The Donks' New Boogeyman
They couldn't bring down George W. Bush, and he can't run for president again, so now they're after smaller fry.
Or are they?
The aforelinked ASSociated Press story purports to show House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's support slipping in his Texas district. That would seem to be the only area in which polling, however bogus, would matter, since those are the only voters to whom he is actually answerable. Might he be in trouble in 2006?
Please; DeLay is as invincible a rep as there is in the entire House. He couldn't be dislodged with a pile of dynamite and a jaws of life.
So what are the Dems and their Big Media fellow-travelers trying to accomplish?
Well, you have to remember that the Left always has a designated Republican devil against whom they are incessantly banging the drums. For the past four years that was President Bush, but he beat them once and for all last November and they can't touch him short of impeachment, which they don't have the numbers in the House to pull off (and won't any time soon).
How might they change those House numbers? Now you're getting warmer. If the Left can do to Tom DeLay what they did to Newt Gingrich, in half the time, that could conceivably so anger and disgruntle the GOP base that a large swath of it might stay home or go the third-party route. And then - presto! - Dems pull off the upset, regain control of the House, and the decks would be cleared for them to do to Dubya what the GOP did to Clinton eight years earlier.
This is, of course, a remote possibility at best. Recall that the ethics jihad against Mr. Newt was years long when he was finally worn down to the point, after the 1996 election, where he copped a plea on a ticky-tack technicality. It didn't matter what the plea was - he was on the record as "admitting to wrongdoing." His speakership was never the same after that; he became, as a practical, day-to-day matter, a RINO in everything but name. The House GOP caucus eventually rebelled against the weak shell his leadership had become, and he exited a year and a half later. And, of course, the Republicans significantly underperformed in the '98 midterms, though that was due largely to other weaknesses that soured the party grassroots and depressed turnout.
It sure looks like the minority is attempting to use the same template here. Wear DeLay down, or, failing that, wear down his nervous-nellie colleagues to where they oust him from the leadership and substitute somebody less conservative, less effective, weaker, in the hopes of "rebuilding bipartisan comity" and "raising the tone of the debate" and "appeasing the Democrat jackals so they'll leave the rest of us alone." Until, of course, they moved onto their next target. And the Republican base, which didn't elect these people to bow down and kiss Jackass ass? Can you say, "extract a harrowing price for this craven cowardice"? Especially if Senate 'Pubbies chicken out on exercising the "constitutional option" to break the Dem filibuster and getting the President's appellate court nominees confirmed.
Thus far it doesn't look as if House Pachyderms are taking the bait. Of course, the Dems' smear campaign against DeLay has just started. There's plenty of time for Republicans' natural "run for the tall grass" tendencies to kick in as the year progresses.
But even if they hold firm, don't think for one moment that the Dems won't continue their "politics of personal destruction." If they can't get DeLay, they'll just go after somebody else.
It's what they do.
It's all they know.
It's who they are.
And 48% of the electorate is whole-heartedly, full-throatedly behind them.
It's permanent political war.
Tom DeLay understands that. I wonder how many of the rest of us do.
Or are they?
The aforelinked ASSociated Press story purports to show House Majority Leader Tom DeLay's support slipping in his Texas district. That would seem to be the only area in which polling, however bogus, would matter, since those are the only voters to whom he is actually answerable. Might he be in trouble in 2006?
Please; DeLay is as invincible a rep as there is in the entire House. He couldn't be dislodged with a pile of dynamite and a jaws of life.
So what are the Dems and their Big Media fellow-travelers trying to accomplish?
Well, you have to remember that the Left always has a designated Republican devil against whom they are incessantly banging the drums. For the past four years that was President Bush, but he beat them once and for all last November and they can't touch him short of impeachment, which they don't have the numbers in the House to pull off (and won't any time soon).
How might they change those House numbers? Now you're getting warmer. If the Left can do to Tom DeLay what they did to Newt Gingrich, in half the time, that could conceivably so anger and disgruntle the GOP base that a large swath of it might stay home or go the third-party route. And then - presto! - Dems pull off the upset, regain control of the House, and the decks would be cleared for them to do to Dubya what the GOP did to Clinton eight years earlier.
This is, of course, a remote possibility at best. Recall that the ethics jihad against Mr. Newt was years long when he was finally worn down to the point, after the 1996 election, where he copped a plea on a ticky-tack technicality. It didn't matter what the plea was - he was on the record as "admitting to wrongdoing." His speakership was never the same after that; he became, as a practical, day-to-day matter, a RINO in everything but name. The House GOP caucus eventually rebelled against the weak shell his leadership had become, and he exited a year and a half later. And, of course, the Republicans significantly underperformed in the '98 midterms, though that was due largely to other weaknesses that soured the party grassroots and depressed turnout.
It sure looks like the minority is attempting to use the same template here. Wear DeLay down, or, failing that, wear down his nervous-nellie colleagues to where they oust him from the leadership and substitute somebody less conservative, less effective, weaker, in the hopes of "rebuilding bipartisan comity" and "raising the tone of the debate" and "appeasing the Democrat jackals so they'll leave the rest of us alone." Until, of course, they moved onto their next target. And the Republican base, which didn't elect these people to bow down and kiss Jackass ass? Can you say, "extract a harrowing price for this craven cowardice"? Especially if Senate 'Pubbies chicken out on exercising the "constitutional option" to break the Dem filibuster and getting the President's appellate court nominees confirmed.
Thus far it doesn't look as if House Pachyderms are taking the bait. Of course, the Dems' smear campaign against DeLay has just started. There's plenty of time for Republicans' natural "run for the tall grass" tendencies to kick in as the year progresses.
But even if they hold firm, don't think for one moment that the Dems won't continue their "politics of personal destruction." If they can't get DeLay, they'll just go after somebody else.
It's what they do.
It's all they know.
It's who they are.
And 48% of the electorate is whole-heartedly, full-throatedly behind them.
It's permanent political war.
Tom DeLay understands that. I wonder how many of the rest of us do.
posted by JASmius at 10:30 AM
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