DeLay Indicted
This is big. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was indicted by a grand jury on charges of violating election fundraising laws. This is the first time that a Congressional leader has been indicted. And it’s significant considering how hard it is to indict any politician, since they themselves write the laws under which they can charged–and they usually make it really hard to get caught. Which is why you have outright bribery and corruption easily spotted all over the place and rarely is anyone ever charged over it. I mean, who here really believes that Cheney’s relationship with Halliburton has played no role in its government contracts?
Naturally, Republicans are trying to call the whole thing a partisan witch hunt, claiming prosecutor Ronnie Earle, a Democrat, is simply playing politics. However, not only does Earle have a serious reputation, but 11 of the 15 politicians he has prosecuted in his career have been Democrats, including a sitting Senator, two Representatives, a state house speaker, an attorney general, and others–not exactly low faces on the totem pole. Not to mention the fact that it was the grand jury, and not Earle, that indicted DeLay.
All this comes on the tail of other corruption stories breaking on the Republican side of Washington, most notably the Abramoff scandal, in which the “super-lobbyist” is connected to several crimes and several top Republican figures. Josh Marshall is all over that one.
Meanwhile, Bush’s poll numbers remain around the 40% level, where they probably would have been for most of his term if not for 9/11, the Iraq War, hundreds of millions of dollars spent on campaigning, and other causes external to Bush’s own person or performance; Bush’s numbers have far more reflected events surrounding him than they do the president himself; with no new terrorist attacks or wars or massive PR spending, we get down to the base numbers he’s always been headed straight for. But now, after Katrina, after Social Security, after scandal and corruption galore, there’s just not much to buoy him artificially anymore.
Actually I don’t think its that big.
And I find Bush’s numbers at 40% very disturbing.
The people that supported these a-holes at election time will continue to support them, no matter what they do.
Delay is just one member of Congress.
Even if Delay is convicted the Republicans control three political branches and the judiciary. That won’t change over night.
Yes Delay has extensive connections and his corruption may very well be the source of Republican party discipline, but until at least one branch of government falls to the Dems the American Republic is in great danger.
I continue to point out that the American Airforce Academy is controled by the Christian Wingnut Right. Without Dems in control of at least one institution of Government, there is not chance of chasing them out of that institution.
Despite the risk of sounding conspiratorial, it must be pointed out that if they get ahold of the other military academies they can stoke the pipeline of who becomes the officer corp in the future. Less than one or two decades from now, with a wingnutized Military officer corp, a thorough Neocon coup will be complete.
Short term politics asside, these people are playing a long term game plan and they mean buisiness of the most serious kind. Between now and then they are willing to fight tooth and nail for their cause. Meanwhile we do not have an effective opposition party.
If Delay’s indictment causes all of that to unravel I would be delighted. But I seriously doubt it.
These are very dark times in America. I am afraid they will only get darker still.
People don’t understand we are on a full stage retreat back into a new dark age. An entire city of over 1 million being abandoned over night? American’s dying in the streets? Manhattan evacuated? This is new to history but this kind of thing has happened all within four years. Under Republican’s, this sort of thing will become increasingly common place.
Meanwhile Bush is calling for a stronger response by the Military as a reaction to Katrina. That is, an increasingly Wingnutized Military. Put two and two together.
American dream? Phooey. This country country has gone to the dogs. This country sucks. In the big picture, Delay’s indictment means almost nothing.