DeLay gives up leadership

[Emsworth]

Officials: DeLay to give up majority leader post

WASHINGTON - Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay decided Saturday to give up his post as House majority leader, clearing the way for new leadership elections among House Republicans eager to shed the taint of scandal, two officials said.

[A18]

Great news for the GOP

[Virginian87]

Good news for both sides, actually.

[Keystone Phil]

Awesome news!     I can honestly say that I never really liked the guy, too.

Now the battle for the spot begins...

[MODU]

The GOP will be hurt with his departure, but on the flip side, they will be better off without him as the leader either.

[Keystone Phil]

DeLay's leader to the GOP - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060107/ap_on_go_co/delay_letter_house_gop_2;_ylt=Ai.UnmB880.Fffl68eOJMpOMwfIE;_ylu=X3oDMTA2ZGZwam4yBHNlYwNmYw--

[minionofmidas]

Too late to be "the honorable thing to do", looks more like an admission of guilt (and perhaps of not being able to avoid legal punishment, too).
Nonetheless the GOP may benefit ... depending on who they pick, how they pick him, and how well she comes across in the coming weeks.

[Keystone Phil]

how well she comes across in the coming weeks.

Predicting it will be Deborah Pryce (of Ohio)?   

[nini2287]

how well she comes across in the coming weeks.

Predicting it will be Deborah Pryce (of Ohio)?   

No, prude, of course, Allyson Schwartz is going to switch parties and suddently ascend to the top of the GOP leadership.

[Keystone Phil]

how well she comes across in the coming weeks.

Predicting it will be Deborah Pryce (of Ohio)?   

No, prude, of course, Allyson Schwartz is going to switch parties and suddently ascend to the top of the GOP leadership.

Well, that was my second guess.

[J. J.]

It's the Abramoff thing.  That was always the threat; I wouldn't be too suprized to see the Texas stuff be dismissed.

[Jake]

It's the Abramoff thing.  That was always the threat; I wouldn't be too suprized to see the Texas stuff be dismissed.

J. J. has it. His PAC activities in Texas were never anything more than politics run wild. Abramoff has the potential to be big, and DeLay knows he will be implicated in whatever results. Heres hoping the GOP picks either Curt Weldon or someone who is not easily tied to DeLay/Abramoff.

[I spent the winter writing songs about getting better]

I'm betting he won't even run for reelection to his House seat now.

[Speed of Sound]

im not surprisd that this happened, but im kind of shocked by how quickly it happened. i would have given it afew more days.But the quickeer the better, i suppose.

[nini2287]

I'm betting he won't even run for reelection to his House seat now.

I think it will depend how the trial goes.  But like Mark Dayton, I think that his party has a better chance of retaining the seat without him running.

[GOP = Terrorists]

It is best for the country and for the GOP that Delay Resign.

Partisan Democrats will hate this because it will cost them one house seat they otherwise would have had:  Tom Delay's.

[minionofmidas]

how well she comes across in the coming weeks.

Predicting it will be Deborah Pryce (of Ohio)?   

No, prude, of course, Allyson Schwartz is going to switch parties and suddently ascend to the top of the GOP leadership.

I had a silly pc moment and didn't want to write "he" twice when it could theoretically be a female.

[MODU]

Hey Lewis?  Can you rearrange the graphics in your signature (move the middle one down a level for example) so I don't have to keep scrolling back and forth to read the messages?

Thanks. 


As far as DeLay goes, I think it will temporarily weaken the Democrats as far as one of their favorite punching bags go (everyone knows who Tom DeLay is), so they'll have to look for their next victim and focus their energies.  I don't think, however, that this means the Democrats will gain DeLay's seat in the next election.  He's too popular in his area to be replaced, unless he is found guilty.

[minionofmidas]

Hey Lewis?  Can you rearrange the graphics in your signature (move the middle one down a level for example) so I don't have to keep scrolling back and forth to read the messages?

Thanks. 

Hey MODU. Can you buy a bigger screen, because I don't have that problem?
No?
Okay then, I will. What's the middle one out of 4, though?

[opebo]

As far as DeLay goes, I think it will temporarily weaken the Democrats as far as one of their favorite punching bags go (everyone knows who Tom DeLay is), so they'll have to look for their next victim and focus their energies. 

Good lord, what a ridiculous spin, MODU.  DeLay has been an enormously effective legislative leader for the GOP - that is his primary function, not as a 'punching bag' for the Democrats.  They have hated him and complained about him, but that doesn't equal any kind of political gain - any rousing of the base can be done just as well or better by referring to the main problem - Bush.  Most polls even suggest that DeLay's scandals haven't had much of an effect on the national electorate either.

No, DeLay is not a victim, and this resignation 'harms' the Democrats only in the sense of a loss of future scandals - they will have to make do with the ones DeLay leaves behind, or perhaps the next Republican to fill his post will be similarly corrupt.  But your contention that this development harms the Democrats is just silly.