Here’s something interesting that I heard about over the weekend, but couldn’t find in the Providence Journal (although apparently it was on a newscast on WJAR10 Saturday) – the Chafee campaign has hired a Maine telemarketing firm owned by the wife of James Tobin, who was convicted in December 2005 of criminally violating federal campaign laws in New Hampshire. That means that Chafee has hired the wife of a convicted felon who is in the same business as her convicted felon husband as a paid consultant. Democrats are still trying to tie Tobin to the Bush administration via a civil lawsuit, saying that the White House directed Tobin’s activities.

To anyone who remembers the case, it was embarrassingly idiotic. There was no need for Tobin to do what he did – it was childish and sophomoric. Just because the Democrats do it doesn’t mean the Republicans should! There was never any suggestion, then or now, that Tobin’s wife knew of or participated in any nefarious activity. But is seems to me that someone like Chafee (and any other Republican) would steer clear of anyone close to Tobin, at least for this election cycle. Weren’t there any other telemarketing firms available? Or wasn’t anyone close to Jack Abramoff available…

Another note – this kind of story, guilt by association, is usually red meat for the Providence Journal. They don’t need any facts to back it up – just put convicted election law felon, convicted election law felon’s wife, and Chafee in the same lede and go for it! But where did I have to google to find this story? In the Seattle Times (which was itself a reprint of a Washington Post article)! The Providence Journal has destroyed the reputations (and careers) of businessmen and politicians with fewer facts and ties than exist in this story. Why the silence?