-Caveat Lector-
We shall all be judged. Some of us sooner rather than later.
>From: Aleisha Saba <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>Reply-To: Conspiracy Theory Research List <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>Subject: [CTRL] Gary Condit's Wurlitzer
>Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2001 03:39:56 -0400
>
>Song of Praise by Condit political hack - now here is an item and here
>we go again about this "handsome" Gary Condit - the little twerp - such
>self praise is suspect.
>
>It does however answer one question in particular and this piece of self
>praise written by Gary in part, states that Gary from his campaign
>funds, spent over $9,000 that year in camaign money for "GIFTS and
>flowers"; it was then, I wondered is from where Condit took the money to
>buy Chandra Levy the $2,500 golden bracelet? For a man who is alleged
>to have taken a vow of poverty this one some expensive gift; in my day,
>girls did not take such gifts from men, in particular - married men?
>
>Be interesting to look at a few receipts here; in particular it is noted
>the the watch he received as a gift from another woman, which he got
>caught dumping which was traced - and I wonder, how much the lady had
>paid for this watch and surely, it would not have been a TIMEX or a toss
>away watch.
>
>This item tells of Gary Condits love of his motorcycle and friends
>associated with same?
>It is a very revealing article if one goes over it and the man who
>wrote the article - well one wonders but a lot of newsmen, like this
>Chris Mathews who was so in love with Gore, was former newsman
>associated with writing beautiful pieces of prose for the democrats -
>maybe this guy wanted to be on the Press Agent's list for it is obvious
>- well they keep calling this Condit HANDSOME - when he is such a little
>twerp, and body building sue hasn't done much for his build - and he is
>old looking for his age - he must have led a very rough life.
>
>Saba
>
>A solid gold bracelet for which he paid $2,000 - now if you note in this
>article how clever to make mention of gifts from his campaign funds -
>for he hs nothing to hide here?
>
>Note he seems to be a little short in recording modest expenditures
>claiming money does not get one elected to office- as for Chandra, with
>the $2,500 gift he bought her, and including the $10,000 for her return
>- my what a generous man and I doubt the latter amount will the latter
>amount ever be paid out.
>
>Current Floor Proceedings
>Visiting Washington, DC
>-(this item was reproduced on Condit Web Site for his own personal gain)
>
>To Valley Folks, He's Just Gary
>By J.N. Sbranti
>Bee Staff Writer
>(Published: Modesto Bee, Saturday, July 18, 1998)
> A while back, a poll asked Stanislaus and
>Merced county voters what they call their congressman.
> The overwhelming answer: Gary.
> No title. No formality. Just say Gary, and
>voters think Condit. They vote Condit, too. Over and over, they elected
>him by staggering margins.
> In 26 years, during his rise from Ceres city
>councilman to Stanislaus County supervisor to California assemblyman to
>U.S. congressman, he's never lost a race.
> He'll win in November, too. No one is on the
>ballot against him.
> Calling the 18th Congressional District
>"Condit Country" is more than a campaign slogan. It's reality.
> "Most people here get me. They understand
>I'm trying to do a good job, trying to be constructive and trying to be
>a good person," Condit says while weaving through a festival crowd in
>Patterson.
> "Hey, Gary!" shouts a guy across the street.
>"I voted for you."
> "Thank you. I appreciate that," Condit yells
>back with a wave.
> Condit can't walk far without someone
>approaching him with a grin and an out-stretched hand.
> "How you doin'?" is Condit's standard
>greeting, accompanied by a handshake, a squeeze around the shoulders or
>a kiss on the cheek.
>He personalizes his conversations - "How the kids doing?" "You're
>looking good," "I like that hat" -- enough to convince constituents he
>remembers them.
>"Gary has worked very hard at cultivating the informal I'm-your-neighbor
>image," observes Steve Hughes, chairman of the politiat California State
>University, Stanislaus. "It's paid off. People feel comfortable with
>him."
>Condit, a handsome man who smiles often, says his rapport with people
>evolved over his years in the public eye.
> "I've always been open and friendly, and
>basically people have been really good to me," says Condit. He admits
>his memory isn't perfect, and he loves name tags. "Mostly I just
>listen."
> He listens. He remembers. And he votes the
>way valley folks want. Condit prides himself on putting his
>constituents' center-of-the-road interests far above party politics or
>self-promotion.
>Down to earth
> "Gary's really down to earth. He's not
>pretentious. Not arrogant," says Mike Lynch, his longtime chief of
>staff. "He hasn't fallen to the seductions of political power."
> Case in point: Condit's home number in
>Ceres is listed in the phone book. Call it and he or his wife, Carolyn,
>will pick up. No answering machine screens calls.
> People phone him often. Sometimes they
>want to chat or to complain, but mostly they want help.
