Free Republic

Tom DeLay is tired of hearing about the great Republican meltdown of 2006. Instead, he is more interested in planning his party's next victory. "Everybody wants to talk about what happened and who's to blame," DeLay says. "It's time to stop focusing on the past and start rebuilding for the future." DeLay has been out of Congress for two years now but the former House majority leader isn't out of the game. He started First Principles, LLC, a political consulting firm, and a grassroots organization called the Coalition for a Conservative Majority. He still plots strategy with Republican congressmen on...

THIS IS NOT A DRILLJuly 16, 2008 Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, or as she is called on the Big Dogs blog, "the worst speaker in the history of Congress," explained the cause of high oil prices back in 2006: "We have two oilmen in the White House. The logical follow-up from that is $3-a-gallon gasoline. It is no accident. It is a cause and effect. A cause and effect." Yes, that would explain why the price of oral sex, cigars and Hustler magazine skyrocketed during the Clinton years. Also, I note that Speaker Pelosi is a hotelier ......

The Republican Party is in tatters, but conservatism shares no portion of the blame. Or so former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay wrote in a cheering column a few weeks ago. The movement's ideals of "reform" and "justice" did not fail, intoned this towering figure of virtue; conservatism just never got a proper shot in the first place. "To paraphrase G.K. Chesterton," Mr. DeLay wrote, "conservatism has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried." Did Mr. DeLay's head rotate on his shoulders, Linda Blair-like, when he wrote that line? I don't know. But...

Two years after he resigned from the House, former Republican leader Tom DeLay says conservatives haven't bottomed out from their 2006 election losses, Democrats are "cleaning their clock," and it will take years before the Republican Party can compete with the operation Democrats have built. "The conservatives refuse to accept that the left is cleaning their clock, and until you hit some bottom, wherever that is, to where it says, 'Well, maybe we ought to do something different,' little or nothing's going to change," Mr. DeLay told editors and reporters at The Washington Times last week. "I think it's going...

Is there a more inspiring movie than Rocky? Everyone knows and loves the story of the underdog boxer seizing his once-in-a-lifetime chance to fight for the world heavyweight championship. This year’s Democrat presidential primary is turning out just like the first bout between Rocky Balboa and Apollo Creed. It’s a grueling match in which neither fighter gives an inch, nor can he can knock the other out. Remember, Rocky lost that match, yet went on to become a great champion in sequels, while Apollo kept his belt but never won another fight. The question conservatives should be asking is this:...

WASHINGTON — The Texas Department of Transportation, long viewed as hyperpartisan and arrogant by some members of the state's congressional delegation, has been trying to soften its image by reaching out to lawmakers of both parties in the nation's capital. But while state transportation officials are having some success in easing the personal animus, they still face a stiff challenge in selling their policy agenda to the state's elected officials in Washington. Many Texans on the Potomac cringe at the agency's embrace of toll roads, the controversies surrounding the Trans-Texas Corridor and TxDOT's resistance to many of the highway earmarks...

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Republicans are still hot over the loss of two congressional districts to Democrats in 2006 — especially the one that had been held by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay — and they're looking to win them back this fall. But first, they must choose their challengers in the March 4 primary. Both seats drew multiple GOP candidates eager to take on incumbent Democratic Reps. Nick Lampson in the 22nd District and Ciro Rodriguez in the 23rd District. National Republicans have set their sights on finding someone who might evict Lampson and Rodriguez in November. "These are...

DeLay Rips McCain for Opposing Medicare Drug Plan By Fred Lucas CNSNews.com Staff Writer February 11, 2008 Washington (CNSNews.com) - Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay criticized likely Republican presidential nominee John McCain - and by extension some of the more conservative members of Congress - by calling McCain's 2003 vote against the Medicare prescription drug plan a non-conservative vote. DeLay made his remarks in an interview with Cybercast News Service at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Washington, D.C., on Saturday. While in Congress, DeLay had helped quashed a rebellion by House conservatives, who tried to defeat the...

Conservatives Frustration with McCain - - Former House Majority Leader Tom "still The Hammer" Delay (R-TX) and Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA), who endorses and is Virginia co-chair for John "Soros Shadow Party" McCain for 2008 President, debate whether Conservatives will unite behind the frontrunner for the Republican nomination. Whether you like Tom DeLay or not this is a very good issues discussion video. VIDEO - 8:24 minutes See related Free Republic Thread:Video Interview from CPAC: Tom DeLay Hammers John McCain After John McCain's speech at CPAC, Tom DeLay said in an interview with Chris Matthews on MSNBC "Hardball", that Mr....

