September's GOP Asshat of the Month

The obvious choice this month would be a repeat performance for Virginia Senator George Allen, following his horrendous and needlessly defensive response to a reporter's question about his mother's Jewish upbringing. However, I'm sensing the latest flurry of allegations that accuse Allen of regularly using the n-word in reference to African-Americans will backfire on whoever is hoping they will sink Allen. Rumors are now surfacing that Democratic challenger James Webb has some far more brazen racist skeletons in his closet, and if scrutinized, would prove disastrous for Webb. Either way, expect Virginians to give Allen a sympathy vote here. Every white Southerner who has ever used a racial epithet in the past squirms at the current persecution of George Allen's possible racist language from a quarter century ago. Inadvertantly, Jim Webb's campaign has likely been dealt a major blow by some knuckleheaded Democratic strategist, almost assuredly from another state, who thought this smear against Allen was a good idea.

Shifting back to this month's GOP asshat, it has to go to Ohio Congressman Bob Ney....or should I say FORMER Ohio Congressman and current convicted felon Bob Ney. Even after being named in the Jack Abramoff scandal last winter, Ney pressed forward in pursuit of another term to the House of Representatives. About six weeks ago, Ney decided to forgo that bid, and most people thought it was because he didn't believe he could win the seat under threat of imminent criminal indictment. As it turns out, Ney gave up the battle because he could no longer conceal from voters the fact that he's a crook. He plead guilty a couple of weeks ago to two criminal charges related to the Abramoff corruption scandal, and Justice Department officials said prosecutors are recommending a 27-month prison term for him.

My first thought after the announcement of Ney abandoning his candidacy was that his lackluster Democratic challenger Zack Space, whose entire campaign consisted of him not being Bob Ney, was no longer a serious contender to be elected in a district that went for George Bush by 14 points in 2004. The guilty plea, however, shook things back up....to Space's favor. Now, there are two Ohio Republicans (the other being disgraced Governor Bob Taft) who originally insisted they were innocent in their respective corruption scandals but who have now been found guilty of the crimes they were charged of. And both men have deep ties to the woman who they hand-picked to be Ney's replacement on the Republican ticket, a disgusting piece of Republican feces named Joy Padgett who, two years ago, faced a Democratic challenge in the Ohio Senate by former Lebanon hostage Terry Anderson. Padgett ran an ad featuring Anderson with his terrorist captors and suggested he was a "friend of terrorism". Unbelievably, she won.

Thankfully, polls indicate Padgett might not be having nearly as much luck in 2006, where scandal-weary voters aren't exactly enamored with rewarding Taft and Ney's hand-picked successor with a term in Congress. A recent poll showed Space, as weak as he is, with a significant lead over Padgett, even though Padgett has represented a very large chunk of the district in the Legislature over the years.

The delicious irony here: if Bob Ney had simply given up his quest for another Congressional term last winter following the first charges in the Abramoff scandal, Padgett would have been able to get in the race early and would currently be enjoying a double-digit lead in the polls over space. Thanks Bob Ney!