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DEL.ICIO.USReed and Enron
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A young lady called Thursday evening, asking whether we considered Casey Cagle’s TV hit on Ralph Reed, leading on Reed’s work for Enron, a clean hit.
Let us put it this way. Reed — one of two GOP candidates for lieutenant governor — has accused the liberal media of guilt by association when it comes to his association with Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Reed’s got a much better case when it comes to Enron.
The accusation from the New York Times in the late 1990s was that Karl Rove urged Enron head Ken Lay to hire Ralph Reed to do a bit of work for the company, back when Enron was the “it” corporation in America.
The implication was that Enron paid Reed as a substitute for the 2000 George W. Bush presidential campaign, to keep Reed off the books and out of the employ of Bush rivals. An investigation was launched by the Federal Elections Commission. The agency gave Reed a clean bill of health.
One of us, the fellow on the left, went to Harrisburg, Pa., to look into the topic. Reed was chairman of the Georgia Republican party when the issue came up. Enron had hired Reed to help create a campaign in favor of electrical deregulation in Pennsylvania. Later, Reed would advise the company on how to lobby Washington.
Reed would not speak, publicly, to defend himself on the Enron issue. It turns out that Reed hired a Democratic subcontractor to do much of the work in Pennsylvania. But here’s the piece of evidence that most redounded to Reed’s favor: James Carville, the Democratic strategist, told us that he was approached first by the company to do its work, and turned down the job. Reed was hired afterwards.
So there.
Comments
Commenting is now closed for this entry.
By Jack S
June 29, 2006 10:53 PM | Link to this
All Cagle’s ad says is that Reed lobbied for enron. completely true. people can draw their own conlusions.
That’s nothing like that Reed mailer that flat out lies about Cagle’s votes. He attacks Cagle for a bill all Republicans supported and twists the words to make it out to be SB 5 - which cagle opposed.
Reed is a damn liar. It’s all coming home to roost now.
By GodHatesTrash
June 30, 2006 03:24 AM | Link to this
Enron is just one of many of little trick Ralphie’s johns.
Only trash would vote for this little POS.
By Philly
June 30, 2006 08:40 AM | Link to this
Godhatestrash, the fact scum like you hates Reed is reason to vote for him. I am casting my vote for Reed due to the fact I like to see liberals miserable and squirming. Reed’s election would accomplish that. The bottom line is that if Cagle wins, you liberal scum win.
By Tony
June 30, 2006 08:47 AM | Link to this
So Philly your morals and principles are showing…or not as the case may be. You’d rather have a liar and hypocrite that sells out Christians to make a quick million? I mean if you sell out your own people and followers who WON’T you sell out? I think Dante described a certain level in Hell for people like Ralph.
By Joe
June 30, 2006 08:59 AM | Link to this
Neither stand a chance to win the general election, so who cares.
By Philly
June 30, 2006 09:16 AM | Link to this
Cagle is a liar and hypocrite, too. Difference is Reed was not an elected official when he made his fortune and Cagle was. Cagle has lied and twisted facts about Reed. You don’t have a problem with a liar and hypocrite as long as he is a liar and hypocrite that you support.
I see left wing liberal groups opposing Reed. I don’t see they are too concerned about Cagle. That tells me alot.
By SW
June 30, 2006 09:26 AM | Link to this
Ann Coulter likes Ralph Reed. This fact alone sends Reed to election hell. A Democrat will be Lt. Governor,again. However it is fun to sit ringside and watch these two slimey slugs battle it out and see who comes out the ‘winner’.
By Tony
June 30, 2006 09:42 AM | Link to this
And Ralphie made his fortune lying to Christians. Who’s worse?
I’d like to see some proof that Cagle made all of his money since he’s been in office. And just because he made money at the same time he was in office, does that mean anything wrong was done? So after the three month session, he has been a smart businessman. Sue him. That makes him corrupt and evil. Far different than Ralph taking gambling money, lying about it, and milking Christians while lying to them. Good to see coutry club Ralph and his big city money trying to appeal to the common man. A guy so wrapped up with shady friends and spending more time OUTSIDE of GA is trying to be a Georgia insider. I’m waiting for Ralphie to take a picture holding a rifle. Or operating a tractor. Or walking into a poultry plant. DC Ralph couldn’t hack it at anything the common man does. He’s too busy robbing Christians and lying to them.