When Attorney General Janet Reno deployed federal law enforcement agencies to Waco, Texas to arrest the Branch Davidian leader David Koresh, one of the the tactics used was to constantly blast loud music 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Eventually, men, women and children died from a brutal attack by their own countrymen. And, except for a few Republican lawmakers, the GOP and Democrat senators and congressmen displayed no outrage. And Senator John McCain was among those who remained silent. However, in the new millennium McCain has become the protector of imprisoned terrorists and enemy combatants and fights...

Tom DeLay went after John McCain on Hardball with Chris Matthews. In it, he discusses McCain’s stand on immigration and global warming. VIDEO - 7:14 mins ------ After John McCain’s speech at CPAC, Tom DeLay said in an interview with Chris Matthews on MSNBC “Hardball”, that Mr. McCain had failed to acknowledge or repent his many votes and campaigns where he had waged war against the Right. Tom said, "He (McCain) didn't make many friends here today." DeLay concluded his interview to Matthews final question by stating “If he continues to be the same old John McCain that has disdain...

“If McCain gets the nomination, I don’t know what I’ll do,� DeLay said at the Capitol Hill Club, according to a source in the room. “I might have to sit this one out.�

John McCain’s win in New Hampshire did not impress former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay. Revealing a divide in the Republican Party between moderates and conservatives, DeLay slammed McCain in an interview Wednesday with FOX News. “There’s nothing redeeming about John McCain,” DeLay said. The Texas Republican added that McCain “does betray conservative principles.” When asked on which issues McCain was not a conservative, he said: “Mercy, there’s tons of them” and proceeded to list the Senator’s positions on the environment, immigration, the International Criminal Court, his support for affirmative action and taxes. He also called McCain a “hypocrite” when...

For a decade, Tom DeLay ruthlessly enforced Republican rule in Washington with such vigour that he was nicknamed "The Hammer". But the party's former leader in the House of Representatives will this month launch a national grassroots movement to combat the liberal activists who he believes outfoxed and outmanoeuvred Republicans to win the 2006 mid-term elections. Mr DeLay, who revelled in his reputation as a no-holds-barred Washington operator as the party's chief whip and then majority leader from 1995 to 2005, aims to instil an army of conservatives across the country with his political street-fighting skills. Tom DeLay: 'I have...

Tom DeLay Says Clinton Will Win Unless GOP Gets Its Act Together Friday , November 09, 2007 AP OXFORD, England — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton will capture the presidency in 2008 unless the Republican Party can rise to meet the challenge, former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Thursday. DeLay, once a pillar of the Republican establishment and still a fierce Clinton opponent, said the New York senator had the intelligence and organization to beat her Democratic rivals — and her Republican opponents. "Don't kid yourself. She will be the next nominee, and if Republicans don't get their act together...

So... Whatever did happen with Tom DeLay and the charges against him? Inquiring minds want to know....

- - Ronnie Earle says Rosemary Lehmberg is best of four assistants running for post. Saying he has a duty after more than 30 years in office to tell the public what he thinks, departing Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle announced Monday that he is endorsing his top deputy, Rosemary Lehmberg, in the race to replace him. The decision came as no surprise to courthouse watchers and the three other Democratic candidates for Earle's job, they said. Assistant District Attorney Gary Cobb, 46, one of those candidates, said it would have been "a slap in the face" if Earle...

After more than three decades as the Travis County District Attorney, Democrat Ronnie Earle's seat is up for grabs. It won't be taken by a Republican since no one from the GOP filed to run in the March primary. The main watchdog position in Texas will stay in the hands of Democrats. "Obviously the issue that sets this particular district attorney position apart from any other in the state of Texas is the presence of the Public Integrity Unit," Travis County Democratic Chairman Chris Elliott said. The district attorney doubles as the primary ethics enforcer for the state government. Republicans...

A conservative member of the state board of education is the newest entrant in the race for the Congressional seat held by Nick Lampson, D-Stafford. Richmond's Cynthia Dunbar joined the race for Congressional District 22, squaring off with nine other Republican candidates in the March primary. Dunbar won election to the SBOE in 2006, the same year Lampson wrested Tom DeLay's former Congressional seat from decades of Republican control. Also new to the race is Kevyn Bazzy, a U.S. Army reservist with a background in military intelligence. By the filing deadline Tuesday, here are the candidates, along with details of...

