| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"maff" |
| Date: |
31 Mar 2005 08:30:29 AM |
| Object: |
OT: The Disassembly of Tom DeLay |
The Disassembly of Tom DeLay
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7338712/site/newsweek/
When a majority leader's state-of-the-art money and power machine
falters.
By Howard Fineman
Chief Political Correspondent
Newsweek
Updated: 3:26 p.m. ET March 30, 2005
March 30 - A new drama of survival has begun here-political, not
physical; legal, not spiritual. The central character isn't a woman
in a hospital bed but a controversial Republican leader in the House of
Representatives. Rep. Tom DeLay may not want to admit it to himself,
but he's fighting for his political life.
Howard Fineman
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.atheism/msg/93e3438af0a130cb
Tom DeLay
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.atheism/msg/e9f33c9e949a8cd3
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| User: "stoney" |
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| Title: Re: OT: The Disassembly of Tom DeLay |
02 Apr 2005 03:41:55 AM |
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On 31 Mar 2005 00:30:29 -0800, "maff" <maff91@yahoo.com> wrote:
The Disassembly of Tom DeLay
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7338712/site/newsweek/
When a majority leader's state-of-the-art money and power machine
falters.
By Howard Fineman
Chief Political Correspondent
Newsweek
Updated: 3:26 p.m. ET March 30, 2005
March 30 - A new drama of survival has begun here-political, not
physical; legal, not spiritual. The central character isn't a woman
in a hospital bed but a controversial Republican leader in the House of
Representatives. Rep. Tom DeLay may not want to admit it to himself,
but he's fighting for his political life.
I wouldn’t have said so two weeks ago. But I’ve seen enough of these
dramas unfold to know when I’m watching a new one, and now I am. You
know the story line, which dates back to the Greeks: a powerful,
hubristic leader is brought low by his own flaws. Think Jim Wright,
Newt Gingrich, Bill Clinton.
A key but cautious leader of the Republican leadership put it to me
this way in private recently: “Members want us spend our time
protecting them. They don’t like having to spend their time protecting
us.” Meaning: their idea of fun and productive use of time in the
capital is not “DeFending DeLay.”
HOWARD FINEMAN
Current Column | More
• Fineman: Meet the New GOP, the Party of Big Government
No spending opportunity left behind
• Friends of Bill
Why do the Bushes love having Clinton around? It's all about politics
and legacies
By melodramatically linking his own destiny with that of Terri
Schiavo, DeLay didn’t help himself. He made himself look vulnerable
and scared—which is all his enemies needed to convince themselves to
step up their attacks. If you want to watch a passion play, fine. But
don’t cast yourself in the lead.
This is a city dedicated to ambition, but also to the occasional
ritual (and largely ineffective) cleansing. The goal of the truly
power-hungry is to find new routes to the top without antagonizing a
critical mass of the trampled and the angry. DeLay succeeded for quite
some time; that time might be about to end. True, Republicans control
both chambers of Congress. But just because DeLay won’t be subpoenaed
to testify on the Hill doesn’t mean he is safe.
Why? First, a federal grand jury, which is deep into an investigation
of fundraising and influence peddling by DeLay’s friends and former
staffers in town. The probe may never reach DeLay himself; indeed,
he’s not the focus of the probe. But in the court of politics, guilt
by association can add up to … guilt. The roster of people close to
him has gotten long and, therefore, conspicuous.
The Dynamics of Disassembly
DeLay built a state-of-the-art machine to raise money, win elections
and wield legislative influence. Now the question is whether that
machine overran the bounds of law. And, as DeLay will find to his
chagrin, that question can’t always be answered by saying that each
action was arguably legal at the time. It’s the big picture—if it can
be clearly assembled—that can do the damage.
ONLINE MAIL CALL
Our readers react to Howard Fineman's "Disassembly of Tom DeLay"
Media dynamics are another factor. Let’s accept for a moment that
there are, in fact, TWO “media,” Red and Blue. You know where the Blue
are coming from: they’re going to go after DeLay with everything
they’ve got. But there comes a point when even the Red media will want
to focus on the DeLay story—and even if their basic instinct is to
defend him, they will be doing precisely what the Majority Leader
desperately doesn’t want: raising his profile.
Plus, not all of the Red Media is so friendly anymore. Say what you
want about The Wall Street Journal editorial page, but they are
consistent in their minimum regard for ethical mores in Washington.
