# The prosecution of Bob McDonnell is a distraction **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 4, 2014, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528 "2014-09-04T22:31:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/21 "2014-09-05T14:26:25Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Did anyone see the Green Bay/Seattle game last night? Damn, I was hoping Green Bay would trounce them. I blame the Jews. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/22 "2014-09-05T14:42:31Z")
Couldn’t be, everybody knows they hate to argue. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/23 "2014-09-05T15:01:26Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > This countries political system country’s ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/24 "2014-09-05T15:33:04Z")
For a different (and IMHO totally appalling) view, consider the following [Washington post conservative Blogger’s view](http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2014/09/05/a-tragedy-for-robert-mcdonnell-a-nightmare-for-the-political-system/), bemoaning the fact that after this case politicians won’t be able to take super bowl tickets from wealthy constituents without worrying that it will look bad. > [@](#): > > At this point, ingratitude should be the watchword when dealing with donors and rich friends. The safest advice to any politicians is that they give no tickets, invitations or introductions for anyone who has ever given them anything significant, be it a gift or campaign donations. Consider, for example, a big donor who raises millions for a president’s campaign. He then gets invited to a state dinner or gets an award for being a great American. That sort of conduct suddenly becomes high-risk. > > The discretion afforded to prosecutors in the post-McDonnell era would be jaw-dropping. How many donors (big or small) have gotten state dinner invitations or access to government agencies (e.g. Solyndra) or even help navigating the bureaucracy, let alone an ambassadorship, in the past few years? Is a Republican prosecutor going to start indicting the Obamas and is a Democratic prosecutor going to go after the speaker of the House, the Senate minority leader and every Republican governor he can find? That is certainly a recipe for disaster. To which I respond, bring it on! Its easy to avoid the appearance of corruption, just don’t accept gifts. As an Federal employee, with no influence over anything I can’t accept anything over $25 for anything related to my job without going afoul of the ethics office. Why should the rules be weaker for politicians who actually wield real power. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/25 "2014-09-05T15:54:57Z")
I share the blogger’s outrage that politicians may no longer be able to peddle influence in the wake of McDonnell’s prosecution for influence-peddling. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/26 "2014-09-05T15:58:11Z")
In America, we tend to equate success with money. A successful politician rides in limos, eats out fancy, and hangs out with _really_ rich people who treat him as an equal. Sooner or later, he notices that he is not, in fact, rich. Unless he started out that way. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/27 "2014-09-05T17:51:49Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Did anyone see the Green Bay/Seattle game last night? Damn, I was hoping Green Bay would trounce them. Not a Cheese fan, but I was too. I figured they’d at least be able to open up Seattle’s defense a little more. I want to believe it has some cracks. But I can’t really think objectively. I’m still smarting from the Seattle-Chivas game the other day. The fishies put together a first half that could hang against any professional club in the world, IMHO, and I hated every second of it. So pretty much fuck Seattle teams, every one of them. Fuck Marshawn Lynch and fuck Clint Dempsey. Fuck Dempsey twice. (I still watch the Ms, but yanno what? Fuck them too. They’re going to piss away their shot at the playoffs, and I still haven’t forgiven them for letting Randy Johnson sandbag his way to Arizona, and for not making Edgar the hitting coach. Just…fuck them. Fuck them all.) With bile and a giant Portland chip on his shoulder, -andros- ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/28 "2014-09-05T17:58:51Z")
Maybe if politics didnt have the appeal of all this “privileged access” and fringe benefits, maybe it would attract people who really cared about working for their constituents; and not a special interest that will line their pockets. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2014, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/29 "2014-09-05T18:06:09Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > Shorter OP: the real crime isn’t what they do that’s illegal, but rather what they do that’s perfectly legal. Yeah, that is a better way to put it. However there were crimes committed that the justice department refused to prosecute regarding torture, spying, mortgage fraud, etc. So even if something is a crime if you are high up enough you get off free. Or so ‘they’ say. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2014, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/30 "2014-09-06T08:17:52Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Not a Cheese fan, but I was too. I figured they’d at least be able to open up Seattle’s defense a little more. I want to believe it has some cracks. > > But I can’t really think objectively. I’m still smarting from the Seattle-Chivas game the other day. The fishies put together a first half that could hang against any professional club in the world, IMHO, and I hated every second of it. > > So pretty much fuck Seattle teams, every one of them. Fuck Marshawn Lynch and fuck Clint Dempsey. Fuck Dempsey twice. > > (I still watch the Ms, but yanno what? Fuck them too. They’re going to piss away their shot at the playoffs, and I still haven’t forgiven them for letting Randy Johnson sandbag his way to Arizona, and for not making Edgar the hitting coach. Just…fuck them. Fuck them all.) > With bile and a giant Portland chip on his shoulder, > > -andros- Chivas? ---
**Author:** ![Shayna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shayna/32/17976_2.png) [@Shayna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shayna)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/31 "2014-09-07T19:56:16Z")
Oh for fuck’s sake. Just because one jurisdiction is doing the right thing and coming to the right results, doesn’t mean it’s useless. It’s actually an _example_ that should be held up and emulated. You should be _celebrating_ this; it’s proof we can get these fuckers when we try. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/32 "2014-09-07T20:44:42Z")
I absolutely agree with the OP! There shouldn’t be _any_ prosecutions of corrupt politicians, if they aren’t able/willing to scoop them all up at once. ---
**Author:** ![Leaper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/4bbf92/32.png) [@Leaper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaper)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2014, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/33 "2014-09-07T23:44:05Z")
Yes, small potatoes should absolutely be ignored and allowed to do what they want while we concentrate solely on the big fish. If the OP has some kind of evidence that McDonnell was some kind of sacrifice show trial, I’m sure we’d all love to see it. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/34 "2014-09-08T02:31:16Z")
The OP reminds me of people whining when they get caught speeding, saying cops should be out looking for the _real_ criminals, like rapists or murderers. C’mon. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2014, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528/35 "2014-09-08T12:11:54Z")
Well, when I get caught murdering, I always ask the cops why they aren’t out catching real criminals, like speeders. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-prosecution-of-bob-mcdonnell-is-a-distraction/697528.md?page=1)