It is a great and glorious to see Tom “The Hammer” DeLay go away. DeLay once declared “I AM the Federal Government” at precisely the moment he was violating countless rules, customs and laws. Even Republicans hate Tom DeLay, with good reason, given he is a self-serving dictator.
But, while we dance on his political grave, note that he has moved to
Virginia to pursue a career as a lobbyist. With Jack Abramoff as his model, he will no doubt be in the news again — and in jail before long — but not before he’s screwed the country again. mjh
DeLay Exits, Stage (Hard) Right By Ruth Marcus
No one who’s seen Tom DeLay operate over the years could have expected the Texas Republican to go gently: The Hammer always comes down hard. But DeLay’s farewell address on the House floor last week was nonetheless stunning for its sneering, belligerent partisanship.
This was not the case of a politician who happened to hit a jarring note at just the wrong time. DeLay made clear that he wanted to leave the way he behaved throughout his 22 years in Washington — contemptuous of the opposition and unrepentant about his cutthroat tactics. …
In DeLay’s world, “It is not the principled partisan, however obnoxious he may seem to his opponents, who degrades our public debate, but the preening, self-styled statesman who elevates compromise to a first principle.”
This is a man who — now that he’s had time to take in the monuments — sees Lincoln’s statue and fixates on the one hand clenched in a “perpetual fist.” …
As he addressed his colleagues for the final time, DeLay betrayed no doubt that his tactics had ever edged even slightly across the line, no hint of recognition of the poisonous consequences of GOP authoritarianism under his sway.
There is a place for partisanship, and an honor in hewing to principles that divide the parties. But DeLay’s zero-sum politics diminishes the capacity of government to solve difficult problems. Compromise isn’t just an occasionally necessary evil, as DeLay sees it. Practiced well, it can be a mechanism for distilling the best public policy, or at least a better one than either faction would achieve on its own.
“If given the chance to do it all again, there’s only one thing I would change,” DeLay said, jabbing his finger in the air for emphasis. “I would fight even harder.”
Think Progress » VIDEO: In Goodbye Speech, DeLay Bitterly Attacks Liberals
DeLay: “In any place or any time on any issue, what does liberalism ever seek, Mr. Speaker? More. More government, more taxation, more control over people’s lives and decisions and wallets.
“If conservatives don’t stand up to liberalism, no one will.”
Texas Democrats Revel in DeLay’s Departure — Newsday.com By ANGELA K. BROWN, Associated Press Writer
“If the sun seems a little brighter today; if our step seems a little bouncier; if life seems a little better today, there’s a good reason for it. For the first day in 22 years, Tom DeLay is not a member of Congress,” U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, said as the crowd cheered wildly.