04.03.06
Tom DeLay Is Out
In case you haven’t heard, Tom DeLay To Withdraw in May, Move to Virginia. Here’s the why:
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.
Moving to Virginia? He’ll have to travel to Austin for trial.
[UPDATE]: John Carter’s mentor takes the easy way out. I wonder what he’ll have to say about this?
[UPDATE II]: Chris Bell’s statement via the Agonist,The culture of corruption is about more than Tom DeLay:
Tom DeLay’s resignation is a great victory in the fight to clean up corruption in politics, but the war is far from over. The culture of corruption is about a heck of a lot more than Tom DeLay. We need to move toward real progress by turning the conversation from how bad one man is to how good we can all be.
Unfortunately for Texas, Tom DeLay’s protégé, Gov. Rick Perry, has institutionalized Washington-style politics in Austin. The problem with the culture both in Washington and Texas is an excessive tolerance for corruption in which what they do that’s illegal isn’t as bad as what they do that’s legal. That’s why I’ve proposed my “Don’t Mess With Ethics” reform plan.
A friend of mine joked that if God has a sense of humor, Tom DeLay will leave Congress and return to a Texas where Chris Bell is Governor. After DeLay’s surprising news, it’s looking like my friend might not be too far off the mark.
QR says there will be a special election. Also keep checking BOR and Off The Kuff.
[UPDATE III]: Rep. John Carter speaks on DeLay’s “cop-out”:
DeLay’s announcement caught off-guard his fellow Texans in Congress.
“I’m a little shocked by it because Tom’s a fighter,” said Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock. “But there reaches a point in time where . . . you are just getting beat up for something you think you did no wrong on.”
In a conversation last week, DeLay mentioned receiving worrisome polling numbers from his district, Carter said, adding: “The polls show that any (Republican) but DeLay would win it, hands down.”
Though DeLay was one of the most effective leaders in congressional history, his legacy will not be defined “until the legal problems are over. Before this crisis, Tom DeLay was one of the most effective leaders up here. Even his enemies will say that,” Carter said. “If it turns out that he’s found innocent or for some reason the case goes away, history will show that he was taken out by politics.”
Rep. Carter continues to play the “Delay-is-a-victim” game. “…taken out by politics”? Live by the sword, die by the sword.
Capitol Annex » From The Blogs, April 4, 2006 said,
April 4, 2006 at 8:45 am
[…] National Blogs on DeLay: A Perfectly Cromulent Blog: “So, I guess you’ll hammer…later;” American Pundit: DeLay To Call It Quits; Blog of the Moderate Left: Bye, Bye Bugman; Carpetbagger Report: What’s Next For DeLay’s District and Tom DeLay Cuts and Runs; Daily Kos: DeLay Out; Democratic Daily: DeLay’s Decision; Democrats.com: DeLay Throws In The Hammer, Donklephant: DeLay Puts Himself Out To Pasture, Ezra Klein: The Spirit of Edwin Edwards, Joe Trippi: DeLay Will Not Seek Re-Election; DNC: TX-22 More DeLay; Vote Law: DeLay To Resign; DNCC Steakholder: The Architect; Swing State Project: Bugman Bugs Out; Election Law: Can Republicans Name A Replacement For Tom DeLay. Texas Blogs on DeLay: Dallas Blog: DeLay to Leave Congress; Hutopia: Ding, Dong; Annatopia: It Couldn’t Have Happened To A Nicer Guy; Blue Texas: Tom DeLay Resigns; Brains and Eggs: Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish; Bride of Acheron: Good News Tonight; Casual Soap Box: Tom DeLay To Step Down; Daily DeLay: DeLay To Step Down; Dos Centavos: Things Fall Apart; Eye On Williamson: DeLay Is Out; Greg’s Opinion: Let The Silly Season Begin; In The Pink Texas: Holy Mother…; Latinos for Texas: Tom DeLay Not Running; Lone Star Times has a full transcript of DeLay’s announcement; see also: Panhandle Truth Squad, People’s Republic of Seabrook, The Red State, Rick Perry vs. The World, Right of Texas, South Texas Chisme, Supreme Irony of Life; Texas Safety Forum; Texas Whip, Three Wise Men; Winding Road In Urban Area, Yellow Doggerel Democrat. […]
James said,
April 4, 2006 at 8:50 am
Fellow Williamson County Progressive here (thought I was the only one) just found your site the other day and have blogrolled it.
Great news about Delay, sad that they’re going to continue the whole ‘he was a victim meme.’ I wonder if that will continue once he’s in jail.
Capitol Annex » More Blog Coverage said,
April 4, 2006 at 11:09 am
[…] Texas Blogs on DeLay: Dallas Blog: DeLay to Leave Congress; Hutopia: Ding, Dong; Annatopia: It Couldn’t Have Happened To A Nicer Guy; Blue Texas: Tom DeLay Resigns; Brains and Eggs: Good Riddance To Bad Rubbish; Bride of Acheron: Good News Tonight; Casual Soap Box: Tom DeLay To Step Down; Daily DeLay: DeLay To Step Down; Dos Centavos: Things Fall Apart; Eye On Williamson: DeLay Is Out; Greg’s Opinion: Let The Silly Season Begin; In The Pink Texas: Holy Mother…; Latinos for Texas: Tom DeLay Not Running; Lone Star Times has a full transcript of DeLay’s announcement; see also: Panhandle Truth Squad, People’s Republic of Seabrook, The Red State, Rick Perry vs. The World, Right of Texas, South Texas Chisme, Supreme Irony of Life; Texas Safety Forum; Texas Whip, Three Wise Men; Winding Road In Urban Area, Yellow Doggerel Democrat. Also, another GOP take: Texas Rainmaker. And, DeLay vs. World has more on the nomination machinery. Texas Blogs with multiple pieces: Burnt Orange Report has Chris Bell’s statement on the DeLay Resignation, the latest on a possible replacement candidate’s website being under construction; discusses if the DeLay resignation trigger a special election; and its original story. Just Another Blog: DeLay Brings Down Party; DeLay To Resign; Off The Kuff: Morning DeLay Roundup; DeLay To Drop Out; Pink Dome: Career Advice for DeLay; Tom DeLay Will Call It Quits; The Agonist: The Travails of Pussycat Tom DeLay; Agonist was also THE FIRST out with Chris Bell’s official statement, The Bugman Gets Exterminated; Tom DeLay out of the Race; Capitol Annex: Digesting The Story; Sheila Jackson Lee on the DeLay Announcement; Last Night’s Coverage. […]
Eye on Williamson » Carter and Gohmert Want Mollohan Off Appropriations said,
May 10, 2006 at 3:38 am
[…] John Carter’s close association with Tom DeLay (R-Texas) may have helped him secure a coveted assignment shortly after he was first elected in 2002. Freshman representative Gohmert may have his eye on DeLay’s soon-to-be-vacated seat on the committee. Perhaps this is an attempt to curry favor with Republican leadership in hopes of landing on Appropriations this summer. Carter is no stickler for ethical behavior among fellow Appropriations committee members. Take Tom DeLay, for example. Maybe he was confused when voted for the DeLay rule and opposed its reversal. Perhaps he did not foresee DeLay’s impending demise as Majority Leader. […]