> Carolyn recounts a typical call. An
>elderly woman from Denair called for advice on how to vote on the long
>list of confusing state propositions. The congressman took the time to
>talk her through the ballot.
> "We're very attentive to constituents'
>problems," Condit explains. "That's a very big priority to us."
> The congressman regularly uses "we" and
>"us" rather than "I" and "me" when talking about accomplishments or
>philosophy. Ask him why and he'll tell you he hates it when it sounds
>like he's bragging.
> "Gary's not a grandstander. He doesn't
>give a whole lot of speeches. He doesn't attract people to himself with
>a lot of public overtures or acts," says former Rep. Pete Geren, a Texas
>Democrat who was sworn into Congress the same day as Condit in 1989.
>"He's a guy who lets actions speak louder than words."
>Blue Dogs
> Geren, Condit and like-minded
>conservative Democrats joined three years ago to form the Blue Dog
>Coalition. The group has elbowed its way to power in Washington,
>providing key votes to pass welfare reform, balance the budget and
>reduce government regulations.
> The Blue Dogs' success hinges on
>lobbying both Republicans and Democrats. Geren says Condit does that
>exceedingly well.
> "Gary has friendships of the broadest
>spectrum of anybody in the Congress. It's one of his great strengths,"
>Geren says.
> Condit is a different kind of
>politician, Geren says: "He's quiet, understated. Over the years, he's
>slowly built faith and trust with more and more members. That has
>allowed him to become increasingly influential in shaping the work of
>Congress."
> The diversity of his supporters is
>broad indeed -- from radio talk show host Mike Reagan on the far right
>to gay Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank on the far left.
> "He's an independent thinker," Frank
>says. "He's generally respected and admired by the Democrats for this
>reason. ... They regard him as someone who tries to be supportive and
>tries to work with other people, but he's not opportunistic about it."
> Reagan, who is former President
>Reagan's son, praises Condit as a straight shooter.
> "Right or wrong, Gary Condit knows why
>he believes something," says Reagan, who's had Condit guest host his
>nationally broadcast show. "What a lot of people do is put their fingers
>in the wind (to see which way it's blowing). ...
>But Gary knows why he believes in something instead of just stating the
>party line."
> His bipartisan nature is evident in
>his Washington office, where photos of both President Clinton and
>Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich hang.
> "You've got to look for the solutions,
>and it doesn't matter where they come from," Condit explains. "People
>want us to do the job and just make government work."
>Independent streak
> Condit's independence goes way back.
> His best-known defiance of party
>hierarchy came in 1988, when he and the so-called "Gang of Five" tried
>to boot Willie Brown from the powerful post of speaker of the California
>Assembly.
> The effort failed, and Brown punished
>Condit by stripping away his staff, his committee assignments and his
>prospects for influencing state legislation.
> But timing is everything in politics.
> A few months later, popular valley
>Democratic U.S. Rep.Tony Coelho left his House seat at midterm to head
>off a brewing financial scandal. Condit won the special congressional
>race without a runoff.
> Condit's been elected by better than 2-to-1
>ratios since.
> His father, the Rev. Adrian Condit, thinks
>there's a reason.
> "I'm a very strong Bible-believing minister,
>and I believe with all my heart that God has had his hand on Gary
>because every time he was ready for a step up, a door opened up," his
>father says. He expects more doors are yet to open.
> A life in politics, however, was never one
>the Rev. Condit foresaw for the son he watched being born 50 years ago
>on the family dairy in Oklahoma.
> As a little boy, Gary tagged along with his
>father to tent revivals. He sang hymns before his father preached.
>People loved his music.
> His young voice could be heard on radio,
>too.
> "We used to sing in a quartet with two other
>girls that were preachers' daughters," recalls his older brother, Burl
>Condit, a Modesto police sergeant. Not all of Gary Condit's
>youth was spent in church. Burl tells how his kid brother once bailed
>him out of a fight, taking on an older boy behind the Flying-A service
>station: "Gary whipped this guy and whipped him pretty good, too."
> Condit worked during high school. He
>spent one rough summer as an oil field roustabout, earning enough to buy
>an almost-new 1964 Chevy Impala.
>Young family
> But his money soon had to go toward more
>basic needs: Gary and Carolyn married and became parents while they were
>still teen-agers.
> The young couple followed the Rev. Condit
>in 1967 when he left Tulsa, Okla., to become pastor of the Village
>Chapel Free Will Baptist Church in Ceres.
> "He worked his way through college
>supporting his family," the Rev. Condit says. "He's done it the hard
>way."
> Before graduating from Stanislaus State,
>Condit loaded ammunition in Riverbank, canned tomatoes in Modesto and
>sold paint at Montgomery Ward.
