Posted on 01/06/2006 12:58:13 PM PST by Sub-Driver
US Republicans calling for elections to replace DeLay
4 minutes ago
About two dozen Republicans have promised to sign a petition calling for elections to permanently replace Rep. Tom DeLay as majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, aides said on Friday.
"We have commitments for about 25 signatures. The letter calls for a leadership election for a permanent majority leader," said Matthew Specht, a spokesman for Rep. Jeff Flake (news, bio, voting record), a conservative Arizona Republican.
Fifty House Republican signatures are needed to call elections, which would occur after the House reconvenes on January 31.
A source close to House Republicans, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that the signatures were being collected from conservative and moderate Republicans. The source said Rep. Charles Bass (news, bio, voting record), a New Hampshire moderate, was working closely with Flake.
DeLay, a Texas Republican, was forced to resign as House majority leader, the number-two leadership job, in September after he was indicted in Texas on money laundering and conspiracy charges.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
Oh HELL no.
I wonder how many of these will be willing to put their names out in the open...
especially if they don't get 50 signatures, and Delay stays...OOPSY...he knows who they are!!
Just make sure the new leader is not in any way tied to any of the scandals that are going to consume D.C. in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Excellent. I just hope that by January 31 or the election they'll have a better idea who the Abramoff-free Republicans are so we don't end up with another judgment-lacking liability.
I heard Bill Bennett say some months ago that his sources had been telling him that DeLay was not particularly liked or respected among a lot of Republicans. But they didn't want to say anything publicly. There's been suspicion that he's not particularly squeaky clean. I personally like and respect DeLay's leadership talent. But I've wondered about him for a long time too. I think it's probably time for the leadership position to be passed along.
Do you believe DeLay is corrupt?
I agree. Innocent or not, he has been a rope around the neck of the party and has to go. When he is exonerated, there will be a place for him.
Like it or not, Delay's tenure as majority leader is over.
No more corrupt than the average politician.
I am not in agreement with abadoning Delay, because he is completely innocent. However, the propaganda against him and the GOP needs to be corrected, and getting another whip might be the best answer.
I suspect a bit less so. Certainly less so than the Ronnie Earl, the Travis County prosecutor who is bringing charges against him.
This is no time to shoot the wounded.
"Jeff Flake" - Now THERE's and appropriately-named congresscritter!
Some didn't like him because he did his job and got votes instead of being rolled like Frist. That's usually considered a GOOD thing by people around here that want to toss Frist overboard...and I'm one.
But, I congratulate National Review for selling someone not convicted of any wrongdoing down the river. They probably were the final impetus for this. They should be damn proud of themselves for teaching the Dems you can indict someone for pure political motives, no evidence to back the indictment, and get away with it.
Well done. What a victory for conservatisism. [sarcasm]
Just let me make it clear any Republicans that sign onto this and need someone to back them up in future can forget it. I'll let them be hanged by the MSM and spineless Reps/RINO's. It's the lesson they have taught us all, so I'll let them live by it.
DeLay gives the 'Rats ammo. "Tell a lie loud enough, often enough, and long enough".... I just want to take away all the 'Rat's ammo.
I don't like it, but that's the reality.
Threads like this manage to smoke out the mccaniax among the FR.
LOL - a DUmmie distraction...
DeLay has actually been quite successful and effective at passing legislation in the House. An effective conservative (which DeLay is for the most part) will always become a priority target for the Left and their mainstream media allies, so we should give him the benefit of the doubt, as there is no doubt that the Left will engage in disgraceful campaigns against him (as with Earle in Texas), lie about him, give him nicknames meant to be disparaging, or blow something little out of proportion.
But having said all of that, DeLay, and all other conservatives, must know all of that going in, and therefore plan and act accordingly. Now that is not meant to suggest that conservatives should shy away from being bold and aggressive, and from taking the fight to the Left on all fronts, but it does mean that they must be even more on-guard against that whole appearance-of-impropriety thing. Its not fair, but conservatives must hold themselves to a higher standard so as to lessen the amount of meat that the all-to-eager media has to feast on. And we should not discount the power and influence that the mainstream media still has in shaping the opinions of those puzzling 'undecided' voters we hear so much about every November.
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