Soros Fingerprints on DeLay Frame-upBy Richard PoeFrontPageMagazine.com | October 10, 2005 THREE SEPARATE FORCES are attacking Congressman Tom DeLay at the moment. Outwardly, these forces seem independent. On closer inspection, however, we find that all three have something in common. All have significant links to leftwing billionaire, Democrat kingmaker and convicted insider trader George Soros. (1) The first of these attackers is Texas prosecutor Ronald Earle, who has indicted DeLay for alleged violations of state campaign finance laws. The second attacker is Republican Senator John McCain, whose Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is probing the involvement of certain of DeLay's...

Candidates lining up to replace longtime Travis County district attorney. Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle, who has led that office since 1977, told his staff today that he will not seek re-election. He was expected to issue a statement later. Earle, 65, will serve the one year remaining on his term, but his retirement will end an era. "Is the district attorney's job an elective office?" Ken Oden, a former county attorney, once quipped about his friend's long tenure. Earle, a Democrat, might not be done with politics. By retiring, he would be available for a gubernatorial bid in...

After two terms as America's first president, George Washington used his farewell address to preach the benefits of unity and warn his young nation about the dangers of "permanent alliances" with foreign powers. Dwight Eisenhower, in his farewell address after his two terms in the White House, urged Americans to restrain the unaccountable power of the "military- industrial complex." When Republican Representative Tom DeLay of Texas retired under fire in June 2006 after nearly twenty-two years in Congress, he chose to warn against a different threat: too much cooperation between the Democratic and Republican parties. This might not have seemed...

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may not be in a leadership position on Capitol Hill anymore, but that doesn't mean he can't weigh in on the current GOP leadership. DeLay told Yeas & Nays that Republicans in Congress are "looking for something to believe in" and "they're not getting it out of this Republican leadership. … The leadership just isn't getting it." "They're looking for some backbone," said DeLay, who also chimed in on the 2008 election. He said the Republican party is "going to get our clocks cleaned in 2008" and unequivocally said that "Hillary [Clinton] will be...

Moments after accusing everyone who had the temerity to actually believe her husband was lying about “that woman, Miss Lewinsky” of being part of a “vast right-wing conspiracy,” First Lady Hillary Clinton growled to her beaming staff, “That’ll teach them to [insert four letter word that is not “mess”] with us.”That’s what we used to call the “Hillary charm.” What Mrs. Clinton likes best is jugular-gouging political combat. Unfortunately, Americans usually like their bare-knuckle politics done with a wink and a smile, like her husband always did. Bill Clinton could kiss a baby, squeeze out a crocodile tear for some...

Do As I Say, Not as I do Please note, the first paragraphs of this post are excerpted from my book as the topic discussed dovetails perfectly with the story I will shortly reference. I saw no need to reinvent the wheel. "When we [Republicans] came to power in 1994, most lobbying firms were headed by Democrats, staffed by Democrats and funded Democrat initiatives with millions of dollars. In fact, K-Street had actually been built by the Democrat majority over the previous fifty years or so. Then they had to deal with us. Picture it: a senior lobbyist would...

RUSH: All right, I’ll give you a few names, and you give you your impression of them if you want, your impression of them as conservative leaders and potential presidential material RUSH: Fred Thompson. DELAY: Fred Thompson is a good, solid conservative. I disagree with him on immigration, but he was distinguished in the Senate. He certainly has a persona about him that people like and he could communicate a message. RUSH: Duncan Hunter. You know him well. DELAY: I love Duncan Hunter. The only thing I disagree with Duncan on is trade policy. He's a protectionist. But as far...

EIB Interview: Tom DeLay March 16, 2007 BEGIN TRANSCRIPT RUSH: We will have Tom DeLay here to talk about his new book that hits soon. It's out in certain circles. I, of course -- a powerful, influential member of the media -- have the book. It shows no mercy to Dick Armey and Newt Gingrich and so forth. Some of you people are going to like this. Some are going to cite the 11th Commandment of Ronald Reagan: Thou shalt not attack another Republican. You've gotta remember, though, that Ronald Reagan threw the 11th Commandment out in 1976 when he...

Mark Finklestein had some lovely things to say about the main man's appearance on the Today Show this morning. See his comments and the interview recap below, It's rare to see a leading MSM light directly confronted over the liberal media's bias. But it happened in spades this morning as Tom DeLay (R-Texas) called out Matt Lauer on the MSM's double-standard in handling Republican, versus Democrat, scandals. Video (3:29) : Real and Windows, plus MP3 audio. [links below] The "Today" co-anchor opened his interview of the former Republican congressman and Majority Leader with a laundry-list of GOP scandals. MATT LAUER:...

