DeLay Seat Turns into Fiasco

GOPUSA ^ | August 16, 2006 | Bobby Eberle

[Columbine]

In a recent speech, I told the audience about the political landscape of the 2006 elections. It’s going to be much tougher for Republicans than in recent election cycles. As a political party, we must have our act together in order to be successful. Unfortunately, that task has become tougher. The congressional seat of former Majority Leader Tom DeLay is now in jeopardy thanks in part to a failure in leadership from party officials.

Following a primary election victory, Rep. DeLay decided, through the advice of party officials, that because of the media circus that was surrounding his pending court case and other factors, the road to reelection would be tough. His opponent, former Rep. Nick Lampson, is very well funded, and has enlisted the support of Hollywood liberals and far-left organizations to help him win the seat.

In order to give the best possible opportunity to a new Republican candidate, a plan was put into place, undoubtedly under the guidance of party officials, whereby DeLay would move to Virginia, and thus be ineligible to run for a Texas congressional seat. Following Texas state law, a process would then unfold in which a new Republican nominee would be chosen to face Lampson. Sounds good on paper, right? However, the process quickly bogged down, and with no leadership or statewide/national media message the case disappeared into the courts with disastrous results.

[My2Cents]

now in jeopardy thanks in part to a failure in leadership from party officials

Score one for The Stupid Party. Democrats don't make these kind of boners. They lie, cheat, and break the law in order to get their campaigns in place.

[kaktuskid]

His opponent, former Rep. Nick Lampson, is very well funded, and has enlisted the support of Hollywood liberals and far-left organizations to help him win the seat.

That will realy play well in that district

[Coop]

Democrats don't make these kind of boners.

Sure they do. But then, as you said, they cheat. (See Torricelli, Robert)

[38special]

Lampson propoganda commercials have already hit the airwaves.

[TexasCajun]

Lots of blame to go around in this mess:

Former Harris County Republican Party Chairman Gary Polland cites the Texas Republican Party leadership for its failure to properly have DeLay removed from the ballot. In the latest issue of his Texas Conservative Review, Polland enumerates what went wrong with the DeLay case. In particular, Polland notes:

– [Republican Party of Texas ] Chairman [Tina] Benkiser did not adequately prepare for or document DeLay’s change of residency when she removed his name. This was a chance where a little extra effort could have paid off. Instead it hurt them later when trying to prove DeLay’s ineligibility.

– RPT did not have their case together. In trial, the RPT’s arguments and witnesses came across as under-prepared. They made crucial mistakes that also limited their ability to make a stronger case on appeal.

– Moving to Federal Court was a monster mistake. RPT assumed that the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals would rule in our favor simply because they’re perceived as a Republican court. Instead, the RPT simply invited the federal government to intervene on a matter of state law. Not only was this a foolish move - it was decidedly not conservative. Conservatives respect our system of federalism and the rights and laws of the states

[Soul Seeker]

The Liberal Party establishment didn't want the conservative Hammer to stay in the House.

They kicked him out.

They lose this seat it's their damn fault, and I'm not shedding a tear for them or the "sensitive morally upright beltway elitist conservatives" that joined the bash Delay bandwagon. Yes, I'm pointing at NR here...

[trumandogz]

Place the blame on the activist judges who have paved the way for the Dems to take over Congress by nixing the GOP's candidate in the Texas 22nd.

[AmishDude]

The Torch situation was also much, much worse. The NJ law was in place with a late deadline in order to prevent the costly reprinting of ballots, not some sort of weird "good government" measure.

[Yo-Yo]

I never understood why DeLay dropped out of the race in the first place. The "money laundering" case against him was unraveling, and there was evidence of the prosecuter jury shopping just to get any sort of indictment in part because a documentary was being filmed about the prosecuter.

What came out of the closet to bite the Hammer so badly that he ran away from a fight?

[AmishDude]

Gary Polland apparently doesn't know what he's talking about. They went to the Federal courts because they were arguing a Federal issue.

Or maybe he just has an axe to grind.

[GeronL]

The Democrats are always able to find a new candidate and put them on the ballot. They even have allowed voters to vote for a man (Missouri) who was dead and then put his wife in office, who no-one had voted for.

laws and rules only apply to the GOP

[spudsmaki]

Same reason Bush and Rove pressured Sen Fitzgerald of Illinois to quit his seat. They were afraid he "might" lose, so they put in someone who did lose. To Osama Obama, of all people. Dick Marcinko would call that a real goatrope.

I think Rove is a greatly overrated intellect. Lee Atwater must be wringing his hands over this clown show.

It's hard to believe either party will win this fall. When someone like Lieberman can't go through the motions to turn out his supporters, you know things are run by incompetents.

[gumboyaya]

"really play well in that district" I assume your tong is placed firmly in the teeth. With out the lawsuit the Rats would not have prevailed. Yes it was botched, yes DeLay could have and should have run and won. However we have been dealt a hand we must win and If we have to draw to a straight flush then deal the cards.

