Democrats of the Republicans’ travails in 2006:

Republicans were further harmed when it was disclosed that several of their members were aware of the problem and failed to take action.Democrats, who’ve been in control of both Congress and the White House less than two months now, are lucky on one point. The next congressional election is nearly two years away.

Well, time could be on their side, provided they do something about these miscreants. But if they don’t, and if other scandals arise, or the existing scandals get worse, the problem will worsen and the distraction will intensify. That brings us to their next big problem: the stimulus itself is a scandal in the making.

And thanks to a video headlined by Matt Drudge, people on Twitter are taking bets as to whether CNBC’s Rick Santelli is likely to be named Worst Person of the Day by fellow GE employee Keith Olbermann, for asking traders on the Chicago Merc their thoughts on the “Stimulus” bill. (And they’re happy to give him an earful.)

Frankly, I’m shocked and disappointed in this journalistic behavior. The MSM has an obligation to be fair. To play it down the middle to not take sides in a story. To keep their opinions on political issues to themselves.