Say Nay to DeLay!

"The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it." Ayn Rand

Are you feeling as powerless about Congress these days as I am? Well, there's something we can do about it. We can go after Tom DeLay, the ethically challenged -and now miserably whiny- House Majority Leader.

The New York Times reported today that DeLay complained to CNN, "My wife and daughter have any right, just like any other American, to be employed and be compensated for their employment," Mr. DeLay said. "It's pretty disgusting, particularly when my wife and daughter are singled out and others are not, in similar situations in the Senate and as well as the House."

In the same article we hear from another Rebublican whiner. "I think the members are very much in the mode that this piling on is being done because there are no competing policy ideas that Democrats have to make," said Representative Roy Blunt of Missouri, the No. 3 House Republican. "The things that Tom has been criticized about in one way or another every member of Congress could be criticized about."

What are these guys, 8 years old?? It's okay because "everybody else does it" and their chief complaint is that DeLay is taking the heat alone? Well, jeez, if everybody else jumped off a bridge, Tommy ... hmmm, actually not such a bad idea.

ThinkProgress.org lists twelve documented DeLay offenses on their DeLay's Dirty Dozen page, "House Majority Leader Tom DeLay has been a busy man these last few years. Whether bribing congressmen, threatening political opponents, vacationing with lobbyists, or gutting House ethics rules, it’s been hard to keep up with all the Hammer’s activities."

Then they direct you to Drop the Hammer, a project of the American Progress Action Fund which is asking people to send a letter to corporations who've enabled and benefited from Tom DeLay's unethical dealings, saying in part:

"The bipartisan House Ethics Committee has rebuked Tom DeLay three times. DeLay's Texans for a Republican Majority political action committee is the subject of a grand jury investigation for money laundering and illegal campaign contributions. Three of DeLay's closest associates have already been indicted.

Every day the accounts of Tom DeLay's unethical behavior get worse and worse. Prominent conservative voices, such as the Wall Street Journal editorial page, are saying that Tom DeLay has gone too far. As a consumer, it's unacceptable to me for your company to support Tom DeLay's unethical behavior. It is time to restore ethics in Washington. It is time to demand more of our politicians."

You can send your letter to DeLay's corporate pals here: http://www.dropthehammer.org/

And you can do something else.

MoveOn PAC has organized a petition asking Republicans in Congress to fire Tom DeLay as Majority Leader. In their mailing, MoveOn notes: "Republican Majority Leader Rep. Tom Delay has a pattern of legal and ethical scandals. Yet he remains in one of the most important positions in our government—deciding what legislation Congress considers."

I signed that petition and added this comment:

"Take a good look at the just released NBC News/Washington Post poll. The voters are NOT happy with Congress and especially not with DeLay. You want our support at your next election? Get rid of this huge liability and affront to American voters. Help convince us Congress is willing to police its own ... and that you remember how to put the country's and your constituents' best interests first."

Then I sent my mailing list a link to the petition: http://www.moveonpac.org/delay

Do it yourself. You'll feel just a little less powerless.