From the Washington Post’s account of the warm homecoming extended by Youngstown, Ohio, to its former congressman and convict, James Traficant:
At Sunday’s party his fans said he remembered their names, returned their calls and was far from “elite.” Several recounted how he talked about his “gastric emissions” on the House floor.In a memorable Capitol Hill moment, he called a friend, Sandra Ferrante, as a witness during a committee hearing on Standards and Official Conduct. At the time Congress was considering expelling him. The conversation went like this:
Traficant: Were you and I sex partners?
Ferrante: No.
Traficant: Why not?
Back during the last great depression we had real heroes who went after the real crooks, the banks and bankers, people like Pretty Boy Floyd, who Woody Guthrie wrote a song for. During this depression our Republican colleagues make heroes of jerks like this. This country is going to hell in a hand basket and fast. Just wait till the next depression - then we'll show 'em.
Posted by: Buck on September 7, 2009 10:52 PM