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Campaign Crawlers
Cutting the Congressional Credit Card
Joe DioGuardi believes the U.S. Senate needs a CPA.
Joe DioGuardi is a man on a mission. Not simply to win the Republican senatorial nomination in New York or unseat Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). He says he is running “to save America from bankruptcy.”
Those aren’t the ambitions of a mild-mannered accountant — and though DioGuardi is obviously not the former, he is quick to remind you he is the latter: an accountant. “I was the first CPA elected to Congress, either House or Senate,” the former Arthur Anderson partner told TAS. “That’s what this country needs to bring back some fiscal integrity to the process.”
DioGuardi was elected to Congress in 1984 in an overwhelmingly Democratic House district. “I had one of the highest minority percentages of any Republican in Congress,” he says. “I know how to build bridges.” DioGuardi replaced the retiring Richard Ottinger and defeated Bella Abzug in 1986 before falling to Nita Lowey two years later. “If they had known I was going to win, the party bosses would have never let me be nominated,” he says.
His crowning legislative achievement was the Chief Financial Officer and Federal Financial Reform (CFO) Act. Although the CFO Act didn’t become law until 1990, DioGuardi was credited as its original author. “Now, Joe, your hard work has been vindicated by passage of the CFO Act by the House and Senate, and by its being signed into law,” then President George H.W. Bush wrote to him at the time. “I regret only that you were not in the House to take part first hand in the ultimate passage of this important piece of legislation.”
DioGuardi continued to worry about the country’s fiscal future after leaving Congress. He became president of Truth in Government, Inc. and published a book Unaccountable Congress: It Doesn’t Add Up, which has just been reissued for his Senate race. Unaccountable Congress was praised by J. Peter Grace, former Reagan budget director James Miller, and former treasury secretary William Simon.
“I have been saying for years that we need to cut up Congress’s credit card and get spending under control,” he told me. “Jimmy, the country has caught up with my message.” DioGuardi reminds anyone who will listen, “We are spending money we don’t have and borrowing from countries that don’t like us and don’t share our values.”
Will voters be receptive to this flinty message? Fellow apostle of economic doom Peter Schiff was rewarded for his prescience with a third-place finish in neighboring Connecticut’s Republican primary. Both national and state Republican leaders lost interest in finding a challenger for the seemingly vulnerable Gillibrand after George Pataki, Rudy Giuliani, and Peter King all took a pass on the race.
But unlike Schiff, DioGuardi leads in polls of Republican primary voters. A Sienna Research Institute survey showed him with 21 percent, former state comptroller candidate Bruce Blakeman at 7 percent, and former Bear Stearns chief economist David Malpass — a respected fiscal conservative in his own right — at 3 percent. (Although a sizable 65 percent majority remains undecided.)
Some observers believe DioGuardi’s surname gives him a boost: not only does its ethnic flavor resonate with New York’s large Italian-American community, but DioGuardi’s daughter Kara DioGuardi is a judge on the hit show American Idol. DioGuardi polls at 25 percent among Catholics and a stunning 45 percent among voters between the ages of 18 and 34.
Yet DioGuardi had the toughest path to the Republican primary ballot. Blakeman and Malpass both qualified for automatic ballot access at the New York Republican State Convention. DioGuardi had to collect over 15,000 signatures to force his way into the Sept. 14 primary. He was certified by the New York Board of Elections on August 9. DioGuardi has already secured the Conservative Party ballot line, which would give him a leg up over his GOP opponents in the general.
DioGuardi isn’t interested exclusively in economics. He is also a pro-life social conservative who has been active in human rights campaigns. While in Congress, he helped pass legislation conferring the Congressional Medal of Honor upon black veterans of World Wars I and II who had been unfairly denied. DioGuardi also worked with the late Congressman Tom Lantos (D-CA) on issues ranging from apartheid in South Africa, the treatment of Jews in the Soviet Union, and the status of Tibet in China. A co-founder of the Albanian American Civic League, DioGuardi advocated military action against Slobodan Milosevic in the 1990s.
DioGuardi does occasionally deviate from the party line. He was the only GOP candidate at a recent debate to say that in retrospect the United States should not have invaded Iraq. He has criticized the Gramm-Leach-Bliley law that repealed provisions of the Glass-Steagall Act. And he doesn’t flinch from naming the Medicare prescription drug benefit, signed into law by President George W. Bush, as a contributor to the country’s fiscal crisis.
