Posted on 04/05/2006 9:00:47 AM PDT by ncountylee
The most stunning aspect of Tom DeLay's resignation from Congress isn't that he was forced out by a wave of bad publicity that began with his indictment last September for breaking a law that wasn't even on the books when DeLay allegedly violated it.
The real surprise of the DeLay debacle is that his fellow Republicans allowed him to be ripped apart by Democrat-friendly media piranha - without firing a shot in return.
Democrats would have surely backed off on their "Culture of Corruption" mantra had the GOP made even a minimal effort to fight fire with fire.
Instead, Hill Republicans looked the other way on one Democrat scandal after another - and will likely end up paying the price by losing control of Congress in November.
Here's a short list of investigations the GOP should have launched - not for reasons of partisan revenge - but because they warranted the full oversight of the party in control of Congress:
• Bergergate: The theft and destruction of top secret national security documents by former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger in a blatant attempt to obstruct the 9/11 Commission investigation.
Berger's crime was easily one of the most serious ever committed by a top government official. Yet the GOP Congress declined to probe further after the Bush Justice Department cut such an embarrassingly light plea bargain that even the Berger case judge was appalled.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
Sorry. Can't agree with this assesment at all.
DeLay didn't drop out because of a lack of spine on behalf of the GOP; he dropped out because he couldn't possibly win with this thing hanging over his head (regardless of whether or not the allegations are true). DeLay is the poster child for the democratic (small 'd' intentional) mantra of "culture of corruption". After a decade of such allegations, you have to arrive at the ppoint where you start to believe that at least some of this stuff is due to more than over-ambitious DA's and partisan attacks.
Personally, I believe that DeLay is probably guilty of something, whether it rises to the level of a prosecutable crime is another matter altogether. He did the right thing, though.
This is the new kindler, gentler RINO party which comforts illegals and supports their view that America is racist nation and that we need to celebrate being hyphenated Americans or not Americans at all. Its more imporant to identify with our country of origin or race than this country. That is the new Republican message - dont you love it? Im sure it will sell to the American people - done with the sarcasm.
Compassionate conservative my ass!!!!! How about elitist liberal in RINO clothing - is more like it.
Guess R bashing is all the vogue right now.
COUNT ME OUT
The Congressional GOP flinched in 1995 in the face of the school lunch onslaught. Their history has been a continuous flinch ever since.
I know, I might be willing to see the GOP lose control of Congress over a tough stand on illegal immigration but I sure am hell not willing to see us lose control by circling the wagons around Delay, a guy who had become so much a part of the wallpaper in Washington he couldn't see any possible areas where the federal budget could be cut as he said last fall.
I said during Clinton's impeachment the most disgraceful spectacle wasn't so much Clinton's wagging finger or Clinton on tape questioning the definition of the word "is," but rather the Democrats circling the wagons around Clinton like he was some mafia don. Granted Delay hasn't been found guilty of anything, but the taint is so bad that the GOP will only destroy whatever minimal political fortunes it has left by being seen circling the wagons. No, perhaps if this was not already going to be a gruesome year for the GOP in the midterms, but not under these circumstances, no way, no how. Delay is just not worth it.
And once again, I'm really getting tired of those like the wingnuts at NewsMax trying to turn the GOP into a suicide cult.
Amen. When the Republicans imposed a rule on themselves requiring leaders to step down if indicted, they were being stupid, stupid, stupid.
First of all, the Dems refused to follow suit, so they crippled themselves without gaining any advantage over Dem corruption.
Second, it was an open invitation to corrupt Dem prosecutors to indict, however falsely.
Third, it's only possible purpose, to make themselves look squeaky clean, actually has had the opposite effect. It gives the news media ammunition. "Hey, DeLay stepped down from the leadership. He must be guilty of something!"
The spineless Republicans have allowed this very dangerous and disadvantageous political axe to continue hanging over their heads for fear of media criticism. Hey, jerks, you already have media criticism, and this self-imposed "rule" is feeding the fire.
Finally, whatever you think about DeLay, what ever happened to party loyalty and solidarity? He hasn't been convicted of anything, and he probably won't be. He is probably less guilty of fudging around with campaign funds than any of the Democrats in the House. Certainly less guilty than Pelosi, for instance.
This is the guy who fixed the map of Texas and got the 10 extra Republicans into the House which the party was owed, by finally doing away with the old Democrat gerrymander. Some gratitude.
