Texas GOP Back Houston Councilwoman (Delay Seat)

PEARLAND, Texas — Republican agreed Thursday to support a Houston city councilwoman as the write-in candidate on the November ballot in place of former House Majority leader Tom DeLay, who resigned from Congress in June amid allegations of money laundering.

The Texas Republican Party decided it should rally behind one write-in candidate after a federal appeals court ruled Delay, who won the March Republican primary election, must remain on the ballot.

In addition to Sekula-Gibbs, write-in candidates vying for the GOP's support included David Wallace, mayor of Sugar Land, and Houston businessman Tim Turner. Wallace has already filed as a write-in candidate.

Gary Gillen, the GOP chairman of DeLay's home county of Fort Bend, had urged the candidates to boycott the meeting and decide on their own whether to run.

Gillen, in a letter to candidates on Wednesday, called the meeting "a secret exclusionary process" that "makes a mockery of our party, the democratic process and should be avoided at all cost."

"Despite protests from a number of Republicans in Congressional District 22, Republican Party leaders are once again running roughshod over voters fundamental right to select the candidate of their choice," he said in a statement.

Democrat Nick Lampson has been running steadily for the seat while Republicans fought the ballot issue in court. Libertarian Bob Smither also is running.

DeLay also spoke to the group about his future and the direction of the district, those who attended said.

He stepped down as majority leader last year after he was indicted in Texas on money laundering charges alleging he helped funnel illegal corporate money to legislative campaigns in 2002. He gave up his effort to reclaim the leadership job amid questions about his associations with convicted ex-lobbyist Jack Abramoff and pressure from party colleagues.

DeLay denies all allegations of wrongdoing and has labeled the Texas charges a political witch hunt.

I noticed something.

Many liberals are complete dunderheads in regards to economics. Yet they are brilliant in polticial strategy.

Conservatives, OTOH, are successful in their personal lives, but are clueless on how to build coalitions and shape public opinion.

If they paid taxes on the income, where's the crime?

Ethics? Morality? Is just the acceptance of money unethical? Does it depend on the source? Does it depend on a quid quo pro?

The Dem governor of Illinois paid the IL GOP National Committeeman a couple million to be a "consultant". Nobody has ever been able to prove a quid pro quo. or what "consulting" he actually did.

Is it coincidence that the same GOP National Committeeman arranged for the destruction of several GOP statewide conservative (and anti-corruption) candidates ?

Is it coincidence that the same GOP National Committeeman used some of those consulting fees to pay several legislators to vote for the Dem's tax increases and other unRepublican financial adventures of the Dem governor in order to give the Dems the cover that the tax increases were "bipartisan" ? Due to the state GOP establishment previously taking a dive, the Dems controlled everything and did not need the GOP whores votes in order to pass the financial shenanigans.

TRG Do you want an apology for calling your friend Sullivan a whore?
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If DeLay was so great, and so effective in the House that originates all money matters, why did pork and entitlements grow so big in the past couple years?

Was there a quid pro quo? How else can can the national GOP waste of my money be explained?

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