| The surprise decision was based on the sort of ruthless calculation that had once given him unchallenged dominance of House Republicans and their wealthy friends in Washington's lobbying community: he realized he might lose in this November's election. DeLay got a scare in a Republican primary last month, and a recent poll taken by his campaign gave him a roughly 50-50 shot of winning, in an election season when Republicans need every seat they can hang onto to avoid a Democratic takeover of the House. |
If you believe that, I have a few bridges I'd like to sell you. It's not about losing in November. It's about this And This. And this. And particularly This.
Kevin is right. There's another shoe out there somewhere, and its about to drop. Has Rudy already flipped?
But back to DeLay for a moment. He's going out like he governed: sleazy.
| DeLay said he is likely to leave by the end of May, depending on the Congressional schedule and finishing his work on a couple of issues. He said he will change his legal residence to his condominium in Alexandria, Va., from his modest two-story home on a golf course here in the 22nd District of Texas. "I become ineligible to run for election if I'm not a resident of the state of Texas," he said, turning election law to his purposes for perhaps on last time. State Republican officials will then be able to name another Republican candidate to face Democrat Nick Lampson, a former House members who lost his seat in a redistricting engineered by DeLay. |
You see, the problem for DeLay and the GOP is that he already won the primary. It's too late to replace him on the ballot. Unless, of course, he is ruled ineligible to run, in which case he can be replaced. So rather than just resign, he's going to fully abandon Texas, declare VA his home, and let the state declare him ineligible to run so that the Republican Party can nominate someone new.
But that's precisely how the Dems should frame the issue. Not only was DeLay corrupt, he was also disloyal. In the end, he cared more about himself than about Texas, and he abandoned his constituents to try and cash in on his connections in DC. Of course, there are more than a few prosecutors who will have something to say about that.
Let's call it a race. Which will come first: the resignation or the arrest? Anyone want to lay down some odds?
And while we're making predictions, what do you think will be the most outrageous excuse/defense the conservative pundits will offer up for Tom? No doubt we'll hear that it was the liberal media's fault, or that there's a partisan investigation out to get him. And since we already know that he's claiming persecution for his religious faith, that will no doubt show up as well. So those don't count. Anyone want to make a "most outrageous defense" prediction?
UPDATE: Looks like the WaPo has rushed one to print. Check this:
| DeLay, who is withdrawing from his reelection bid, also is entitled under federal election rules to convert any or all of his remaining campaign funds to his legal expenses, whether or not he resigns, is indicted or loses the election. Election lawyers say one advantage of bowing out of the election now is that the campaign cash can be converted to pay legal bills immediately, instead of being drained in the course of a bid to stay in office.
As of Feb. 15, when his campaign filed its most recent report with the Federal Election Commission, DeLay had $1,295,350 on hand. But that was two weeks before the Texas primary in which DeLay bested three Republican rivals to win renomination, and the pot of money available to DeLay now may be considerably less. By stepping aside so early in an election year, a lawmaker "wouldn't be spending to be reelected" and could transfer the funds immediately to fend off any federal charges, said Skadden, Arps lawyer Kenneth A. Gross, a former head of the FEC's enforcement division. The last lawmaker to gain the FEC's formal approval for such a transfer was Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.), who resigned last November after pleading guilty to evading taxes and accepting bribes. |
Brilliant.
UPDATE II: Chris@MyDD.com is on fire:
| This is much bigger and more important than any one seat could ever mean. It does not matter whether or not DeLay can be replaced on the ballot (he can). It does not matter whether we win or lose this seat, because in a district this red we could have only held it for one term anyway. The point is that the corrupt former majority leader of the Republican House has cowardly cut and run from his own district. He surrendered in the face of his own legal troubles, and was too frightened to face the voters of his own district. Even on primary night last month, he hid under a pile of lobbyist's coats in D.C. because he was too scared to face the voters.
And this is the man that every Republican in congress once voted as their leader, a scared, cowardly, corrupt, surrender monkey who has now literally cut and run from his home district rather than face the music from voters. That is the modern Republican Party, and the conservative movement for you in a nutshell. Who cares about one congressional election. One of the four or five most important cogs in the Republican political machine has been permanently removed. |
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