Posted on 04/16/2005 12:29:52 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
WASHINGTON - A former Republican congressman who was a moderate ally of former President Bush is leading an effort to find a 2006 Republican primary election opponent for House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
Former Rep. Pete McCloskey, whose eight terms in Congress ended before DeLay arrived in 1984, said Friday that he will meet in Houston this month with perennial DeLay opponent Michael Fjetland and "any Republican who is willing to challenge Mr. DeLay."
"It takes guts to challenge him," said McCloskey, who was known as a party maverick and endorsed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004.
But, he said, he and moderate allies are embarrassed by the controversies surrounding DeLay, R-Sugar Land, including three admonishments of him last year by the House Ethics Committee.
"The stench coming out of the DeLay operation" does not represent the GOP that he served with in Congress, McCloskey said.
He called his effort the "revolt of the elders."
McCloskey and nine other Republicans who are former House members complained in a letter delivered Friday to House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., that recent changes in House ethics rules were an obvious move to protect DeLay.
The new rules, drawn up by Republican leaders, make it harder to pursue ethics investigations against lawmakers. DeLay and his backers argue they make the process fairer to the member under review.
A spokesman for DeLay dismissed McCloskey's effort to unseat the leader.
"Republicans from across the district as well as across the country and within the (GOP) conference have been rallying around Majority Leader DeLay because of his effective leadership," Dan Allen said.
President Bush called DeLay a very effective leader this week and applauded his offer to answer questions about his conduct to the ethics committee.
McCloskey said he plans to meet Fjetland to learn more about DeLay's solidly Republican 22nd Congressional District, which covers most of the southern suburbs of Houston.
Fjetland first ran against DeLay in the 2000 GOP primary and received 16.7 percent of the vote. He challenged DeLay again in 2002 and won 20 percent of the vote.
After the 2002 redistricting, Fjetland ran as an independent and received 2 percent of the vote in the 2004 general election. Democrat Richard Morrison got 41 percent. DeLay won with 55 percent, his lowest showing in recent elections.
McCloskey said GOP moderates are concerned with the harsh partisan tone in Washington and the party's move to the right, which has been critical to the GOP's success in recent elections.
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These Republicans who are former congressmen signed a letter criticizing House ethics committee rules changes put into place by Republican leaders after the panel admonished Houston Majority Leader Tom DeLay:
• Mark Andrews, North Dakota
•John H. Buchanan, Alabama
• M. Caldwell Butler, Virginia
• Paul Findley, Illinois
• Bud Hillis, Indiana
•J ames Johnson, Colorado
• Richard W. Mallary, Vermont
• Wiley Mayne, Iowa
• G. William Whitehurst, Virginia
• Pete McCloskey, California
Bump!!
How many of these pimps of the election industry retired and how many were flushed from office?
This is a perfect example about why this guy lost his job.
Thank God for John Engler in this state. I didn't always agree with some of his stuff at the end of his career, but he took the GOP to the right and away from its high tax and baby killing wing.
now all they need is "hit and run" Janklow to jump on the Delay-bashing bandwagon and we'll have a veritable smorgasboard of rino losers
The liberal media couldn't get Bob LIvingston, so this is the best the could come up with.
So a former RINO California Congressman is coming to Texas to talk to an opportunistic fringe element attorney who runs against DeLay in every election to get free PR for his business so "they" can try to identify another RINO to run against DeLay . . . .
Bring 'em on.
I believe, DJ, that former Rep. Fred Grandy, R-IA, once was an aide to Wiley Mayne in his pre-acting days. But I had thought that Mayne was "conservative."
DJ, didn't McCloskey begin his congressional career by defeating Shirley Temple Black in 1967 in a special election. If so, who held that seat previously? Only you would know!!!
Mayne seemed to be more of a RINO (described as a country-club type), and Grandy seemed to be one, too (he made the stupid move in '94 of challenging Gov. Terry Branstad in the primary and lost).
Yes, he did indeed defeat Ambassador Black. The GOP incumbent, J. Arthur Younger, an 8-term member, had died in office in June 1967. I'm unaware of Younger's leanings, though I doubt he was nowhere near as leftist as McCloskey.
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