And ominously for DeLay, the page has begun to view him as an example
of what’s wrong with the capital. If that machine produces an “odor,”
as the Journal editorial writers put it, it doesn’t absolve DeLay that
“he smells just like the Beltway itself.”
Turning the Tough Into a Target
Washington has a way of getting even with tough guys who are too
blatant about it, and DeLay is feared and hated in much of the
“downtown” lobbying community. DeLay is right to decry the hypocrisy
of “K Street,” which has been run by Democratic fixers since the days
of Franklin Roosevelt. The majority leader, with a determination that
even Gingrich didn’t muster, has been the lead player in an effort to
root out Democratic influence peddlers and replace them with Bush-era
Republicans. All’s fair, right? No it’s not.
Leaderless and intellectually rudderless, the Democrats are desperate
for issues, and they have decided (to the extent there is a “they”) to
make a piñata of DeLay. The old argument against doing so was that no
one knew who he was. Then people like Jim Jordan, a tough and
media-savvy advisor to DNC Chairman Howard Dean, essentially said,
what the heck, let’s go for it—and he and others have convinced some
of the party’s big money types to have at it.
There’s a certain logic to the enterprise: don’t take on the Texas
president, who remains popular, especially as commander-in-chief. Take
on another Texas, who comes from Houston, who is close to the Oil
Boys, and who can be made to stand for the GOP’s never-ending
vulnerability, which is that they are too close to corporate power,
especially the kind that sells gas for $2.50 a gallon.
Inside the GOP leadership on the Hill, DeLay is not beloved. He is
admired for his fundraising skill and political daring, but at least
some of the top figures are wary of him. Speaker Denny Hastert, once
thought of as a creation and tool of the DeLay, has risen in
esteem—and real and perceived independence. Majority Whip Roy Blunt,
widely respected and much liked at the White House, is waiting in the
wings should the need arise to move up in the ranks.
Relations between the president and DeLay have never been particularly
warm—Texas isn’t quite big enough for the both of them. Bush and Karl
Rove have been careful to cultivate him over the years, of course, and
they have made common cause since Bush first started running for
governor in 1993. Bush likes to delegate the tough stuff – to people
like DeLay and Rove—but they are still hired help.
And you can always fire the help.
© 2005 Newsweek, Inc.
Howard Fineman
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.atheism/msg/93e3438af0a130cb
Tom DeLay
http://groups-beta.google.com/group/alt.atheism/msg/e9f33c9e949a8cd3
--
Contempt of Congress meter reading-offscale.
Hello, theocracy with a fundamentalist US Supreme
Court who will ensure church and state are joined
at the hip like clergy and altar boys.
America 1776-Jan 2001 RIP
Religion is the original war crime.
-Michelle Malkin (Feb 26, 2005)
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: OT: The Disassembly of Tom DeLay |
31 Mar 2005 04:29:41 PM |
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maff wrote:
The Disassembly of Tom DeLay
"Disassemble? Death? Nooooo!"
- Johnny 5, "Short Circuit"
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7338712/site/newsweek/
When a majority leader's state-of-the-art money and power machine
falters.
By Howard Fineman
Chief Political Correspondent
Newsweek
Updated: 3:26 p.m. ET March 30, 2005
March 30 - A new drama of survival has begun here-political, not
physical; legal, not spiritual. The central character isn't a woman
in a hospital bed but a controversial Republican leader in the House
of
Representatives. Rep. Tom DeLay may not want to admit it to himself,
but he's fighting for his political life.
From the article:
By melodramatically linking his own destiny with that of
Terri Schiavo, DeLay didn't help himself. He made himself
look vulnerable and scared, which is all his enemies needed
to convince themselves to step up their attacks. If you want
to watch a passion play, fine. But don't cast yourself in the
lead.
This is a city dedicated to ambition, but also to the
occasional ritual (and largely ineffective) cleansing. The
goal of the truly power-hungry is to find new routes to the
top without antagonizing a critical mass of the trampled and
the angry. DeLay succeeded for quite some time; that time
might be about to end. True, Republicans control both chambers
of Congress. But just because DeLay won't be subpoenaed to
testify on the Hill doesn't mean he is safe.
So, if someone gets too rich and powerful, those around him will
exile him or execute him.
Strange. That's how ancient Greek democracy worked.
Bob Dog
-----
Divine retribution is an idol threat.
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