It's rare to see a leading MSM light directly confronted over the liberal media's bias. But it happened in spades this morning as Tom DeLay (R-Tx.) called out Matt Lauer for the MSM's double-standard in handling Republican, versus Democrat, scandals. The "Today" co-anchor opened his interview of the former Republican congressman and Majority Leader with a laundry-list of GOP scandals. MATT LAUER: By all accounts these are some tough times for the Republican party. Last fall Democrats took control of both houses of congress, largely because of opposition to the war in Iraq. In 2006 the Republican party was also...

Welcome to Arlen Specter, the B side. One week after standing up for the nomination of Judge Leslie Southwick, a Bush appeals court nominee being stonewalled by Democrats, the mercurial Republican from Philadelphia has come up with a strange new quest. On Tuesday, the Judiciary Committee's ranking Republican announced his plans to "review" the confirmation hearing testimony of Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito to see how it matches their decisions on the bench. "There are things he has said, and I want to see how well he has complied with it," Senator Specter said of the Chief...

A 7-year-old girl said she had been raped and repeatedly molested over the course of a year. Police in Montgomery County, acting on information from a relative, soon arrested a Liberian immigrant living in Gaithersburg. They marshaled witnesses and DNA evidence to prepare for trial. What was missing -- for much of the nearly three years that followed -- was an interpreter fluent in the suspect's native language. A judge recently dropped the charges, not because she found that Mahamu Kanneh had been wrongly accused but because repeated delays in the case had, in her view, violated his right to...

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich says he'll give his final answer on tossing his hat in the Presidential ring by Oct. 1, but Texas Republican Tom DeLay is not so sure the potential candidate packs the gear, according to a report in the Washingrton Post "He's a dynamic person that can rally a lot of intellectual firepower around him. He has a new idea every five seconds," said the former House Majority Leader, who is fighting charges of campaign law violations. "But I think when people take a look at what he's really saying, he's going to have...

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay finally won one Wednesday in his effort to beat back a campaign-related indictment in Texas. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals decided not to reinstate one charge of conspiracy to violate a state election law that had already been thrown out by a lower court judge.

Texas High Court Dismisses Charge Against DeLay, Big Three Ignore It Posted by Matthew Sheffield on June 28, 2007 - 00:37. After immediately jumping on the news that then-House majority leader Tom DeLay was indicted by a Democratic Texas prosecutor, the big three networks refused to mention the Wednesday news that the Texas supreme court has approved the dismissal of one of the charges against him.The charges were originally dismissed by a lower court judge (an event which the big three just barely covered) who ruled that the laws under which the former congressman was indicted did not exist during...

AUSTIN, Texas - The state's highest criminal court on Wednesday refused to reinstate a dropped conspiracy charge against former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.

“The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals today ruled that I was wrongfully indicted by Ronnie Earle, the Mike Nifong of Texas, on laws that didn’t even exist. The court affirmed the decision to throw out the conspiracy indictments because they were based on laws that weren’t even on the books. What Ronnie Earle accomplished is no rookie error – it’s a political attack using our legal system as the primary weapon. “Ronnie Earle’s politically motivated indictments cost Republicans the leader of their choice, and my family hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees. The damage he has done to...

Judge hears new TAB indictment Travis district attorney hopes for different result this time around. By Laylan Copelin AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF Thursday, June 07, 2007 Travis County prosecutors urged a judge Wednesday to look at the conduct of the Texas Association of Business in reconsidering whether the group should be tried on charges that it violated election laws during the 2002 campaign. Last year, State District Judge Mike Lynch dismissed a felony indictment accusing the state's largest business group of breaking the law by using $1.7 million in corporate money to send 4 million mailers to voters in two dozen legislative...

As we watch in horror as another conservative, Scooter Libby, is railroaded on a criminal matter for what is really a political disagreement, and we see the difference in the way the Democrats react to the indictment of William Jefferson (the man with his freezer full of cash) – versus the forced resignation of Tom Delay on a political indictment, we grow angrier and angrier that Sandy Berger walks free.

Democratic leaders are acting like traitors by opposing the Iraq war, and President Bush must answer with a toughened stance, former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said Monday. U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi "are getting very, very close to treason," DeLay said in a meeting with the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "We have people dying," he said. "Not just our soldiers, but innocent citizens dying in Iraq and Afghanistan at the hands of these evil people, and you have your elected leaders making these kinds of statements that embolden the enemy. It's unbelievable." [Snip] Bush...

