Tom DeLay lacks many things, but he doesn’t lack confidence. On “The 700 Club” last week, Pat Robertson reminded DeLay of the old saying about some grand juries being willing to indict ham sandwiches, and DeLay responded, “This is a ham sandwich with no ham.” But his confidence in his ability to kick this indictment and regain his leadership post may be as misplaced as his judgment was in getting into this and other messes.
Even The Wall Street Journal editorial board let a hint of “good riddance” enter its assessment last week: “As a Republican who came to power after Democrat Jim Wright’s fall as Speaker, Mr. DeLay had to know he too could become an ethics target. He made himself vulnerable nonetheless. Republicans are speaking up for him, in part because they know Travis County (Austin) prosecutor Ronnie Earle’s record. But . . . they also elected Missouri’s Roy Blunt as their new Majority Leader, and Mr. DeLay is unlikely ever to be the same fund-raising resource for GOP Members. The bitter irony is that his ethics problems now jeopardize the GOP majority he did so much to build.”
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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53 Comments
Nothing will come of this. Thhe indictment is unproveable.
I have nothing bad to say about Tom delay. If he is a friend of Pat Robertson, I would hate to upset Pat…You get a death sentence!
Falling from grace carries with it a disbelief. “This could not be happening to me.”
Power makes some people arrogant. Arrogant enough to think that they can get away with anything without consequence. An all but certain path to disgrace. We must never lose sight of ourselves or most importantly, our limitations. At some point along that line, things tend to catch-up with us.
Then, after it’s too late, we pay the price for arrogance and a high price it will always be.
We fall from grace.
What’s the deal? Another elected crook with his hand in the cookie jar, naughty,naughty, slap his hands and tell him he is a bad boy. There are plenty more, they just haven’t been caught.
To paraphrase the Eagle’s in residence racist,”Why did Delay have to be a WHITE guy?”
What say you, Mark McCormick?
I like Republicans, but Delay is one that I do not like. He is an evil person.
He also just got hit with another charge by another grand jury. Although you see a lot of politicans being supportive of him right now, and that is because if they don’t, DeLay will retaliate in a BIG way. He is a bully, and I can’t stand people who are and who use these type of tatics.
If he gets thrown in prison, this will be the best thing to happen to the Republicans and Congress since the take over in 94.
Ron Earle is an experienced prosecutor and the grand jury thought he had a case.
If you can’t prove this, you can’t prove money laundering cases, which is essentially what this is.
I think calling Mark McCormick a racist is a bit on the reactive side. I assume, Ray, that you are referring to his article about the BOE member, Kevin Graham. To me, the article spoke to the extra burden that some African American people carry around due to others’ bigotry.
McCormick IS a racist. Racisim can go both ways. One of the ways it is manifested in MLK wannabes, like McCormick, is to pull the race card at every reactionary moment without taking the time and effort to report on the root cause.
Back to DeLay. Isn’t it interesting to see the ACLU-pukes ready to hang DeLay without due process.
ID,
And what would be that ‘root cause’?
Let me guess: the fact that African-Americans ‘choose’ to be undereducated and poor?
Whenever someone like ID or Ray Thomas piles on Mark McCormick in an attempt to kill the messenger and brand him as racist, it strongly suggests their OWN need to deflect attention.
Oh, and ID, racist attitudes surely CAN go both ways. It’s the old faceoff between Archie Bunker and George Jefferson. But when you’re talking about institutional racism, which is the use of racial attitudes against an underclass, the victimimzation is always asymmetrical and always results in the further disenfranchisement of the racially-defined minority.
As for Tom Delay, seems to me that we liberals have spent a lot of our time defending the legitimacy of the Grand Jury Indictments against attacks from Wingnuts like you. Do I think he’s guilty? Yes. Do I want due process? You bet. I want ALL the evidence laid out so a jury can decide. And if they acquit, so be it.
Unlike Delay, and apparently you, ID, I prefer the rule of law to having my side win every time.
And just to avoid any confusion, I absolutely reject ID’s claim that Mark McCormick is any sort of racist. I don’t find his columns racist, and in conversation with him I didn’t hear anything that would make me think otherwise.