I agree, that at this point, he has done the right thing, though I would have liked things to turn out differently. Newt did the right thing and so did Bob Livingston.Trent Lott stepped down from his majority leader position, too.
On the other hand, the Dead-Conscience Democrats* rarely step down.
*The Democrats are so corrupt that their consciences are dead.
So true and so disgusting.
Let's apply the "Michael Jackson" test to DeLay;
1. If you've been accused once, you just might be a victim of circumstance or the target of someone with an agenda.
2. If you've been accused twice, after being acquitted the first time, you just might be the unluckiest individual on the planet (or a dumbass unable to learn from the past).
3. if you're accused a third time (or fourth, or fifth), there just might be something to it.
I don't mind wagon-circling, but how about wagon-circling for something that matters? If DeLay had died five years ago in a car accident, would that have changed the political landscape to such an extent that a republican majority was unthinkable? If DeLay was all that effective a leader, then why do we have bigger deficits and more federal spending than ever? Sorry, but the country and the party are bigger than one man with a perpetual black cloud hanging over him.
Good riddance.
To quote the Gipper: There you go again.
If moral equivalence arguments are bad when the other side does it, it even worse when we do it after railing against it for so long.
Lott, Packwood, Livingston, Gingrich, et. al., did the right thing not because the "other side" was so vicious and unrelenting, but despite them.
Right and wrong should have no political affiliation.
Sounds like we agree.
"...this corrupt "Two-Party Cartel" (which is owned & run by the elites who desire & demand that no true conservative agenda ever flourish because it is against their best interest..."
General rule of thumb: if either party actually accomplished anything it said it stood for completely, the country would be in revolt.
As for the "elites who desire...no true conservative agenda ever flourish..", we have the same kinds of folks in our ranks, or is the realization of complete Communism and Collectivism suddenly a good thing?
I don't disagree with you that a viable alternative is needed, the fact is that the system, as is, may be broken, but it does work. The issue is not conservative vs. liberal, per se, but more of a miasma of stupid people pushing limited agendas with no thought as to consequences (on both sides of the isle).
Sadly, I'm finding I agree with you. I'm furious that my donations to Delay's election campaign are finding their way into his legal defense coffers.
Why in God's name would you fight like crazy to win a primary only to drop out of the race entirely a short time later? It stinks to high heaven.
I'll give the man his kudos for being a superb organizer and champion of the Republican majority (although I was stunned by his statement that there was no fat to cut from the pork bills?!?!?), but I think he's going to be nailed. I admired Rep. Cunningham too, and was deeply disappointed by him-- guess I better gear up for another disappointment :-(
Best we can do is cut loose the damage and forge ahead. To his credit Delay is cutting himself loose, although I would have preferred he'd done so before sinking a ton of our money into a primary. I'd also like this Congress to have the spectre of Democrat control spur them into re-embracing their core values (small spending, small govt, tight borders). Can I help if I'm an optimist?
"Take a deep breath, everyone. ------ I think Delay is one smart cookie who is playing the hand he was dealt to perfection."
I agree -- but --- are republicans the only politicians who are the 'bad' guys? What dem has been 'forced' out of office?
Since optimism is (was) one of the prime driving motivations in the foundation of this country, no, you are not wrong at all. Kudos to you!
DeLay, however, to me, is symptomatic of a bigger problem: the GOP, with control of all three visible branches of government, does nothing it says it will. It does not rein in federal spending, it does not patrol and enforce the borders, it creates beuacratic entities that would make any FDR worshiper salivate (DHS, No Child Left Behind, etc). It does not stand on prinicple when it comes to entitlement reform (No Nuclear Option, Gang of 14, Prescription Drug Programs to bribe the Baby Boomers and remnants of the "Greatest Generation", etc), and only remembers it's fiscal conservatism when presented with a bill to rebuild New Orleans (a democratic stronghold where you couldn't get a conservative elected if you offered free hookers and booze at the polls).
The only "republican victory" that one could point to is packing the Supreme Court, and that's of dubious value (it was certainly predicated upon the assumption that Roe V. Wade would be revoked post-haste).
If that's what repubicanism and conservatism now stand for (division of spoils, kow-towing to a particular interest group, playing public relations games to remain in power), then two things need to be done: we either have to chuck the current crop of republicans and conservatives overboard, or we should just abandon the whole process and continue to be democrats (small 'd' intentional) in everything but name.
I for one don't want to see that happen. If means DeLay, Frist, McCain, etc., have to be casualties, and we lose control for the government for a bit, then so be it. This party needs an enema.
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