Tom Delay

Tom DeLay : A Crook or Not a Crook

2006

The single most effective member of the congressional majority is bound to be the top target of the political minority . When he is as aggressive and creative as Majority Leader Tom "The Hammer " DeLay , his frustrated enemies are as aggressively creative in drumming up allegations in the hope of bringing him down . The most recent charges leveled at DeLay revolve around laws not broken , bad things he didn 't do , and the good he does do these accusations have no more merit than

the phony charges DeLay has fought off in the past . Although Tom DeLay appears to be disliked , one must admit he has done many things that are good for our country and undoubtedly cannot be called a cook

Republican congressman Eric Cantor of Virginia explains why DeLay is the Democrats ' target of choice "He outworks , out-hustles , out-thinks them and then out-strategizes them when it comes to floor action " Cantor believes that Democrats view a Republican congressional majority as so contrary to the natural political that only deceit can explain Republican success . One of Cantor 's more liberal Republican colleagues Fred Upton of Michigan , agrees , saying DeLay is a target because "he 's kept his head above the foxhole . We 've had a ton of victories this year I think he 's damn effective

Since 1994 , owing to DeLay 's remarkably effective whip operation Republicans have repeatedly passed conservative measures despite their narrow margin in the House . DeLay 's support in the GOP caucus is based on both his effectiveness as a leader and his careful tending to the morale and political needs of his troops his genuine popularity among Republicans contradicts Democrats ' caricature of him as an abusive ideologue . Upton , a Republican who doesn 't reliably toe the leadership 's line , dryly notes "He 's not about to put our fingers in the drawer and slam it

An article in The Hill news "Newtering DeLay Is Dems ' Aim reported on the Democrats ' desire to damage Republicans in competitive districts by tying them to their majority leader . Their theory is that DeLay 's conservative politics make him unpalatable in liberal GOP districts (Nichols , 2004 . Media reports--some sloppy , most hostile--about the charges swirling around DeLay complement this strategy by alleging that the senior lawmaker is a serial lawbreaker

Before the 2000 congressional elections , the Democratic members launched an abusive lawsuit--accusing DeLay of "extortion " in to allege a violation under the RICO statute that was designed to help federal prosecutors tackle organized crime (Never mind that "extortion " under the statute means the threat of the use of force ) The theory was that DeLay had "extorted " money and then in a Tony Soprano-like "enterprise gave it to groups that hadn 't registered properly with the Federal Election Commission . With evidence culled from news clippings , the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sued DeLay and a couple of conservative issue-advocacy groups (called "527 committees ) whose fundraising letters he signed . Fred Wertheimer , who heads...