Mar 31, 2007

GOP plays rehab card again


The rehab card is played again by the GOP.

Republican have been making hay with the fact that Democratic Rep. Bert Johnson, D-Highland Park, was observed by a reporter driving on suspended license in a vehicle with an invalid plate last week after the reporter was tipped off by an anonymous caller. Another anonymous poster thought it so important I know that he made it a point of posting to let me know about it.

Incidentally, since that report Johnson’s driving privileges have been reinstated.

Less than a week later Rep. John Garfield, R- Rochester Hills, was arrested in the East Lansing area by Michigan State University campus police, according to a sketchy Associated Press report. The report said Garfield, 57, was arrested “early Thursday.”

The House was in session from noon to about 2:20 p.m. Thursday, but Garfield is listed in the House Journal for that day as excused. I guess being in jail is a pretty good excuse. This is Garfield’s second arrest in about 18 months, and Garfield pled guilty to a lesser charge of driving while impaired in the 2005 incident, according to the AP.

But the kicker is the reason he was allegedly driving drunk, and haven’t we heard this excuse coming from the GOP before.

Following his conviction in 2005, Garfield checked himself into a rehabilitation center, noting he had a problem that was aggravated by pain medication he has taken for several years, according to the AP.
''This is an ongoing battle he is fighting with alcohol,'' Dave Jessup, Garfield's chief of staff, said Friday. ''He is home in the district and is taking steps to deal with this.''

Say hello to Mark Foley for us.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Excellent article. I would like a indepth investigation into Rep. Garfield's arrest. What newspapers are in cahoots to not report his arrest? The ordinary working persons arrest appears in newspapers all the time. Perhaps the newspaper chains such as Gannett who are by the way RIGHT WING supress news of the arests of Republicans such as Garfield whom it seems is a prescription drug addict like Rush Limbaugh and as alcoholic. Thanks for the information. I hope he had to pay for his arrest and incrceration too.

Anonymous said...

Um, Guru ... if he's in rehab, wouldn't he be saying hello to all the Democratic Kennedys?

And I'm sure that good old felon Democrat Bert Johnson would have paid all his back fines and everything if the Free Press hadn't caught him breaking the law, right?

Communications guru said...

I don’t believe there’s a conspiracy for newspapers not to report on the arrest, Virtuous Woman, but I have to admit I am a little baffled why it has received so little press coverage.
There are scant details in the AP report, and Gongwer reports he was picked up at the intersection of Harrison Road and Michigan Avenue for apparently not wearing his seat belt. But Gongwer is subscription only, and generally only political junkies subscribe. You would think because he is from Oakland County the Oakland Press would have something, but they have little more than the AP report. If he was arrested sometime late Wednesday night or past midnight on Thursday they had two entire days to cover the story.
I know one thing for sure; this proves the “liberal media” myth is just a GOP political strategy.
When Hometown Newspapers was still around it had a policy that if an editor was ever arrested for drunk driving it would be ran on the front page. I believe they had to exercise that once years ago when the editor in either South Lyon or Milford was arrested. I don’t have any idea what Gannett’s policy is, but they are ignoring this story for the most part.
It seems odd they had a huge byline story with a sidebar and photo last week when Democratic Rep. Bert Johnson drove to work last week on a suspended license in a vehicle with an invalid plate. I consider drunk driving a much bigger and serious offense.

Communications guru said...

Um, Who-Ever-Who-Are…What Democratic Kennedy is in rehab or went to rehab as an excuse for a crime?

You are right, Rep. Johnson probably would not have paid the fines or paid them so quickly without the press coverage.

I only posted the Garfield info because you – I assume it’s you because you anonymous posters do not have the courage to take ownership of what you write – gigged me with it in a post that had absolutely nothing to do with driving. I even provided a link.

Do you really think driving on a suspended license is more serious than drunk driving?

phoenix22 said...

i'd like to see his dd214...i'm getting the feeling this guy is from the wannabe tribe.....and has possibly mis-represented his military service....

notice the certificate from the university of Maryland


uh, so.......

and he drives a hot new mustang gt