Ed Morrissey today gets into a long piece examining just how Norman Hsu got as far into the Democratic party’s inner circle… particularly Hillary Clinton.
The Los Angeles Times doesn’t do much better at unraveling the enigma. However, the Times does a good job of determining how Hsu ingratiated himself with the Democrats — lots and lots of gifts:
Last year, to celebrate New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s reelection victory, Norman Hsu capped an amazingly successful year as a Democratic fundraiser by treating members of her campaign staff to several days at the glitzy Mandalay Bay hotel and casino in Las Vegas, complete with free show tickets and dinners at posh restaurants.Among Hsu’s guests was Patti Solis Doyle, who now heads Clinton’s presidential campaign and has long been one of Clinton’s most trusted advisors….
By living on a lavish scale, he convinced associates that he was backed by great personal wealth. He also made a point of doing favors. He would provide hard-to-get dinner reservations at exclusive restaurants, or bestow elegant gifts on associates. Clinton confidant Solis Doyle got a coveted, and pricey, designer handbag — a gift that made her so uncomfortable she returned it. …
As they look back, Clinton staffers say Hsu’s efforts to ingratiate himself seem painfully, embarrassingly obvious. In addition to the post-victory trip to Las Vegas in November 2006 for Solis Doyle, two junior staffers and a New York-based fundraiser, Hsu provided a hotel stay in Las Vegas for two other campaign workers in April 2006.
While at the Mandalay Bay, Hsu took at least some of his guests to a favorite bar, Red Square. It features a huge statue of a decapitated Lenin at the entrance, and the top of the bar is sheathed in ice to maintain the chill of the caviar and exclusive vodkas.
It’s a strategy that allowed Hsu to hoodwink Hillary and worm his way into the inner circles of the Democratic Party. Rather than ask themselves what Hsu wanted with the freebies, the Clinton camp and other Hsu clients just kept reveling in his largesse. That certainly has some bearing on the ethics of a potential Hillary Clinton administration, as well as its sophistication and judgment.
I think Ed is being too kind, here, and in more than just Hillary Clinton’s actions. Not only are we dealing with someone we were told is the smartest woman in the world, but we’re also dealing with the remainder of the Democratic Party… Barrack Obama, Eliot Spitzer, Andrew Cuomo and as Ed says, a host of other Democrats consistently acting as saps are coming up with other explanations for their greed. How can this man have gotten by ALL of them? I mean, the smartest and most experienced at Criminal matters should have known, you’d think…
Let’s take Spitzer and Cuomo, as examples..the former and current attorneys general for the state of New York. Spitzer, you may or may not know, made his reputation as a lawn order type, while in that position. I think it will surprise nobody, to learn that fifteen minutes after taking office, he was acting in a very Nixonian like manner toward his political opponents. The resulting scandal continues today, of course with Spitzer claiming innocence. One there, too, the former attorney general who made his reputation of knowing everything that was going on in his immediate vicinity, claims now that he had no clue that his subordinates were acting in this fashion.
And then we have Andrew Cuomo. The attorney general current, who after biding his time as an insider in Spitzer’s office of attorney general, goes after is former boss, in what would appear to be rather opportunistic fashion… (Does anyone really believe that Eliot Spitzer was squeaky clean during his tenure at the AG’s office? It’s interesting how Cuomo was able to keep his mouth shut for so long.) … Cuomo, also, claimed to not know anything damaging about Mr. Hsu.
How can two people, so wrapped up in enforcement of the law, not know the degree of ucriminality Mr. Hse represented? perhaps they just turn their heads and looked away, as the money slid into their palms?
And those are merely two examples of the many many people to whom Mr Hsu showed his largess. Here’s some of the rest we know about:
How is it that even with the huge pile of money being passed out to such a large group of supposedly intelligent people, nobody understood the criminality that Hsu represented? Perhaps they just didn’t care, so long as they got the money?
And let’s look closely at Hsu himself. He skipped out on two million in bail, and was running so he’d not have to testify in the matter, when he was hauled off the train at Grand Junction, Colorado. He’s not moved from there, since. Word is, he’s been taken to the surgical wing. Suddenly the image of Vince Foster lying in Ft Marcy Park with a suicide note and a gun that wouldn’t fire, leaps to mind, unbidden. What would make someone skip out on that kind of money? It’s not an inconsequential sum, even if you’re on the payroll of George Soros. Or, the Chinese government.
The democrats have been revealed as corrupt on a breathtaking scale with all of this. Which, most likely, is why the mainstream media hasn’t dared touch the story, not really. Oh sure, they’ve touchdown is little personality quirks, but they haven’t touched the real story here, which is where he was getting his money from.
And guess who is at the top of that list of people Hsu ‘donated’ to?
Um…. Yeah, that’d be her.
Tags: BitsBlog, China, Corruption, Democrats, Elections
