On The Ninth Congressional District (The Errors)

(Photo: CA)

The Commercial Appeal endorsed U.S. Rep Steve Cohen for a second term to represent the Ninth Congressional District.

The endorsement was certainly a foregone conclusion, in my mind, after Sunday's defense--not an examination--of Cohen's voting record and effectiveness that roots from the fact that his greatest asset is timing. He benefits from a Democratic majority in Congress whereas his predecessors did not.

The "gains" that the District has experienced have not occurred because of his presence alone but they occurred on his watch and he took advantage. Yet, it seems crazy to give him more credit than he deserves since a freshman congressman wields little to no power and only reaps what others think he or she is worth.

I'm just sayin, losing Cohen's two years in Congress wouldn't be a setback for the district because he simply has the perception of political capital.

But I digress. The CA can endorse whomever it chooses and the act might be the equivalent of a kiss of death considering how its favorites actually fared in the election.

Yet, overt bias in its reporting only hurts Cohen, damaging the CA's credibility as an objective vetter for voters.

For example, in its endorsement, the CA notes Cohen's "honest" representation. Yet, a group of gamblers hosted a fundraiser for him in Las Vegas after listening to him at a Judiciary hearing on Internet poker, according to the CA.

An excerpt:

Incumbent Steve Cohen went to a Las Vegas fundraiser last fall with Judiciary Committee chairman John Conyers, D-Mich., and picked up checks from 10 professional gamblers, some with nicknames like Texas Dolly and Vegas Stud. Eight of the 10 gave the maximum allowed for both the primary and general elections, $4,600. One gambler's wife also made a contribution as did the poker manager of the Bellagio casino.

The entire haul for the Nov. 19 event, including in-kind beverages: $64,188.

"The lottery was a historic change in Tennessee and I worked 20 years to pass the lottery and I worked five years to give the people of Memphis and other places in Tennessee the right to referendum horse racing," Cohen said.

Also, after questioning witnesses before the Judiciary Committee on Internet poker, he said someone approached and told him "our people would like to have a fundraiser for you. Good deal."

Why wasn't the story focused on that meeting and impropriety suggested by it? Since he has spent two years in Congress, how have his contributors influenced his voting record? The CA doesn't explore that.

For sure, there is nothing illegal about a fundraiser but the circumstances that led to Vegas fundraiser, for instance, create a perception about Cohen that is less than honest and simply opportunistic.

Should he divest that gambling money? That's a good idea.

ON AN UNRELATED, BUT RELATED, NOTE: An excerpt:

Cohen took fact-finding trips to Turkey in May 2007 paid for by the Federation of Former Members of Congress and to Israel in August 2007 paid for by the American Israel Education Foundation. The form asks, "Was a family member included?" For each trip, the form is marked yes.

"That was a mistake," Cohen said by phone from Memphis. Twenty minutes later, a staff member in Washington called to say an amendment was being prepared and would be filed by the end of the day correcting the error.

Yet, did he take someone else or not? Cohen isn't married and it's well known that he has taken his girlfriend to events that are basically perks from the job. For instance, he used one State of the Union address as a date night. Why wouldn't he have taken her along to Turkey and Israel too?