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Tom Delay and the House of Corruption

20:17 / 17.04.05

So is Tom DeLay soon to be the Achilles heel of GOP/Religious Right and its ironclad political machine? As the calls for DeLay to resign become more feverish, by both liberal and conservative politicans and commentators, what are the odds, in this recent system of loyalty above all recklessness, that DeLay will NOT give up? Will his continued political life be an albatross around the neck of the GOP, something that can be exploited in 2006 by the Democrats?

For those who don't know the whole story on Tom Delay, click here and here for details.

22:29 / 17.04.05

I don't see Delay quitting voluntarily and it would take a loss in confidence in him among a range of his own party before they turned on him - I don't really see this happening. But I think Democrats, democrats, secularists, pro-choicers, libertarians and a whole host of others have to keep the pressure up on him anyway...

19:17 / 18.04.05

I have to say when I heard about some of the stuff that this guy has pulled it absolutely amazed me (and not in a good way). His influence over the ethics committee seems to me some the most blatant abuses of political power I've heard of.

21:48 / 18.04.05

I highly doubt that the Republicans will ever turn on Delay, given that their first reaction to his exposed misdeeds was to propose changing the law to accomodate his behavior. And for that same reason I don't see him ever resigning. I do, however, think he won't run for Congress again.

13:48 / 19.04.05

In 2,540 word email, GOP's DeLay denies wrongdoing.

It's not just the "liberal media": Papers that endorsed Bush weigh in on DeLay.

17:55 / 19.04.05

"In response to hundreds of phone calls from constituents, a mere 20 members of Congress went on the record saying that Tom DeLay is ethically fit to serve as House Majority Leader. And a whopping 247 members of Congress declined to take a stand, suggesting that they are not confident enough in their Majority Leader to publicly vouch for his character. Of the Representatives who went on record with a clear position, 62 percent said that DeLay was not ethically fit to serve as Majority Leader.

When asked by their constituents, "Do you believe that Tom DeLay is ethically fit to serve as Majority Leader?" Representatives answered..."

01:24 / 20.04.05

Y'know, I really hope the sonuvabitch doesn't cave in. He's the perfect smelly wedge we need for a Democratic sweep of seats in 2006.

19:15 / 20.04.05

Today's tidbits ...

House panel prepared to investigate DeLay
"Retreating under pressure, Republicans on the House ethics committee said Wednesday they were ready to open an investigation into allegations of wrongdoing against Majority Leader Tom DeLay."

DeLay Slams Supreme Court Justice
"House Majority Leader Tom DeLay intensified his criticism of the federal courts on Tuesday, singling out Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's work from the bench as ``incredibly outrageous'' because he has relied on international law and done research on the Internet." (emphasis mine)

Lobbyist Gave DeLay a Skybox for Donors
"House Majority Leader Tom DeLay treated his political donors to a bird's-eye view of a Three Tenors concert from an arena skybox leased by a lobbyist now under criminal investigation. DeLay's political action committee did not reimburse lobbyist Jack Abramoff for the May 2000 use of the skybox, instead treating it as a type of donation that didn't have to be disclosed to election regulators at the time. The skybox donation, valued at thousands of dollars, came three weeks before DeLay also accepted a trip to Europe — including golf with Abramoff at the world-famous St. Andrews course — for himself, his wife and aides that was underwritten by some of the lobbyist's clients. Two months after the concert and trip, DeLay voted against gambling legislation opposed by some of Abramoff's Indian tribe clients. House ethics rules require lawmakers to avoid the appearance of any conflict of interest. 'I would say it deserves closer scrutiny by the ethics committee,' said Kathleen Clark, a former congressional lawyer and now a government ethics expert at Washington University in St. Louis."

