Congress Finally Agrees on George Santos

By SAM URETSKY

POLITICIAN, n, An eel on the fundamental mud upon which the superstructure of organized society is reared

POLITICS, n, strife of interests masquerading as a contest of principles. The conduct of public affairs for private advantage.

— Ambrose Bierce (“The Devil’s Dictionary”)

The New York Times began its report, “The expulsion of George Santos from the House on Friday, Dec. 1, after a year shaped by audacious lies and outright frauds, ended his 11-month congressional tenure.”

Mr. Santos, a New York Republican, is scheduled to stand trial next year on charges that he defrauded donors, lied to election officials and stole unemployment benefits. The list of charges is impressive, to the point where the decision to expel Mr. Santos is one of the few bipartisan bills passed by the House of Representatives this year, taking its place with:

• H.R. 4755, the Privacy Enhancing Technology Research Act: This bill directs the National Science Foundation to establish a program to support research on privacy-enhancing technologies.

• H.R. 4877, the Abandoned Well Remediation Research and Development Act: This bill establishes a program to support research on the remediation of abandoned oil and gas wells.

• H.R. 3915, the Aviation Weather Improvement Act: This bill directs the Federal Aviation Administration to develop a plan to improve the accuracy and timeliness of aviation weather forecasts.

There are more. We should not forget H.R. 6245, “Holding Iranian Leaders Accountable Act.” This bill would require the President to report on the assets of certain Iranian government officials and terrorist leaders and requires the publication of those assets in a report. Also H.R. 6370, the “OFAC Licensure for Investigators Act.” This bill requires the Treasury to develop a pilot program, administered by OFAC, that partners with private-sector firms such as blockchain analytics firms and financial intelligence units within banks.” It’s not clear what that means, but you could look it up.

There is a saying, frequently attributed to Mark Twain: “Everybody talked about the weather, nobody seemed to do anything about it.” Now we know that an activist House of Representatives is doing something, or at least telling the FAA to improve forecasting.

Mr. Santos is a New York Republican, who ran as a fantasy offering a biography that would fit a Marvel comic book hero. It wasn’t fair to his constituents. New Yorkers, along with New Englanders, believe in politics as an honorable occupation. Other regions have a more realistic view of politics and politicians, and are rarely embarrassed by their convictions, or those they elect.

It’s interesting to look at the politicians running for the Democratic nomination – sort of. President Biden has been a good president, probably better than we deserve, but his polling is disappointing: approval 38.2%, disapproval 58.8%. This is discouraging. He is in his eighth decade, and shows it, but more than that, he has served in difficult times, in a divided nation.

Still, he seems likely to win nomination. Robert F. Kennedy Jr, started out to contest the nomination, but is now running as an independent. A Harvard-CAPS Harris survey found that 52% of respondents said they have a favorable opinion of Kennedy, while 27% had an unfavorable opinion of him. Kennedy had the highest favorability rating of 25 points. He is running on the ghosts of his father and uncle – and more likely, of the memory of Ralph Nader.

Third parties don’t do well in a two-party system. The Annenberg Public Policy Center has a three-pert series about Mr. Kennedy’s claim that vaccines are harmful. While Mr. Kennedy claims that he is not anti-vaccine, the report seems well documented.

Gavin Newsom. Governor of California, is a candidate in waiting. He claims he supports President Biden, and perhaps is waiting for the President to find an excuse to withdraw. On the other hand, he debated Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and took a trip to Iowa, which is something done by presidential hopefuls and farm equipment salesmen.

Dean Phillips, a Democratic representative from Minnesota is officially running for the nomination. From his web site he seems like a good representative and is on a mission to restore Americans’ faith in government. He seems like a good guy, if anyone outside of Minnesota knows whom he is.

Another declared candidate in the Democratic primary is Marianne Williamson, a writer and former preacher in the Unity Church who has never held elective office, although she ran for Congress in California as an independent in 2014 and finished fourth. She ran for president in 2020 as a Democrat and eventually dropped out, endorsing Bernie Sanders. She is perhaps best known as a frequent guest on Oprah Winfrey’s talk show.

Sam Uretsky is a writer and pharmacist living in Louisville, Ky. Email sam.uretsky@gmail.com

From The Progressive Populist, January 1-15, 2024

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