Payola

First Michael McGee, now Armstrong Williams. Let's deal with the second case first. Why is the federal government spending this kind of money at all? This clearly crosses the line into propaganda. And if it doesn't fit the definition of payola then payola doesn't mean anything. Armstrong Williams is about to pay a heavy price for this, but someone at the government should pay for this, too.

Michael McGee, on the other hand, is going down a different road: no apology.
From the Journal Sentinel December 20th:

Also Monday, Ald. Michael McGee and about 30 protesters rallied outside the studios of radio station WNOV-AM (820) to demand that his father's Word Warriors show be reinstated.

Station owner Jerrel Jones this month suspended McGee's father, Mike McGee, the talk show host and former alderman, for his use of the F-word in castigating lawmakers for criticizing OIC.

Jones said McGee's suspension would continue despite the protest.

OIC improperly sent W-2 money to both the station and McGee to sponsor radio shows, a state audit says. Jones and McGee also have served on the boards of directors of two OIC affiliates.

And then from December 29th:

Claiming racial bias and overzealous prosecution, Milwaukee Ald. Michael McGee has filed a complaint against U.S. Attorney Steven M. Biskupic with the Justice Department in Washington, D.C.

The letter, released Wednesday to the Journal Sentinel, cites the ongoing investigation into the Opportunities Industrialization Center of Greater Milwaukee, which has resulted in charges against two of the agency's subsidiaries; the conviction of its former head, Carl Gee; and a guilty plea from former state Sen. Gary George (D-Milwaukee).

And

The elder McGee, who was suspended this month by station owner Jerrel Jones for using the F-word to refer to state lawmakers, recently returned to the air. He is seeking contributions from listeners to keep the show on the air.

When I hear things like this, I always wonder, at what point does a sense of shame enter this? A sense of personal responsibility? Armstrong Williams seems to have found his, the McGee family chooses to blame everyone else instead. The irony is, in the long term, Armstrong Williams will probably pay a heavier price.

BTW, obscure reference time, when you read about McGee, OIC, Jerrel Jones, Lee Holloway, remember what Ed Rollins said about "walking around money." If the public was uncomfortable when Rollins said it, we should be outraged when politicians in the central city of Milwaukee live it.