Howard Dean on Tom DeLay's Resignation (Email)

[Hissyspit]

Text of Gov. Howard Dean's email concerning Tom DeLay's resignation:

Indicted Republican leader Tom DeLay announced late last night that he will withdraw from his race for re-election and leave Congress within months.

This comes after Friday's news that a key former DeLay aide pleaded guilty to conspiracy and agreed to cooperate with the ongoing federal investigation of DeLay's money-for-influence machine.

DeLay says he made his decision because he doesn't want to let Democrats make him the issue in the 2006 elections. But Tom DeLay himself has never been the issue.

DeLay is a symptom of a larger disease -- a sick Republican culture of corruption that touches everyone who took his dirty money, voted for his corrupt leadership, or sat silently while their party has sold our government to the highest bidder. The corruption extends to the House, the Senate, and the Bush Administration -- and this November the accountability must reach just as wide.

Democrats aren't running against Tom DeLay this year. We are running to end the Republican culture of corruption and restore integrity to our government. What we stand for is clear.

On April 29th, when tens of thousands of volunteers hit the streets in the first-ever 50-state canvass, they will be carrying the six simple things that Democrats stand for. At the top of the list is a clear commitment:

1. Honest Leadership & Open Government: We will end the Republican culture of corruption and restore a government as good as the people it serves.

In honor of Tom DeLay's retirement, today I am ordering another 250,000 of the door-hangers that bear this message -- that's an investment to reach another quarter-million voters on our April 29th organizing day.

Your $50 can put 233 pieces of literature in the hands potential volunteers and potential voters. Will you make a donation?

http://www.democrats.org/delayretirement

Already over 370 neighbor-to-neighbor organizing events have been scheduled for Saturday, April 29th. Democrats across the country will be going door to door, talking with folks in their communities about what Democrats stand for and the kind of change our country needs.

Please take a moment to find or create an event near you. Learn more about the 50-state canvass here:

http://www.democrats.org/50statecanvass

This year's election will be about fundamental change in Washington, and it's up to each one of us to fight for every vote in every single state.

Tom DeLay is just the tip of the iceberg. The American people have had enough of the Republican culture of corruption -- but it's going to take your involvement to make change happen.

Thank you for doing what you can.

Governor Howard Dean, M.D.

[mzmolly]

1. Very nice.

:toast:

[gratuitous]

2. Well said

And puts the onus on the entire GOP, not just the surprisingly large number of bad apples that are sullying an otherwise good political party -- at least, that's what the GOP would like the public to believe, that they're simply the victims of an astonishing number of separate, unrelated incidents, and that all this corruption doesn't exemplify their party.

How ya like that Dean scream now, major media?

[Hissyspit]

3. gratuitous kick n/t

[Vidar]

4. Sums it up nicely.

[Hissyspit]

5. kick