April 16, 2007 07:23 PM EST The Democrats' overstepping of their electoral mandate began on election night, when they misinterpreted the election as a broad affirmation of liberalism instead of a protest against the lack of progress in Iraq. The American people did not suddenly, last November, decide their taxes had become too low, government spending needed a huge boost, that they wanted to pay for the destruction of human life for scientific research or that homosexuals have a right to marriage. Nor did they sign up for Nancy Pelosi's lose-at-all-costs, cut-and-run agenda on Iraq. The American people, both Republicans...

After Imus, DeLay Calls for Rosie to Be Fired Wants Conservatives to Lead Anti-O'Donnell Push (April 13) -- Fanning the flames of discontent sparked by the Imus controversy, former congressman Tom DeLay is making a plea for his fellow conservatives to get Rosie O'Donnell fired for recent remarks she made. "I'm calling for conservatives to take on Rosie O'Donnell," DeLay said during an interview with CNN. "She criticized and ridiculed Chinese-Americans, she accused the president of being responsible for 9/11. Let's now start calling for her resignation." He also recently penned an article on TownHall.com titled "If the Left Takes...

Conservatives need to stop "pointing fingers at each other" and unite or Hillary Clinton will be the next president of the U.S., former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said in an exclusive NewsMax interview. The Texas Republican also admitted he was a "self-centered jerk" before he was born again, called Nancy Pelosi "dangerous" – and said he spent five weeks "on my knees" praying before deciding to resign from congress last June. DeLay, whose new book is "No Retreat, No Surrender: One American's Fight" – spoke with Paul Crespo. [snip] NewsMax: I'm switching gears. How was the left able to...

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a Texas Republican, says the GOP must energize its base or Hillary Clinton could be the next U.S. president. He said Sen. Clinton, D-N.Y., has "built the biggest, most powerful coalition that I've ever witnessed in my lifetime." DeLay told CNN he does not support the front-runners in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. He called Rudy Giuliani an obvious "leader" who may be able to win over some social conservatives. But, DeLay said he would not vote for the New York City mayor because he favors abortion. DeLay also had dire predictions...

Blogging live from Baltimore with Republican Study Conference, Dave Burris interviews Tom Delay. Did you know he's a blogger too?

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2006 list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.” The list, in alphabetical order, includes: 1. Jack Abramoff, Former Lobbyist – 2. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) 3. Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA) 4. Former Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX) 5. Former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) 6. Rep. Denny Hastert (R-IL) 7. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) 8. Rep. William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson (D-LA) 9. Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) 10. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) 6 Dishonorable Mentions: 1. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) 2....

WASHINGTON (Dec. 26) - Former U.S. Republican leader Tom DeLay, known as "The Hammer" for his tough tactics on Capitol Hill, hasn't nailed the art of typing but that's not keeping him from a new career as a blogger. The former U.S. House of Representatives leader's entry into the blogosphere brought an onslaught of nasty responses during a trial run on Sunday, December 10. "I guess liberals are the only ones around on Sunday afternoons and they inundated us with vile, nasty comments. We pulled it down and cleaned it up," DeLay told Reuters. In an interview, he said he...

Dear Mr. DeLay, I'd like to begin by welcoming you to the blogosphere. I'm so glad you have discovered the power of this medium to communicate directly with the grassroots of America. I'm also glad to hear your rhetoric about a need for Republicans to return to first principles. However, there's an aspect of this whole business I find troubling. There's no mention of your own record in Congress in all of this. While you used your skill as a Whip and leader to obtain the votes necessary to attempt to save the life of Terri Schiavo, and forever earned...

Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay knows who will be elected president in 2008: Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. At a meeting Tuesday in Washington, D.C., hosted by Human Events and the Heritage Foundation, the former Republican congressman also predicted that Clinton's running mate would be Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. DeLay, who just unveiled his new blog and Grassroots Action and Information Network, said liberal organizations and media will work together to elect Clinton, D-N.Y. "Hillary will be the next president of the United States because they have built a coalition,” DeLay said, according to Human Events. DeLay also: # Called...

The National Democratic Party has spent $50,000 promoting a nominal Republican write-in candidate to succeed former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, a move the more prominent GOP campaign called a "desperate" effort to split the write-in vote. The mailout on behalf of write-in candidate Don Richardson describes positions potentially appealing to conservatives who, according to a recent Chronicle-11 News poll, make up at least 55 percent of the district's population. "Don Richardson supports President Bush's Patriot Act," the mailer says. "Do you?" It also says he would put troops on the border to stop illegal immigration, allow law enforcement officials...

On Monday President Bush flies into Houston to campaign for a congressional candidate who — at one point — looked like a long shot. But an exclusive poll indicates that Shelley Sekula-Gibbs may pull off a political upset and win her write-in campaign for Congress.