[R.I.P.] Dan Rostenkowski, former congressman, dead at 82

[Chappy]

Excerpted from “Dan Rostenkowski, former congressman, dead at 82” By Emma Brown, Washington Post Staff Writer, The Washington Post, Wednesday, August 11, 2010; 1:41 PM
[SIZE="+2"]D[/SIZE]an Rostenkowski, 82, a product of the Chicago Democratic political machine who rose to become one of the most powerful members of the U.S. House of Representatives before he lost his seat and was jailed on felony corruption charges, died Wednesday at his home in Wisconsin. …

One of the great politicians of the twentieth century who suffered the consequences of changing ethical standards.

 

[MaggieD]

Hmmmm, I'm sorry he passed away. I'm sure he did more good things than bad things, but I surely wouldn't call him one of the great politicians of the 20th Century if he was jailed for corruption. Orrrr, maybe I would. I'm from the Chicago area. I didn't care for the guy myself.

 

[jujuman13]

Just another elected official turned thief, probably 90% of Chicago based Politicians are corrupt.
Some of them then go on to other jobs.

 

[RedAkston]

This is an RIP thread, so I'll be gentle.

How on earth can someone who went to jail for corruption be "one of the great politicians of the twentieth century"? I suppose by that standard, Nixon was one of our greatest Presidents of the twentieth century.

 

[VanceMack]

One of the great politicians of the twentieth century who suffered the consequences of changing ethical standards.

a product of the Chicago Democratic political machine who rose to become one of the most powerful members of the U.S. House of Representatives before he lost his seat and was jailed on felony corruption charges,

That may be the best line ever written about a politician...

 

[chickie]

He was a thug and an embarrassment to the good, decent people of IL. Our politicians are mostly dirty pukes. Barack Hussein Obama included. Ugh.

 

[justabubba]

a crook who deserves no tribute

 

[Orion]

Um... whatever happened to keeping negative comments out of RIP threads?

 

[Fiddytree]

Whatever his other deeds, public service is commendable.

 

[danarhea]

Honestly, as fat as he was, I thought he probably died a long time ago.

RIP.

 

[Crosscheck]

He was a thug and an embarrassment to the good, decent people of IL. Our politicians are mostly dirty pukes. Barack Hussein Obama included. Ugh.

It doesn't get any better than this as only 3 minutes later you praise Ted "Bridge to Nowhere" Stevens" as a great senator..... You can't buy this kind of humor.

That crook is bad, this crook is good.

 

[The Prof]

for 15 years congressman dan sat in charlie's seat, gripping rangel's gavel, chair of the most powerful panel on pennsylvania, house ways and means

in 94 he was stripped of his hammer, then he lost re-election in his machine tight chicago district, and by 96 he was in jail, sent there by bubba's deputy ag, eric holder

rosty had padded payrolls with phantom paychecks, he was sitting on a warehouse of congressional furniture and "momentos," but what did him in was his involvement in the "stamps for cash" scandal, part of the house post office mess

this poster child for chicago corruption was a big part of what impelled newt into the speakership in 94

rosty and rangel---lotta similarities

except rosty didn't fight his ethics committee so hard, on the eve of election

 

[Scarecrow Akhbar]

Well, that's the only way to get corrupt polticians off the taxpayers' back, it seems.

 

[Scarecrow Akhbar]

Never heard of that one.

Rottenkowski doesn't deserve praie.

 

[Redress]

Moderator's Warning:

Note the RIP tag and follow the rules involved with it. If you want to talk bad about him, make another thread.

 

[GayLibertarian]

He was a crook.