home

Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From Tom Delay

By Jeralyn, Section Other Politics
Posted on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 04:57:47 AM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

Tom Delay is on the hot seat. Republicans have begun to backtrack and withdraw their support for the embattled Texas congressman. Chief among them: Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Christopher Shays (R-CT):

Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.), one of Capitol Hill's leading conservatives, warned House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) yesterday that he needs to "lay out what he did and why he did it" if he is going to put an end to questions about his travel and dealings with lobbyists.

Another weekend critic was Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), a frequent DeLay antagonist, who said DeLay should step down. Shays told about 50 people at a town hall meeting in Greenwich on Saturday that he considers DeLay "an absolute embarrassment to me and to the Republican Party."

< DeLay and Abramoff | Site Problems In IE >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From Tom Delay | 27 comments (27 topical)
    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 12:36:18 AM EST
    They better drop him like a hot potato if they want to have any hope in '06.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#2)
    by scarshapedstar on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 02:15:50 AM EST
    Another weekend critic was Rep. Christopher Shays (R-Conn.), a frequent DeLay antagonist, who said DeLay should step down. Shays told about 50 people at a town hall meeting in Greenwich on Saturday that he considers DeLay "an absolute embarrassment to me and to the Republican Party." Why do I hear the Darth Vader music all of a sudden? "I find your lack of message discipline disturbing..."

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 05:20:08 AM EST
    This looks more like a lot of wishful thinking on liberals part...you've got an perennial antagonist of Delay's and Santorum who is actually giving Delay advice on how to put this issue to rest. He is even quoted as saying Delay,
    "still has very strong support within his ranks, and he is very effective in leading the House -- and that, to date, has not been compromised."
    More politics of personal destruction? If it looks like a duck... Recommendation to liberals..just tell the American people what you believe in.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#4)
    by scarshapedstar on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 09:07:06 AM EST
    We believe that Tom Delay is a corrupt moral black hole?

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 09:08:21 AM EST
    We do....you defenders of the junta lie about it! Any "politics of personal destruction" in DeLay's case is self-induced.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 10:36:52 AM EST
    et al - I'd like to see the specifics instead of these "He's corrupt," charges. "News articles have detailed two overseas trips paid for by a nonprofit group that, according to people involved, were indirectly financed by registered lobbyists. DeLay's staff has said that he knew only about the funding by the nonprofit group. " In the meantime we have a Pelosi staffer also taking a trip, and Pelosi passing out illegal momney: "She has violated the law," he said. "It's in the facts.'' DeLay was referring to a Federal Election Commission decision in 2003 in which one of Pelosi's fund-raising committees was fined $21,000 for making illegal political contributions during the 2002 congressional elections. The FEC ruled that two Pelosi political action committees created to help Democrats in the 2002 elections were related instead of being independent and therefore violated a rule against giving more than the maximum $5,000 annual contribution." This looks like pots and kettles, and an attempt by the Demos to bang the Repubs. And the next time any of you good folks want to start talking about bi-partisanship, just think about the above. Politics is a blood sport.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#7)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 11:01:29 AM EST
    one of Pelosi's fund-raising committees was fined $21,000
    if she/they were fined then some sort of investigation was completed and a resolution (fine) imposed. when delay gets to that point maybe, just maybe your rant's may have some foundation, until then lets investigate (remeber 20 judges have not looked at this).
    ...an attempt by the Demos to bang the Repubs.
    ?vice versa; is this not the essence of the game? your deflective capabilities are waning, from overuse apparently.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 11:18:21 AM EST
    out - Well, your moniker does describe the Demos position re Congress... As I said, pots and kettles. Aren't you agreeing with me? And isn't the essence of your comment that it is "ethics" that the Demos are concerned with? And it appears that Pelosi has been judged wanting, and fined. Delay has been attacked. Two very different things, eh?

