Tom DeLay's "hammering" days have come to an end, as he has been pressured out of Republican Leadership for good. But why now? Was it the revelation of some new action or behavior that took his corruption to new heights? Was it a spontaneous, collective crisis of the conscience for Republicans in the House?
No, it was the plea bargain of Jack Abramoff, the Republican super-lobbyist known as "Director of Travel for DeLay, Inc." DeLay didn't get pressured out for what he did. He got pressured out because he got caught. And yet suddenly we hear Republicans far and wide crowing for reform.
Help us set the record straight on this hypocrisy. Democrats would never run the House this way, with Americans' health care, energy policy, and everything else on the auction block. For too long Republicans have squashed real Democratic solutions in deference to the GOP's special interest donors, and Democrats will not simply allow the Republicans propaganda machine to re-write history.
We've compiled the record of every Republican on ethics, and I'm asking you to write to your local newspaper to remind them of what your state's Republicans have been up to since the last election:
Write a Letter to Your Hometown Newspaper on Republican Ethics Hypocrisy.
http://redir.plusthree.com/rdr/002Cr00plm0004T
It's of vital importance to make sure the media doesn't get swept up in Republican propaganda.
After years and years of riding Tom DeLay's gravy train, voting as he told them, and bending over backwards to protect him, they say they've suddenly seen the light. Give me a break.
Republicans have spent the last year gutting the ethics rules over fierce Democratic opposition and rejecting any Democratic initiative for reform. While Democrats supported ethics investigations to clean up the House, Republicans dragged their feet.
It was the very first day of this 109th Congress that Republicans set about gutting the ethics rules to protect DeLay from further embarrassment. They could have chosen a new Leader then, but instead they tried to make it virtually impossible to hold DeLay accountable.
Then, they stood by while Republican Speaker Dennis Hastert and DeLay deposed the Republican ethics chairman who admonished DeLay, along with two other Republicans on the panel.
Then, the entire Republican Conference got together in a secret vote and overwhelmingly decided to allow DeLay continue as Leader even if he were indicted. If not for Democratic and public protest, like yours, forcing them to reverse that rule change, DeLay might still be sitting in the Republican Leader's office right now. Democrats would never dream of behaving this way.
Write a Letter to Your Hometown Newspaper on Republican Ethics Hypocrisy.
http://redir.plusthree.com/rdr/002Cr00plm0004U
And, even when he was indicted - even when he was automatically removed temporarily from his post - he continued to run the show from behind the scenes. Now DeLay is gone from Leadership, and all you need to know about the two Republicans running to replace him is in this headline from Bloomberg News: "Blunt, Boehner Share Broad Network of Lobbyist Ties With DeLay."
And, yet they are just now calling from the rooftops for reform?!? Republicans would like the American people to forget all their previous actions (or lack there of).Let's make sure the people know exactly what their Republican Member of Congress has been up to, and make sure they don't get away with it any longer:
Write a Letter to Your Hometown Newspaper on Republican Ethics Hypocrisy.
http://redir.plusthree.com/rdr/002Cr00plm0004V
Republicans want this to be a "he-said-she-said" between Democrats and Republicans, but we need to show them that the facts and the American people are on our side.
With Democrats in the majority, the Ethics Committee would actually deal with ethics, not with excuses for doing nothing. The rules would be enforced, not gutted. Corruption would be rooted out, not covered up. The Republicans could have acted sooner, but they chose not to and their voting records are the proof. We just need to get that proof before the people.
Join us in sending out thousands of letters to the editor in every corner of the country to set the record straight.
Thanks for everything you've done already, and thanks for writing today. It's more important than I can express.
Sincerely,
John Lapp
Executive Director, DCCC
