Posted on 06/09/2005 6:06:20 PM PDT by NewMediaFan
As a freshman member of Congress and former state legislator, I certainly expected a high level of partisanship upon coming to Washington. But the coordinated attack strategy by the Democrats and their left-wing allies in the 527 community against Tom DeLay, R-Texas, is more blatantly self-serving than anything I could have imagined.
The ethics battle in Washington is nothing more than partisan attacks disguised under the rubric of ethics. We know this because those instigating the attacks are mysteriously quiet when members of their own team come under the magnifying glass.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called for an investigation of the Republican leader on Feb. 28, saying that charges he inappropriately traveled with a nonprofit organization must be "fully investigated by the Ethics Committee ..." because "The House gift rule clearly states that lobbyists cannot pay a member's travel expenses ..."
But when it was revealed that members of Pelosi's own party - Reps. Neil Abercrombie, D-Hawaii, Norm Dicks, D-Wash., Tom Clyburn, D-S.C. and Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. - had their travel paid for by registered lobbyists, Mrs. Pelosi did not call for investigations.
Nor did Pelosi call for an investigation of her deputy, House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., who did not properly disclose travel on 12 occasions.
Mr. Hoyer admitted his wrongdoing, but continued the attacks by saying that the real problem concerned whether a particular lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, paid for travel.
Of course, it later came out that two Democrats - Thompson and Clyburn - had their travel paid for by Abramoff. Still, there were no demands from Hoyer or Pelosi for an investigation of their own rank-and-file.
The Democrats are launching these attacks not because of any concern for ethics - otherwise they'd call for full investigations of their own members. Indeed, after three consecutive defeats at the polls in 2000, 2002 and 2004, they're facing political extinction and are grasping at straws for anything that might keep them from being a permanent minority.
President Bush won 30 and 31 states in 2000 and 2004 respectively. The growing conservative movement in those states means that over time the Senate will trend toward a larger Republican majority of 60-62 seats. In the House, 41 Democrats were elected in districts won by Bush, compared to only 19 Republicans elected in districts won by John Kerry. Many of the Democrats elected in pro-Bush districts are older, conservative types like John Spratt of South Carolina and Ike Skelton of Missouri. But over time, as these "Bush Democrats" retire, the House will trend toward an extra 22 Republican seats - almost doubling our majority.
Facing this bleak electoral outlook, Democrats chose Howard Dean to sing to their base, which won't budge enough to allow voters who like tax relief or traditional values to join their coalition. What's the only course of action? Scorch the earth and make the institution of Congress look so bad that voters will look past their lack of ideas or shrinking coalition. That's the Democrat vision for America.
And in the scorched-earth strategy, everyone loses. Especially voters.
Well .. I hope there's a whole lot more like him in Congress.
Well SAID Patrick! 'Bout time SOMEONE in congress told it like it really is! Keep writing and talk LOUDER! The truth must be told and told more often than the lies if people are going to believe the truth!
Your tag line says it all
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