While Gillibrand remains the favorite to win re-election, the appointed senator’s numbers are anemic and she’s stuck below 50 percent in some hypothetical match-ups against her potential Republican challengers (DioGuardi performs the best against her, although they all still trail at this point). But polls aren’t the source of his confidence. “When I set out to accomplish something,” DioGuardi says, “I make it happen.”
About the Author
W. James Antle, III, author of the new book Devouring Freedom: Can Big Government Ever Be Stopped?, is editor of the Daily Caller News Foundation and a senior editor of The American Spectator. You can follow him on Twitter @jimantle.
Letter to the Editor View all comments (27) | Leave a comment
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Bill Hussein O'Stalin| 8.30.10 @ 6:43AM
Yes, the numbers don't add up and I don't think they will ever add up.
Many in the public are too stupid to pay their bills and that explains why they don't want to listen to people who can balance books.
You see, a certain portion of the voting block doesn't need to know math, doesn't even have to read that well or have other job skills. They simply have to know how to deposit a government check or use the new debit cards issued by many agencies. By the way, those debit cards are fraught with fraud.
Two of the biggest earmarkers in the U.S. Senate are Republicans, which would seem to make any argument that Republicans are cost cutters an empty campaign promise.
In the meantime, the debt goes higher every day, while fools across the spectrum clamor for more government aide.
At one time in our history they would have figured out their own solutions. Now everyone has their hand out and the looter class is doing quite well.
Redstateboy| 8.30.10 @ 8:40AM
It's sad... very sad that the Empire State has Devolved in to the People's Republic of NY. Being an escapee 11 years ago, while the bulk of my family are still held in that Gulag - I've watched from a distance as the State graspes for every nickle it can squeeze from the docile, yet shrinking population. Any one who can leave is leaving but again sadly... the dolts with no brains continue to elect Liber-uls and Democrats.. You should see Buffalo and Niagara Falls.. a former National Powerhouse of Mfg., Transport & Agri. now every bit as decrepit, corrupt and crime ridden as some old Soviet Era back-water city and Nia.Falls... resembles Beruit.. and it's safer walking the streets of Baghdad than being in some of those "hoods" up there... but they'll elect Gillibrand because that's what happens when you've been domesticated down on the good ole' Democrat Plantation.
Anthony| 8.30.10 @ 10:22AM
You mean Madame Hillary didn't fix all the problems with upstate NY, prior to her lying out of her senate seat to run for president?
Gee, and here I thought this shameless carpet bagger's listening tour through upstate NY was a panecea? I guess I was misinformed.
Eric Cartman Talks to the Hood| 8.30.10 @ 10:47AM
"Nobody knows, the trouble I've seen. . . . Nobody knows but Jesus. . . . Nobody knows . . ."
Hello friends! Deshawn Studebaker here, street name Tugger! Why? Cuz I be tuggin at your sleeve fo some change, dats why! Hee - heeeeeeee! Man I kill me!
". . . . Nobody knows but Jesus. . . ."
Now, I understand some crackers be goin on about how da gubment ruined our fair city of . . . well, pick one: Detroit, Buffalo, East St. Louis . . . . well, let me give ya da 911 on dat!
"Nobody knows, the trouble I've seen. . . ."
Will ya shut da hell up wit dat noise?! Fella can't think wit all dat in his head! Thank ya. Damn fool.
Anyway, where was I - oh yeah. Let me tell ya. My Great Grand Daddie and Gammy moved up here from Mississippi, where they experienced REAL MoFo racism! I mean, the Sheriff would have to drive by every night to check on Great Grand Daddies house to see if anyone had fire-bombed it! And if no one had, he'd do it! That's how bad it was. But Gammy and GG Daddy stayed together and moved up North here to get a job in the auto plants.
GG Daddy worked hard, saved his money, made sure his children went to school - first kids in our family to graduate high school! Amidst all dat racism, GG Daddy proudly raised his family and set his children in the right direction. And then they grew up, got married, got jobs at the Ford plant and raised their own family in the turbulent sixties! Dat would be my Grand Daddy and Gama. Hard working folk who moved into a nice middle-class black neighborhood plans to send their children to college one day! G Daddy fought in Korea and served stateside during Viet Nam war. He wanted to be a police officer, but the city gubment weren't hiring no blacks! So he got a job at Ford and moved up the ladder, retiring on a nice pension with his home all paid for.
