Americans from all walks of life can finally breathe a sigh of relief, sit back, relax and break into a rousing chorus of "Ding Dong! The witch is dead."
Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay sent shockwaves through Congress last week when he announced he will not seek re-election later this year. Mr. DeLay's surprising exit opens the door for an era of congressional politics that could increase public trust in government for the first time in years.
Mr. DeLay has built a reputation for himself as the poster boy for partisan hackery and claims ownership to a set of ethical standards that rival those of Richard Nixon.
Mr. DeLay was the driving force behind the intense partisan climate that has plagued the House ever since his ascension to power in the 1990s.
It was Mr. DeLay who demanded absolute conformity among his fellow Republicans, punishing those who dared deviate from the party line. It was Mr. DeLay, indignant over the Terry Schiavo case, who threatened judges after they refused to fall in line with his dubious legal reasoning. It was Mr. DeLay who orchestrated the unprecedented and highly partisan redistricting plan in Texas that redrew district lines in a scheme that has grabbed the attention of the Supreme Court. It was Mr. DeLay who wildly abused Department of Homeland Security resources to track planes that carried Texas Democrats. It was Mr. DeLay who has been indicted for money laundering and conspiracy. It was Mr. DeLay who was admonished by the House Ethics Committee three times in 2004 alone.
And most recently, it was Mr. DeLay who told "Hardball" host Chris Matthews there is "nothing worse than a woman know-it-all."
But now Tom DeLay's reign of terror is over.
Americans share an intense distaste for partisan politics, and now without Mr. DeLay's cries of constant vigilance lawmakers now may have a chance to vote their conscience. And despite what party bosses think, Americans want to see a legislative branch that can put partisan differences aside and work to better the nation. Obviously this idealistic Pangaea will not immediately reach fruition sans Mr. DeLay, but the halls of Congress should certainly see a marked decreased in pointless partisan bickering.
In past months headlines across the nation have been telling tales of former Rep. Duke Cunningham accepting bribes from defense contractors, Jack Abramoff paying off half of Capitol Hill (and then singing like a bird on the witness stand) and Scooter Libby testifying to a grand jury that President Bush authorized leaking classified prewar intelligence to reporters.
And this is not to say all Republicans are inherently corrupt. The sad truth here is that power, not party affiliation, corrupts. There was a time, believe it or not, when Democrats reigned supreme and enjoyed comfortable majorities in both the House and Senate. However, after decades of control Democratic leaders began to push their luck and refused to listen to Republican voices. But that all changed in 1994.
This so-called "Republican Revolution" was a movement against the very vice that has come to grip the party over the past few years. Aided largely by Tom DeLay, in a mere 12 years Republicans have abused their power and transformed James Madison's fears about the "tyranny of the majority" into a striking reality.
When one party consistently embarrasses its opposition in election after election, individual lawmakers become complacent and worry less about how to better the country and more about how to consolidate even more power.
This culture of corruption, as it has come to be called, hopefully has climaxed and is now on the decline now that Tom DeLay no longer rules Congress with an iron fist.
Could it get any worse?
Rob Hunger ([email protected]) is a senior majoring in political science and journalism.
