Tom Delay - Throw the bum out!
I’m prepared to hear all sorts of apologies for Tom Delay on right wing radio. I’m prepared to hear this indictment called a politically motivated ‘witch-hunt by the libs’ by Tom and his buddies. But if I hear ANY real Christian attempt to defend this guy, I’m gonna go off. Don’t preach to me about Christian values then ignore ethics laws violations. First, he was indicted by a grand jury - so if it’s a witch hunt, it can’t be by just the district attorney Ronnie Earle (as Tom’s defense claims) since you’ve got multiple people convinced he’s guilty (jury = plural). Besides, Earle has prosecuted 12 Dems as well, so there goes that theory. Second, you’ve got a copy of the check for $190,000 made out to the RNC within 60 days of an election in violation of Texas election law! I mean, that’s pretty incontrovertible.This is no surprise - three others involved in this mess were already indicted earlier in the year. Then Tom’s buddies attempted to remove the ethics laws that require anyone indicted in an ethics case to step down. When they realized the public were aghast at this kind of manouvre, they reinstated it.
This is Ronnie Earle’s last big case. He could have retired but he was so pissed about it that he stayed on to prosecute someone who he feels stole an election and then bragged about it. Good on him!
There’s another Delay scandal I haven’t heard about recently: (from Democracy Now!) - "$81 million was stolen from — by two lobbyists, was $81 million in lobbying fees were charged to six American Indian tribes by Jack Abramoff and Mike Scanlon, two close DeLay associates."
(From CNN) "With GOP control of the Texas legislature, DeLay then engineered a redistricting plan that enabled the GOP take six Texas seats in the U.S. House away from Democrats — including one lawmaker switching parties — in 2004 and build its majority in Congress."
Throw the bum out! - I would sue for the money back too.
Comment posted on 9-29-2005
Engineering redistricting plans = electioneering.
Redistricting shouldn’t be done by congress. This should be redone either by a State Supreme court committee or perhaps a census bureau. The same thing happened here in PA, we’re teetering on the brink of becoming a red state. The State House and Senate are GOP controlled - by a widening margin.
This is just another example of the GOP being disinterested in American Democracy.
It’s ironic the administration was desperately trying to set up a secular democracy in Iraq while tearing down the one at home.
Comment posted on 10-3-2005
Interesting bit of an exchange from Faux News Sunday. Delay was a featured guest, he wrapped up with this little exchcange.
WALLACE: And on a personal level, Tom DeLay will be back?
DELAY: Absolutely, one way or another.
WALLACE: What does that mean, "one way or another"?
DELAY: Well, I don’t know what’s going to happen. What I do know is whatever happens, I think it’s probably for the good. And I’m just — you know, I’m going to continue doing my job.
WALLACE: And you think you’ll be back in the leadership of the Republican Party?
DELAY: Well, I hope so. I can do my job with or without the title. That doesn’t concern me.
With or without the title….doesn’t sound like he REALLY intends to step down. I wonder how the new GOP leadership feels about this. I can’t imagine they want to have ol’ Tom pulling the strings behind the scenes. That would be unethical!
Comment posted on 10-4-2005
ANOTHER idictment has been handed down by A DIFFERENT grand jury,
this time for MONEY LAUNDERING. Funny - a search in Google turned
up a zillion PRO-Delay websites and only one site that had this news item
- content_3581074.htm" class="external">FROM CHINA! I know, you heard it on
NPR last night too, but no REAL Americans listen to NPR, only liberal,
communist fags listen to that tripe, right? Besides - well-written, cogent
journalism concerning current political happenings are far too boring for
the average American. Most people who listen exclusively to Faux and
other right-wing radio honestly believe that this is a witch hunt and that
DeLay has done nothing wrong. They don’t know that DeLay effectively
stole the election in Texas (and I still have serious doubts about GW’s
claim as well - remember the Ohio electronic voting booths with no
paper trail?) and then rejiggered the districts to get more seats for the
Republicans in Texas. These guys are all dirty because they come from
the Karl Rove school of dirty politics. But again, ask any Rush-ite and
the new line is to hold Rove up as a genius. Hitler was a genius too -
but we don’t celebrate geniuses who break the law (unless we want to
promote that behavior?).
Comment posted on 10-4-2005
From FOX (Kim Hume): "Let us not get caught up in the details here —
they are meaningless. Just as the details of previous ethics charges
leveled at DeLay are meaningless. This is the deal: DeLay wields power.
He uses that power to change the system to fit his conservative political
principles. He is unapologetic about it. People hate that."
HAHA! The details of the allegations are meaningless. Let’s see - If I
worked at a bank and I took $190,000 out of one person’s account and
deposited it in my own (illegally), would the details of that breach of
ethics be meaningless too? The fact that I despise Tom DeLay aside, the
point is that just because you are a big-wig in politics doesn’t put you
above the law. I seem to remember that ethics were very important to
the Republicans when there was an allegation that there might be some
hanky panky going on in the white house. All of a sudden we’re
supposed to look the other way?