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 12:25:37 PM EST
    Delay has been attacked.
    the attack seems to be working, the reps are distancing themselves, ready for the kill. the death blow will come from within.
    Two very different things, eh?
    that would be the position that you wingers want to trumpet. i otoh see them as identical, again, lets investigate, would that not be the prudent course of action. boi you sure can interject some of the most asinine comments i've ever heard, not even insults, just wacky gibberish.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#10)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 12:43:23 PM EST
    Tom Delay is a joke and he'd do the world a favor if he'd pipe down. His rhetoric s shameful and pure pandering. If you think about what Delay has been saying about the judiciary since the Schiavo case, it's totally laughable! He can't seem to decide if judges are "too activist" or "not activist enough"!!!He just knows that when he doesn't like a ruling, it must mean that the entire judicial branch of government is out of control, or "run amok!!" What it truly is, is a power play or an effort to make sure Congress can pass any law it wants to without any judicial oversight. That's not what our founding fathers wanted. If Delay wants to throw out the constitution , then he should just say so. Our founding fathers made sure that people like Tom Delay couldn't pass laws unchecked, without checks and balances. Delay and Congress don't have the constitutional authority over decisions courts make, that's what separation of powers is all about. This is clearly an effort by Delay to distract attention from the ever increasing criminal and ethical investigations being conducted. If Republicans are smart, they'll be like rats fleeing a sinking ship and abandon Delay!!!It's about time!!

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#11)
    by Dadler on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 01:42:34 PM EST
    jim, you're not stupid. get your head outta the sand about DeLay. it is sad and disheartening to see you so slavishly support this utterly corrupt piece of nothing. you guys are in power now, control the committees, don't tell me you don't know this. that's why he's skated this long. dems and repubs may have bad seeds on both sides, but this guy is a cancer.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#12)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 02:46:38 PM EST
    Pelosi didn't call in a terrorism threat in order to scramble the F-16's to round up (or was it shoot down?) the Texas legislature so they could vote for her gerrymander.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#13)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 03:09:41 PM EST
    out - Are you being obtuse? Shall I break it down in small words? 1. Delay is being attacked over supposed ethics violations. 2. Peolsi, or her PAC, which is really the same, has paid a $20,000 fine. Now, given that you are concerned, or at least claim to be, over ethics, then you should be very upset with Pelosi. Out, I am starting to be concerned over your ability to utilize locical thinking. Michael D - Only because she couldn't. ;-) kyle - What happened to free speech? Can you show me a similar comment about Churchill's comments? Delay has every right to comment about any subject he desires. And what is this "judical oversite?" The constitution doesn't give the judicary "oversight" power. That's the people's power. The judicary is supposed to rule on lawsuits brought to it. dadler - I don't think they're going to give Delay up as another lamb. If he has done something wrong, then charge and try is my motto. "The (Ethics) committee said Bell's complaint violated a rule against using "innuendo, (or) speculative assertions.'' "

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#14)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 07:30:51 PM EST
    The irony here, of course, is that, unlike another political entity, the Republicans are CAPABLE of feeling embarrassed.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#15)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 07:35:15 PM EST
    Washington - The wife and daughter of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by Mr. DeLay's political action and campaign committees, according to a detailed review of disclosure statements filed with the Federal Election Commission and separate fund-raising records in Mr. DeLay's home state, Texas. Most of the payments to his wife, Christine A. DeLay, and his only child, Dani DeLay Ferro, were described in the disclosure forms as "fund-raising fees," "campaign management" or "payroll," with no additional details about how they earned the money. The payments appear to reflect what Mr. DeLay's aides say is the central role played by the majority leader's wife and daughter in his political career. Here are some facts and specifics to consider. This does not pass the smell test to me. Jim, give this guy a good look, isn't he a snake? If after a good look you still like him, then by all means give him your portfolio and assets to manage. Come back in a few years and let's see how you make out.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#16)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 07:47:02 PM EST
    that was me at 8:35

