Posted on 04/10/2005 11:45:55 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
WASHINGTON - Signaling that persistent ethics questions about House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may be starting to weigh down Republicans, a GOP moderate on Sunday called for DeLay to resign his leadership post, and a top GOP senator urged DeLay to answer questions about his ethics.
"Tom's conduct is hurting the Republican Party, is hurting this Republican majority and it is hurting any Republican who is up for re-election," Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., told the Associated Press after making similar comments at community meetings in his home district this weekend. He said DeLay should step down.
Shays has had a rocky relationship with DeLay, R-Sugar Land, in recent years over questions about campaign finance and ethics rules. But his concerns were underscored by Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., a conservative and the Senate's third-ranking Republican, who said DeLay needs to clear the air.
"I think he has to come forward and lay out what he did and why he did it and let the people then judge for themselves," Santorum said on ABC's This Week. He said that from what he knows of the ongoing DeLay controversies, "everything he's done was according to the law."
"Now you may not like some of the things he's done," said Santorum, who is up for re-election next year. "That's for the people of his district to decide, whether they want to approve that kind of behavior."
Ongoing investigations A political action committee created by DeLay has been under investigation by the Travis County district attorney, and federal investigators are probing a lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, who had ties to DeLay. The majority leader also has been the subject of recent news reports about the propriety of overseas travel, which may have been underwritten by lobbyists, including Abramoff.
DeLay also drew attention for his strident criticism of federal judges, particularly those who refused to order the reinsertion of a feeding tube for Terri Schiavo, a brain-damaged Florida woman who died March 31.
A spokesman for DeLay countered Shays' comment by noting he enjoys "wide support of the rank-and-file" of the House GOP conference. Most of the House Republicans are conservative, and many have viewed the scrutiny of DeLay as part of an orchestrated campaign to undermine their political agenda.
Asked if DeLay has heard from GOP House members who are worried about the volume of critical news reports, DeLay chief spokesman Dan Allen replied: "Members were very supportive through the week last week and going into the weekend."
A top administration official also said Friday that DeLay has not yet become the political liability that Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., became in 2002, when he was pushed out of his leadership post by the White House in favor of Sen. Bill Frist, R-Tenn., after making a political gaffe.
"Nobody around here is saying that DeLay is a problem the way Lott was," a senior administration official said.
But the mood on Capitol Hill has become testier as the controversies have raged on.
"I have no comment on anything," Rep. Michael Castle, R-Del., said as he avoided questions about DeLay last week.
Democrats also are trying to embarrass Republicans into dropping their support of DeLay. The Public Campaign Action Fund will announce today that it will run new anti-DeLay ads in key congressional districts.
Undoing rules changes One of the recent targets was Rep. Rob Simmons, R-Conn., who faced questions about DeLay during his own tough re-election battle last November. Simmons also strongly called for the resignation of his state's former Gov. John Rowland, who was convicted of selling access to his office for personal gain.
GOP members have maintained that they are getting relatively few questions about DeLay when they return to their districts. But on Saturday, voters at a town hall forum asked Shays about DeLay, the Greenwich Time reported.
"He is an absolute embarrassment to me and to the Republican Party," Shays told the Greenwich audience.
Shays and Rep. Joel Hefley, R-Colo., the past chairman of the House ethics committee, have signed a Democratic resolution that would undo some of the rules changes that GOP leaders, including DeLay, pushed through the House in January.
The new rules make it harder for the committee to pursue probes against members. Democrats have protested by blocking the committee from officially organizing.
Hefley was removed as chairman after the committee unanimously voted last year to issue three admonishments against DeLay. A key staffer also was fired.
DeLay recently offered to go before the committee to answer charges that have been raised in recent weeks. But his offer was viewed as largely symbolic since the committee is gridlocked.
"This whole ethics thing could not have been handled worse than it was," said Hefley, who recently spoke to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., about ways to diminish the political heat on Republicans regarding ethics.
Loyalty with concerns Hefley said that the loyalty by members toward DeLay because of his strong leadership on tough issues has overshadowed the private concerns of some members about DeLay.
"A lot of folks mention quietly that they are concerned about it. On the other hand, you have a lot of members standing up and pledging their undying support for Mr. DeLay," Hefley said.
Among those standing behind DeLay are House Majority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo., who said recently, "He's taking a lot of arrows for all of us."
gebe.martinez@chron.com
These Senators are fully supported by the GOP party apparatus. That is, the rot runs deeper than the Senators. So goes the battle, that's politics!
Shays is the one that should be stepping down, or at least switching over to the Dems.
Ah, yes, Mr. RINO: "GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT, EH?"
"He is an absolute embarrassment to me and to the Republican Party," Shays told the Greenwich audience.
AN EMBARASSMENT TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY? WELL, LET US TAKE A PEEK AT SHAY'S RECORD:
Designated an “Environmental Champion” by the League of Conservation Voters, Christopher is steadfast in his commitment to protecting our precious earth.
He fights to conserve our resources, diversify our energy sources, limit greenhouse gas emissions, and protect the integrity of federal laws that guard our air, land and water.
As Chairman of Global Legislators Organized for a Balanced Environment USA, he joins with legislators from around the world to overcome barriers to progress on important environmental issues, such as climate change. A leader among centrist Republicans, Christopher is an advocate of socially moderate views.
He worked with the former Administration to establish the successful COPS program, which has helped reduce crime through the United States.
He leads the charge to end racial profiling and sexual discrimination in the workplace.
He is an ardent supporter of a woman’s right to choose.
He helped author the 1993 Gun Control Act and advocates a sensible assault weapons ban reauthorization bill.
A former Peace Corps volunteer, Christopher helped establish the AmeriCorps national service program and co-founded the Congressional National Service Caucus.
