From the "Signs That The Apocalypse Truly Is Upon Us" file comes the news that Tom DeLay will be a contestant on the latest iteration of "Dancing With The Stars". 'Course, by what definition DeLay could be considered a "star" remains to be seen, but I do believe that this news could reasonably taken as final, definitive proof of the collapse of Western Civilization. Then again, DeLay is just arrogant and self-absorbed enough to have convinced himself that he not only belongs on the show, he has a legitimate chance of emerging victorious.
Never having been a fan of DWTS (I've never seen an episode...and DeLay's inclusion only cements my conviction to maintain that record), I can't help but wonder if the producers aren't running out of options. Who's next? Bob Dole? Robert Byrd? Olympia Dukakis? Barney Frank? Jeebus, y'all...I never realized that the show was actually a comedy, knowhutimean?
I lived in CD-22, DeLay's bailiwick in the Houston-Ft.Bend County area, for ten years, so I can speak to DeLay's lack of redeeming qualities with some authority. I generally like to get to know a person before taking an active dislike to them, but I made an exception in DeLay's case. I went to a candidate forum a few years ago, one of the few he deigned to appear at during an election season. When you run against token Democratic opposition every two years, why bother to acknowledge that you even have an opponent? In person, DeLay's arrogance and conceit is even more evident and distasteful than anything conveyed by the media...and yet his constituents LOVED him. Then again, given the self-righteous, hyprocritical, uber-Christian nature of most of the residents of CD-22, it's not difficult to understand why few Democrats ever wanted to play the role of sacrificial lamb. If you're going to spend months merely preparing to be led to slaughter...well, what's the point, right? DeLay's problem, which ultimately led to his downfall, was that two-plus decades of walkover victories led him to believe that he was untouchable and invincible. Rules and laws became something that lesser mortals concerned themselves with, for Tom DeLay was "The Hammer".
Being forced out of the spotlight may have lowered his profile, but hubris still seems to be Delay's stock in trade. Of course, I do have to applaud anyone who honestly feels that he just might be able to compete against people 20 to 30 years younger in an athletic endeavor. Not that DeLay has ever been anything even remotely approaching athletic....
Given the type of country we are, I suppose there will always be a place for public figures with bloated egos, an overheated sense of self-worth, and a willingness to bulldoze anyone and anything with the temerity to stand in their way. Tom DeLay may well not be as evil as I've always believed him to be, but not by much. That he was re-elected by a large margin every two years for more than 20 years only serves to demonstrate how thoroughly undemanding some voters can be- particularly in Texas, where reflexively voting Republican is on par with eating and breathing.
The sad thing is that DeLay is essentially being rewarded for being a corrupt, self-righteous despot who cared for his constituents only insofar as they could serve monomaniacal thirst for power. No one seems to remember the lies, the corruption, and his single-handed redrawing of Texas' electoral map. If DeLay was a Democrat, he likely would long ago have been fitted for an orange prison jump suit and forced to become someone's "girlfriend" in Cell Block D.
Then again, if you believe in karma- and I do- you have to believe that DeLay's comeuppance still awaits him. While I would (almost) never openly root for another human being's downfall, I would gladly make an exception for DeLay, whose claim to humanity is questionable at best and laughable at worst. Go to Hell. Go straight to Hell. Do not pass "Go". Do not collect $200.
DeLay will bring a shot of publicity to DWTS, and he's just arrogant enough to wind up believing that it's all about him. Arrogance and hubris may not make for a great dancer, but who cares? It's not like I care enough to actually watch.
