Arbor Update

Ann Arbor Area Community News

The Diddly Awards

6. July 2004 • Ari Paul
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The latest issue of Mother Jones features ‘The Diddly Awards’, which go to members of Congress who have embarrassed themselves, their House, and the state they represent through public statements and their own general stupidity.

A few of Michigan’s Hill Trotters got nominated:

1. Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) was nominated for the “The Pat Robertson Memorial You-Talking-To-Me,-God? Award” because she was “out partying when her new Capitol Hill house burst into flames,” but lost to Sen. Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) when he “arrived at the Wayfarer Inn in Bedford, New Hampshire, to attack the Democratic presidential candidates, when the ceiling of the lobby caved in and crashed to the floor.”

2. Rep. Nick Smith (R-Mich.) was nominated for the “The Horse-Head-In-Your-Bed Award” for refusing to name names but has confirmed that during the midnight vote-buying that finally got the Medicare bill out of the House, he was promised ”$100,000 plus” to help fund his son Brad Smith’s campaign. According to Smith, the Republican extortionists said the money would come from “pharmaceutical business groups.” According to columnist Robert Novak, when Smith voted no anyway, Rep. Duke Cunningham (R-Calif.) served as GOP consigliere, informing Smith that his son was “dead meat.”” Smith lost the award to Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska).