Posted on 01/15/2006 7:42:52 PM PST by maui_hawaii
Freepers---
Since you guys are literally the cream of the crop of political analysis I thought I would ask your opinions about the whole DeLay situation.
For the record I don't live in DeLay's district and I haven't followed it that much at all. This post is for informational purposes only. If nothing else it will be a situational report for those interested in such a high profile race.
Several candidates have all thrown their hats into the ring...Three of DeLay's opponents — Campbell, Pat Baig and Mike Fjetland — are fellow Republicans. A fourth, Nick Lampson, is a conservative Democrat.
According to news reports:
While DeLay‘s campaign spokeswoman, Shannon Flaherty, has dismissed Fjetland and Baig with disparaging quips, she said DeLay welcomes Campbell to the race and to hearing his ideas.
From what I can gather DeLay takes Campbell seriously, and not to mention they are actually friends somewhat. Based on what I read on the net Campbell has been a long term GOP man etc etc. He's pretty conservative but he's not abrasive like DeLay is.
Having said that, another report says:
"Tom Campbell at least has Republican credentials," Fort Bend County GOP chairman Eric Thode said. "Having said that, it doesn‘t translate into one iota of support or money. He is 100 percent absolutely unknown in this county."
Here is a link to Campbell's web page. Under "platform" it gives a basis of what he's about, although its brief.
Since this is in the media all the time, here is what I got out of it thus far...
The media/left hate DeLay. At the same time his popularity isn't rampant in the really conservative district as many people believe.
With that said, the constituents will either A) vote for DeLay just to piss off the media/left or B) vote for another conservative candidate.
So, thus far Campbell seems to be viable.
Based on what little I have gathered, if DeLay goes down in the courts, who else is left?
Secondly, Campbell comes across as a 'humble conservative', not the brash and abrasive 'in your face' kind of politician that DeLay comes across as...
Any input is welcome on any and all of the candidates....
Ping
DeLay Faces Viable Republican Challenger
HOUSTON -- U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, who lost his leadership post because of his ties to a disgraced lobbyist and faces felony charges in his home state, now has another worry: an unprecedented four-way primary for the seat he's held comfortably for 22 years.
While two of DeLay's challengers in the March 7 primary aren't considered to have much credibility -- one is making his fourth attempt to unseat DeLay and the other has lived overseas much of her adult life -- lawyer Tom Campbell of Sugar Land holds an impressive Republican resume.
Campbell worked on the presidential campaigns of Bob Dole and the elder George Bush, whose administration appointed him general counsel to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A former Harris County Republican Party official runs Campbell's campaign.
"I don't believe in the any-means-necessary brand of politics," Campbell said Wednesday at a reception held for him at a Houston law firm. "That leads to cutting corners to win, which leads to ethical lapses."
DeLay, who along with a multi-candidate primary faces a credible Democratic opponent for the first time in his congressional career, said Saturday he would not seek re-election to his House leadership post amid House Republicans' concern about a corruption scandal tied to lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
The lobbyist pleaded guilty last week to felony charges and is cooperating with investigators in a bribery probe focusing on several members of Congress and their aides.
In Texas, DeLay is charged with money laundering in connection with the transfer of $190,000 in corporate contributions through a Texas political action committee founded by DeLay to an arm of the National Republican Committee, which then contributed the similar amounts to GOP legislative candidates in Texas.
Republicans took control of the Texas Legislature after the 2002 elections, and pushed through a congressional redistricting plan favorable to the GOP that DeLay engineered.
DeLay was popular in his 22nd Congressional District, which covers the southwest suburbs of Houston, until his latest legal troubles. A recent CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll showed 53 percent of registered voters want someone other than DeLay to represent them.
Nevertheless, DeLay still enjoys institutional support in Fort Bend County, the Houston suburb that holds most of his district and includes his hometown of Sugar Land. The county Republican Party has adopted a resolution supporting DeLay and the chairman is in DeLay's camp.
"Tom Campbell at least has Republican credentials," Fort Bend County GOP chairman Eric Thode said. "Having said that, it doesn't translate into one iota of support or money. He is 100 percent absolutely unknown in this county."
Campbell's stump remarks gloss over specific issues, focusing instead on his promise to bring "honesty, civility and decency" back to Congress.
Campbell, 50, said after "having a hard time voting for Tom DeLay" in the 2004 election, he looked for someone to challenge DeLay in 2006, but found no GOP career politician willing to take him on. So Campbell, who's never held a political office, decided to run himself, figuring it was an act of Republican loyalty to challenge the party's troubled standard-bearer.
"If we don't clean house in March, we'll lose the House in November," Campbell said. "Sugar Land, Texas, is the epicenter of the national debate on how we conduct politics."
