GOP Backs Off on Ethics Changes

[aikido15]

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http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ethics4jan04.story

By Richard Simon
Times Staff Writer

January 4, 2005

WASHINGTON — House Republicans on Monday reversed a decision, made less than two months ago, that would have allowed Majority Leader Tom DeLay of Texas to remain in his leadership post if he was indicted by a grand jury in his home state.


**Something's up, Tom DeLay did not have a moment of morality...I don't believe it for a second...

[Catherine Vincent]

1. The clear channel station in Houston has reported this a.m.

I came back to find out what happened on DU. Is this good news? Will Delay finally get his ass kicked out of town?

[JohnnyRingo]

2. He'll probably pull a "Gingrich"

Faux "news" probably gave him an offer...double what he makes on the hill.

[purduejake]

3. Or he'll get a spot on the Shrub administration.

[aquart]

4. Party not as united as portrayed?

Some licking their lips over the possibility of a power shift in Congress?

OR is the word out that DeLay's scandal is so dirty that anyone standing next to him is going to be smirched?

I dunno, but any crack is to be cherished. We haven't been able to touch them. They need to destroy themselves from within.

Pass the popcorn.

[Historic NY]

5. Another link for the story..........I dispise Delay...he is a weasle.

http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20050103171809990006&_mpc=news%2e6&cid=842

[Judi Lynn]

6. Another article on this subject: Flip-flop on shielding DeLay

Flip-flop on shielding DeLay



BY JAMES GORDON MEEK
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON - House Republicans did an about-face yesterday and decided against weakening ethics rules to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay from potentially losing his leadership post.
Meeting behind closed doors, the party decided to retain a tough standard for lawmaker discipline and reinstated a rule that would force DeLay to step aside if he is indicted in Texas.

DeLay was reprimanded for ethical lapses last year and is under investigation by a Texas grand jury. Jonathan Grella, a DeLay spokesman, said DeLay still believed it was legitimate toallow a leader to retain his post while under indictment.

But Grella said that by reinstating the rule that he step aside, DeLay was "denying the Democrats their lone issue. Anything that could undermine our agenda needs to be nipped in the bud."
(snip/...)

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/story/267976p-229534c.html

[Sandpiper]

7. DeLay getting ready for his new career in talk radio

Where he'll join other notable right wing moralists, such as Oliver North and G. Gordon Liddy.

[cornermouse]

8. Probably the next Supreme Court Chief Justice.

(DeLay that is)

That seems to be the way Bush's White House works. Remember Ashcroft? Look who he's proposing to put in Ashcrofts place?

[Spinzonner]

9. Maybe enough of them decided this

was an opportunity to get out from under his thumb.

[Dulcinea]

12. Enough House members are finally sick of being bullied by Bug Boy.

They're starting to eat their own.

As was stated in a previous post, the collapse has to come from the inside.

[annabanana]

10. the motives will probably surface...........

In the next couple of days....

I don't expect that the House Republicans have had an epiphany.

[Mist]

14. I'm wondering what this means for Pelosi

I guess they can go after her now. But I think the reason they decided to retain the rule is probably bigger than whatever is going on with Pelosi.

[Guaranteed]

11. This is HUGE. I wish you could edit and put some exclamation points

on that title.

[Justice]

13. This is a Huge Story, but it underscores the pro Republican media bias

We have heard virtually nothing in the media about Delay troubles, and the weakening of the ethics rules. The media should have been pounding on Delay and the weakening of the rules. We should have seen editorials and historical pieces etc.

[salin]

15. NYT article mentions

that Bush had met with congressional members earlier...

have to wonder if Rove (who, imo, can out muscle DeLay) twisted DeLay's arm. One guess: Rove saw the growing rebellion in the ranks - and knew this would make it harder to have iron armed discipline within republican congressional ranks on Bush's desired policy pushes (esp soc. security - but also energy and other issues) and deivered a little discipline (and perhaps offer of assistance) to DeLay.

[Judi Lynn]

16. Poor, silly things, Republicans!

Small reference in Slate today:

The New York Times off-leads its tsunami catchall, and leads instead with House Republican leaders' surprise about-face last night, as they abandoned plans to undo an ethics rule that was used to admonish majority leader Tom DeLay three times last year, and also reversed a controversial rule change that would have allowed DeLay to keep his job even if he is indicted by a Texas grand jury that is investigating potential campaign finance violations. According to the Post, the Republican rule reversal came amidst growing dissension among the party's rank-and-file. The change was also intended to torpedo Democrats' plans to use the weakened rules to attack the GOP leadership. "It allows the Republicans to focus on the issues, the agenda that is before us and not to have Tom DeLay be the issuesaid Tennessee Rep. Zach Wamp in the NYT. "I feel like we have just taken a shower."
(snip/...)

http://slate.msn.com/id/2111727/



Wamp.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Their idea of "issues" is contemptible. These people are surely out of their element when they try to mimic human beings.

[Moderator]

17. duplicate topic, please discuss here

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1119054