My mama was born, 1967. At the time, my G Daddy was stationed at Ft. Bragg North Carolina! And ya know what? The South still had separate drinking fountains! Mamma was born smack dab in da middle of da gubment's War on Poverty! And what a war it was! Welfare was set up and public housing was being built everywhere! Food stamps, housing, aid to needy families, welfare checks and FREE CHEESE! it was hog heaven!
Well, mamma was born, got to be 15 and looked around and said "Screw schooll and all dat shit! And screw men! Who needs the lay about, no good jive turkeys! (that’s how they talked then) I'm gunna have me a bunch of babies and gets on da welfare!" So now, she don't have to work and me and my seven brothers and sisters can hang out, sell some weed, go to jail, write a rap song about it and make some serious Benjamins - dat is of course we live past 30, which 5 of my siblings didn't - they were all killed by rival gangs from the next hood over.
Anyway, we are doin alright! Maybe you've seen my sister on TV? She was the one who was on da news talkin about Obama money?! See her? We're all very proud! And she got dat Obama money, too! Able to buy about a hundred 8-balls and sell 'em for a profit! She controls the whole East-side crack trade, now! Bust a cap in yo ass you don't pay up! Dats for sure!
Me, I gots me a job in construction! We're tearing down all the old, rat-hole houses here in Motown. They say Detroit gunna be farm land again! Just started on the hood where that rival gang who killed all my bothers came from. Talk about ironic!
Anyway . . .
"Old man river . . . that old man river . . . . He must know something . . . ."
As you can see, the gubment didn't wreck nothin! Matter of fact, if it weren't for da gubment I would have dis nifty construction job! And I might become a farmer! Soon, I might . . .
" He don't plant cotton, An' dem dat plants'em is soon forgotten, But ol'man river, He jes keeps rollin'along. . . ."
HEY! Shut the F$@# UP! Where was I? Oh yeah. I might even go into whore-da-culture, if ya know what I mean, heh heh! This is Deshawn Studebaker here, sticking up for my man, Obama and da gubment! Peace out!
"But ol' man river, He jes'keeps rollin' along!
Deshawn Studebaker | 8.30.10 @ 11:03AM
Oh, one other thing I forgot to mention - here's what working hard all your life gets ya. My momma and me? We live in G Daddy's old house. Him and Gama died ten years ago. The house is all run down and fallin apart. The hood is a rat hole and most da homes are all burnt down. So that's what working hard gets ya - an old run down house your kids can't even sell. Jive crap, man! Peace out!
Dave M. (now in S. Korea)| 8.30.10 @ 8:47AM
The last thing we need in the U.S. Senate is a Republican who "knows how to build bridges." The bridges need to be blown up. The left needs to be cut off.
Impeach Don't Wait| 8.30.10 @ 10:06PM
Hear! Hear!
Clinton nee Publius | 8.30.10 @ 9:17AM
The argument advanced by progressives is that if we stimulate consumption by providing still more government "stimulus", then the economy will respond with sustained private-sector investment that will position itself to address the increase in consumption the stimulus provided.
If this were true, then the evidence would be less government spending over time and government would seem to shrink itself (also over time) as fewer and fewer households and businesses required a "stimulus" in order to sustain their reentry into the productive-side of the economy. The efficiency of government spending would be demonstrated in situ by these outcomes.
This has clearly not happened.
If the positioned advanced by the progressives regarding the efficacy of depriving the private-sector economy of its wealth in favor of government spending, then the outcome would be to demonstrate sustained increases in output or (at the least) a near-term gain in output once the stimulus ended.
The Bush $600 tax rebate was an across-the-board stimulus to the economy in favor of consumption and yet the economy did not recover. The Obama Housing Tax Credit was an even more dramatic example of the fallacy of the idea that stimulating consumption would create sustainable recoveries. The GM Bailout was an even more dramatic example where the government spent 17 times the private-sector cost for creating a job in order to save 55,000 union jobs and GM barely recovered - at 17 times the cost.
Stimulating consumption is always the favorable tactic of the ruling class and the banking industry because these activities almost exclusively benefit their constituencies, but at a cost that the rest of the economy can barely afford. Indeed, the latest news is that we can't afford it at all.
A sober look tells us we really never could afford it and it has to stop. There is an alternative, but until we realize that what we are doing can only hurt us now and in the future, these discussions are as useless as deficit spending.
