I admittedly know little about Capuano but have to say that this first impression is not a very good one. I find myself asking how would I react if this guy was a Republican? I would react by calling him corrupt and part of the pay to play problem in Washington D.C. So how can I react less when it is my own DEMOCRATIC representative? I don’t think I can. I think that fairness and coummitment to principle compel me to denounce Capuano because he clearly does not share my ideal nor his party’s efforts to reform and rid the capitol of corruption.
I say all of this because of Senator Kerry’s letter to the editor in today’s Boston Globe. The Senator seems to suggest that because CApuano hasn’t made this a habit he should be excused. I think that if Democrats try in one breath to call for reform and point to Delay as horribly corrupt but in the other breath defend the blatantly stupid decision by Capuano as an aberration we will immediately lose our edge as reformers and look like silly, partisan hacks. Representative Capuano may represent the people of his district well but in this current climate of corruption he has spectacularily failed us and for that we need to think twice about who we send to Washington in November.
Update: I posted the above yesterday on my site as well as DailyKos. I have to admit that I am surprised by the comments on Kos. It seems that a lot of people are willing to figure out ways to excuse Capuano which sort of saddens me. So I wanted to throw this post up here to see what people closer to home think and see if I am missing some angles.
I think Capuano screwed up. To be fair to Kerry, though, I read his letter not so much as a defense of the trip as a reaction to Brian McGrory’s ad hominem column, which I didn’t like either.
I didn’t really think the article that way. But still, Capuano is wrong and wish others would feel as cheated. We need Dems to be as above board as possible.