The Lone Star Power Grab

New York Times ^ | June 29, 2003 | New York Times Op-Ed

[Mister Magoo]

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June 29, 2003

The Lone Star Power Grab

he unslakable thirst of the House majority leader, Tom DeLay, for partisan dominance is of Faulknerian proportions: he keeps coming at the Democrats with a gunslinger's bead that summons images of his early career as a pest exterminator as much as his Capitol nickname of the Hammer. In his tooth-and-claw resolve, the Texas Legislature has been summoned into special session tomorrow by Gov. Rick Perry, a DeLay ally, to once more take up Mr. DeLay's hubristic plan to remap Texas' Democratic Congressional majority out of existence.

The brazenness of the initiative — overreaching from Washington to manipulate the state's right to draw Congressional lines — was underlined last month when Democratic legislators literally fled Texas. They denied their opponents a quorum and foiled approval of the customized gerrymandering Mr. DeLay wanted from the G.O.P.-led Legislature. He sent his operatives to work the back rooms in Austin and visited the Statehouse himself in seeking to shape the place to his will. A new sort of political bossism was upon the land.

In persisting, Mr. DeLay obviously feels entitled. He is one of the nation's most assiduous fund-raisers, regularly squeezing Washington's K Street lobbyists for campaign tribute. The majority leader helped funnel $1.5 million into the Texas campaign coffers last year when the Republicans swept the Statehouse for the first time in over a century. The party did not have as much success with the Texas Congressional delegation, however, and Mr. DeLay remains determined to try to defeat a half-dozen Democrats by squeezing them into new districts — some of them shaped like a Salvador Dalí nightmare — that include more Republican voters. "I'm the majority leader, and we want more seats," he declares with intimations of l'état c'est Tom.

The Texas districts were remapped by court order after the 2000 census, and the national tradition of once-a-decade redistricting is being violated by Mr. DeLay's stratagem. He is gerrymandering out of season and mischievously opening a new arena for D.C. power brokering. He has the blessing of Karl Rove, President Bush's political guru, who lately sounds like Karl von Clausewitz in envisioning fresh ramparts for G.O.P. hegemony. Texas legislators should stay in Austin this time and directly rebuff the majority leader who would be king.

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[BenLurkin]

The democrat party is fundamentally opposed to democracy when things don't go their way. Let there be no doubt of this.

[Dan from Michigan]

Did the Slimes piss and moan about what the dems did in Georgia?

[Semper Paratus]

"Panties in a bunch" alert.

Like an earlier thread, the dems go nuts when the 'pubs' flex some political muscle.

[Billthedrill]

to once more take up Mr. DeLay's hubristic plan to remap Texas' Democratic Congressional majority out of existence.

Wow, that's pretty stupid even for the Times - the Texas Republicans now own a Senate majority and an 88 - 62 majority in the House. If there were any such thing as a "Texas Democratic Congressional majority" we wouldn't be having this conversation.

[Redbob]

Wonder why the NY Times things folks here in Texas give a rats @ss what they think?

If it offends the sensibilities of a bunch of latte-drinkin' damnyankees, it's probably a great idea whatever it is!

[DallasMike]

The Texas districts were remapped by court order after the 2000 census, and the national tradition of once-a-decade redistricting is being violated by Mr. DeLay's stratagem. He is gerrymandering out of season and mischievously opening a new arena for D.C. power brokering.

The LEGISLATURE -- not the court system -- is supposed to redistrict in Texas the first session after every census. It's time for the LEGISLATURE to do its duty.

[MEG33]

I think we must be doing something right.I always feel more comfortable after a hit piece by the NYT.An opinion piece provides certainty.

[Bubba_Leroy]

How DARE those mean spirited Republicans try and undo the democRATs gerrymandered districts?

[Bubba_Leroy]

Wonder why the NY Times things folks here in Texas give a rats @ss what they think?

Not true. If the NY Times is against something then that tells me that I should be for it.

[Billthedrill]

Oh, wait, I get it - the Times meant that the Democrats have a majority representation in federal representation...which is being threatened by the notion that it might be made to resemble the clear preference the Texas voters showed for the Republicans on a statewide basis. The horror!

[centexan]

The Texas districts were remapped by court order after the 2000 census, and the national tradition of once-a-decade redistricting is being violated by Mr. DeLay's stratagem

The Courts, not the Legislature, drew the maps. Of course, libs think the courts should run things anyway - it's the only way they can advance their agenda.

[Graewoulf]

Looks like the libs at the New York Times are worried about the decline in popularity of the democrats here in TEXAS.

Glad to see Rep. Tom DeLay showing that he still has a little backbone left, for "Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their Party." (The libs hate that saying when Republicans say it.)

[GodfearingTexan]

this must be the stupidest editorial i've ever read. the over-use of attempts at catchy literary nuance is pathetic, like the "l'état c'est Tom" and the gunslinger/exterminator allusion. i think the people at the times have lost whatever it was that was holding them together emotionally.

the legislature is SUPPOSED to work out the congressional districts. not a court. liberals need to get over that. if the texas state house is Republican now, then they have the right and duty to make the congressional districts the way they want. what is scandalous is that the democrats left the entire state rather than allow the normal constitutional process to work.

the times is pathetic. yay Tom DeLay.

[txzman]

Just like Rush's hilarious comment about Calif Dem leaders crying that the Davis recall process was "subverting democracy".

Rush had to remind the twits that what they were watching WAS democracy!

[Ditter]

They try to make DeLay come off like some kind of a western neanterthal but they just make me like him more. Glad he is one of ours.

[squidly]

Wow. That is some serious rhetoric piled high and deep.

"thirst for partisan dominance is of Faulknerian proportions"

"keeps coming at the Democrats with a gunslinger's bead "

"Mr. DeLay's hubristic plan"

"regularly squeezing Washington's K Street lobbyists for campaign tribute. "

"mischievously opening a new arena for D.C. power brokering. "

"the majority leader who would be king."

"A new sort of political bossism was upon the land."

"sounds like Karl von Clausewitz in envisioning fresh ramparts for G.O.P. hegemony. "

To me, all this ridiculous bombast means DeLay has the Rats' huevos in a vise grip and they are scared.

[CyberAnt]

Well ... the dems better hold on to their shorts ... because it's going to be a bumpy ride ...!!

[niteowl77]

I thought the prose was just a wee bit florid too. Pinch has the ship back on course.

[AF68]

Yep. The Old Gay Lady doesn't have any complaints when the Rats are gerrymandering districts or subverting the Constitution.