Democrats Rekindle 'Culture Of Corruption' Campaign

By Paul Bedard

(US News)  The Democratic "Culture of Corruption" campaign against Republicans is making a comeback, according to associates of House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rep. Rahm Emanuel.

The reason: Both parties believe that more House Republican members will be ensnared in ongoing ethics investigations and that one to four members will be forced to resign. Democratic officials said that the effort has a national and local push.

Nationally, the Democrats want to keep the spotlight on what they view as GOP corruption and incompetence.

They also plan to focus on reports of investigations into the practices of members like Arizona's Rick Renzi and California's John Doolittle. Locally, meanwhile, by putting heat on Republicans in trouble, the party is producing credible candidates to challenge the Republicans far earlier than normal.