Here in Southeastern Michigan, the name Conyers conjures up a Democratic dynasty that includes a US Congressman and a past Detroit City Council President.
Many people in the area have an awe of such long-standing political figures. John Conyers has been in Congress forever and a day. Since 1965, anyway.
His wife, Monica, recently had to give up her day job as City Council member when she pled guilty to conspiracy to commit bribery. These include baubles she took to fill up her jewelry box. For anyone who doesn’t know, Detroit city corruption has been all the news for the last year or so. Ms. Conyers might spend the next three to five years in the slammer.
Ms. Conyers has been entertaining us with her outrageous behavior both at home (picking fights with other council members and school children) and away (causing a scene at a hotel during last year’s Democratic Convention, among other indiscretions) for a long time. She’s beyond sassy; she’s a certifiable character. Remember Kwame Kilpatrick? Monica Conyers is his female mirror image. She’s the embodiment of a career politician who thinks that just because she was elected to office, she’s the queen and we should grovel in her presence. Such feelings of entitlement might explain why she was so quick to take bribes to swing votes.
I run a business where occasionally Conyers relatives call up and namedrop while securing services. If they are expecting me to bow down and kiss their feet (or patooti) just because of their last name, they called the wrong person. I’m just as nice to non-Conyers callers.
Every time Monica’s antics grabbed a headline, I cringed. I felt sorry not only for the residents of Detroit, I felt sorry for her family. John Conyers seemed like a decent enough guy, a representative who keeps the home state in mind, even though he loves to spend taxpayer money. Unlike his wife, he maintains a low profile. I don’t believe transmuting the “sins of the father” – or of the wife – to other family members so I cut him some slack.
Article comments
1 - Pablo
The way that I read your article you are singling out Conyers for doing something that the vast majority in congress engage in. Which is to not read pending legislation that they are about to vote on. Reprehensible? Of course.
If anything such lack of interest, shows the real problem in congress. That they are only paid shills, serving their various PAC interests and the ruling elite. Therefore they have no real need to actually read pending legislation before they vote on it. Their vote was bought and paid for already.
2 - Joanne Huspek
Likely true, Pablo, which is very sad. What monster have we created?
3 - Bliffle
The legislation is largely written by lobbyists. It's government by, of, and for the lobbyists.
Even congresscritters who assign parts of each bill to their staff, and then ask for summaries of each part, are really neglectful.
4 - Baronius
Joanne, I hate to digress, but have you seen the footage of that Toledo mayoral candidate getting heckled? It's inspirational. The candidate broke a campaign promise, and gets treated with the lack of respect he deserves.
5 - Silas Kain
Ah, John Conyers, likable old gent from Michigan. Kindda like Morgan Freeman on the outside but as sinister as Rush Limbaugh. Let's see some of his latest contributions:
$10,000 from a Beer Wholesalers PAC
$3,000 from Warner Music Group
$10,000 from International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (goes GREAT with beer!)
$5,000 from DirectTV PAC.
And this is just THIS year in an off year! These contributions scratch the surface. But his constituency will re-elect him because they don't know that he's raised over $250,000 this year. They continue to live under the false notion that John Conyers would would never do anything to harm folks back home. They need him in Congress to keep tabs on the other crooks. Give me a break.
6 - Silas Kain
Oh, and in answer to your questions, Joanne, NONE OF THE ABOVE. John Conyers is cut from the same cloth as 98% of his fellow members. He uses racial prejudice to his advantage. So, if anything, I'd call him a closet bigot who would sell his mother's soul to retain the power he's "achieved".