CF:Agree with and appreciate your views on the Mark McCormick question.
Mark McCormick includes race in just about every column. Regardless of the issue he is addressing…he keeps race at the forefront of everything. According to Jesse Jackson, people that keep the race divisions alive are the true racists.
Delay has been indicted. If found guilty, he should be severely punished. I don’t know all the facts of the indictment, I haven’t seen all the evidence, and I am not a sitting judge capable of passing judgment.
“innocent until proven guilty” has not yet been repealed…but if he is guilty, he deserves very severe punishment…simple.
Todd Tiahrt is standing solidly behind Westar Tom. His is also in denial.
Ray Thomas,
Who’s the true racist that keeps racial divisions alive: the one who foregrounds racism, or the one who confines it to the background and the margins?
I vote for the latter.
Ray,I think writing/talking about race can be actions that fall outside the realm of racism.
I had found your posts in the past to be reasoned views (maybe ones I did not always agree with); the foregoing and your comments about Mr. McCormick do not seem consistent to me.
To other readers, sorry about this digression away from Tom Delay.
Oh, I don’t know, CF. How about years and years of government hands outs, wealth redistribution (www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/03in05tr.xls), civil service employment practices, to name a few that neither you nor the MSM has the fortitude to investigate through an objective lense. What are you going to do when more and more of the ‘underclass’ figure out that they have been held at that status by people like you who will not survive without them? Simple exercise, CF. List all of the Republican minorities and women in leadership roles who are actually working for their income on one side and all of the Democrat minorities and women in leadership roles who are actually working for their income on the other side. Since Jessie Jackson doesn’t actually draw a salary, ergo work, he doesn’t count, but go ahead and count him anyway. The answer is…. The ‘underclass’ is taking notice, my friend, and scratching their heads wonder what all this crap is that the libs are spouting.
So the Texas prosecutor got your note about rule of law, and scrambled to find something else. Seems Delay’s campaign finance strategy is very similar to others on both sides. Hey, I’m not a campaign finance fan, but this problem should have been fixed by now, and neither party seems to be dragging their feet.
“The “taking-down” of Tom Delay seems a bit convenient.”
Exit Strategy.Bush doesn’t have an Exit Strategy for Iraq because there never was one. The point is that there was never a plan to leave Iraq.The plan was to invade Iraq, install a puppet government and stay. Iraq was invaded at the behest of Ariel Sharon of Israel and the purpose was to beat the Iraqis into submission, then establish a puppet government, as was done in Afghanistan, all the while building permanent military bases in Iraq.Israel’s “Greater Israel Plan” is to extend Israel all the way from the Nile River in Egypt to the Euphrates River in Iraq. Disarming all Arab Countries is the first step.Leaving Iraq has never a consideration.The American People have been hoodwinked. But, of all things, the price of gasoline has the American public looking passed the White House propaganda and looking for the real reasons why crude-oil prices are spiking. The “word” is getting out about Israel’s shenanigans driving-up the price and the American People, armed with the truth, usually take it out on their politicans.But the White House is beginning to feel the heat about leaving Iraq in such a way that the Neoconservatives are ready to jump ship and are already showing signs of leaving the republican party, sensing they’ll be run out of office in the 2006 elections, and have begun corrupting whatever democratic politicians they consider might win House or Senate seats.There is no “party loyalty” but rather which candidates will be good for Israel. The litmus test is how they will vote to keep the so-called “war on terrorism” alive { AIPAC is working at a fever pace }. Keeping that so-called “war on terrorism” alive is the key to funding Israeli expansion and that expansion is in real trouble.The death rate among American soldiers seems to have caught them by surprise and is grinding away support for the Iraq war, and that war, plus attacking Iran and Syria are the next key steps to capture the world’s oil supply. That goal is becoming more bloody by the minute.Neoconservative journalists are bashing Bush relentlessly in order to justify a “changing of the guard” in the leadership in congress. The “taking-down” of Tom Delay seems a bit convenient.Poor Bush will be the last to know, but, there’s nothing new there.
The McCormick column, I believe Ray was referring to was – “Actions reflect the deeds of one, not many” – here is a link:http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/news/columnists/mark_mccormick/12540905.htm (Wichita Eagle, 09-02-05)
What I am scratching my head about is, how can any reasonable person claim this is a racist screed? If you think it is, I would invite you to look at your attitudes about race.
ID,
You wrote
“Simple exercise, CF. List all of the Republican minorities and women in leadership roles who are actually working for their income on one side and all of the Democrat minorities and women in leadership roles who are actually working for their income on the other side. Since Jessie Jackson doesn’t actually draw a salary, ergo work, he doesn’t count, but go ahead and count him anyway. The answer is…. The ‘underclass’ is taking notice, my friend, and scratching their heads wonder what all this crap is that the libs are spouting.”
I truly haven’t a clue what you’re trying to prove with this ‘exercise.’ Nor do I know what you have in mind by ‘leadership roles.’ But OK, let’s play.
GOP backed African Americans who actually ‘work’ for their income:
Armstrong WilliamsKenneth BlackwellRod PaigeCondoleeza RiceClarence ThomasJanice Brown
By contrast, here are some folks I cited, and some others who ‘actually work’ (whatever that question-begging term means) for their money:
Shelia Jackson-LeeJohn ConyersJohn LewisCynthia McKinneyCharlie RangelBruce Gordon (NAACP)Marc Morial (Urban League)
So what does this prove? That it’s more ‘profitable’ to support the GOP? Well, no duh. Of course it is. If you whore yourself out as a GOP apologist, i.e. an Uncle Tom, you can expect a massive amount of corporate funding, public servant salaries, and some ill-gotten public money as well.
Do some things matter more than profit? You bet.
Thankfully, the majority of black folks aren’t willing to sell themselves out in order to suck up to their rich, white, capitalist benefactors. Undoubtedly, some are. But for you try to spin these few into a groundswell or a national trend is, frankly, a fantasy.
And again, it’s worth noting that you couldn’t cite a single, black, national elected official of the GOP. Who’s really about the ‘plantation,’ ID?
And even more frankly, for you to hold up these few folks as an example of GOP ‘empowerment’ of black folks is contradictory. Every one of these folks has served as mouthpiece for policies and positions handed down from elsewhere, and every one has been rewarded handsomely for their efforts. They got where they are by parroting a set-down-in-stone ideological line. Watch any of them try to act independently and see how long THAT lasts.
Ray,Of course Mark McCormick writes about race. That’s his assignment. He covers race relations, among several other issues, because someone has to. Just like someone has to cover religious news, city government, business, etc., etc.! That’s how newspapers work!
After this post, I will stop on this subject. From McCormick’s column, I get these take-home messages:
1) white and black people should not assume that any one person represents their race;
2) people should practice individual responsibility (last I kniew, Repubs were in favor of this idea – I think it is a good idea).
Again, a last apology for the digression.
You forgot Osama bin Obama. So you are telling us that Jessie and the gang don’t sing the same plantation songs? Sorry, several million people (including me) have long since tired of the class warfare rhetoric. Would like to cut-n-paste the letter from Randy Myles where he stepped up to the accountability-plate, but will find the link and post. Scary stuff for ACLU-pukes, but an example of self-actualization in the black community. Whoorah!
You are invited to join the Wichita Black Republican club and make your case, though. Contact Treatha Brown-Foster this Friday at the Pachyderm luncheon. 9th floor. Petroleum Club.
Here ya go, CF. Look up GOAL: CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP Published on September 18, 2005, Page 1B, The Wichita Eagle
$2.95/ea If you feel entitled to get this for free, then contact the ACLU for futher instructions.
ID–
You may have tired of the “rhetoric,” but why then do you support politicians who engage in class warfare?
I mean for example the capital gains tax cuts. If I earn 50K a year by working for it, some 9 percent gets sucked out of my paycheck every month for social security and medicare.
But if I make the same money by being a fat-cat “investor” and the work involves lifting a pen to sign the checks, I pay NO social security or medicare at all.
It’s like Robin Hood, except for the rich . . .
Also, ID, name dropping the Wichita Black Republican Club (”see, we have them too!”) is truly sad.
