TROUBLED WATERS – AT 8:38 A.M. ET:  There is probably no member of Congress who brags more consistently about her commitment to "the people" than Maxine Waters, the far-left representative from Los Angeles.  Why, she'd volunteer to be burned at the stake for the benefit of "the people."

Problem is, we're not sure which people she's referring to.  From the Washington Times:

Rep. Maxine Waters has turned political endorsements into a family business, using federal election laws to charge California candidates and political causes to include their names as her personal picks on a sample ballot, or "slate mailer," she sends to as many as 200,000 South Central Los Angeles voters, records show.

Some statewide candidates paid as much as $45,000 for their share of the costs to be included in the mailer, according to state and federal election records, and while it can be costly for the candidates, the mailer has proved profitable for Mrs. Waters' daughter, Karen.

Karen Waters's public relations firm, Progressive Connections, has been paid $354,500 since late 2004 to direct production and distribution of the mailer - about a third of the $1 million collected from the candidates and issue groups seeking to be included on the sample ballot, the records show.

I love that name, "Progressive Connections."  Well, they have the connections, but they don't seem overly progressive.

The public relations firm was owed an additional $82,000 as of June 30 for her work on the mailer in the primary, according to Federal Election Commission (FEC) records. Her fees do not include expenses for printing and mailing, which are paid separately by the committee.

In 2004, Mrs. Waters - who is fighting charges by the House ethics committee that she improperly sought federal help for a bank in which her husband owned stock - obtained an opinion from the FEC allowing her to run the mailer operation through her federal political committee, Citizens for Waters.

Congresswoman may not have broken any laws with the mailers, but her name carries great influence with California's black voters.  Some observers are concerned over the precedent:

Some consultants and watchdogs are troubled that Mrs. Waters' campaign is charging candidates she endorses to be included in her mailer and said it borders on "pay-to-play" schemes, which have recently come under scrutiny by federal authorities.

And this isn't even Illinois.

One hitch here is that African-American members of Congress have been complaining bitterly about being singled out on ethics charges.  Earlier this week the former head of the Congressional Black Caucus, Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas, was charged in the press with directing scholarships reserved for black students to members of her own family.  It will be very awkward, given the racial sensitivities, to pursue still more charges against black members of Congress.

Most black congressmen and congresswomen represent "safe" districts.  They can probably stay a lifetime.  That's part of the problem.  When you're unchallenged, ethical limits tend to get pushed.

September 2, 2010