Fresh Air: Primer on Abramoff Scandal

Greetings, wayward marks.

Yesterday, while marveling at the precise engineering of laminate flooring, I listened to the insatiably curious Terry Gross of WHYY's Fresh Air interview NYT reporter Philip Shenon on the unfolding lobbying scandal threatening to strip The Beltway of the cheap facade used to disguise systemic corruption as democratic legislative process.

An approximate hour with Terry Gross is no small thing, but the scandal itself has so many fingers, Gross and Shenon can only scratch the surface. Nonetheless, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the naked greed and wretched excess of the failed American political system.

So, as you peruse the headlines and blogs today, give a listen to Fresh Air: Abramoff, Scanlon and the Influence of Money.

And since I'm on the Fresh Air bandwagon, I would be remiss in failing to pass along the segments to be broadcast on today's show (audio available after 3:00p Eastern):

The GOP in America: 'Off Center'
Political scientists Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson are the authors of the new book Off Center: The Republican Revolution and the Erosion of American Democracy.

In the book, Hacker and Pierson examine the tactics of far-right Republicans -- and how they've changed the system for years to come. They split their subject matter into two topics: "Abandoning the Middle" and "Broken Checks and Balances."

And this...

Trent Lott's 'Life in Politics

Not that I would suggest you actually suffer through Lott's self-aggrandizement, but it is an interesting companion to the first segment.