A senator and a convicted felon?

A segment on Tuesday’s episode of the Daily Show entitled, “Meet Your New Cellmate – Ted Stevens,” featured a story on how Alaskan Senator Ted Stevens was convicted Monday of seven felony counts of ethics violations.

The 84-year-old Stevens was said to have knowingly failed to report various gifts he had received from friends – one of which, Bill Allen, who owns Veco Corporation, an Alaskan oil company.

According to the Miami Herald, the gifts totaled over $250,000 in renovations and items for the senator’s home in Girdwood, Alaska including:

1. $29,000 fish sculpture
2. $5,000 gas grill
3. $3,200 stained glass window
4. $2,700 vibrating massage chair
5. $1,000 sled dog

Stevens blamed the verdict on “misconduct” by prosecutors and said to Neil A. Lewis of the New York Times, “I will fight this unjust verdict with every ounce of energy I have.”

Steven’s defense centered around the idea that he did not ask for these gifts and had no use for them.

After the verdict was announced Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, said, “This verdict is a personal tragedy for our colleague Ted Stevens, but it is an important reminder that no man is above the law. Senator Stevens must now respect the outcome of the judicial process and the dignity of the United States Senate,” according to an article in the New York Times.

Stevens faces up to 35 years in jail – five years per count – but will likely receive much less if any prison time. Some say it is even possible that he will be pardoned by President Bush before he leaves office, according to the article.

The verdict comes only a week before the senator is up for another senate term which he still intends to seek.

Powell endorsement important for Obama campaign

A segment on Monday’s episode of the Daily Show entitled, “Pfriend or Pfoe,” discussed the reaction of former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s endorsement of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama for president.

Powell, a Republican, announced his decision to Tom Brokaw last Sunday in an interview on “Meet the Press” stating that either candidate would be a good president but that he felt that Republican presidential candidate John McCain, a long time friend, “did not have a complete grasp of the economic problems we have.”

Powell also expressed his reservations with appointing Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate, saying that he did not think she was ready to be vice president and questioned McCain’s judgment in choosing her.

As for Obama, Powell said that he showed “intellectual vigor” and that “he could be president on day one,” adding, “He’s crossing lines – ethnic lines, racial lines, generational lines – he’s thinking about how all villages have values, all towns have values, not just small towns have values,” referring to the McCain campaign’s stress on the importance of small town values.

In response to Powell’s announcement, Obama said Sunday at a rally in North Carolina that, “A great soldier, a great statesman and a great American has endorsed our campaign to change America. He knows, as we do, that this is a moment where we all need to come together as one nation — young and old, rich and poor, black and white, Republican and Democrat.”

According to an article in the New York Times, Powell dismissed the idea that he chose to support Obama because they are both black. In fact, Powell gave $2,300 towards McCain’s campaign last year for his presidential bid.

Palin trades in TJ Max for Neiman Marcus

A segment on Wednesday’s Daily Show entitled, “Project Beltway,” featured a story about Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s expensive new campaign wardrobe for the election season.

It was reported that the Republican National Committee has spent about $150,000 in just two months to outfit Palin and her family in designer clothes – $75,062 at Neiman Marcus and $49,425 at Saks Fifth Avenue – according to an article in the New York Times.

Palin’s advisers claim that the “campaign accessories” were purchased shortly after Republican presidential candidate John McCain announced Palin as his running mate on August 29th and that new clothes were necessary for different climates across the United States.

However, advisers to both Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton said that they have never spent campaign money on personal clothing but that purchases could potentially be hidden within advertising budgets.

According to the same article in the New York Times, if the McCain campaign had made the purchases it would be construed as using campaign finances for personal use, which is restricted. However, party committees like the Republican National Committee are not under these same rules.

But despite assurances from Palin that all of the clothes will be donated to charity after the election is over, some believe this revelation has tarnished her image and might affect her standing with working-class voters in swing states.

“How does someone who just spent more on clothing in six weeks than most Americans make in two years show that she can still relate to the common folk,” asked Jon Stewart on the Daily Show.

Florida rocked by another sex scandal

On Wednesday the Daily Show aired a segment entitled, “Two Sex Scandals, One Congressional District,” that showcased how Florida’s 16th Congressional District has been hit with another sex scandal from a congressman.

ABC News broke the story on Monday that Democratic Congressman Tim Mahoney payed a $121,000 settlement to his former mistress and staffer, Patricia Allen, to keep their affair a secret after she threatened to sue him for firing her in January of 2008.

Mahoney also promised Allen a $50,000 a year job at his campaign advertising agency for two years.

This could cost Mahoney his seat in the House of Representatives according to an article in the New York Times by Ian Urbina – “His South Florida district is conservative, and he was already in one of the most competitive races involving an incumbent Democrat.”

Mahoney was elected two years ago after Republican Congressman Mark Foley resigned after sexually suggestive messages were uncovered between Foley and his young male pages.

Though Mahoney admits to the affair, he claims that the money given to Allen did not come from campaign funds and was merely a severance package.

“While these allegations are based on hearsay, I believe that my constituents need a full accounting,” said Mahoney in a written statement. “As such, I have requested the House Ethics Committee to review these allegations.”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi also asked on Monday that there be a House ethics inquiry and yesterday the committee released a statement saying it planned, “a broad probe that could include interviews with other lawmakers aware of the allegations,” according to an article by Paul Kane of the Washington Post.

Where did ‘Joe the plumber’ come from?

Last Thursday an episode of the Daily Show featured a segment entitled, “Joe the Plubmer’s House,” that highlighted the media’s sudden fascination with Joe “the plumber” Wurzelbacher, an undecided Ohio voter who was the subject of talk at the final presidential debate – a total of 23 times mentioned – this past Wednesday.

Wurzelbacher first stepped into the spotlight last weekend when a video on YouTube circulated around news media outlets that involved him having a conversation with Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama about tax cuts during a visit to his block in Toledo, Ohio.

Wurzelbacher compalined that under Obama’s plan to cut taxes for people who made less than $250,000 a year, he would be unfairly taxed for buying the small plumbing business he has been working for that makes over that amount.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain brought up Wurzelbacher’s concerns in the final debate and used him as a symbol to criticize Obama’s overall tax plan.

“You know what Senator Obama had to say to Joe? That he wanted to spread his wealth around,” said McCain at a rally in Downingtown, Pennsylvania on Thursday. “America didn’t become the greatest nation on earth by spreading the wealth. We became the greatest nation by creating new wealth.”

However, according to an article by Larry Rohter of the New York Times, if Wurzelbacher’s plumbing business was kept as a two-person company, “both incomes would most likely fall well below the top tax brackets on which Mr. Obama wants to raise rates, as would the company itself.”

It’s even a probability that Wurzelbacher and his associate would both receive a tax cut under Obama’s tax plan thought not as substantial as under McCain’s.