Ohio crook Bob Ney isn't running for re-election due to the whole "going to prison" thing, so he chose a successor who wouldn't upset the delicate hypocritical-crook balance in Congress. (The ratio is 37 hypocritical crooks for each gullible bumbler, according to Congressional Quarterly.)

State Sen. Joy Padgett is so stinky that she's got four other Republicans out to get her in tomorrow's special primary. Why the meanness? Because Padgett recently declared personal bankruptcy with $1.16 million in debts, following the bankruptcy of her business 11 months ago, following a $737,000 Small Business Administration loan she took from the federal government.

In other words, Padgett is uniquely qualified to join the big-spending big-government "let somebody else pay for it" Republican congressional leadership. Good luck, Joy!

Padgett responds to critics [Times Reporter]