tom delay drops out of race...?

[johnnobts]

he dropped out b/c he didn't look like he was going to win in Nov. This way a republican incumbent will be poised to win in tarrant county, whoever takes delay's place. This isn't really the best news for you liberals. you would have been better off with delay running for re-election...

also, please don't presume that his leaving congress is automatically an admittance of guilt. that's stupid. william jefferson (d-LA) is refusing to resign though facing serious federal charges as well. does that mean b/c he refuses to step down he's automatically innocent? wait for the verdicts to role in.

delay will just take jack abramhoff's job as a lobyist anyway, just to tick people of your ilk off.

 

[totalcommand]

i think i might be as sad as zendari is, actually. i hope the dems can keep the corruption issue on the table, cause there's so much more abuse of power going on the Bush admin and Congress that needs to be stopped.

 

[Lemon law]

This evening CBS news posed another possible explanation---now that he is not running Delay can use the unused political contruitions for his own legal defense fund. As I recall, they said DeLay now has lawyer bills in excess of a million and the sky may be the limit as other charges surface.

And lawyers can be very expensive energizer bunnies as they just keep filing and filing and filing---until all the bankroll is depleted. At least the Dukerster Cunningham was smart, he pleaded guilty before the lawyers could get their hooks into him.

But I now propose the Zendari test of true loyality------WILL ZENDARI GO ON RECORD AS CONTRUITING TO THE TOM DELAY DEFENSE FUND---and if so how MUCH?----and if, during the course of the trial, certain revelations come out of almost undisputable corruption on DeLay's part----------at what point will ZENNDARI DEMAND HIS MONEY BACK???

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: tweaker2
i'm still in a mild state of shock to decide whether to be happy for the dems or really sad for the repubs. is this really a good thing for the dems?

whatever happens, it sure is going to be a lot of fun watching the fallout from this.

i find it hard to believe that delay would do this on his own volition. i get the feeling he got heavily pressured into this because this guy is not a quitter.

Well, considering DeLay handily won the GOP primary, his stepping down now *could* be a sign of impending indictments (considering a few of his aides have already been nailed). I think that would taint the GOP more than a new candidate coming in would help.

BTW,
Report: Delay to Resign From Congress
Texas Republican and former House majority leader announces his retirement rather than face a re-election fight that appears increasingly unwinnable. ?Staff and Wire Reports 10:25 p.m. ET

http://www.washingtonpost.com/

Despite his obvious criminal corruption the Republican Puppets of Texas were going to keep him in power. Most likely he is copping Plea deals before his trial so that this is swept under the rug as fast as possible to minimalize damage to the rest of the criminal GOP.

They are smart even with their own that get caught. I give credit where credit is due.

Well, this move may just be related to his legal woes:

Federal Probe Has Edged Closer to Texan
Two Ex-Aides Convicted, Another Also Named in Lobbying Investigation
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/co...cle/2006/04/03/AR2006040302145_pf.html

DeLay has assembled a substantial legal team to fight back, and he has a defense fund -- financed largely by corporations with business before Congress -- that contained more than $600,000 at the end of last year, based on the cumulative record of its receipts and contributions. But contributions to the fund dropped from $318,000 to $181,500 between the third and fourth quarters of 2005.

DeLay also is entitled under federal election rules to convert any or all of the remaining funds from his reelection campaign to his legal expenses, whether or not he resigns, is indicted or loses the election. Election lawyers say one advantage of bowing out of the election now is that the campaign cash can be converted to pay legal bills immediately, instead of being drained in the course of a bid to stay in office.

As of Feb. 15, when his campaign filed its most recent report with the Federal Election Commission, DeLay had $1,295,350 on hand. But that was two weeks before the Texas primary in which DeLay bested three Republican rivals to win renomination, and the pot of money available to him now may be considerably less.

By stepping aside so early in an election year, a lawmaker "wouldn't be spending to be reelected" and could transfer the funds immediately to fend off any federal charges, said lawyer Kenneth A. Gross, a former head of the FEC's enforcement division. The last lawmaker to gain the FEC's formal approval for such a transfer was Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.), who resigned last November after pleading guilty to evading taxes and accepting bribes.

Well, Well, Well

Looks like I was right.

 

[shira]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: conjur
DeLay also is entitled under federal election rules to convert any or all of the remaining funds from his reelection campaign to his legal expenses, whether or not he resigns, is indicted or loses the election. Election lawyers say one advantage of bowing out of the election now is that the campaign cash can be converted to pay legal bills immediately, instead of being drained in the course of a bid to stay in office.

As of Feb. 15, when his campaign filed its most recent report with the Federal Election Commission, DeLay had $1,295,350 on hand. But that was two weeks before the Texas primary in which DeLay bested three Republican rivals to win renomination, and the pot of money available to him now may be considerably less.

By stepping aside so early in an election year, a lawmaker "wouldn't be spending to be reelected" and could transfer the funds immediately to fend off any federal charges, said lawyer Kenneth A. Gross, a former head of the FEC's enforcement division. The last lawmaker to gain the FEC's formal approval for such a transfer was Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-Calif.), who resigned last November after pleading guilty to evading taxes and accepting bribes.

Well, Well, Well

Looks like I was right.

And note the last paragraph of that article:

And the main reason for DeLay to stay in the race this long was to raise legal fees under the guise of raising money to run a political campaign.

I believe that DeLay is required to gain approval from the FEC before he can use his campaign money for legal expenses. And I would think that if it can be shown that his re-election campaign was a ruse to raise legal fees, the FEC just might balk at giving him the go-ahead.