Campbell, a 12-year Sugar Land resident who has put his own money into the race, has less than $100,000 so far after announcing his candidacy in December, said campaign manager Mike Stanley, former general counsel to the Harris County GOP. DeLay had raised more than $1 million by the last reporting deadline in September.
DeLay also faces lawyer Mike Fjetland and retired teacher Pat Baig. The primary winner will face former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson, a Beaumont Democrat who represented a district next to DeLay's for eight years until DeLay's redistricting plan put him in a new, less Democratic district. Lampson lost in 2004 to longtime Houston judge Ted Poe, a Republican.
While DeLay's campaign spokeswoman, Shannon Flaherty, has dismissed Fjetland and Baig with disparaging quips, she said DeLay welcomes Campbell to the race and to hearing his ideas.
"But he's going to have a tough time with local GOP support," Flaherty said. "He's got more than 30 years of catching up to do."
I can comment on one item: Eric Thode seems unpopular with the Republican establishment in his home county.
Ping to a few guys who know the inner workings!
Thats why I posted this thread to find out who is who.
not guilty and will win.
Its true though.
Some people on FR are on the level and know what they are talking about.
Some are full of crap, but we won't worry about those :o)
I think DeLay is vunerable more because of his movie star politics.
I haven't followed how DeLay voted or whatever...and on many things DeLay is great from what I understand....
IF he gets into too much [more] trouble I see the people there already getting sick of him for that alone.
It seems to me to be more a choice of 'conservative options'...no real threat from a democrat exists....
You can quarrel about whether DeLay has been as conservative as he should have been, or even as he would have liked to be. But it's very unlikely he will be replaced, either in his seat or his leadership post, by someone more conservative and effective.
In any case, I really, really hate to see someone with DeLay's long, positive record shot down by a gang of crooked Democrats. For that reason alone, if I were in his district I would vote for him.
I strongly doubt that DeLay is guilty of the Texas charges, or that he is any guiltier of the DC lobbyist charges than about 90 other people, Republican and Democrat. So, why should he be the only one to get kicked out? Because Soros targeted him?
Well, it seems obvious who Campbell is - - a sleazy opportunist who would dance on DeLay's political grave if it would advance his personal ambition.
Which kind of lends to the theory that people in that area are getting sick of the entrenchment.
Not that they are going to swing left all the sudden, but rather shake some stuff up with another candidate...of equal or more conservative credentials.
Lampson is anything but a "conservative" RAT.
Lampson is a RAT.
Lampson is a LIBERAL.
Lampson will NOT represent the 22nd Congressional District.
No one wants to give in to the left. For that reason alone DeLay has a lot of support.
The left and the media hate DeLay...At the same time most people in his district I would say have equal disdain for the media and left.
So basically by attacking him they are strengthening him so to speak.
If though... and I say IF...something goes awry regarding the charges then what?
Not to mention I don't think its just about 'the charges'...He's been there for 20 something years and sometimes comes across as a movie star for the GOP.
Maybe, as the story goes people in the district are tiring of the entrenched old boy network rather than something specific (such as the charges)...
Here's a quote from one source I found on the net from Campbell...
"If we don't clean house in March, we'll lose the House in November," Campbell said. "Sugar Land, Texas, is the epicenter of the national debate on how we conduct politics."
Sleazy opportunist?
Anyone running for office is a sleazy opportunist too including DeLay by that standard.
The point of the thread is this...
The constituents there seem to tire of the movie star politics...although it does piss off the left rather bad...
However to some people pissing off the left isn't justification enough for a 20 plus year entrenchment that leads to an old boy network 'who runs things'...
"If we don't clean house in March, we'll lose the House in November," Campbell said. "Sugar Land, Texas, is the epicenter of the national debate on how we conduct politics."
Is pissing off the left justification enough to counter the bigger picture?
Also what IF DeLay DOES run into more trouble? Then what?
Keep in mind that the RAT party as well as their mouthpiece Houston Comical have been gunning for DeLay for the better part of 20 years now.
The liberal RATs think that they can influence how we do things here in the 22nd District through their slime ball tactics with Ronnie Earle, the MSM, and Move-On maggots.
Time will tell, but the things that we true conservatives in the 22nd hate more than fire ants and cockroaches, are liberal RATS and the MSM.
I will be supporting Tom Delay in the primaries.
Out of respect for the great state of Texas, I'll refrain from commenting on what I don't know. You could do a lot worse than Delay. His only crime is spending in my book and that's made up for other areas.
One of DeLay's strengths is that he is the poster boy to piss off the media. My feeling is there are a lot of people just like yourself...
If the charges against DeLay don't come to fruition DeLay is in.
If they DO come to be though, then what? What will that say about the district then?
Not saying I believe the charges by any means...no...
But in that situation is DeLay more important than the rest of the Conservative movement?
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