I’ve been halfheartedly following the travails of Tom deLay and the grand jury investigation of his Texas PAC activities. The case being in Texas, most of the reporting on it appears to be written in Texan, which does not translate well into non-Texan. What looks to be a fairly reasonable article on deLay’s troubles came out today:
PAC money trips up Texas GOP
However, it may be just a pile of biased crappola. Can any Texans, current or recovering, cut through the bull, and give me an idea of just how much trouble friend Tom is actually in?
Please JesusAllahBuddhaThor, pretty pretty motherfucking please, I swear I’ll stop drinking in the morning on workdays, just PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE let this schmuck wind up behind bars!
Universe, I know I haven’t been a very good pantheist, but if I can just add my fervent prayers to those of friend laigle that this weeping pustule shall cease to infect our nation’s Congress, and find his proper place amongst acknowledged criminals, I promise that I shall never so much as annoy a whale. If need be, I will limit myself to strictly Amish technology (though 1kb per hour upload is a bitch). I will simply reek with humility. I will instantly forgive all of my enemies, and both of my friends.
And if it isn’t too much to ask, could the next blazing asshole not be from Texas?
Your sincere etc.,
e.
If there is a God…
Molly Ivins wrote that article, and she can spew out the biased crapola, so be careful.
I’m a native Texan, although from far away from Delay’s district, and here’s my take on it. Corporations can’t contribute to candidates in Texas, but they can to PACs. There are allegations that the PACs helped specific candidates. It wasn’t clear to me that this is illegal, although I can see it would be in the gray area of the law. But it’s really complicated, attested to by the fact that Molly didn’t actually spell it out, only giving a reference to it. Maybe this kind of stuff would get an indictment from a grand jury, but it’s sure not the kind of scandalous thing that captures voters’ attentions and gets them mad.
Indictments themselves get public attention no matter what they’re for, though.
But yeah, betcha this’ll only keep him quieter for a while.
“If you can’t take their money, drink their liquor, screw their women, and still vote against 'em in the morning, you don’t belong here.”
- Jesse Unruh, former California Assembly Speaker
Prove it.
As long as Bush remains in power, Tom DeLay will not be jailed. DeLay would blow the whistle on his knowledge of our President’s closet skeletons if he spent a day behind bars. So IMHO, he is safe for now.
That’s looking like a distinct possibility:
DeLay’s Corporate Fundraising Investigated
While the article states that deLay has not been targeted by investigators, I’d imagine that the appearance of a smoking gun could quickly change that. Still, this is Texas, and the law does have some exceptions for corporate donations to PACS.
Simple answer? Nope, not a chance.
But by all means, enjoy your silly fantasies.
Probably not, but if it makes you feel any better he’s most certainly going to hell.
My guess is that there’s no controlling legal authority.
Don’t you just hope so? You cannot imaging the delight engendered by hearing that phrase emerge from Representative Delay’s mouth. It would persuade me that there is a God and that He/She is just.
Isn’t the main problem that many of the people who are supposed to take action against Delay are friends, fellow party members, and people for whom he’s raised quite a bit of money for? Not exactly a good sign if you are expecting anything to come of it.
In another recent thread, Elucidator expressed great enthusiasm over the prospect of Tom Delay going to jail. I wish I could share his optimism, but sadly, this just won’t happen.
DeLay has almost certainly violated a 100 year old Texas law that bars corporate financing of State Legislature campaigns. And yes, there is an inquiry underway, and DeLay has hired not one, but two criminal defense lawyers.
But Paul Krugman isn’t at all optimistic that anything will come of this. In fact, he winds up his column in today’s NY Times with a pretty dismal outlook:
“…you shouldn’t conclude that the system is working. Mr. DeLay’s current predicament is an accident. The party machine that he has done so much to create has eliminated most of the checks and balances in our government. Again and again, Republicans in Congress have closed ranks to block or emasculate politically inconvenient investigations. If Enron hadn’t collapsed, and if Texas didn’t still have a campaign finance law that is a relic of its populist past, Mr. DeLay would be in no danger at all.
“The larger picture is this: Mr… DeLay and his fellow hard-liners whose values are far from the American mainstream, have forged an immensely effective alliance with corporate interests. And they may be just one election away from achieving a long-term lock on power.”
I just send Richard Morrison $50.
It’s kind of like buying a lottery ticket – for a little bit, it gives you great hope for the future.
If there us a God… :rolleyes:
From Squinks quote:
What does the fact that the courts have already decided to allow the re-drawn congressional districts to stand imply for the rest of the DeLay scenario?
Hang down your head, Tom De-Lay
Hang down your head and cry
Hang down you head, Tom De-Lay
Poor boy, you’re a worthless sack of shit that ensuckens dead donkey balls…
OK, needs work. Scansion.