Let’s see your party actually nominate and elect some blacks to office and then you might have half a leg to stand on.
Blacks voted overwhelmingly for Kerry in the last election, and that’s what a WEAK democratic candidate can pull.
The Republicans can either put blacks in real positions of authority and lose the South like the Democrats did, or they can continue to alienate blacks by using them to scare racist whites with (c.f. Willie Horton attack ad, brought to you by Roger Ailes, now news director of Fox).
But you can’t do both, ID.
Galahad,The problem with republicans putting blacks in positions of authority is finding any that are dumb enough to buy their rhetoric. The vast majority of African-Americans are fully aware of that party’s efforts to undermine civil rights legislation, as well as it’s rampant opposition to anything that might actually help poor people, and particularly any minority poor.
Right, Jed, but don’t forget, WE’RE the ones keeping them on the “liberal plantation.”
Doesn’t even make good nonsense . . .
Well since the thread has diverted I’ll address the diversion and then the thread.
What is noteworthy about blacks is that they GET IT. Having suffered for hundreds of years of oppresion they RECOGNIZE it. Hence the overwhelming black vote for Democrats.
By the way? I’m white.
So many white working class folks just DON’t get it. They embrace and suffer almost eagerly their oppression and exploitation by greedy corporate interests while they buy the lie that is the “American Dream ” “I never got a job from a poor man” “Why would I want to tax the rich? I’m gonna be rich someday!” And then their bosses pat them on the head tell them that they are good hardworking patriotic folk and hand them a flag to wave. Hell if more white people had the sense that African Americans do, the Republican party would have all the credibility of Tom DeLay.
Speaking of DeLay, the guy is toast politically. Now that personally makes me happy. Oh I’m all for due process…..that’s the difference between me and Republicans. But there is the reality good or bad of politics. It is gonna be entertaining to see who the GOP runs away from fastest and farthest, DeLay or Bush.
Your stats are correct, Galahad, but you intentionally forgot the fact that the percent of blacks voting for Dems decreased and shifted towards the Republican ticket. The trend doesn’t look good for the libs, pal. Which is why you libs are making so much ado about nothing.
JR,Good post!ID,It’s a bit early to be talking about a trend. Black voters have suffered disproportionately under Bush’s excuse for an economy, and they, like everybody else, vote their pocketbooks.
JR,Big talk for a guy who can’t get a job. Whassamatter you?
Jed,Point taken. Though I was unemployed for most of 2004. Had my own business, so call it underemployed. Still voted conservative. Haven’t bought into the whole entitled, poor me, victim mentality thing.
ID,Niether do most poor people. Do you remember a few years back, when Sears opened a catalog phone center here, and offered a portion of the jobs to people on welfare? First day of application, they had a line out front worthy of any Rolling Stones concert, and ended up having to call in people from half a dozen other states to take all 10,000 or so applications. This for jobs that paid $7hr+ benefits!People who take welfare do it because it’s the best option on the table at the time, not because it’s a great life and a free ride! Would you try to support your family on what a wefare family gets? I didn’t think so!
Good for you, ID. But you might consider the idea that gov’t helping people by policies that create jobs instead of ship them overseas and constructing a fair tax burden (one in which investment income is NOT taxed less than workers’ income, for instance) might help your business more than kicking poor moms off of welfare.
But keep dreaming that you’ll be rich someday. It’s easier than creating a just society that helps everyone.
First, it’s $7/hr do-nothing job and I live within my means (budget, Dress for Success, DAV, Lords Diner). Show up for work everyday. Have a no-excuse attitude. Do more work than is listed in my job description (against union policy). Can’t afford community college, but CAN afford to go to library and improve.
Later, I get a promotion or find a higher paying job. Still, I live withing my means (budget). Same work ethic as above. Dress for Success and DAV have good looking clothes, but have to look a little harder. Now I can save a few $$ towards technical/community college.
Later, I get another promotion or a higher paying job. Same budget, same work ethic. Now it’s a habit. I can pay for technical/community college and work.
Later, I’ve graduated. Found a job that pays part/all tuition, but maybe less salary. Same budget, same work ethic.