He is Co-Chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus and the Nonproliferation Task Force.
AS AN ASIDE:
"Tom's conduct is hurting the Republican Party?" and he is an embarassment to the Republican Party?"
The ADA (Americans for Democratic Action) awarded on AVERAGE a score, for ALL Republican House Members (in 2004) of, 10.5%
During the same period, it gave Shays a SCORE, of 70,
while awarding DeLay a big fat 0.
Now let's see if I've got this right........
Ah, yes, Mr. RINO: "GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT, EH?"
"He is an absolute embarrassment to me and to the Republican Party," Shays told the Greenwich audience.
AN EMBARASSMENT TO THE REPUBLICAN PARTY? WELL, LET US TAKE A PEEK AT SHAY'S RECORD:
Designated an “Environmental Champion” by the League of Conservation Voters, Christopher is steadfast in his commitment to protecting our precious earth.
He fights to conserve our resources, diversify our energy sources, limit greenhouse gas emissions, and protect the integrity of federal laws that guard our air, land and water.
As Chairman of Global Legislators Organized for a Balanced Environment USA, he joins with legislators from around the world to overcome barriers to progress on important environmental issues, such as climate change. A leader among centrist Republicans, Christopher is an advocate of socially moderate views.
He worked with the former Administration to establish the successful COPS program, which has helped reduce crime through the United States.
He leads the charge to end racial profiling and sexual discrimination in the workplace.
He is an ardent supporter of a woman’s right to choose.
He helped author the 1993 Gun Control Act and advocates a sensible assault weapons ban reauthorization bill.
A former Peace Corps volunteer, Christopher helped establish the AmeriCorps national service program and co-founded the Congressional National Service Caucus.
He is Co-Chair of the Congressional Arts Caucus, the Congressional Friends of Animals Caucus and the Nonproliferation Task Force.
AS AN ASIDE:
"Tom's conduct is hurting the Republican Party?" and he is an embarassment to the Republican Party?"
The ADA (Americans for Democratic Action) awarded on AVERAGE a score, for ALL Republican House Members (in 2004) of, 10.5%
During the same period, it gave Shays a SCORE, of 70,
while awarding DeLay a big fat 0.
Now let's see if I've got this right........
Great post.
And pray for conservatives to rally to his side.
Thanks for that post.
""He is an absolute embarrassment to me and to the Republican Party," Shays told the Greenwich audience."
I am a libertarian and it seems to me that it is Shays who is an embarrassment to the Republican party. Republicans need to pressure Shays to step down or renounce his membership in the Republican party. It is obvious he is a socialist like the other Democrats in congress.
Consider the source. This man(?) believed the allegations of Juanita Broderick and still voted not to impeach the bent one. Instead of alerting America that a rapist is living in "our" house he held a town meeting. What a useless bit of sludge.
Bump
If the Comical refers to Shays as a "moderate" he must be a flaming marxist.
But, in time honored fashion (reaping the guaranteed MSM reaction), he got his name in the headlines by bashing a fellow Republican.
.....Only ONE possible answer that fits..he wants the GOP leadership to tear him a new one so that he can switch to the Dem party..
Or.....so he can have twice the fun!!!
(No!, Randi....behave yourself, now!)
Any so-called Republican that falls for this Democratic Party garbage is a damned fool.
I say it's high time the Pubbies turn the tables and start going after a LONG list of anti-American, ultra-liberal Dems who are just prime targets. Put THEM on the defensive for once.
All this just chaps my hide..............
You got it right. He's one of the few real Republicans we have left .
I'm like you .I had great hope for the GOP starting in 1994. Since then it's been one disappointment after another.
All they have done since they got into power is speak, sit up, roll over,fetch and play dead.
I call for RINO Shays resignation. In fact I will contribute to his defeat even if I have to give $ to a Rat. Polishing off this whiny weenie is long overdue.
Since 1997, George Soros has provided $4.7 million to the campaign finance ‘reform’ movement.
In 1998, Soros funneled more than $600,000 to Arizonans for Clean Elections (ACE), which created public financing for Arizona state candidates:
· ACE Treasurer Gary Tredway turned out to be a Vietnam War protestor wanted for felony convictions for more than thirty years – and who received one of former President Clinton’s last minute pardons.· In 1999, George Soros and seven wealthy friends created their own political committee, Campaign for a Progressive Future, which funded almost $2 million of political activities in 2000, including $200,000 to the Million Mom PAC.
· Steven T. Kirsch, one of the donors to Campaign for a Progressive Future, contributed $500,000 to campaign finance ‘reform’ groups in 2000.
· Kirsch personally spent $1.8 million in independent expenditures against the presidential candidacy of George W. Bush in 2000Sen. John McCain has received several thousand dollars in campaign contributions from these same wealthy donors, one of only three Republican candidates to receive support from these Democratic partisans in recent years. The other two GOP candidates are Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) and former Rep. Rick Lazio from New York.
Who’s Buying Campaign Finance Reform?
Warning: .pdf file.
Yes! I wish there was a really strong conservative party. I'd get out of the pubbie party in a minute.
At odds with her party's leadership, Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen of Miami is urging the Pentagon to allow gay men and lesbians to serve in the military -- a direct challenge to the policy of ``don't ask, don't tell.''
Ros-Lehtinen -- with House Republicans Christopher Shays of Connecticut and Jim Kolbe of Arizona -- joins 70 Democrats in support of the Military Readiness Enhancement Act, introduced last month by Rep. Marty Meehan, D-Mass., to repeal the longtime gay ban.
These treacherous creeps are like termites, devouring the GOP from the inside."
Great metaphor...
The RATS are pleased to have RINOs do their dirty work.
And where is Dubya Bush? Where is his clarion call for "strong conservative leadership"? (crickets)
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