Posted on 04/14/2005 1:52:39 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Democrats and Republicans are using the ethics turmoil surrounding House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to wage a rhetorical duel accusing each other of skirting tough debates on Social Security, gas prices and judges.
Hyperbole, no stranger on Capitol Hill, is a key weapon in a fight tightly coordinated by party leaders.
Republicans lunged first on Wednesday, accusing Democrats of exploiting questions about who paid for two of DeLay's trips abroad.
"Tom DeLay did nothing wrong," Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kan., told reporters after the weekly GOP caucus meeting. "There's no evidence of any breaking of the House rules. What this is, is a political smear campaign made by an organization, a political party that is devoid of ideas."
Democrats parried by describing DeLay as the face of a Republican majority controlled by radical, right-wing extremists, unfairly wielding power by changing House ethics rules and threatening to abolish Senate filibusters a hallowed tradition that allows senators to stall legislation with unlimited talk.
"Republicans are engaging in abuse of power and the American people are paying the price," said House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California. Added Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., "The Republicans in the House of Representatives are running the most closed and bitterly partisan House in the history of our country."
DeLay has been cast as either a whipping boy or poster boy in news conferences, debates and hallway asides over who paid for some of his official trips, the Terri Schiavo case and the GOP's majority stewardship of the House and Senate.
On Wednesday, DeLay apologized for "inartful" phrasing when he said on the day Schiavo died that the judges involved would have to answer for their decisions against her parents, who wanted to reconnect her feeding tube. But he gave no ground on the ethics debate.
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
It may be legal, but it's still sleazy. Once again the Dems are about to hoist themselves. Snicker. But if the end result is that this practice gets cleaned up, fine by me. I'm a reasonable kinda gal. I'm all for givin' them want they want...Just not the way they want it :)
A lot of people work for their family.
I imagine a lot of these people meet through politics.
I don't see how it's sleezy, unless they're just paid and don't work for the money.
The sleeze here is that Democrats want to hang DeLay with a rope that easily fits around their necks too.
Well, FWIW, I'm a firm believer in the cleaner-than-Caesar's-wife standard.
The sleeze here is that Democrats want to hang DeLay with a rope that easily fits around their necks too.
Sleaze and abject STOOPIDITY. Gad, if only all the nation's enemies were this dumb :)
Politics isn't pretty.
With Pelosi and Reid, you don't have the dig, the slime about them is slathered around everywhere!
It doesn't have to be pretty. Just pristine :)
There are a lot of fights ahead, and all are important.
The RATS!
ditto bump
This whole business with Delay comes down to this:
"If your turret is taking hits, you must be on target."
You know what the coolest thing about this whole Delay uproar? Little Tommy D's not there singing with the chior any more. Is that great or what?
It's grand and soon he'll be joined by more of the choir.
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