I’m seeing news reports in the past hour that Republican House Majority Leader Tom Delay has given up his pledge to return to his leadership post once his legal trouble subside.
The only thing I can say is …. GOODBYE TOM!
Just last evening, I was fretting to PatriotPartner that if the House (and Senate) GOP don’t start taking care of their problems and remembering why we sent them there in 1994… that I felt as if there was a good chance the Republicans could lose at least the Senate this November.
I’m not the only Republican voter feeling that way as I spoke to an equally angry North Carolinian on my flight yesterday. And I couldn’t agree more with this Wall Street Journal piece.
Cleaning House – Banish the Abramoff Republicans – OpinionJournal.com
This week’s plea agreement by “super-lobbyist” Jack Abramoff has Republicans either rushing to return his campaign contributions in an act of cosmetic distancing, accuse Democrats of being equally corrupt, or embrace some new “lobbying reform” that would further insulate Members of Congress from political accountability.
Here’s a better strategy: Banish the Abramoff crowd from polite Republican society, and start remembering why you were elected in the first place.
Republicans won’t escape voter anger by writing new rules but only by returning to their self-professed principles. Gradually since 1994 they’ve decided they want to reform and limit government less than they want to use government to entrench their own power, and in the case of the Abramoffs to get rich doing so. If Speaker Dennis Hastert, interim Majority Leader Roy Blunt and other GOP leaders are too insulated to realize this, then Republicans need new leaders, and right away.
I think the disappearance of Tom DeLay is a good first (and only first) step.
-Bruce (GayPatriot)
UPDATE (from GPW): It’s uncanny sometimes how Bruce & I think a lot alike. I had hoped to post on this, seeing this as a good sign for the GOP. And a sign of Tom DeLay putting his party ahead of his own ambitions. But, alas, I had been having problems logging onto to our page and so couldn’t post. While I admire many of DeLay’s political and leadership skills, he had, in the end, become a liability for the GOP. He clearly saw the writing on the wall.
To repeat what I said in a previous thread. The main reason the Abramoff scandals will hurt Republicans more than Democrats is because Republicans care about corrupt politicians in their own party while Democrats, by and large, don’t.
DeLay (although I’m dubious of how much real “corruption” is involved here) is out. Duke Cunngham is out. Bob Taft is almost out.
On the other hand, Bill Clinton sold pardons for cash, rented out the Lincoln Bedroom, and took illegal foreign campaign contributions and is the hero of his party. John Street was elected mayor of Philadelphia while being investigated for bribery and corruption. Kwame Kilpatrick used city funds to pay for lavish personal expenses and was re-elected mayor of Detroit. John Corzine paid off his union boss girlfriend after she funneled money to his campaign.
Democrats really don’t seem to care much about corruption… unless it is done by Republicans. We are already hearing the partisan shills of the left making apologies for Democrats like Debbie Stabenow and Tom Harkin, saying their payoffs from Abramoff really don’t count because they’re Democrats.
Bruce,
Kind of Ironic that in the very thread below this one, people are pointing out that Christian politicians are being attacked for their believe in Jesus, and here, you are tearing down one politician who is a victim of these very attacks. Way to go Patriot, standing up for your party. With friends like you, the Democrats should have no problem taking back Congress this year.
The entire list of Dhimmicrats and the money they took from Abramoff is here (data from the FEC). The Dems had better shut up about Abramoff and corruption, unless they want to get flushed down the toilet.
Tom DeLay is the one who said that he would keep bringing the Federal Marriage Amendment up over and over until it passed. He was also the one, I think, who suggested gay marriage causes drug dealers, because of the breakup of the family.
My question is – will this mean the House will not focus as much on anti-gay legislation, or will they focus on MORE anti-gay legislation because he kept some of the bills at bay because he was more interested in using them for strategic purposes?
It’s very tempting for a Congress in disarray to try to play smear the queer. I hope that does not happen, because this could be a new beginning for the Republican Congress.
arlene: the last time I checked we didn’t have nobles in this country entitled to their positions but instead representatives who serve at the pleasure of the electorate. Perhaps DeLay and others in Congress have forgotten this and need a reminder of just how our system of government works. I have not been overwhelmed by the GOP in the past few years, about the best I can say is they have done some things I agree with and are still better than the Democrats. One thing is for sure, being less a sleaze than the other guy isn’t the brightest way to inspire respect.
GPW, you’re giving Tom DeLay far too much credit when you claim that he put his party ahead of his personal ambitions. He gave up on his qwest to regain the leadership post to avoid the embarrassment of losing it in a vote GOP House members.
And I don’t think DeLay’s stepping down will be sufficient to keep the GOP in control after the ’06 elections.
I am embarrassed as a life-long Republican that it took the Republican majority in congress only 12 years to become as arrogant and politically corrupt as the Democrats were after 40 years in charge.