> "That's why Gary has a feel for young
>working couples," his father says.
> The congressman has a feel for children,
>too. At festivals or elsewhere, he singles out youngsters.
> "What's your name?" Condit asks one boy
>waiting for a parade in Patterson. "Give me a handshake, buddy. What
>grade you in? ... How you doing in school? ... Keep up the good work."
> He reaches out to other children
>throughout the day.
> "Some kid is always watching us, and some
>of them need a word of encouragement. Just take a few minutes and talk
>to them. Those are important moments," Condit says. "A word of
>encouragement gets you through the difficult times in your life. ...
>Every time in my life, that would happen."
>Guards privacy
> Condit, however, doesn't talk publicly about
>difficulties in his own life.
> Ask him about regrets and he quotes Frank
>Sinatra: "You know that song? 'Regrets, I've had a few but too few to
>mention.' "
> He doesn't dwell on his problems.
> "Anger and frustration is sort of wasted
>energy. I try to get over them quick," Condit says. "I work really hard
>at staying centered and staying balanced." Condit says he constantly
>strives to remain patient, compassionate and simple.
> "I try to have patience and compassion for
>everybody and everything, including myself," he says. "And I try to not
>take myself too seriously."
> Keeping life simple while commuting
>between Ceres and Washington can be tricky, but Carolyn says they make
>it work.
> She stays in the Ceres home they've owned
>for more than 20 years while he bounces between there and their
>one-bedroom condo in the District of Columbia.
> "They juggle it so well. My mom and dad work
>as a team," says Cadee Condit, who soon will graduate from college in
>Sacramento. She says her father always comes through when the family
>needs him.
> She cites the time she wanted her dad to be
>her escort at the Ceres High homecoming.
> "He made it home just in time to put on a
>tux, go to the football game, walk as my escort, dance one dance, pose
>for the official picture, then catch the red-eye flight back to
>Washington."
>Call him Chief
> Condit flies so often that his 2-year-old
>grandson thinks he's a pilot.
> "Every time my boy Couper sees a plane, he
>yells 'Chief, Chief!'," says son Chad Condit, noting the grandkids' name
>for Condit.
> Chief is a perfect nickname for the
>congressman, according to the Rev. Condit, because "he's got quite a bit
>of Indian blood in him, and he likes to be in charge."
> He likes to have fun, too.
> "When I was a little girl and he was in the
>state Assembly, we used to sneak up to the Capitol roof to have lunch,"
>Cadee says. She doesn't know how her dad skirted the security alarms.
>"We'd just sit up there and have peanut butter and jelly sandwiches."
> Instead of a roof, constituents these days are
>more likely to see Condit seated on a big ol' Harley-Davidson
>motorcycle, wearing black leather chaps.
> "I go riding all over the district. Most people
>don't recognize me," Condit says. "It's therapeutic."
> A picture of him and his "hog" can be seen at
>Legends Cafe in Modesto. The display marks his entry into the
>Easy-riders magazine Hall of Fame.
>The publication, known for its photos of scantly clad women and
>motorcycles, lauds Condit as "an unsung hero of the battle that resulted
>in the repeal of the national helmet law and speed limit."
> While insisting he's a cautious biker, Condit
>likes to push himself. He takes pride in keeping physically fit, and he
>says there's not much that scares him.
> "I don't dwell on fear," he explains.
>"Life's an adventure."
> His motorcycle stays in California, however,
>so when he's looking for fun in Washington, he turns to best buddy Rep.
>John Kasich.
> "He likes country music and I like rock 'n'
>roll. We swap that back and forth," says Kasich, a Republican from Ohio.
>"I took him to hear Pearl Jam last year, and he got himself stuck in the
>mosh pit. He thought people were trying to fight him."
> Condit says he couldn't get out of the
>pit fast enough, away from the frenzied slam dancing.
> Kasich and Condit also shared good times
>at a Rolling Stones concert at RFK Stadium.
> "Gary talked me into going. We went, but
>we didn't have a ride home, so we had to hitchhike back," Kasich says.
>"No cabs go to a Stones concert."
>Great friend
> Concert escapades aside, Kasich calls Condit
>a great friend.
> "I trust him. I respect him," confides
>Kasich. "I'm not aware of anybody who doesn't have good things to say
>about him. I'm sure there are people out there, but that would just be
>people who would be jealous. He's a very centered guy. He's got a lot of
>gravity."
> He also has a growing power base inside
>Washington and out. His reputation is as a consensus builder.
> "Gary was very instrumental in helping bring
>together the bipartisan effort in Team California," says Lucille
>Roybal-Allard, a Los Angeles liberal who chairs California's Democratic
>congressional delegation.
> Team California is a coalition of lawmakers
>from all levels of government -- local, state and federal -- from both
>parties. It identifies key California issues, then mobilizes the state's
>clout to fight for them.
