Posted on 09/28/2005 7:44:37 PM PDT by Lando Lincoln
Tom DeLay has been indicted in Travis County, Texas, for conspiracy to violate campaign finance laws. Two DeLay political associates had previously been indicted. Under House Republican Party rules, DeLay immediately lost his position as majority leader, and the Associated Press has reported that Speaker Dennis Hastert has chosen Rules Committee Chairman David Dreier to replace him.
This is very bad news for House Republicans. DeLay has been astonishingly effective in rounding up majorities for legislation supported by the Republican leadership and the Bush administration. He is well liked by many members. I don't know how this case will turn out and cannot assess the validity of the charges. The Associated Press reports that "DeLay has denied committing any crime and accused the Democratic district attorney leading the investigation, Ronnie Earle, of pursuing the case for political motives." I don't think that possibility can be dismissed. Earle is a liberal Democrat, and in 1993 he brought criminal charges against Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, then comptroller and now U.S. senator; most of the charges were dismissed by the judge before trial, and the remaining charges were withdrawn. The case was summarized as follows by the Austin Review: "Earle's politically motivated indictment of Senator Hutchinson on charges that she used state funds to run her senatorial campaign made even his own supporters cringe. The charges were dismissed when Earle refused to present evidence at trial." The quotation is from the Captain's Quarters blog; the original is apparently no longer available online.
Democrats will surely charge that DeLay's indictment, that of White House procurement official David Safavian, and that of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff show that George W. Bush's Republican Party is laced with corruption. I think that's obviously a stretch–both parties at various times have been much more scandal smirched than today's Republicans–and I think that the DeLay indictment in time may prove to be no more valid than that of Senator Hutchison, who has been re-elected by wide margins twice since the case against her was dismissed. But in the meantime, this is bad news for the Republican Party and gives every Democratic House challenger a talking point.
The House Republican rule that requires indicted leaders to step down was inspired by the indictment of then Ways and Means Chairman Dan Rostenkowski when Democrats still had a majority in the House. After last November's election, the Republican leadership, anticipating a possible DeLay indictment, tried to repeal the rule but after considerable protest reinstated it. I think that was a wise decision. It's not seemly to keep a top party leader in office after he has been indicted–however flimsy the indictment may ultimately turn out to be.
Is Ronnie Earle abusing his prosecutorial discretion, as he pretty clearly did in the Hutchison case? Our system of criminal justice gives a lot of discretion to prosecutors, who are chosen in partisan elections in most states or by partisan process as in the selection of United States attorneys. One of the good things about America is that the large majority of prosecutors, from both political parties, do not abuse this discretion in the pursuit of political goals. I've known a lot of prosecutors of both parties, all of whom took their responsibilities and their duty to be fair very seriously. But I've never met Ronnie Earle.
Yeah. That's about as negative as Barone will get!
Barone needs to grow a pair and call ronnie earle an out-of-control RAT hack, which he clearly is.
Same underlying facts, yes.
http://www.tsp.utexas.edu/frontpage/ColyandroEllisIndictment.pdf
It is acceptable so long as it is based on a reasonable fear that the seller will himself have to pay higher prices. Matter of degree. Americans are funny about the oil companies. They take cheap gas as a matter of right and go out and buy cars that are more than they can afford. I am reminded that in 1972 A Mercedes230 cost only about $3500. A comparable car todays costs ten times as much.
Will Rogers never met Ronnie Earle, either.
The Democrats may have made a mistake here. Never had an opportunity to see or hear Delay for any extended period until today. I found him to be, well, impressive. Articulate and well spoken. Very likeable. Now that he has the attention of the viewing public, he will win the sympathy of many by his reasonableness.
Nightline showed the obligatory conspiracy chart, with DeLay's picture in the center and dozens of other people surrounding it, with lines pointing everywhere. Looks like HRC's VRWC chart that appeared in every magazine the week she appeared on the Today Show. Amazing how they get their visual aids up and running so quickly after the "indictment".
Well, considering the man was a successful exterminator in his previous life...he is by nature a Rat killer. ; )
Got to agree with you here. If he is innocent, he just may rip them a new one!
Robin Rather has had that flow chart ready for years -
This was grand jury #6
Texas needs to revamp their county prosecutor system
I have a feeling this prosecutor will meet a bad end
You must be kidding about Delay.
Right after 9/11, when every politician was shamelessly promoting the Transportation Security Agency, Delay vocally opposed the bill and blasted the rush to push a bad bill.
I will never forget his courage, even during the most emotional moments, and his strong stance on conservative goals.
He is one of the most effective spokesperson. I love Delay when he articulates ideas, and blasts good ones.
I wish he was more visible and heard.
Ronnie Earle has just done what many couldn't...
energize the GOP base. ;o)
oooooppssss...I meant blasts bad ones.
May be I need to hit the sack. :-)
That's for sure......
I'd LOVE to see the dems attack Brown. Let their black constituents see the dems for the racists they are. I'd also love to see Gov. Perry issue a pardon to Delay and publicly decry Earle as a "pathetic little partisan hack".
Don't confuse the act of desperately throwing mud in every direction with Democrats somehow "controlling the political agenda."
Tax cuts. Kyoto dead. ICC dead. National Missile Defense. Hussein in jail. Taliban out of power. Libya disarmed of WMD's. Drilling in the Alaska Petroleum Reserve. Chief Justice Roberts.
Democrats get better press...but that's not "controlling the agenda."
Do you honestly think that Democrats **wanted** to make Senator Kerry's 2004 campaign slogan "A Stronger America" ??
Come on!
As if Dems need anything else to bash Republicans? Sorry, but they will Bash Republicans with or without an indictment of DeLay. This will only be bad news if we fall for their bloviating.
Dems are running scared, knowing they are soon losing the Supreme Court, their last vestige of power. They'll cry and whine about this just as they do everything else and still, they will not ever present a single solitary idea to better anything.
As in most everything else associated with the Socialist Demokratic Party, I feel this too will backfire on them. Keep our guards up and watch as they implode on themselves.
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