Even in quantifying it in this way shows it's a tremendous reach. Certainly what PK did is nowhere on the scale of what Nixon did. Then again, Nixon was the one on tape while PK isn't on tape-they did the taping. The analogy in reality is Nixon while McConnell and friends have tried to make the issue who recorded the tape in this case; one very interesting dynamic in Watergate is that Nixon himself bugged his own office believing that somehow this would protect him.
It's also not clear that PK broke the law if the conversation was audible from the hallway. Interestingly, James O'Keefe of all people has defended PK and while I'm not sure I love him as a defender, he is right that the law shouldn't be totally against legitimate whistleblowers-the trouble with him is that he's never been that.
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/james-okeefe-defends-david-corns-reporting-on-mcconnell?ref=fpb
The two members of PK accused of doing the PK recording were outed by a high official in the Kentucky Democratic party:
"The Democratic official who's claiming that two members of the group Progress Kentucky were behind the recordings of a secret meeting between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and campaign aides said Thursday that he made the information public for the good of his party."
"Jacob Conway, who sits on the executive committee of the Jefferson County, Ky. Democratic Party, told the public radio station WFPL that Shawn Reilly and Curtis Morrison of Progress Kentucky bragged to him about recording the meeting, which was held Feb. 2 at a newly opened McConnell campaign office in Louisville, Ky. In one of the recordings, which were obtained by Mother Jones, an aide to McConnell can be heard discussing Ashley Judd's history with depression and how it might be exploited in next year's campaign."
"Shortly after WFPL broke the story on Thursday afternoon, Conway told Fox News Channel's Megyn Kelly that he didn't want the actions by Reilly and Morrison to inflict damage on Democrats in Kentucky."
"The only reason that I came forward with what I knew was I was trying to protect the Democratic Party," Conway said. "I believe in our party's values, and I was doing what I thought was best for the party because I did not want their bad behavior, their poor mistakes — I shouldn't say "bad behavior" — their mistakes, their lack of judgment to hurt our party's efforts here in the state of Kentucky and in Jefferson County, here in Louisville."
You wonder the Kentucky Democratic party is going to be hurt more by the antics of a small group or McConnell by the light we see into how he conducts himself: what about his 'bad behavior?'
This weekend, a Kentucky paper pointed out that the real issue is not how the content was gathered but the despicable content itself; ie, it's not PK who's behaviour is on par with Nixon, but McConnell's himself.
"In a blistering editorial published Sunday, the Louisville Courier-Journal sought to shift attention away from the alleged transgressions committed by Progress Kentucky, arguing that the "despicable" content of the audio recordings from a secret strategy session involving Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) constitutes "the real story."
"The meeting, held Feb. 2 in Louisville, was allegedly recorded by two activists involved with Progress Kentucky before the audio tapes were obtained and reported on by Mother Jones. In one of the recordings, an aide to McConnell can be heard discussing Ashley Judd, then a potential challenger, and how her history with depression might be exploited in a campaign."
"The contents of the audio are as despicable as they are damaging, leaving Mr. McConnell unable to defend them," the Courier-Journal editorial board wrote. "Instead, he blustered he was the victim of 'Watergate style' bugging by left-leaning enemies and demanded an FBI investigation."
"The editorial made a case that the "clumsy stumbling" of the "little-known group" has played into the GOP leader's hands, "helping establish him as the victim he badly wants to be."
"Meanwhile, Mr. McConnell has masterfully diverted public attention from the offensive content of the tape — which is the real story here — to his outrage over how it was obtained," the editorial read.
http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/kentucky-newspaper-despicable-content-of-mcconnell-tapes-is?ref=fpb
No doubt, this small group was very "clumsy" when it talked about his wife's Asian ethnicity back in February on Twitter. Still, it's clear that McConnell is no victim as the tapes again underscore-he was talking about using Ashley Judd's history with depression against her. There's a reason why McConnell is the least popular Senator in the country.
He also himself may have been behaving unethically by having campaign discussions on government time. For this reason he has been served with an ethics complaint. So while he draws the specious analogy between PK and Nixon, he himself may have committed a federal crime:
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been hit with an ethics complaint after a leaked tape revealed he was discussing with aides how to take on potential opponent Ashley Judd.
The Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) has asked the Senate ethics committee and the FBI to investigate whether McConnell was having a discussion about potential Judd weaknesses -- including her mental health and religion -- on government time.
“Using taxpayer-funded resources to pay staffers to dig up dirt on political opponents isn’t just an ethics violation, it’s a federal crime,” said CREW Executive Director Melanie Sloan. “As Sen. McConnell requested, the FBI is investigating the recording. A thorough and fair investigation necessitates the bureau also inquire into whether Sen. McConnell himself violated the law.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/04/11/mitch-mcconnell-ethics-complaint_n_3062215.html
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