> Condit got the group going last year,
>tapping ties he established during his terms in city, county and state
>offices. In picking which issues to champion, Condit says his primary
>focus is fairness.
> "I'm passionate about people and groups and
>government being fair," he says. "Another hot button issue for me is
>bullies ... and people who push other people around."
> A classic gang of bullies, Condit says, was
>the tax-protest group that targeted Stanislaus County Clerk-Recorder
>Karen Mathews. Mathews was attacked in 1994 after her office refused to
>process bogus documents filed by the group.
> When the investigation into the case
>stalled, Condit helped spur the FBI into action, and he contributed
>campaign funds as a reward for catching the criminals. Nine members of
>the Modesto-based Juris Christian Assembly eventually were convicted in
>connection with the case.
> "More than any other legislator, Gary's been
>open and willing to carrying any legislation that would help me," says
>Mathews. She says Condit currently is pursuing a law to forbid convicted
>federal criminals from harassing their victims. "Did you know I'm being
>sued right now from people in prison?"
> Unlike some lawmakers who go off to
>Washington or Sacramento, Mathews says, Condit doesn't forget his
>constituents: "He's responsive to you whether you're a top official or
>just plain folk who work out in the field. He's got an open ear."
> Back in Washington, Condit has the ear of
>Congress through his guidance of the Blue Dogs.
> He avoids calling himself the Blue Dogs'
>leader. Formally, he is the coalition's administrator and de facto
>spokesman. The 20-plus members cram into his office each week to debate
>strategy. A huge portrait of a cobalt-blue terrier by artist George
>Rodrigue overlooks the room.
> "We're a solution-oriented group," Condit
>says. "We're for welfare reform. We're for balancing the budget of the
>country. We're for putting a little touch of common sense into federal
>regulations."
> Condit's common-sense views get quoted in
>The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los
>Angeles Times, and on CNN and network news shows. The Blue Dog spokesman
>has even been on the TV shows like "Cross Fire."
> The Blue Dogs pulled their catchy name from
>the term Yellow Dog Democrat, a reference to Southern voters so faithful
>to the Democratic Party that they'd rather vote for a yellow dog than a
>Republican.
> There are no such qualms for Blue Dogs, who
>often break with party leaders to support Republican-authored bills.
>Condit, in fact, crosses party lines more than most House Democrats.
>Centrist views
> Political parties aside, Condit is in the
>middle of America's political spectrum. With few exceptions,
>special-interest groups rate him in the philosophical center.
> Not everyone believes that staying in the
>middle of the road is a virtue.
>quot;You can't pinpoint a hard-core political philosophy that guides
>him," says Rick Minyard, the conservative radio talk show host for KFIV
>in Modesto. Minyard is one of Condit's most outspoken critics. "You
>can't say he stands for something ... and that's frustrating. I don't
>trust people who don't have a philosophy."
> Chief of Staff Lynch contends that
>Condit's centrist views appeal to most people.
> "What both sides know about Gary is that
>he'll deal with you straight," Lynch says. "He's as you see him. He has
>no hidden agenda."
> About Lynch's only criticism of his boss is
>that Condit is a lousy fund-raiser. While many incumbents have $1
>million war chests, Condit has about $100,000 in campaign money on hand.
> "I have a theory: If you try to do the right
>thing, you vote your district and you vote the way you should be voting,
>then you need less money," Condit says.
> Because Condit doesn't need to pay for
>campaign ads or signs, he has the luxury of sharing donations with
>like-minded candidates and contributing to local charities.
> He buys presents, too. Last year, Condit
>spent more than $9,000 in campaign funds on gifts and flowers.
> "We send congratulations stuff to people,"
>he explains.
> And flowers from his office show up at many
>funerals.
> "He's built up a tremendous machine," says
>Bill Conrad, a Modesto city councilman who was Condit's Republican
>challenger in 1996. Conrad says Condit's excellent staff, consultants
>and grass-root support make him tough to beat. "It was great to run
>against him. I learned a lot from him."
> While neither Conrad nor any other
>Republican is challenging Condit this election, that doesn't mean he is
>unbeatable, says Jennifer Jacobs, a Republican insider and chief of
>staff for Assemblyman George House.
> "Things are always changing, and this area
>is getting more and more conservative all the time," says Jacobs, noting
>that Condit's moderate stands may not always align with his
>constituents. "A large percentage of the valley is swinging toward
>Republicans."
> Condit doesn't plan to step aside anytime
>soon. If he has ambition for higher office, he is not mentioning it
>publicly.
> "He has a lot of good work still to do in
>Congress," Chad Condit says.
>Source: The Modesto Bee
>
><< Message3.txt >>
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