I was reminded of the "politics makes strange bedfellows" quote when reading a recent article in the Cape Gazette about House Speaker Pete Schwartzkopf. The speaker broke his long silence on the conviction of State Auditor Kathy McGuiness by saying any effort to remove her from office would just be "political theater." The governor has also failed to act even as a jury found McGuiness guilty on three charges. Only the state Senate has acted responsibly in this matter with Democrats recently voting to begin an impeachment process.
Republican members of the House and Senate endorse Carney's and Schwartzkopf's inaction for their own reasons. In today’s polarized political climate, it's not too cynical to think that they oppose her ouster simply because most of the Democrats want it to happen. But with elections approaching, it’s more likely they want her around so they can point to the "corrupt Democrat" in their ads to the voters. Meanwhile, McGuiness continues to collect a paycheck, continues to run the state auditor’s office as her personal fiefdom, and brazenly runs for re-election. It’s way past time for this madness to end.
Editor’s note: Although the jury found McGuiness guilty on three misdemeanor charges, the judge has not entered a judgement of conviction or ruled on motions to acquit and for a new trial.
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