OPINION & EDITORIAL
DeLay’s tactics catch up with him, finally
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Also by Josh Moskowitz:
- Taser experiments will help save lives (April 7, 2005)
- Planted articles hurt Iraqi democracy (December 14, 2005)
- DeLay's tactics catch up with him, finally (April 15, 2005)
- Iran key concern for Israel (January 26, 2006)
- Journalism out in jeopardy (April 25, 2005)
Related Stories:
- Poor leadership, poorer principles (November 29, 2004)
- DeLay outed with reaction to Schiavo (March 30, 2005)
- DeLay indicative of GOP's legacy of corruption (April 12, 2006)
- Independent judiciary vital for checks and balances (April 14, 2005)
- Local races resemble national trends for GOP (October 17, 2006)
by Josh Moskowitz
Friday, April 15, 2005
As a former pest exterminator, Republican Representative Tom DeLay has used his area of expertise in annihilating political competition and ideological adversaries in a Congressional career that has spanned more than 20 years. Though his career and reputation have been mired by scandal since the late ’90s, DeLay may have finally committed political suicide by engaging in a series of outlandish and incomprehensible acts.
An ardent pro-life supporter, DeLay was instrumental in allowing Congress to involve itself in a private matter between family members. While Terri Schiavo’s condition and situation had already been given due justice in several courts of law, DeLay decided to exterminate the 229-year-old system of checks and balances between the judicial and legislative branches.
Hoping to pander to Christian Conservatives, staunch supporters of the new Republican agenda, DeLay’s attempts to resume Schiavo’s life-sustaining treatment through spontaneous legislation failed.
As the Supreme Court and Floridian federal courts declined to hear the Schiavo case, DeLay had these glowing words for members of the judiciary.
“The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior.”
DeLay’s comments come on the heels of the shooting death of a judge inside a courtroom in Georgia. Additionally, Federal Judge Joan Humphrey Lefkow’ s husband and mother were executed after a deranged individual became upset with a decision Lefkow made regarding his case.
DeLay’s comments were unacceptable and beyond inappropriate. While members of the judiciary involved in the Terri Schiavo case had to be given 24-hour protection from U.S. marshals because of the sensitivity surrounding the issue, DeLay was directing fire and brimstone rhetoric at those meant to uphold the law. In light of what has occurred to members of the judiciary in the last two months, hinting at the possibility of physical retaliation against members of the judiciary is totally out of bounds and abhorrent.
Additionally, nicknamed “the Hammer” for his reputation of enforcing party discipline and tormenting political opponents, DeLay has hammered home the idea that campaign ethics need not apply to the Majority Leader.
Admonished three times last year by the House ethics committee, DeLay told a retiring Representative that he would nominate his son for the seat if the Congressman voted in favor of his health care bill. DeLay was also castigated for his involvement with Westar Energy, a Kansas company that delivered $56,000 to DeLay’s PAC in order to get “a seat at the table.”
In November, fearing possible legal action, House Republicans sought to change a rule established in the early ’90s that forced House leaders to step down if indicted for a crime. The new rule would allow a committee to determine whether or not the indictment was politically motivated. However, this rule change was thwarted after a firestorm of protest spread from both sides of the political aisle.
This month, The New York Times reported that DeLay’s PAC had paid more than $500,000 to his wife and daughter, his only child. The Federal Election Commission report deemed this sum of money as “fund-raising fees,” “campaign management” and “payroll.”
While several members of Congress have family members employed by their campaigns, $500,000 seems unusually generous and unprecedented. DeLay’s decision to deliver half a million dollars to family members demands an investigation by the FEC to determine if this payoff smacks of wrongdoing.
Republican Rep. Christopher Shays, damning political partisanship, asked for the resignation of DeLay as majority leader Monday. In an interview, Shays said “Tom’s conduct is hurting the Republican Party, is hurting this Republican majority and it is hurting any Republican who is up for re-election.”
Shays, a moderate from Connecticut, should be commended for his courage to stand up to the monolith that is Tom DeLay. Tom DeLay should follow his fellow Republican’s advice, as his actions have all but exterminated his political career.
Josh Moskowitz (jmoskowitz@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in political science and journalism.
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 4:24am):
"Shays...should be commended for his courage"
And yet like a certain former Republican chair of the House Ethics Committee, his personal career dissipation light has probably just started flashing into overdrive. It's a shame that the Republican Party has decided that winning elections is more important that doing the right thing. I might have to become what I despise most -- a Democrat!
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 7:39am):
Maybe someday Barbara Boxer and harry reid will have their tactics catch up with them.
Wait, they are democrats, so don't expect any media fury over Indians getting casinos by giving Boxer's son a job. Harry Reid family kickbacks in Nevada? What kickbacks?
This whole Tom Delay ordeal is a partisan witch hunt.
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 7:42am):
For the Reid Kickback story, go here
http://www.latimes.com/la-na-sonsday223jun23,1,1120739.story
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 7:50am):
A partisan witch hunt? Does that explain why Delay had Republican members of the House ethics committee removed so that he could put his own people on there?
Sorry--there's no doubt that Democrats are going after DeLay for partisan reasons (duh). There's also no doubt to anyone who pays attention that DeLay is dirty. Even the Wall Street Journal denounced him, for pete's sake.
And if the incumbent party wants to play the "everyone is dirty" theme as a way of combatting the issue, go ahead and start digging. Do remember that you control Congress, so that sullying the institution as a whole is worse for your party than ours.
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 7:54am):
Republicans should kill themselves. Immediately.
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 8:35am):
I'm glad Madison is irrelevant and plays no role in the national policy debate.
