Real Kato Blog: Followup

A few more thoughts on Tom Delay, and on politics in general.

So just in case you haven't been following the news, House Majority Leader (er, former House Majority Leader) Tom Delay was indicted on charges that corporate money was illegally used to finance Republican campaigns. He has denounced those charges as politically motivated; Texas prosecutor Ronnie Earle, however, notes that he has investigated four times as many Democrats as Republicans, and says he is simply doing his job.

Regardless of whether you believe the charges, one thing seems clear: because of Delay, Republican control of corporate lobbyists (and their money) has grown dramatically in recent years. An LA Times article describes how Delay pressured lobbyists into contributing to the Republican party, and into hiring Republicans into their ranks, or risk having their favorite legislation blocked. It's stuff like this that has earned Delay reprimands from the House Ethics Committee.

This issue, and Delay's indictment, goes to the very heart of what I dislike about the Republican Party: that it represents the interests of the powerful and the wealthy, that its primary goal is to ensure that those who are already in power stay in power. The Democratic Party represents the weak and underprivileged, and its primary goal is to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to be successful. People sometimes talk about how both parties are the same, how corruption is everywhere and no one listens to the people, but that's just ridiculous. There is a difference between the parties, a profound one. Maybe it'll take this Delay scandal to bring that difference to light.

I honestly don't care if Delay is convicted of this or not. I'm just happy to see people taking notice of all the shady dealings that have come about since Republicans took control of Congress. Maybe we'll see some real change. Maybe we've got some reason to be hopeful in the 2006 elections. We'll see.

Permalink 1 Comment

Posted by Ken in: politics

Comments

Comment #1 from John C (Guest)
2005 Sep 30 - 7:24 pm : #

Yeah. Delay saying this is politically motivated is disingenuous at best. Maybe it is because I am reading a book by a former (or should I say reformed) conservative, but the venom and "by whatever means necessary" attitude that is pervading Washington is disgusting. It is like the country is being run by "scorched earth" attorneys.
I think we should rename Delay Mr. Kettle.

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