“They did it too!”

by

by David Safier
If a Republican politician was caught running out of a bank with a bag of money in one hand and a smoking gun in the other, he'd say, "Yeah, but I saw a Democrat put a Snickers in his pocket without paying at the 7-11. He did it too!"

It's a sacred Republican tradition: equate your bank robbery with a Democrat's shoplifting. The Bushies elevated the tradition to a high art. In the middle of the Enron scandal, when it was clear how chummy the Enron execs were with Bush and his cronies, they came back with, "Yeah, but Paul Krugman got money from Enron!" It was a small, one-time consulting fee, but never mind. He did it too!

Scarpinato's article yesterday caught Yarbrough and his defenders using the same tactic. Yarbrough has taken a lot of flak from Dems and others for sponsoring tax credit legislation that will put money in his pocket, either directly through his STO or through work he does for other STOs.

Republicans have countered, targeting two Tucson Democrats as having a similar conflict.

Rep. David Bradley and Sen. Linda Lopez both work for social-service agencies that benefit from state funding — funding that is at risk in the budget crisis and that they have advocated for over the years.

True, Bradley and Lopez support legislation that helps keep funding for agencies they are connected with.

Lopez is working part time at La Frontera for a $25,000-a-year salary.

That Lopez is making a fortune off that La Frontera cash cow!

Bradley is executive director of La Paloma Family Services.

Bradley says La Paloma received about $1 million this year from the state, a figure he says has not changed much since he has been in the Legislature. "If I were here feathering my own nest, I'm not doing a very good job," he said.

Matt Heinz nailed the distinction.

Lopez and Bradley didn't create the mechanism for their organizations to make money, Heinz said. Whereas, Yarbrough, he argues, has been the champion and creator of much of the tax-credit legislation.

And that doesn't even mention Yarbrough's quadruple dipping into the government-created honey pot: a $96,000 salary, $400,000 for information processing, $45,000 for rent, and up to $60,000 in legal fees.

But they did it too!

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