Later, I’ve graduated college and with my life experience, my work ethic and my new degree, I’ve landed a decent job. Doesn’t pay six figures, but then I know I’ve made some choices early in life that led me down this path. No ones fault but myself, so I’m not bitter. I’m happy that America have given me a chance to work hard and get rewarded for my efforts. I’m incented to work harder, because America has no socialist government (see Canada.com) waiting to take all my hard earned money away to redistribute my wealth to those who choose not to work hard.
THE END
BTW. The above is a true story. It took me 13 years to graduate from WSU via HCJC. I shopped at DAV.
I don’t think anyone wants to people off of welfare who need it. There are a number of people who really need it. It’s the deadbeats and the cheaters who need to be shaken up.
ID, great job. I can identify with your story. My story is similar to yours.
Of course, there will be people on here who will say that you are lying and that you could not posibly be a conservative, but that’s their problem.
Agree, NoJoCo. For the small percentage of folks who, through no fault of their own (health, mental), need help; then I’m all for assistance. Preferably by folks like Wendy Glick at Lords Diner and not government.
If we can deal with facts and not distortions, this we can make progress to solve the problem.
I grew up in a family of dyed in the wool John F. Kennedy Democrats who were religious and against abortion. Today’s Dem’s are borderline Socialist. Doesn’t incent the right behavior for my liking. Extremist on both sides are wackos.
New details this week make Earles actions appear even more suspect.
ID
Good story. I know numerous people with similar stories, couple of them family members. Keep it up.
ID–
Your story shows why you should be a liberal.
You say you couldn’t afford community college at one point because you didn’t earn enough money.
So you had to keep plugging away at your job and hope you get a promotion.
What if you didn’t get a promotion?
You should have been able to go to community college whenever you wanted to if you were willing to work hard.
Taxpayers already are paying about 2/3rds the cost of comm. college right now. If CC’s weren’t “socialistic,” you could have never afforded to go there, and neither could I have.
As for Canada, big multinationals are moving there because of the huge savings on health care. They can’t afford OUR system.
Lastly, JFK was way more liberal than today’s liberals are. See his famous speech, “why I’m a liberal.”
Cessna has a program to pull people up from the welfare situation of “it being the best option on the table”. The company provides job training and all sorts of support activities to teach people how to manage their lives so they can then manage a job.
Some people still fail. Drugs and abusive boyfriends are death.
Most of the graduates are women, many are single mothers. I have an opinion about men who won’t work, impregnate women, and leave them destitute; but it isn’t printable.
Cessna even kept up the training program when its business was down, and worked to find jobs for the people in other industries.
I saw one lady run up to Russ Meyer and give him a hug so big she almost lifted him off he ground, and he isn’t small.
There are answers. This one came from corporate consevatives.
By the way, about half of Cessna’s leaders over the years had NO college degree.
Well, that’s great, Joseph. Very heartwarming.
But if I were one of Cessna’s shareholders, I’d sue them. They’re not in the business of helping people. They’re in the business of generating profits for their shareholders.
I wonder 1. how they justify the cost of this and 2. whether they still do it and 3. what do they tell all the people that want to be involved with the program that can’t?
Some problems are so big and pervasive, it takes a big gov’t program to make any headway solving it.
These anecdotes of people who benefited from Cessna’s program are nice, but it can’t really address the widespread need across the entire country, can it.
Given that “bilge” is only one of many names for that particular poster, I really don;t feel the need to answer to bilge.
ID? Nice story. But I gotta decode a few of your code words.
“positive attitude” yessir boss! whatever you say boss! hey boss can I wash your car?”to whit……..sucking up.
“working outside the job description and in defiance of union rules” Boss? I’ll come in this weekend! I’ll work overtime you don’t need to hire anyone else! Oh and boss? I saw Smith making a personal call on company time!”
Deal is ID you played the game! Good for you I guesss. But makes you part of the problem. That problem is pervasive through out America even to the point that some of us who play the game have a fudamental problem questioning any authority. That breeds corruption among those in charge and that gets you the current culture of corruption at all levels of buisiness and government……..Bush ..DeLay ….Rove….Ken Lay get the drift?
