Politics: Is local media carrying Schock’s water on allegations?
Posted in Politics with tags Aaron Schock, notary public, Rich Miller on October 16, 2008 by Billy DennisRich Miller says on his Capitol Fax Blog that the local media is accepting Aaron Schock at his word regarding his apparent violation of the law when he notarized backdated tax shelter documents for his father about eight years ago:
* It’s truly unfortunate that the local media doesn’t seem to be calling Schock out on this fabrication, allowing the arguments to be played as a he said, she said affair without providing factual context…
Is it a smear campaign – or a concerning lapse in judgment? It depends on which candidate for the 18th congressional district you believe.
* Secondly, Schock is hiding behind the ol’ “the Democrats are trying to smear me†and “negative politics is so horrible†gambit…
Schock says the story was fed to the Associated Press by the National Democratic Party and is nothing more than a smear campaign three weeks before the election.
Local reporters never called the national party or the Associated Press to verify the claim, however.
Miller also isn’t buying the claim that it was just a clerical error. Schock’s father’s testimony was that the backdating was done intentionally. Also, the only reason no one benefited was because the shelters themselves turned out to fradulent.
And the whole “youthful” indescretion” thing isn’t washing with me either. He was old enough to BE a notary public in the first place, which means somewhere along the line he willingly assumed the responsibiity to vouch for the honesty of the documents he was notarizing. He was also a member of the Peoria School District 150 Board at the time. Presumably, somewhere along the line, he told voters to trust him despite about his age.
Now that he got caught screwing up, he’s playing the “youthful indescretion” card like he was caught shoplifting or something.
My advice — and he’s taken my advice before — is to just say “I screwed up” and stop blaming others and stop making excuses. The underlying offense isn’t all that bad. And as both Bill Clinton and Richard Nixon learned, its not the crime it’s the coverup that willl bite you in the ass.