Anthony| 8.30.10 @ 10:18AM
You can start with the credit card, but some more radical cutting needs to be done. We need to start cutting leftists from government, and damn quick.
I can see November from my house!!
Oldefarte| 8.30.10 @ 11:42AM
If he is serious about his statement regarding CUTTING UP THE GOVERNMENT'S CREDIT CARD AND GETTING THEIR SPENDING UNDER CONTROL, that is absolutely enough for me. To repeat my position, tax cuts are not warranted at present [but after fiscal sanity/stability returns, absolutely yes], but the initial/critical economic/financial necessity is for [after the November elections] the government's budgetary spending to be seriously cut/reduced [and useless programs to be eliminated], which will signal to the private/business/consumers that the government intends to correct/improve the economy, free up needed bank loans/credit for businesses/consumers, and will begin the process of getting this country back on it economic feet!!!!
jdcroft2001| 8.30.10 @ 11:45AM
Normally I would agree with you. Too much effort has been spent over the past decade to build bridges. We are living with the result. But, if you notice, DioGuardi's bridge building focused on humanitarian humanitarian issues, not fiscal ones.
Nevertheless, as an informed New York voter, he is a very strong candidate.
Sam Hough | 8.30.10 @ 11:31PM
If you read Joe's bio on TruthInGovernment.org, watch his videos and testimony as FASAB, and his book, Unaccountable Congress: It Doesn't Add Up, you will note that he has been working on fiscal issues for at least half of the last 20 years. I think he had even written a bill about requiring CFOs in government agencies.
JP| 8.30.10 @ 12:07PM
Congress doesn't need a CPA or a CFO; it needs a Prosecutor
Oldefarte| 8.30.10 @ 5:15PM
Congress already has too many prosecutors/lawyers, and THAT IS THE REASON WHY THIS COUNTRY IS IN ITS CURRENT DIRE FINANCIAL STRAIGHTS !!!!!
Sam Hough | 8.30.10 @ 11:35PM
If they'd had more CPAs than lawyers, they wouldn't need the prosecutor.
Michael L. Hauschild| 8.30.10 @ 3:41PM
They do not need a CPA, that will not do a bit of good, they need to be replaced by someone who would actually listen to a CPA. The only thing they ever hear are election results, and for them, that is nearly 95% good news.
David| 8.30.10 @ 3:47PM
Uh JP, that would be another lawyer. No more lawyers.
Impeach Don't Wait| 8.30.10 @ 10:15PM
Ooooooooo. You guys are getting tough! I LIKE that!
Tim*| 8.30.10 @ 5:18PM
Congress needs New Trashmen to Take The Garbage Out .
RCV| 8.30.10 @ 11:45PM
I think you're qualified for that job, Timmie!
Malik| 8.31.10 @ 11:38AM
Congress needs someone with the actual conviction to stop the spending and fix our broken government. Joe DioGuardi is the perfect fit. Read his book if you don't believe me.
Jamie Folk| 8.31.10 @ 2:18PM
What I find facisinating about the current conservative movement is their total lack of understanding on what we actually spend our money on. We spend more on the military than anything else. Next comes social security and then medicare. Yet hardly any "fiscial conservative" talks about the 17 Billion that was LOST in Iraq and the 800 billion we spend every year on the military budget. Why is that? I understand that people want to have a strong military to feel protected, but when do people start caring that our military spending is actually what is bankrupting this country? I don't get it.
Michelle | 8.31.10 @ 4:27PM
I think we DO need a CPA in the Senate - more than half of the current senators are lawyers. Lets get somebody in the Senate that KNOWS what they are doing. GO JOE GO!
NYDB| 8.31.10 @ 4:30PM
It's a never-ending tale that will lead to a black-hole, however I do come to the consensus that New Yorkers should vote for Joe DioGuardi for Senate! Gillibrand hasn't done anything to turn New York's economy around and w/ Joe visiting companies left and right, he's the only GOP candidate to get the job DONE.
Mithat Gashi| 9.4.10 @ 4:16AM
Joe DioGuardi is the right man to be New York's Senator. He will bring the voices of the people of New York to Washington. In the late eighties, when he was a member of Congress he was the originator of the Chief Financial Officer and Federal Financial Reform (CFO) Act which became law in 1990. He has the credentials, the knowledge, the vision, and the qualifications to become our SENATOR.