The Legal Services angle on McKay
McClatchy reporter Les Blumenthal writes an article about "old grudges" that dogged John McKay within some GOP circles in the state. The whole thing is worth a read, but the fascinating parts are about how McKay was viewed in conservative circles not just regarding the 2004 gubernatorial election but because he had worked for Legal Service Corporation during the Clinton years, which in wingnut circles meant he had "worked for Clinton," according to the article.
From The News-Tribune:
The American people have come to understand how the conservative-captured Republican Party has operated over the last fifteen years or so. You either believe what they believe, no matter how awful or insane that belief might be, or you are the enemy, to be destroyed. That's why nobody would put it past them to use the Justice Department to settle political scores.
It's sad, really. But that doesn't mean Democrats should not conduct investigations. Let the evidence lead where it leads. If McKay was actually fired for reasons other than a political vendetta, we need to know that. But there's a lot of 'splaining left to do, 'cause things don't add up.
From The News-Tribune:
Known as “Johnny” to friends and family, John McKay served as president of the Legal Services Corp. in Washington, D.C., before being named U.S. attorney. The Legal Services Corp. was created by Congress in 1974 as a private nonprofit corporation to provide legal services to the poor.Which shows, once again, that Tom McCabe is one of the most relentlessly partisan big interest group leaders in the history of this state. But it shows the mindset among the hard-core conservatives: to them McKay had already been defined as a traitor to their cause because he maybe thought poor people should have proper representation, and as the article notes, had worked to defend Legal Services Corporation from Congressional attacks.
Though McKay headed Legal Services Corp. during the Clinton administration, he wasn’t appointed by the president and didn’t work for the administration. Even so, Vance and others said the perception among conservatives was that McKay had worked for the Clinton administration.
“I knew who he was,” Tom McCabe, executive vice president of the Building Industry Association of Washington, said of John McKay. “He worked in the Clinton administration.”
Tony Williams, Gorton’s former chief of staff, recalled that when passions were running high following the 2004 governor’s race, McKay’s connection to Legal Services and mistaken connection to the Clinton administration raised some eyebrows in conservative circles.That's kind of a nice way of saying the wingnuts were out for blood. Which was obvious, but bears directly on what ultimately happened to McKay.
“If people Googled him and saw he ran Legal Services … I can only imagine what my more conservative friends thought,” Williams said.
The American people have come to understand how the conservative-captured Republican Party has operated over the last fifteen years or so. You either believe what they believe, no matter how awful or insane that belief might be, or you are the enemy, to be destroyed. That's why nobody would put it past them to use the Justice Department to settle political scores.
It's sad, really. But that doesn't mean Democrats should not conduct investigations. Let the evidence lead where it leads. If McKay was actually fired for reasons other than a political vendetta, we need to know that. But there's a lot of 'splaining left to do, 'cause things don't add up.