Oh and as to the original de Lay thread? More proof of just what I am talking about. His brothers in ideology in the House are already vying to replace him. Guilty or not the knives are drawn and DeLay is going down. If due process don’t get him his colleagues will.
That’s the culture that conservatives have created. Now Id they may let you sit at the table. They may even pull out a chair for ya. Personally I’d not like any of these folks behind me.
Rhonda
How about a thread on the latest revelations about Ronnie Earles grand jury shopping, and the fact that the charges he brought in the first indictment were for something that wasnt illegal when Delay allegedly committed them????????…………….Well?
Interesting post, JR. I agree. The unions are just trying to level the playing fields so that one guy isn’t expected to do the work of three (for the pay of one, of course).
I couldn’t have afforded to work my way through college if I hadn’t had union jobs that paid a good wage.
Unfortunately with all the union busting (and union bashing) ever since Reagan, even the good jobs I had years ago are pretty crappy now . . .
There’s no corruption on the Left?
OK, so let me see if get this. Consumers aren’t going to pay higher prices due to higher labor costs(insurance, unions, pension, etc…), because the socialist government is going to force big fat corporations to keep costs low, loose money, seek government subsidy to compensate, taxes increase to pay for the subsidy? Oh yeah, we will just tax the ‘rich’, who by the way already pay the 84% of the taxes (see http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/03in05tr.xls). And don’t give me your BS about Exec pay, because it is a very small % of the overall labor cost.
You keep up with that mentality, and you’ll be at this blogging stuff all day with no job OR entitlement check. They’ll still serve you at the Lords Diner.
ID–
You conservatives crack me up. The only tax you give a damn about is income tax.
If you tax the wealthy at a 90 percent rate or a 30 percent rate, they’ll always pay a larger share than everybody else.
Because they make such a large amount of income, duh.
The question is what is a FAIR rate of taxation. The rate of taxation for the wealthy we have now is lower than since Eisenhower. It’s lower than under Reagan.
When you consider the cuts to investment, capital gains, and estate taxes, we’re practically back to the robber baron days.
How much investment income or capital gains did you have last year, ID? And yet you’ll defend to the death Dick Cheney’s right to save 6 million dollars on his tax returns.
You insist on cutting your own throat, that’s fine.
The trouble is that there’re so many of you out there, you’re cutting everybody else’s throat too . . .
Back on topic for a bit….
“I AM the federal government.” —Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, to the owner of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, after being told to put out his cigar because of federal government regulations banning smoking in the building, May 14, 2003
I love that Ray. Very telling. Where did you get it?
Good post Galahad.
Id? I am gonna bring up exec pay and it aint, as you say insigificant to labor costs.
Over the last 30 years, worker compensation as related to cost of living and inflation has gone down.
Executive compensation as compared to worker compensation has increased by 5000%.
Now you seem an intellignet guy id. I’m glad you made good. But if you can’t see that this nation has very real problems you are blind.
But back to the DeLAY. I want the source of that quote Ray. Get that for me and I’m gonna call Ruth’s Chris main spokesman (Sean Hannity) and put that to him.
JR,You aren’t qualified to speak on that issue until you get a job.
JR, Never said the nation doesn’t have problems. You connected your own dots. I still have more to do, and I don’t need a union to do my employment negotiation, thank you very much. This nation has improvements to make, and has since the 1776. I’ve been blessed to travel to several countries and study their economic and political system. Ours is the best, even with problems on BOTH sides of the isle. From my obervations of other countries and ours; life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, self-determination (key on SELF), the model that works the best is when ‘we the people’ are accountable, don’t RELY on entitlements, work hard, and if we don’t like our jobs or our elected officials, then WE have the FREEDOM to make a choice. Blame ‘the other person’ or take lawful and appropriate action. I didn’t blame Carter for 18% interest rates, I didn’t blame Clinton for all of his Clinton-gates. I DID get involved in politics to learn how it really works. I DID research facts from independent resources (not MSM or NPR, or even Rush). I DO filter information to discern writers intent, source, credibility. I DO listen to BOTH NPR and Rush. You do what you want, but I have more fun being part of the solution.
You are a suck up ID. And now you get others to suck up to you.America a great nation? Not where I sit.