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 8:42am):
Madison is irrelevant?
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 8:43am):
And you...oh anonymous poster...do?
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 5:02pm):
Is the author a jew?
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 5:16pm):
"Is the author a jew?"
Are you a dillhole?
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 5:16pm):
"Is the author a jew?"
Why the fuck should it matter?
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 9:17pm):
oh, it matters.
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 9:57pm):
"This whole Tom Delay ordeal is a partisan witch hunt."
Yes it is -- we are hunting Tom DeLay, who is a partisan witch.
Anonymous (April 15, 2005 @ 9:57pm):
"oh, it matters."
Fuck you, you Nazi crackwhore!
Anonymous (April 16, 2005 @ 10:56am):
The only criticism I can make of this article is that it is confined to such a small space. A full list of DeLay's atrocities against reason would require a separate newspaper section.
There is a terrifying move in the US to convert our progressive, secular democracy into a Fundamentalist Christian Theocracy. Christian's (the extreme ones, in particular) do not find it sufficient to be allowed to believe whatever they like. They have decided, true to their dubious Evangelical heritage (a notion especially popular six or seven hundred years ago), that everyone else must "think" just as they do.
When non-Christians start demanding that these zealots not be allowed to practice Christianity, then there may be a reasonable argument to be found. Instead, those who feel that literal interpretation of the Bible is fraught with logical impossibilities may become subject (if we aren't already) to the reign of people so steeped in dogma that they cannot even conceive that anyone could rationally disagree with their insanity.
Let us -- reasonable people of all stripes -- hope that exposing DeLay may be an important step to exposing the hypocrisy of and danger posed by this shockingly large faction of Inquisitionists.
As for insane, anti-semitic, anonymous posters, at least the notion of "witch hunts" should be familiar to you. The difference is, thinking people won't seriously suggest torturing confessions out of DeLay.
Anonymous (April 16, 2005 @ 2:51pm):
Jews are annoying
Anonymous (April 16, 2005 @ 4:48pm):
Rascists ar evil.
Anonymous (April 16, 2005 @ 4:48pm):
that's "racists" to you and me
Anonymous (April 16, 2005 @ 4:49pm):
or maybe "fascists" was the intention
Anonymous (April 16, 2005 @ 4:53pm):
If the "Jews are annoying" person claims to be of any religion, he or she may consider giving his or her own beliefs a good look.
If one wishes to claim that religion in general can be annoying, cast that net wide and make your point. To pick one as being in some way worse than the others requires some support. To criticize one religion and no others is simple-minded, to put it mildly.
And if the comment was posted by a Jewish person, I commend your sense of humor.
Anonymous (April 16, 2005 @ 4:54pm):
In my life, I've been much more annoyed by Christians.
Anonymous (April 16, 2005 @ 7:14pm):
No Jew has ever told me that I NEED to convert to their religion OR ELSE.
No Jew has ever told me that I'll burn in everlasting hell fire because I don't believe exactly what they do.
A Jew did annoy me once, but that's pretty small beer compared to what I've suffered from the mouths of Christians.
Anonymous (April 16, 2005 @ 8:38pm):
"A Jew did annoy me once, but that's pretty small beer compared to what I've suffered from the mouths of Christians."
CAN I HEAR YOU SAY AMEN?
Anonymous (April 16, 2005 @ 9:54pm):
It's not Judiasm that's annoying, it's the NY Jews that are annoying.
Anonymous (April 17, 2005 @ 9:49am):
"It's not Judiasm that's annoying, it's the NY Jews that are annoying."
But no more so than you godawful Wisconsin Christians.
Anonymous (April 17, 2005 @ 2:17pm):
I believe you pronounce it "gaaaawwwwwwwwwwwwwwwd"
Anonymous (April 17, 2005 @ 3:10pm):
So pleasing to hear such intellectual discourse. Especially from someone who has, apparently, met every Jewish person in New York (the whole state, or just the city?), and found each and every one of them to be "annoying."
And the certainty that this study of New-York-Jewish-Annoyingness was carried out with scientific scrutiny, using the objective, scientific definition of "Annoying" is truly inspiring.
Or are the "NY Jews" some sports tean with which I'm unfamiliar? I guess they could be annoying. And no doubt this Annoyingness takes some other form than spewing bigoted idiocy in an online forum.
Anonymous (April 17, 2005 @ 3:11pm):
And this has what to do with Tom DeLay?
Anonymous (April 17, 2005 @ 4:49pm):
So pleasing to hear such intellectual discourse. Especially from someone who has, apparently, met every Jewish person in New York (the whole state, or just the city?), and found each and every one of them to be "annoying."
"And the certainty that this study of New-York-Jewish-Annoyingness was carried out with scientific scrutiny, using the objective, scientific definition of "Annoying" is truly inspiring.
Or are the "NY Jews" some sports tean with which I'm unfamiliar? I guess they could be annoying. And no doubt this Annoyingness takes some other form than spewing bigoted idiocy in an online forum."
-----------------
Case in point.
Anonymous (April 17, 2005 @ 4:50pm):
If Tom Delay were a Jew he'd be more obnoxious.
Anonymous (April 17, 2005 @ 5:14pm):
"If Tom Delay were a Jew he'd be more obnoxious."
Doubtful, but if you were a Jew, you probably wouldn't be such an asshole.
Anonymous (April 17, 2005 @ 8:42pm):
I might also be a much better shopper.
Anonymous (August 11, 2005 @ 7:51pm):
This discourse is shameful, immature, fueled by adolescent indulgent angst..you are priveleged American youth who lack any sense of human sensitivity..you need to grow up and cut it out
