Conservatives Without Conscience

Anonymous, “Corrupted by Lunch: What Speaker Hastert Thinks of His Colleagues,” Wall Street Journal (January 19, 2006), A-14.

43.

Janet Hook, “GOP Seeks Lasting Majority: The Party Dreams of Political Dominion,” Los Angeles Times (July 21, 2003), A-1.

44.

Paul Krugman, “Toward One-Party Rule,” New York Times (June 27, 2003), A- 27.

45.

Scott Stewart, “The College Republicans—A Brief History,” College Republican National Committee at http://www.crnc.org/images/CRNChistory.pdf (reports on Abramoff’s role in the CRNC); People for the American Way, “Right Wing Watch: Americans for Tax Reform” at http://www.pfaw.org/pfaw/general/default.aspx? oid=9326.

46.

Franklin Foer, “Swimming with Sharks: Republicans Learn Their Dirty Tricks by Practicing on One Another,” New Republic (October 3, 2005), 20.

47.

College Republican National Committee, “The National Chairmen of the College Republican National Committee” at http://www.crnc.org/images/CRNC_Chairmen.pdf.

48.

Foer, “Swimming with Sharks,” 20–22.

49.

Joseph B. Treaster, “College Republicans Open a Drive Against Student Activist Groups,” New York Times (March 13, 1983), A-28

50.

Howard Kurtz and Charles R. Babcock, “Two ‘Nonpolitical’ Foundations Push Grenada Rallies,” Washington Post (October 4, 1984), A-1.

51.

Michael Hirschorn, “Little Men on Campus (Republican Party College Activities),” New Republic (August 5, 1985), 14.

52.

Sidney Blumenthal, “Staff Shakeup Hits Conservative Group: 7 Fired at Lehrman’s Citizens for America,” Washington Post (July 27, 1985), A-10.

53.

Abramoff’s resume from his days at Greenberg Traurig at http://web.archive.org/web/20030612020908/http://gtlaw.com/bios/govadmin/abramoffj.htm.

54.

Bell is quoted in Andrew Ferguson, “The Lobbyist’s Progress: Jack Abramoff and the End of the Republican Revolution,” Weekly Standard (December 20, 2004).

55.

Michael Janofsky, “Senate Opens Hearings on Lobbyists for Tribes,” New York Times (September 30, 2004), A-15.

56.

Material in this section is based on personal knowledge, which I confirmed when writing a column on the subject for FindLaw at the time the issue of changing the Senate’s rules first arose. See John W. Dean, “The Ongoing Controversy over Judicial Nominees: What Will It Mean if the GOP ‘Goes Nuclear’ on the Filibuster Rules?” FindLaw—Writ (May 23, 2003) at http://writ.news.findlaw.com/dean/20030523.html.

57.

See Gang of 14, “Memorandum of Understanding on Judicial Nomination” at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gang_of_fourteen.

58.

Charles Martin, Healing America: The Life of Senate Majority Leader William H. Frist, M.D. (Nashville: W Publishing Group, 2004), 82. I have both quoted from and paraphrased this story.

59.

William H. Frist, Transplant: A Heart Surgeon’s Account of the Life-and-Death Dramas of New Medicine (New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1989), 122.

60.

Ibid., 123.

61.