I am the federal government.
– Tom DeLay, responding to a government employee who tried to prevent him from smoking on government property.
Tom DeLay would probably have done Medici-era Italy. A politician who could always be fairly described as decidedly Machiavellian in his leanings and methods, DeLay would probably have held his own in the political infighting that occurred during the time of the Medicis. He’s certainly learned his lesson well- too well, if you ask a growing number of his constituents.
Think of Tom DeLay as that snotty, privileged kid on the playground. He’s already gotten at least four strikes, blames the ump, threatens those who suggest he sit down, and then tells his friends that he hit a home run. Oh, and he’s got all the candy.
Now imagine that kid as the House Majority Leader and head of a political action committee that distributes money and assistance to Republican incumbents and candidates – 241 out of 246 Republicans in the House to be exact.
The 10th term Republican from Sugarland, Texas – known as “The Hammer” for his vindictive politics – was served a subpoena last week and faces a forehead-slapping fourth letter of admonition next week from the bipartisan House Ethics Committee.
Though he may be unwilling to admit it, DeLay may well be in for the battle of his political life. For too long now, he has concerned himself primarily- some would say solely- with his own self-aggrandizement and political empire-building. Democrats in his district have recognized for some time now that DeLay represents his own interests first, last, and always, and that his constituents were merely means to his ends.
Lou Dubose, who co-authored “The Hammer: Tom DeLay, God, Money, and the Rise of the Republican Congress,” drew up what amounts to a rap sheet in a recent LA Weekly article for those who thrive on the gory details. Suffice it to say that DeLay’s three reprimands since 1999 is, according to Dubose, “a distinction no other member of the House not currently in prison can claim.”….
Given the priority of the presidential race for progressives, it’s important to note just how many groups are simultaneously working toward DeLay’s demise. Once considered unbeatable, recent polls show that repeated ethics violations, civil lawsuits, and increasingly firm and high profile criticism in the media are taking their toll.
It wasn’t too long ago that people like blogger DailyKos, who calls DeLay “an all-around scumbag,” were supporting the Majority Leader’s dark horse opponent, Richard Morrison, simply as a tactic: “Morrison was a nobody. My hope was to simply force DeLay to campaign more in the district, thus keeping him from campaigning and fundraising for other Republicans. Now Morrison is a serious candidate with a legitimate chance to win.”
Buoyed by recent polls, groups like Campaign for America’s Future, Campaign Money Watch, and Howard Dean’s Democracy for America have joined together to defeat DeLay. The groups are using a number of tactics to get the job done, including powerful TV ads, nationwide fundraising, and even a campaign to shame other Republicans into distancing themselves both politically and financially from the increasingly embattled congressman.
As a result it isn’t nearly the long shot it once was. While the broad stroke wasn’t especially promising as recently as early October, DeLay led 47% - 33%, it is important to recall that he typically receives around 60% of the vote.
A look at the poll’s details further set the stage for an upset, however unlikely.
The most important secondary indicator of a candidate’s strength is the favorable/unfavorable rating. Or, in English: Do more people love him or hate him? In this case while roughly 1 in 6 viewed DeLay “very favorably,” a full 1 in 4 viewed him “very unfavorably.” There were more who vehemently opposed his re-election than vigorously supported it.
But the most interesting statistic of all surrounds his ethics woes. While 34% said that they’d be less likely to vote for him as a result of his violations, this came from a poll that predated his most recent, and highly publicized subpoena. And, at the time of the poll, only half of those respondents supported Morrison – largely due to his lack of name recognition.
Of course, all of this new-found optimism in the Morrison campaign may ultimately go for naught on Election Day. Tom DeLay is still the most powerful man in Congress, and a dangerous opponent. Nonetheless, DeLay clearly faces something he has not in the past 20 years- a real battle. It seems clear that DeLay was not prepared to actually have to wage an honest-to-God closely fought campaign. Yes, DeLay still has an obscene amount of money at his disposal compared to Morrison, and he is still one of the most powerful politicians in the country. The cold, hard reality, though, is that more and more people in District 22 are coming to understand that THE EMPEROR TRULY HAS NO CLOTHES.
IF Tom DeLay is defeated by Richard Morrison (and no one in his or her right mind should count DeLay out) on Tuesday, few in District 22 will mourn his demise. I will say that, from what I saw at last week’s debate in Clear Lake, Tom DeLay is at the absolute peak of his arrogance and conceit. He was an embarrassment to himself and his constituents in the way he conducted himself and in the arrogant, condescending manner that he answered questions. It seemed clear to me and most everyone present that the entire exercise was beneath someone of his stature.
TOM DELAY: I don’t think it’s my job to improve education.
RICHARD MORRISON: President Bush stood beside Senator Kennedy and passed the No Child Left Behind Act, and under Mr. DeLay’s leadership, that act has been woefully underfunded. And when Mr. DeLay began his redistricting, the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor told him, “Don’t do this, because we know we’re gonna need the political capital to get something done about Robin Hood.” Mr. DeLay came down here and said, “No, the priority is my redistricting to increase my power.” Now, the Lieutenant Governor and the Governor no longer have the political capital to fix our broken Robin Hood system. I think we need to hold him accountable for that.
Clearly, this is a man who has lost sight of who elected him to Congress in the first place- never mind what his job as a Congressman is actually supposed to be. DeLay’s overwhelming arrogance may in the end prove to be his undoing…and it’s about damn time.
