by DCG
I’ve heard that once in DC, your sole purpose is to get re-elected and you do that by getting money for your district. And you start fundraising immediately for your next election.
Constituents? They are merely the conduit to your political/lobbying/media career. Nothing more, nothing less.
Rep. Eliot Engel
From NBC:
“Rep. Eliot Engel, a New York Democrat facing a tough primary challenge and questions about his absence from his district, was caught on a hot mic at a district event responding to unrest saying twice that he only wanted press coverage because of an electoral threat.
“If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care,” Engel said to Ruben Diaz Jr., the Bronx borough president, at a Tuesday press conference responding to unrest and vandalism in his district related to the recent death of George Floyd.”
Engel’s excuse for getting caught for what he said:
“In the context of running for reelection, I thought it was important for people to know where I stand, that’s why I asked to speak,” he said. “Of course I care deeply about what’s happening in this country, that’s what I wanted to convey. I love the Bronx, grew up in the Bronx and lived here all my life. I would not have tried to impose on the Borough President if I didn’t think it was important.”
Read the whole story here.
DCG