Alligators

Political blogger Joe Monahan's obvious efforts to favor his "alligator" insider friends in his fabled land of "La Politica" has set the local blogosphere on fire.
At issue is ethics reform at the Roundhouse. According to Joe's reptiles, proposed reforms are asking for too much too fast and Joe carries the message - scolding proponents with a slap of the gator tail.

From Democracy for New Mexico: "Ethics: Aren't You Sick of the Unnamed Alligators?"

"(T)those who reap the benefits of unfettered campaign "contributions" and don't want anyone looking into ethics allegations with a law with teeth don't want anything passed at all. And if the citizenry gets too loud, they may surrender some tiny piece of turf but never all the pieces that would create a real wall against corruption. "Alligators" are like that."

Clearly New Mexico offers a clear perspective: "ETHICS FIGHT: Is Monahan just a shill for little birdies and alligators?"

From M-Pyre: "Memo to Alligators: Shine your light on Gravy Train Ethics"

"Let’s be clear: failure of ethics legislation lies at the feet of state legislators who refuse to give up their gravy train. The public overwhelmingly favors ethics legislation. Albuquerque Journal polls in 2007 indicated a whopping 88% of Democrats, in fact, favored the three priorities included in the bills this session."

Time to drain Monahan's swamp. We need ethics reform.

Cross-posted on Duke City Fix.

Comments

[John Fleck]

Monahan has, in the past, defended his use of anonymous sources with zeal. But we're not talking hear about downtrodden whistleblowers speaking out against their powerful bosses - the sort of people who genuinely need the protection of anonymity. We're talking about people speaking out with impunity, hiding behind anonymity to protect their political (economic? is there a distinction?) interests. There's a big and important difference, and it is an example of why the use of anonymous sources has become corrosive, both on the part of mainstream journalism and the new flavor of on line discourse practiced by Joe Monahan.