[AmishDude]

I still think it was the "money laundering" case that did DeLay in because he's now "indicted Congressman Tom DeLay" no matter how corrupt Earle is. There are some who say that it's the Abramoff scandal, but (a) I don't know what DeLay did, other than knowing Abramoff by name and (b) it is really not going anywhere.

The bottom line is that Tom's poll numbers were too low and that's really all that matters.

[Kuksool]

The write-in campaigns are just rehearsals for next year. Should Lampson win, we should knock him out in the 2008 Presidential Year. Provided we stay focused on "Lampson Using the Courts to steal our seat" instead of slashing each other's throats in the primary.

[conejo99]

When the court ruled against DeLay's replacement and Delay still stayed out of the race, his argument that he withdrew to increase the odds of the Republicans retaining the seat were shown to be false.

[Prodn2000]

It is hard to compare Torricelli and Delay because one was a Senator, and one was a Representative. However, I believe that the constitution overrides laws designed solely to save time and money for the SOS office of that state. Everyone is equally entitled to representation. Torricelli should have been removed from the NJ ballot, as Delay should be removed from the TX-22 ballot.

[Torie]

The problem was that Delay got cute, and decided to win the primary and then drop out, rather than dropping out of the primary. So I blame Delay.

I don't agree with the article. The GOP case was a loser from the getgo because one isn't disqualified from the ballot under Texas law unless one is not a resident on election day, and there is no way to know that until election day. Thus the factual details don't matter.

[gumboyaya]

Not yet, we can win this thing. There will be no straight party vote and every block must be checked. 22 will have a blank space next to repub. check this spot and system will allow to dial in name of write in. With a 60% Repub.constituency a great effort could just do it. Also the dems voters just might not have what it takes to show up. Lamson is an interloper with no strong local support.

[Digger]

I think Rove is a greatly overrated intellect. Lee Atwater must be wringing his hands over this clown show.

That's also the way I see it.

[Sans-Culotte]

When the court ruled against DeLay's replacement and Delay still stayed out of the race, his argument that he withdrew to increase the odds of the Republicans retaining the seat were shown to be false.

That is what is apparent to me. If he truly wanted the seat to be retained, he'd at least let the voters vote for him whether he campaigns or not. DeLay now seems determined that Lampson win.

Lampson can save his money and Hollyweirdos for the next campaign. He need not spend much in a race he's won by default.

[weegee]

Without a Republican on the ballot (they have to file as "dial-a-letter" electronic write in candidates), Lampson gets an "unfair advantage".

The Rats cry "disenfranchised" but they are just screwing the voters here. They said it was unfair for the party to try to seat a candidate when the voters had chosen DeLay in the primary.

Note they don't hold this principle from state to state (where election laws about how and when you can add a name to the ballot vary but the goal always remains the same).

[DallasSun]

Delay said he dropped out of the race because his internal polling showed he could not win.

[weegee]

The Houston GOP didn't venture a candidate against our lousy Clinton Rat mayor (who's incrementally backing out any attempts at tax reform). They decidedly to let him win unopposed and let him leave via term limits.

[Mr. Jeeves]

DeLay Seat Turns into Fiasco

Who is Fiasco, and what's his position on illegal immigration? ;)

[balch3]

guess again. The tide is already turning in key states like Michigan, Montana, and Penn. The RATS have peaked.

[weegee]

So what happens if someone clicks "Republican" straight ticket and then writes in the race?

I thought that the electronic sysem allowed the voter to opt out of a race and also to override a race.

[weegee]

Dems say Hall ideal to seek old seat (Dayton Daily News August 16, 2006)

Local Democrats will not only need to find a candidate to run for Congress in place of Stephanie Studebaker on less than three months notice, but they'll also need to find someone who can quickly raise the money needed to beat an incumbent.

Montgomery County Democratic Party Chairman Dennis Lieberman said he thinks former U.S. Rep. Tony Hall might be just the guy.

A special primary election will be held to choose a Democrat to run against U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Centerville. The date has not been set.

Citing family issues, Studebaker on Tuesday dropped out of the race for the 3rd Congressional District. She and her husband, Sam, were arrested Sunday and each charged with domestic violence.

[weegee]

Writing in choice on eSlate will take a little more work (electronic ballot disenfranchises)

Write-in candidate names are not on the ballot by design. To cast a vote for one on the electronic eSlate machines, which don't have a keyboard, you'll have to use the "select" dial to choose "write-in."

If you think a majority of voters are going to "dial" in a candidate's name as if they were using an old rotary phone, you are mistaken.

The list of WRITE IN candidates is to be established prior to election day. "In each booth there will be a printed list of candidates who have been certified for the Congressional District 22 race." Since the names are known, it is purely procedural to require this inadequate mechanism for inputing the write in name.

The Texas ballot permits nicknames. I suggest the nickname "AAA" for one of the write-in candidates'.

[Yo-Yo]

So what changed from the Primary to statement of withdrawal? No, internal polling didn't make DeLay quit.

[DallasSun]

All I can say is that this is the reason Delay has given time and time again. And I believe it. I cannot believe he would quit if he thought he could win.

[mrsmith]

"there is no way to know that until election day"

Sure, there are plenty of reasons one could be reasonably certain a person would not be a resident: in prison or long term health care in another state for example.

The facts mattered greatly in this case.

At leasst Delay should have said he was determined that he wouldn't be a resident on election day. I still can't get over how the lawyers blew this. Unbelievable.

[DallasSun]

Also, I believe the polling. I do not think Delay would have won. He was not going to get the republican votes.

[Owen]

Bottom line: The GOP in that district needs to hold a primary the first week of September. Period. Full stop. That will stop the possibility of having multiple GOP candidates. It also means Delay maybe be required to have his name on the ballot by law, but he need not be the GOP nominee. The ballots can be prepared with a different name as the GOP nominee.

[Candor7]

At first I thought it was a sub rosa for DeLay to run for the presidential nomination, i.e., quite, keep low profile, move to Virginia, Dem legal harassment blows over and then, checkmate.

But now I think that the RINOs got to him somehow, wanting to end his iron control over the voting options in the house and move to centrist ( what were they elected for anyway?) policy positions. Tom is acting like he has the sword hanging over his head.

[RippyO]

Remember that Charlie Wilson in Ohio failed to get on the primary ballot because he couldn't come up with 50 measly signatures. He had to run as a write-in but walloped his competition anyway.

Things will be tougher because Lampson is better known than Wilson's opponents, but Repubs have a shot if they rally around a candidate.

[DallasSun]

I do not think it was the RINO's at all. I think it was the hard line republican party. I think the old guard saw a weakness here, esp the charges against him and his former staffers. I doubt they gave him much choice.

[Coop]

It is hard to compare Torricelli and Delay because one was a Senator, and one was a Representative.

That's irrelevant. Both were elected officials.

[gumboyaya]

As I understand it, per county chairman, there will be no straight line ticket all blanks must be filled. I think you've hit on something about the nickname thing. If Wallace is the chosen one then why not simply dial in "W" and complete the ballot, that would be intent as Florida proved.

[Ben Ficklin]

What changed?

He resigned his seat in the House. Should he seek re-election so he could resign a second time?

[fortheDeclaration]

Not yet, we can win this thing. There will be no straight party vote and every block must be checked. 22 will have a blank space next to repub. check this spot and system will allow to dial in name of write in. With a 60% Repub.constituency a great effort could just do it. Also the dems voters just might not have what it takes to show up. Lamson is an interloper with no strong local support.

Amen.

I think the Republican rank and file are going to turn out to make sure Lampson doesn't get elected by choosing our candidate for us.

We believe in a TWO party system.

The key is education on write-in's, and unity on the candidate.

Lampson will not get over 45% of the vote.

[Sashasasha]

Isn't this a pretty conservative District? I would think this Dem BS would irritate enough voters that they would vote for a good Republican write-in.

[fortheDeclaration]

really play well in that district" I assume your tong is placed firmly in the teeth. With out the lawsuit the Rats would not have prevailed. Yes it was botched, yes DeLay could have and should have run and won. However we have been dealt a hand we must win and If we have to draw to a straight flush then deal the cards.

Amen.

This is a case where the rank and file are going to have to clean up the mess the leadership made.

No use in looking back, the issue is now, how best to beat Lampson.

[fortheDeclaration]

Bottom line: The GOP in that district needs to hold a primary the first week of September. Period. Full stop. That will stop the possibility of having multiple GOP candidates. It also means Delay maybe be required to have his name on the ballot by law, but he need not be the GOP nominee. The ballots can be prepared with a different name as the GOP nominee.

The candidate picked this Thursday should be the Republican backed one.

All Republicans should agree with that decision.

I do not think Delay's name will be on the ballot.

You see, the Democrats did not mind his name being removed, just not being replaced with someone else, that, they said, was unfair to them!

[fortheDeclaration]

Tom is acting like he has the sword hanging over his head.

I think he got fed up with the weak national leadership.

He was a hardball type of guy, take no prisoners.

I expect the charges to be dropped after Nov.

There is no case against him.

[fortheDeclaration]

Frankly, if the write-in is so difficult, it might be best to support the Libertarian candidate.

There would be some poetic justice in the Lampson being the first Democrat defeated on the National level by a Libertarian.

Ofcourse, like all Democrats, he will then claim a moral victory, he got rid of Delay, which was his real goal.

[gumboyaya]

NO not ever.

[gumboyaya]

NO not ever.

[fortheDeclaration]

Why not, he has stated he will vote for our leadership.

Better then a Democrat in there.