Dann's Spokesman A "Dirt Digger"

The decision by disgraced Attorney General Marc Dann to hire Texas-based Jason Stanford as his political spokesperson has some wondering if Dann plans to defend himself by counterattacking against the Democrats who have demanded his resignation. It is not only geography that makes Dann's choice of Stanford as a spokesman peculiar, it is also the guy's specialty. In an op-ed piece in the Texas Observer in 2006 in which he defends negative campaigning, Stanford describes himself and others like him as "opposition researchers, dirt diggers, muckrakers." Why would Dann hire this particular individual if not to fight dirty in his desperate refusal to yield his post?

In the Dispatch today, Stanford said that opposition research is "not his role with Dann" and he "doesn't expect to be taking the fight to Strickland and other critics," but "I'm doing whatever the attorney general asks me to do." Will Dann ask him to dish dirt on fellow Democrats? One thing that is crystal clear about Dann's motivation is that he is looking out only for himself, not for the party or for the people. Dann keeps repeating that he is working hard to provide quality legal service and to regain trust, but there is absolutely nothing that makes Dann's continuation in office necessary to the public good. The opposite is true. Dann can no longer function effectively in the job, his staff wants him out, he has no support from public officials of any political stripe, and even organized labor is against him.

It has been written elsewhere that I and others are defending Dann on this blog, but that is not true. Questions have been raised here about whether the right approach to removing Dann is impeachment or an independent investigation, and if an impeachment is commenced whether it should proceed quickly or more deliberately. It has been pointed out that pegging the removal of Dann from office to the extramarital affair is a mistake and tends to help him fend off his accusers. None of that is about supporting Dann, rather about how best to remove him.

My sense is that more and more misconduct by Dann will seep out and fill in whatever blanks there are in the proposed impeachment resolution, so the debate about the basis for impeachment would become moot. [For examples of new dirt coming out, the Dispatch reports today on the suspension of an AG employee who facilitated Gutierrez' misuse of state property to run his private business, and the Dayton Daily News reports that Dann has not disclosed travel from last June on ethics disclosure forms.] In the meantime, Democratic leaders need to show resolve about cleaning their own house, whatever form that takes and whether an official proceeding begins immediately or not for some days yet, and definitely without any pause on account of counterattacks by Dann.

Don't back down.