"If this story is true, Delay's only hope is the Ken Lay defense: 'B-b-b-b-ut I had no idea what my PAC that I myself set up was doing accounting-wise.' Straw -- meet camel's back!" [Daily Kos | April 20, 2005]

21:39 / 20.04.05

Update:

As GOP Agrees to Probe DeLay, Some Question Process

"As Republican members of the House Ethics Committee say they will investigate charges raised about their leader, Tom DeLay (R-TX), Democrats will raise ire over the fact that new rules allow Republicans to veto an investigation by the committee, RAW STORY has learned.

The rules, passed by House Republicans earlier this year, mean that complaints are automatically dismissed if they committee reaches a stalemate, or if the committee does not act within 45 days.

The new chairman of the committee, a Republican Doc Hastings (R-WA), has said he would like to extend it to 90.

Under the previous rules, any tie vote on a complaint would spark an immediate investigation. Under current rules, a tie vote dismisses one. Because of the rules change, Democrats have refused to participate on the committee.

Republicans will now try to force the Democrats' hand, saying that their unwillingness to accept the new rules is preventing an investigation.

Democrats are said to be very suspicious of the new moves towards an investigation; they believe Republicans are playing a political game with rules governing House ethics."

13:29 / 21.04.05

"The time has come that the American people know exactly what their Representatives are doing here in Washington. Are they feeding at the public trough, taking lobbyist-paid vacations, getting wined and dined by special interest groups? Or are they working hard to represent their constituents? The people, the American people, have a right to know...I say the best disinfectant is full disclosure, not isolation." - U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, 11/16/95

15:48 / 21.04.05

Doonesbury this week is doing a great DeLay Deathwatch...

22:01 / 27.04.05

The Republicans, led by Speaker Hastert, have decided to reverse the rule change they made to the Ethics Committee that was preventing a DeLay probe (see ericb's post above). Basically, they were cowed by overwhelmingly negative public reaction as well as the fact that without the participation of its protesting Democratic members the Ethics Committee was basically shut down.

I love that the Repubs are finally being checked in all their gross overreaching in Congress. Between this and the Nuclear Option in the Senate, they've just gone way too far in their efforts to railroad the Dems out of all important legislative activities.

00:52 / 28.04.05

I don't want them to grow a conscience. I want them to keep stepping into bear traps, denying all the while that they have.

*kicks can*

17:55 / 28.04.05

Oh, don't worry, they're not growing a conscience. They're growing a "Shit! I'm up for reelection next year!"

19:16 / 28.04.05

What will happen to Delay...hopefully a public hanging. He deserves worse.

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

07:20 / 30.04.05

My opinion is that DeLay is going to stay, just because he raises SO much money for Republicans, and is a perfect fund raising bad guy for Democrats, that unless he is found in bed with Michael Jackson, he'll stay in place.

He's also from Texas, where they love their corrupt politicians...they way they have the deck stacked down there, he's set for life, and I wouldn't be durprised to see him in the Senate by the end of the decade, what with all of his political clout. Bush, who never met a scandal plagued Republican he didn't like, has been with DeLay a lot over the past few weeks, sending the message that he's not going to let him get picked off. Say what you want about Bush, he known how to surround himself with people who are waist deep in scandal, yet none of it seems to bother his base.

m

17:21 / 02.05.05

This isn't gonna bite the Republicans at all. For one, it's a monetary scandal. Folks here in America only care about scandals in which genitalia are involved. For two, Americans don't know or care who the House majority leader is and does. There will never be any public outcry for a rigorous ethics investigation because americans are only really concerned with the activities of politicians in the state and federal executive branches (unless genitalia are involved). Thirdly, the Bush administration has proven to be very adept at taking whatever negative press it receives and flipping it back on its source. If the Democrats decide to really pursue the ethics investigation, the Republicans will simply put on their "poor persecuted christian majority in power" act and turn it all back on the "rabid liberal conspiracy". The american public gets more riled up over a nebulous shadowy evil conspiracy against good christian values than abuse of power and very specific and obvious donation improprieties every time (see social security reform and the recent "Justice Sunday" event in which DeLay played a prominent role).

