Profiles in Corruption summary

Throughout his long career in politics, Joe Biden has painted himself as a champion of the working class. His image is one of a gritty, blue-collar guy from Scranton who fights relentlessly for unions and workers across the country.

But that’s not all. Another big part of Joe Biden’s persona is his absolute refusal to discuss his family members’ business activities with the press. So what secrets is he hiding?

In the midst of a relentless snowstorm, Mayor Cory Booker of Newark, New Jersey received a phone call from a woman who was trapped in her house and running out of diapers for her baby. Could the mayor do anything to help her?

“I’m on it,” replied Booker. He rushed to the woman’s house to deliver the diapers, the press in tow. 

Elizabeth Warren has been at the forefront of progressive politics since 2013, when she took up her position as Massachusetts senator. Prior to her political career, she was a Harvard professor specializing in bankruptcy law.

Warren’s scholarly persona is a direct result of her academic success. But how much of that success can be tied to her claimed status as a Native American?

Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown is known as the guy who was progressive before it was cool. Unlike many of his liberal compatriots, Brown hails not from one of the coasts, but from America’s heartland. Proudly displayed in his office are a miner’s safety lamp and a United Workers beer stein.

Publicly, Brown presents himself as a regular, working-class guy. But the reality couldn’t be more different. Brown has, in fact, never held a full-time job outside of politics. And his inspiration to fight for working people? Tolstoy’s Resurrection, which he read at Yale.

You could easily argue that Bernie Sanders has had more of an impact on modern left-wing politics than any other member of Congress. Many see him as a beloved grandfather figure, an aging warrior for the 99 percent.

But despite Sanders’ outward veneer of fighting for average Americans, he has, in the past, referred to working-class jobs as “moron work.” And this is just part of a troubling pattern of actions that stand directly opposed to his impassioned words at speeches and rallies.

Minnesota’s senior senator, Amy Klobuchar, has been making headlines. Not just because of her 2020 presidential campaign, but for the way she allegedly treats her staffers and interns.

Staffers have reported Klobuchar calling them in the middle of the night, throwing binders at them, and sending them to her house to do her dishes. One female staffer even reported that Klobuchar forced her to dry shave Klobuchar’s legs under her desk while she was on the phone.

If there is one thing you’d expect a mayor of Los Angeles to have, it’s an army of celebrity supporters. The current mayor certainly embodies this cliche. Salma Hayek, Jimmy Kimmel, and Will Ferrell have all thrown their support behind Mayor Eric Garcetti at one time or another. Adding to his star-studded image are his multiple appearances on television shows and personal friendship with rapper Jay-Z.

Garcetti may be dancing with the stars, but behind the scenes, he’s been greasing the wheels of a highly corrupt Los Angeles political machine.