The advantage of DeLay House majority leader may be Democrats' best hope

Sarasota Herald-Tribune ^ | 11-16-02

[Oldeconomybuyer]

A sliver of light this week broke through the gloom that has hung over congressional Democrats since Election Day. The source of sunshine? Republicans in the U.S. House.

By electing radical conservative Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, as their majority leader, the House Republicans may have given the ailing Democrats their best hope for a speedy recovery.

DeLay's take-no-prisoners political style (he named his voter-turnout effort Stomp before his staff came up with the words "Strategic Task force for Organizing and Mobilizing People") conjures up memories of Newt Gingrich. Former House Speaker Gingrich launched a gung-ho Republican Revolution when the GOP took control of the House in 1994. Gingrich's heavy-handed tactics turned off voters and paved the way for Bill Clinton's re-election.

Unlike Gingrich, DeLay will be nominally the House Republicans' No. 2 man; Dennis Hastert was re-elected speaker this week. But the mild-mannered Hastert is a former deputy to DeLay, who served seven years as the Republican whip, and DeLay's strident approach will certainly make him a dominant figure in the next Congress.

That could be good news for Democrats' electoral prospects, but bad news for the rest of the nation.

DeLay's right-wing views on the environment and social issues are antithetical to many Republican voters as well as to Democrats. And his promise Wednesday to "hit the ground running" on issues like welfare and energy policy appeared to herald more of the same.

Until DeLay took the leadership reins, most of the post-election attention had been on the Democrats' plans to make Nancy Pelosi, a California liberal, the House minority leader.

Yet, if DeLay is true to form, Pelosi may seem a paragon of moderation. And the great middle of the American electorate may find itself to the left of the House Republican leadership.

That may be reason enough for Democrats to envision that, next session, DeLay may work to their advantage.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

Unlike Gingrich, DeLay will be nominally the House Republicans' No. 2 man; Dennis Hastert was re-elected speaker this week. But the mild-mannered Hastert is a former deputy to DeLay, who served seven years as the Republican whip, and DeLay's strident approach will certainly make him a dominant figure in the next Congress.

I see it has not occurred to these nuts that Hastert has his job because DeLay wanted him to have it. Tom knows what the press would do to him, and that was the reason he wanted a mild mannered Speaker who was hard to attack.

DeLay has far more "people smarts" than Newt had.

[duckln]

The author fails to mention that the Republicans have controled the House since Newt won it! IMO Newt fought and beat the Democrats single handed.

Anyone doing that had to be 'brought ' down one way or another. Sorta like all the recent attempts to recast Jefferson as a brutal slave owner and Lincoln as power hungry dictator.

[HoustonCurmudgeon]

The author fails to mention that the Republicans have controled the House since Newt won it! IMO Newt fought and beat the Democrats single handed.

While I agree with this, Newt, not unlike DeLay, tended to hammer the Democrats and tell them how happy he was to have done it. R. Reagan and G. W. Bush learned to hammer them while smiling and telling them we can all get along. This makes the task of the media far harder when they want to attack us.

[Theodore R.]

radical conservative

This favorite liberal shibboleth is an oxymoron.

[hardhead]

Meadow muffins! What it will do is put someone with cojones in who not be p***y-whipped by his opponent (the recently-elected-by-the-creeps-minority-leader)!

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" Every conservative Republican politician in the country has learned the Gingrich 'lesson', which is that you should limit your televised contact with the 'mainstream' press as much as possible, otherwise they will turn you into the second coming of Ivan the Terrible. Delay most of all has learned this lesson. "

The contrast in coverage of Pelosi and DeLay the last few days, has been incredible. The media is trying to morph DeLay into something evil and Pelosi into something nice. After the obligatory hate filled intro,sometimes mentioning that DeLay used to be a pest exterminator,the interview begins. DeLay comes across as affable and measured and I assume he will continue to do that. Karl Rove operates under the radar and does not make himself a target for the left-although they sure try. Less time in front of a camera and more time getting the work done, seems to be a winning formula.

[For the Unborn]

This is the same radical right wing nazi, Tom DeLay who supported RINO, Deborah Pryce to be RNC Conference Committee Chair.

[copycat]

ACU ratings Pelosi 2 Delay 96.

Thanks...looks like Pelosi is twice as extreme as Delay, being just two points from total liberalism, while Delay is 4 from total conservatism.

[ambrose]

The Rats don't seem to understand that Delay is happy to run things from behind the scenes while Hastert remains the public face of House Republicans.

[PhiKapMom]

I know -- the RATs don't seem to get a lot! DeLay IMO doesn't have an ego that has to be out in front! He really is most effective when he works behind the scenes. When he goes on TV he comes across as a nice which must frustrate the press!

[Cannon6]

I noticed that he did not refer to pelosi as a "radical" liberal.