By Philly
June 30, 2006 09:56 AM | Link to this
Tony, I would like to see evidence that Reed robbed Christians.
You are such a hypocrite. If Reed were an elected representative of the people and made his fortune while in office while at the same time serving on a Banking committee voting on and introducing legislation that benefitted him and his industry, you would be screaming at the top of your lungs!!
By Philly
June 30, 2006 09:58 AM | Link to this
Reed did not lie to Christians. He did not know the money came from gambling interests and Reed did not know their only motives were to protect their interests in casino gambling.
By dumbfounded
June 30, 2006 10:46 AM | Link to this
Philly I bet you believe in Santa Claus and the Easter bunny
By Tony
June 30, 2006 11:23 AM | Link to this
Philly,
Stop drinking the Kool Aid for one moment and read the Senate Indian Affairs report. Reed clearly knew where the money came from. Abramoff asked him if he wanted the money directly from the Indian groups. Reed said through a third party is the method he wanted. So the check came from the Indian groups and to Grover Norquist. Reed wouldn’t have recommended it go through a third party unless he knew something questionable was going on. Why would anyone not take money directly unless there was a specific reason? And if Reed was duped, he was duped by his best bud Grover but none of Ralph’s minions dare say anything about Ralph’s last launderer not being sent to jail.
So Philly, you go right ahead and defend the guy who lied to AL Christian groups. If you honestly think Ralph was duped, then you must support an inept businessman who makes deals without checking into them. Anyone making million dollar plus transactions without checking sources and what the money is going for is incompetent. So either way, you back an idiot.
By grassrootsguy
June 30, 2006 12:02 PM | Link to this
Why don’t you make a list of all the consultants, vendors, and all others who ever did work for ENRON. Are all these people evil? This is stupid and reveals again the AJC bias in trying to do anything to kill off Reed. And it reveals something about the dirty nature of politics that Cagle would try to use the fact that he did some work for ENRON as a way to imply Reed did something evil.
This is mud slinging 101 and another way Calge and the AJC are working together behind the sceens. I can’t wait for the offical AJC endorsement of Cagle.
Only trouble for Cagle is that if he wins, they’ll turn on him and start killing him off with all the stuff about his being on the banking committee and increasing his wealth at the same time through his banking connections by 900%. So enjoy it for now cause you gotta know the AJC is going to support the democrat nominee for Lt. Governor after the primary.
I hope Reed made a mint of ENRON. I am a Republican and making money is not evil.
By Tony
June 30, 2006 01:39 PM | Link to this
Making money is not evil? You just got it out of your mouth that Cagle would be killed with making money. Double standard by Ralphites. Funny how they say one standard for their master but everyone else must abide by a different one. Let me ask all of you puppets where is the proof his income increased tha much during this time? Let me see your proof his income increased by that much and it was due to him being on these committees. Prove it all. The floor is yours.
By GodHatesTrash
June 30, 2006 04:57 PM | Link to this
If Christ is God, then the kkklowns that vote for Reed will burn in hell, they are hypocritical cowardly trash.
Sorry Philly, but if the shoe fits, wear it, bubba.
By Mike E
June 30, 2006 08:24 PM | Link to this
I gotta agree with Tony. Where’s the evidence that Cagle violated ethics rules while serving on the banking committee? I keep reading in these postings about it, but I never see any evidence to back it up. Certainly the Senate would have investigated such a claim and there would be something to point me to. Is there?
As for Reed, I’ve read most of the 370-plus page report from the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and it is filled with “evidence” that Reed and his cronies of 20 years played fast and loose with the millions Abramoff was taking in from the Indian tribes trying to stop the spread of other gambling venues. Of course Reed knew where the money came from. But he was careful to make sure it didn’t come to him directly from the Indians. He wanted to be able to claim, as he does even now, that he thought the money came from non-gambling sources. And perhaps it did. Maybe those $5 million came from Indian operations separate from their gambling casinos. Maybe from their tobacco sales? The report isn’t clear on this point. But the bottom line is that Reed, Abramoff and Norquist have been friends and business associates for 20 years. How likely is it that Reed was kept in the dark about the funding?
As for Debbie, she truly is a Kool-Aid drinker. Please put up the goods on Cagle’s illegal/unethical use of his Senate office or move on to something more constructive.