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#17)
    by Sailor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 08:23:13 PM EST
    " Republicans are CAPABLE of feeling embarrassed" Please provide links.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#18)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Mon Apr 11, 2005 at 10:26:38 PM EST
    Dearest No Name - It is not a matter of liking. It is a matter of, did he break the law? Again. Charge and try him if you can, but knock of the rather obvious press attacks.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#19)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 12, 2005 at 06:56:41 AM EST
    We agree on this part of your last line: "charge him and try him." It's gotten a little more difficult to manage since DeLay's repub pals have dismantled the ethics committee and process to prevent the possibility of charge and trying him. So's who should charge him now? A prosecutor in TX who can expect to be crucified for taking him on. It's a shame that the Iraqi's didn't think of charging and trying Saddam a couple of years ago. That would have saved a lot of American lives. But the facts are that people in positions of power can often avoid being charged and tried until so much public pressure comes to bear that change is necessary. By then the culprits have been "tried" in the press, have "suffered enough" and are usually forced to retire with their ill-gotten gains. Idi Amin? Does that name ring a bell? When exactly was he brought to justice? When was he charged and tried? I can't seem to find any mention of the trial. So, you asked for particulars above. I have provided some particulars. Delay's wife and dtr get paid a million from his PAC. His pac collects/extorts money from industries like gambling who get their legislation passed. It's a neat design with plausible deniability but anyone with a little acumen can see the game. We have the best government that money can buy. Delay is an excellent salesman.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#20)
    by Che's Lounge on Tue Apr 12, 2005 at 08:30:41 AM EST
    Jim, For once we agree. Charge him, cuff him and jail him. All for the cameras to see. Set bail and post his mug shots on the internet. Then subpoena senators, lobbyists and congressmen as witnesses. Get this trial going. Nancy (dis)Grace can slobber all over it. Might cost a couple judges, but hey, Democracy isn't free.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#21)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 12, 2005 at 09:36:17 AM EST
    CA - Are you saying that we can't investigate wrong doings because of the evil Repubs? Are you kidding? All these folks who are screaming have to do is drop a dime and call their local DA and file a complaint. And comparing Delay to DSaddam and Ida Amin? Come on. That's so over the top. No wonder the Left is so largely ignored. You know, I have no idea if he is guilty, or not. So I say, charge and try. Otherwise, it just looks like an orchestered attack by the Demos and the press.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#22)
    by Dadler on Tue Apr 12, 2005 at 10:11:27 AM EST
    jim, come on. they are trying to charge him, they are investigating. and he's doing everything to block it. be serious. this is so obvious. this is rostenkowski with more power and much more evil in his heart. DeLay needs to be destroyed like he never has been. Then he will learn his lesson. And I don't think you criticize the cops or d.a. when they take time to get a case together, especially in the face of national power. come on, man, you're depressing me.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#23)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 12, 2005 at 03:32:37 PM EST
    I'll do better, Sailor; I'll evoke a historical reference: Nixon would'nt let himself be impeached because he he was so embarrassed, he resigned before they could do it (unlike someone else, who seemed to have no compunction about taking his chances on holding on to power).

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#24)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 12, 2005 at 05:40:44 PM EST
    Of course, Ace equivocates Bill Clinton lying to a political Conservative Congressional witch hunt panel into Clinton's pants with a President associated with breaking and entering. Who says Conservatives aren't relativistic....but then, no one would be accused if they weren't guilty of something, right?

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#25)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 12, 2005 at 05:56:03 PM EST
    dadler - Well, if they can do it, then do it. But what we have now looks like a witch hunt.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#26)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Apr 12, 2005 at 06:14:28 PM EST
    The fact that a couple 'liberal' Republicans can even afford to raise an eyebrow over Delay is a testament to the Repub's controlling position within the House. Don't worry, this is just shameless jockeying for position. Delay isn't going anywhere. He's too valuable.

    Re: Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From (none / 0) (#27)
    by Sailor on Tue Apr 12, 2005 at 08:53:59 PM EST
    Nice try ace on your hysterical reference. nixon resigned because he made a deal that if he resigned ford would pardon him. He would have been tossed out of the wh and criminally prosecuted otherwise. Maybe rethugs used to know shame ... until they sent shame to gitmo, tortured shame (in the cell between truth and justice) and sent shame to iraq where shame died in Abu Ghraib. Then shame was cremated and spread over the american landscape.

    Republicans Begin to Distance Themselves From Tom Delay | 27 comments (27 topical)