Unless DeLay decides to sodomize children on national television, he'll come out of this unscathed.

20:25 / 02.05.05

Solitaire Rose: He's also from Texas, where they love their corrupt politicians...they way they have the deck stacked down there, he's set for life, and I wouldn't be durprised to see him in the Senate by the end of the decade, what with all of his political clout.

m: Americans don't know or care who the House majority leader is and does. There will never be any public outcry for a rigorous ethics investigation because americans are only really concerned with the activities of politicians in the state and federal executive branches... The american public gets more riled up over a nebulous shadowy evil conspiracy against good christian values than abuse of power and very specific and obvious donation improprieties every time (see social security reform and the recent "Justice Sunday" event in which DeLay played a prominent role).

Really? While the Republicans usually seem to be quite good at deflecting absolutely anything and everything, I've been rather glad to see that the polls really don't seem to bear that out on this one. I believe I've seen even worse ratings elsewhere, but: 38 per cent of voters in DeLay's district say they'd vote for him, 45 per cent for someone else.

And remember, the American public's certainly shown a great deal of interest in ethics in the House in the past... at least, enough to throw the Democrats out of power in the early 90s. Currently, they really don't seem overly happy with Congress again: poll ratings (37% approval, lowest since 1999).

And the Propaga - er, "Justice Sunday" of which you speak? The last I checked, poll ratings showed that voters weren't exactly convinced...

m

21:01 / 02.05.05

I don't really know about poll statistics, there's just something that I don't much trust about them. Folks do have a habit of saying one thing and doing another.

21:41 / 02.05.05

For one, it's a monetary scandal. Folks here in America only care about scandals in which genitalia are involved.

Ugh, it's so true. And so sad. Remember Surgeon Gen. Jocelyn Elders? The poor woman lost her job because she said masturbation should be talked about in sex ed. And now we have Bush/Enron, Cheney/Halliburton, Delay, Gonzales with the torture... man, it's depressing is what it is.

00:12 / 03.05.05

As an ignorant Canadian, I can only tell you that our scandal, which is being called "the sponsorship scandal", involves our goverment being (probably grossly) inappropriate with money. I find the story rather technical, but that might just say more about me than the situation itself.
Was watching a comedian the other night who was doing the standard Canadian VS. American jokes ( canadians drive like this...Americans drive like this...haha). His big joke was that even our scandals are horribly boring.

Looks like it's going to lead to an early election, and maybe some sort of liberal- NDP partnership?...

Solitaire Rose as Tom Servo

01:49 / 03.05.05

And the Propaga - er, "Justice Sunday" of which you speak? The last I checked, poll ratings showed that voters weren't exactly convinced...

Justice Sunday wasn't for the voters. It was for the base, and was pure "fan-service" for them. Bush and the rest of the Republicans have decided after the election that they don't NEED the moderate voters, since they don't vote reliably. They are going for the hard-core Christian right-wing base, getting the churches to do their outreach work, and crafting their election plans for them. So far, the numbers bear them out, as Bush was the first President to win re-election, despite having only 48% approval on election day.

So, I think that as the election gets closer, DeLay will be hitting the church circuit hard...and you can't ever count him out, since he has access to more money than any other politician on the planet at this point.

m

03:07 / 03.05.05

Note of interest: "Justice Sunday" broadcast from the mega-church in the city that I call home, Louisville, KY. That place is soooo fuckin' huge. It's really unbelievable.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

14:34 / 11.05.05

Delay may lose his position but it won't be without a fight and it will do nothing to stop the Republican machine. I also doubt that it will have much of an effect on the next election cycle.

18:49 / 13.05.05

After one Dem. called Pres. Bush "a loser" while visting a school full of children, DeLay retorted by saying Democrats have "no class, no ideas, no agenda, no solutions."

The Dem. who called Pres. Bush a loser has since apologized to Karl Rove.

God help us all.