Our New Blago-Bizzaro World

Over at The New Republic (h/t: Lucianne), senior editor Jonathan Chait asks us to indulge him in what he calls another "tiresome" complaint of "your party's scandal is worse than my party's scandal." His point is that Norm Coleman - the Republican pol from Minnesota so down on his luck that boorish Al Franken appears to have unseated him - isn't being treated as badly as Rod Blagojevich - the Democratic pol from Chicago so down on his luck that he sought solace in the estrogen den of The View when under the gun back home. To the fact that Republicans continue to support their tainted man, Chait bleathlessly asks: "Do they even realize this man is being investigated by the FBI?"

The ultimate difference between Coleman and Blagojevich, however, might not be so much between the politicians as between their parties. Democrats have lately shown a propensity to eat their own at the drop of a hat. Consider two of the party's leaders. 1) President Obama (D) throws supporters under the bus with surprising deftness. 2) Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) tried to follow suit with Sen. Roland Burris (D), only to prove to be too incompetent. (Or, to be kinder to Reid and his abilities, you could just say that he failed because he was blatantly trying to break the law while preening in the public spotlight.)

There is a good bit of irony, however, that goes beyond these different partisan proclivities concerning ones own. Democrats acted on accusations against Blago as if they were actual convictions. Chait admits that he is taking accusations against Coleman as sufficient, too. As he puts it, a friend of Coleman

"allegedly paid him $75,000 under the table. And by 'allegedly,' I mean 'almost certainly.'"

In our new Blago-bizzaro world, accusations and investigations have become as damning - and even worse! - than definite crimes.

Remember the case of Gov. Bill Richardson (D)? A few weeks ago, he either fell on his own sword or had one inserted between the shoulder blades rather than stand for confirmation as Commerce Secretary in the new administration. The reason? He's "under investigation." In contrast, definitely committing a crime - see Tim Geitner (D) or Tom Daschel (D) or Charlie Rangel (D) - gets a pass.

No jury has yet examined the evidence against Coleman, Blagojevich or Richards; perhaps they really are as guilty as Geitner, Daschel, and Rangel. Should they go to trial, we'll have a much better idea. Meanwhile, we have to wonder: Just what has happened to the party of the ACLU? Where is the vaunted Trial Lawyers Association whose donations have sustained the Democrats for years? Is this the change we've been promised?

UPDATE: we have been reminded that, perhaps, not all is lost:

• Mayor Sheila Dixon (D) of Baltimore, indicted but not yet convicted on "12 counts of felony theft, perjury, fraud and misconduct in office," still serves in office.

• Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick (D) of Detroit waited until pleading guilty to two felonies before resigning from office last September and going to jail.

• Portland Oregon's new mayor Sam Adams (D) continues to serve even after admitting to his homosexual relationship with a teen he was mentoring; mentoring that included instructions to lie in an effort to cover-up the relationship. It is unsure whether Adams actually broke any of liberal Oregon's laws; an investigation is underway.