A the very least, I hope some lawsuits are filed to block DeLay's conversion of funds.

DeLay's sliminess just keeps on sliming.

 

[conjur]

Oh, wouldn't that ROCK if the FEC rejected his request to use campaign funds for his legal defense? That would be almost as good as his impending conviction.

 

[RightIsWrong]

Originally posted by: magomago
Well he is out...but what is to say that two or three years later he won't surface as a government lobbyist. I fear just because he resigned doesn't mean that his influence is elminated. Maybe in the short term...but the longterm it may hurt us more.

We need to have the option to exile people to some random Island in the middle of the Pacific or Atlantic.

I haven't been able to find anything on it, but I think I heard/read that you can't be a lobbyist if you have been convicted of a felony?

Anyone know for sure?

 

[conjur]

Freudian slip??


In Slip, DeLay Says Third Former Aide Guilty
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000288.php


:laugh:

 

[dahunan]

Originally posted by: conjur
Oh, wouldn't that ROCK if the FEC rejected his request to use campaign funds for his legal defense? That would be almost as good as his impending conviction.

No way.. there is no way he should be allowed to do that.. That should be another criminal charge all by itself.. I just wish this scum and all his supporters would drop off the face of the earth.. Anyone who supports delay is a worse scum than he himself..

 

[RightIsWrong]

Originally posted by: conjur
Freudian slip??


In Slip, DeLay Says Third Former Aide Guilty
http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/000288.php


:laugh:

Seems like DeLay is going to employ the strategy of some recent CEOs that went or are going down:

CEOs/DeLay: "I am incredibly powerful and very hands on and you should keep me in my position of power because I know exactly what needs to be done and how to be done and no detail ever slips by me!"

Prosecutor: "Sir, half your underlings and executives have already implicated you and have pled guilty themselves."

CEOs/DeLay: "These were rogue employees that did all of this without any knowledge of mine! I am a complete dolt who can't be expected to actually know what is happening in the company/office that I run!"

Hopefully, DeLay will have the same fate as those CEOs and won't be able to lobby anyone for a minimum of 10-15 provided he is one his best behavior.

Edit: Put the "discussion" in quotes for ease of reading

 

[johnnobts]

No way.. there is no way he should be allowed to do that.. That should be another criminal charge all by itself.. I just wish this scum and all his supporters would drop off the face of the earth.. Anyone who supports delay is a worse scum than he himself..

____________

I'm proud to be pond scum then.

 

[3chordcharlie]

Originally posted by: johnnobts
No way.. there is no way he should be allowed to do that.. That should be another criminal charge all by itself.. I just wish this scum and all his supporters would drop off the face of the earth.. Anyone who supports delay is a worse scum than he himself..

____________

I'm proud to be pond scum then.

For a second I thought you were posting something almost sane. The I realized you just suck at t3h quoting.

How can you possibly support DeLay OR the use of campaign funds for legal expenses? That's beyond blind partisanship into straight ahead worship.

 

[yank51]

He probably thinks that his president & company are doing a good job, too..... It's all of the Liberal Media coverage that's responsible....

 

[Steeplerot]

DELAY: Nothing worse than a woman know-it-all

The bugman can't keep his mouth shut, Wouldn't it be ironic if his judge was a woman.

(An uncensored bit showing chris matthews is nothing less then a GOP shill, hmm I am amazed!)

Damn that liberal media

 

[Lemon law]

To steeplerot,

I dare say that Tom Delay will likely get the delight of hours of his old quotes coming back to haunt him. And in any trial the jurors will get an ear full----and many of those quotes are Lena Hemsley moments---like taxes are for the little people.

I predict the prosecution will have a field day--as hours of careful defence rebuttal are blow away with yet another Tom Delay quote is dredged from the ready supply in the prosecutors briefcases.

 

[conjur]

Originally posted by: conjur

Originally posted by: conjur
Well, Well, Well

Looks like I was right.

And note the last paragraph of that article:

And the main reason for DeLay to stay in the race this long was to raise legal fees under the guise of raising money to run a political campaign.

I believe that DeLay is required to gain approval from the FEC before he can use his campaign money for legal expenses. And I would think that if it can be shown that his re-election campaign was a ruse to raise legal fees, the FEC just might balk at giving him the go-ahead.

A the very least, I hope some lawsuits are filed to block DeLay's conversion of funds.

DeLay's sliminess just keeps on sliming.

AH HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!! Comedy GOLD!

?If I wanted to give to a legal fund, I would?ve done it directly,? snarled one GOP lobbyist who refused to have his name attached to such callous-sounding sentiments, even if DeLay is leaving Congress.

Another lobbyist who gives to Members on both sides of the aisle said, ?It?s nauseating to think about? his campaign contribution going to fund DeLay?s legal team. ?I?m realistic about it. He wouldn?t resign for no reason,? this lobbyist said, noting that the timing of DeLay?s departure came awfully close to the announcement of a plea agreement by his former aide Tony Rudy. ?That all this money will go to the legal defense fund, it sickens me,? he added. ?I have to pay for that??

Another Republican lobbyist and past participant in DeLay fundraisers also declined to speak ill of ?the Hammer? on the record, but said, ?It?s interesting that he?s been fundraising up a storm and now he?s not going [to run]. I didn?t know we were going to support a legal fund.? He added, sarcastically, ?Glad we can help him out with it.?

 

[CaptnKirk]

More about DeLay:

Origins of the Species

Mo Money, Mo Money