« BACK  |  PRINT

RS

FRONT PAGE CONTRIBUTOR

Traficant’s back!

By: Moe Lane (Diary)  |  September 8th, 2009 at 08:33 AM  | 

RESIZE: AAA

He’s tanned (not really), toupee’d, and ready to… why, he’s ready to do anything at all for OH-17, really.

Anything.

BOARDMAN, Ohio — Seven years in prison doesn’t appear to have changed former U.S. Rep. James Traficant’s style whatsoever, and the 1,200 supporters who gathered at a Boardman banquet hall Sunday afternoon loved him for it.

“I was a quarterback. I was a congressman. Now I’m a convict,” Traficant said, his signature toupee firmly back atop his head. “I wouldn’t change one single thing. And to the powerful enemies that I have, I’ll just say this to you: They had to cheat to convict me.”

The crowd roared. After 15 minutes of remarks, hundreds swarmed the make-shift stage to shake his hand or ask for an autograph.

The precise definition of ‘anything’ will have to wait until at least his Friday interview with Greta Van Susteren of Fox, but I can’t help but notice that it’s not every convict Congressman who can get 1,200 people to come to his I Got Out Of Jail! party.  I also can’t help but notice that he’s apparently only able to run for federal office in Ohio.  Or that current holder Tim Ryan (D) is swiftly losing (or already lost) his pro-life credentials (Traficant had excellent ratings from the NRLC, back in the day), which is probably the most interesting thing about him.  Or that this is shaping up to be a bad election cycle for reflexively supporting the party in power’s policies. Or that I’m not the only one not laughing at the very thought that Traficant might try to get his seat back.  Not that I’m suggesting anything, of course.

That would be mean.

Moe Lane

Crossposted to Moe Lane.

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

COMMENTS

POSTING RULES  |  LOGIN TO COMMENT  |  REGISTER TODAY
  • mbecker908

    He’s too honest.

  • bk

     

  • bk

  • http://www.RedState.com/ETCartman Kenny Solomon

    Bring it on, Mr. Trafficant….. Please.

    Really.

    Might not agree with you on most things, but I admire your honesty and love your passion and no-quit attitude.

    Cheers !

  • blooch

    when he is on vacation. I can’t wait to hear Rush’s take on his old buddy’s resurrection

  • Crowe

    …and if I weren’t in a Blue Dog’s district I’d do what it took to move back up there and vote for him again. I grew up in his district, parents still live there.

    Tim Ryan was first elected after he beat uber-liberal Tom Sawyer in a primary. He won because he had a pro-life, pro-gun record in the OH state senate… my how things change, and how Washington changes lightweights. Ryan is a nit-wit backstabbing ladder-climber and I looooved it when Gov. Strickland treated his desire to run for OH LtGov like snooty beauty queens treat pimply faced dweebs with halitosis and an overdeveloped (and entirely undue) sense of popularity who ask them to prom.

    My favorite Traficant moment was watching him vote for Hastert for speaker back in the late nineties. Gold.

    Run, Jim, run!

  • Crowe

    It’s why they stopped protecting him and let the Feds convict him on charges that pale in comparison to what Dodd, Rangel, et al. are guilty of.

  • http://www.cis.ysu.edu/~kramer snowyowl

    …and campaigned for him back in 1982 as part of my government class requirements (campaign for the candidate of your choice).

    All kidding aside, Jim was one who pulled no punches, and at least gave the appearance of working for his constituents, if not actually doing so.

    Personally, I’d like to see him take out Tim Ryan. Ryan is little more than a pork-loving puppet of the left. However, I believe he actually lives in Charlie Wilson’s district (which is mine).

  • Repair_Man_Jack

    I’d suffer cognitive dissonance. I’d no longer be able to vote my customary straight R ticket.

  • Crowe

    Come to think of it I think you’re right. Traficant, If I recall correctly, lives in Poland, where my brother lives. That’s the top edge of the sixth… Hmmmm…. If we can get Traficant to primary Wilson–or even hint that he’s considering it–I think that’d put the fear of God in Wilson and help him get over his inexplicable recent flirtations with the Pelosi monster.

  • Crowe

    My folks have been registered Dems forever, but are as conservative as anyone. In Youngstown, Ohio (as in many urban centers) ya gotta vote in the Dem primary to have any say in local politics because the Dem will win in November. Period. I voted for Traficant twice, while registered R in that area.