[This is a ‘weekend commentary’ – so it will be up both Saturday and Sunday.]
In some ways I feel very bad for California Republican Congressman Jerry Lewis, and in some ways I don’t.
Let me start with the caveat that, to my recollection, I have never met the man. Which is at least a modest statement about his level of engagement in Republican politics in California given that I am a former Executive Director of the State GOP, and have been a fixture at conventions going back twenty years. Then again this is a big state, and I admit that I don’t hang out in Redlands all that often.
I have heard from a number of mutual friends that on a personal level, Jerry Lewis is a nice guy. And on a personal level, I am empathetic about what the Congressman must be going through. Right now, his professional (and personal) life is under and intense scrutiny with investigations taking place by the federal government into allegations that Lewis may have used his extremely influential position as Chairman of the House Appropriations (i.e… "spending) Committee to benefit his very close friend, former San Diego County Congressman Bill Lowery, now a professional lobbyist. Of course, now every major newspaper that covers Beltway politics, as well as the Press Enterprise, Daily Bulletin, and others back ‘home’ in the Inland Empire are now scrutinizing his every move, and performing their own extensive investigations into every aspect of Lewis’ political career. So far, Lewis has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees (from his campaign funds) and has had to endure a lot of ridicule and condemnation by inference. Certainly no fun for a Congressman who, until recently, has been scandal-free.
So I feel genuinely bad for the guy for now. I am a bit cynical after the whole Duke Cunningham debacle, where I also ‘felt genuinely bad’ for Cunningham until I found out that, in fact, he had been taking millions of dollars in bribe money and was no more than a common criminal (who is now serving time behind bars in federal prison). The challenge for Lewis is that there are many people like me who, without the benefit of any personal relationship, are left to wonder what is really going on with him. There is an extensive story today (leading the main page) that is, in essence, a castigation of Lewis by one of his major local papers for being silent. They take him to task because during all of this controversy, he has been relatively quiet. Now I understand the dynamic where because of legal issues (a federal investigation is a serious thing), there is probably advice from his legal team that the less he says the better. But the challenge, of course, is that this advice may be the most helpful in dealing with potential down-stream issues in a court of law… But it is the worst possible strategy when you are being tried in the court of public opinion.
I have made no bones about my disdain for the politics of Jerry Lewis. I think that profligate spending by Republicans in Washington, D.C., is a horrific problem for American and presents a potentially insurmountable political challenge for the GOP. I think that a culture on Capitol Hill that gives so much gravitas and importance to a Committee that is about spending is obscene. When you talk to DC Beltway types, they refer to members of Lewis’ Committee as "Appropriators" but it is said in an ominous way (like the feeling you get when Darth Vader walks into a room in Star Wars). As if an "Appropriator" is to be both respected and feared. If Jerry Lewis was interested in helping the Republican Party from a political point of view, he would be using his position to reign in the overspending, end this horrific earmarking process which he has embraced, and decide once and for all if there is any core part of him that thinks that the federal government is too big and spends too much (after all, he lobbied fellow Republicans AGAINST a recent budget amendment that would have implemented modest reductions in federal spending).
All of that said, my objections to Lewis are political, not personal. And I certainly approach his legal issues with a fair amount of chagrin. Yes, I am mad about Cunningham, and so it has made me more cynical about Congress, and of the Members of Congress who are wading around most heavily in this ‘dark practice’ of egregious ‘earmarks’. But I also have had several friends over the years who have been, frankly, wrongly accused (or suspected) by prosecutors at the federal, state or local levels and have seen what this can do to something. The costs emotionally let alone financially are immense. So at the risk of getting punched in the gut again (Cunningham’s treachery hurt), I will try not to become a cynic, and express my heartfelt sympathy to Jerry Lewis and his family right now for the very personal side of what they are going through – an unfortunate maelstrom that has an unclear conclusion.
I will end this commentary with an offer — if the Congressman seeks a forum to be able to discuss the issues that have been going on lately, I’m happy to publish something here, whether it is a column in your own words, or an interviewed (that can be approved by attorneys before publishing).
Have a great Saturday, FR readers!
Jon
P.S. Thank you to FR readers for your efforts to help oust liberal Republican Joe Schwarz from his ‘safe’ Republican seat in Michigan. FR readers have been generous, sending many contributions ranging all of the way up to $1000! This is an important issue. Read here if you want more information.
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