GOP senators want nothing to do with DeLay

April 6, 2005

A week after Tom DeLay issued an implicit threat against judges — releasing a public statement saying, “The time will come for the men responsible for this to answer for their behavior” — some of his Republican allies are distancing themselves from the Majority Leader’s reckless rhetoric.

Dick Cheney got the ball rolling over the weekend, publicly denouncing DeLay’s comments.

“I don’t think that’s appropriate … There’s a reason why judges get lifetime appointments.”

Yesterday, some of DeLay’s congressional Republican colleagues did some distancing of their own.

Senate GOP leaders disputed Tuesday assertions by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) and other conservatives that the Terri Schiavo case would lead to legislative action being taken against federal judges.

Rebuking DeLay’s claim that judges would have to “answer” for their Schiavo decisions, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) instead said Congressional intervention in the matter was a singular event and the case would not result in any further legislation related to judges. […]

Majority Whip Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also distanced himself from DeLay’s comments that the federal judges involved in the case — who some Republicans feel ignored their wishes in legislation requesting the federal judiciary take up the matter — should face some sort of action from Congress. Instead, McConnell said the Schiavo matter had been addressed by the Senate and was now resolved.

How far out there is DeLay? Even John Cornyn, who’s a bit of a fanatic himself, wants to make it clear he’s not in DeLay’s camp.

Even Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), whose remarks on the Senate floor Monday wondering whether anger at judicial decisions had indirectly led to a recent spate of violence against judges also drew criticism, said he would not support any legislative action against judges. “I don’t think Congressman DeLay and I see eye to eye on that,” said Cornyn, a former state judge.

While he said questionable decisions by judges should be criticized, Cornyn backed away from DeLay’s remarks about judges having to “answer” for their decisions. “I really don’t know what he means,” Cornyn added.

Has the “throw DeLay overboard” memo gone out to GOP lawmakers? Stay tuned.

Throwing people who have become liabilities overboard is something the GOP does pretty well, once the hive mind has decided it’s necessary. Delay’s not the type to go quietly, though, so this should be fun to watch.

What word rhymes with orange? Door hinge? No, it’s not one word.

  • …”he would not support any legislative action against judges.”

    Legislative action? Nah, Cornyn has something else in mind…

    It’ll be too bad if the GOP manages to jettison DeLay this far in advance of the ’06 elections. I want him to be the face of the out-of-contol GOP Congress. I guess the best we can hope for is that he is effectively neutralized within the GOP as a policymaker the more radioactive he becomes, yet he continues to kick and scream (as, it seems, is his wont) all the way to the election.

  • As if we didn’t know that any impeachment moves against those judges would go nowhere fast (the Repubs wouldn’t be able to hold onto all their senators, let alone peel off enough Dems to convict), this clinches it.

    I love the smell of napalm in the morning.

  • Well, it’s looking a big thumbs-down on DeLay from the administration. However, I don’t think it has a thing to do with the judiciary.

    This is all about Schiavo. The White House does an excellent job of damage control when a lackey goes renegade and since the intial party line (which DeLay marched, in perfect lockstep, to) on Schiavo didn’t poll well it’s time to cut their losses. I have little doubt that they would have passively sat by and allowed him to float the balloons on the judiciary had the polls gone differently.

    As it is now, DeLay is a liability and I expect a resignation by months end. My only fear is that I’m right and it will come too soon to still be relevant in November of ’06. Unlike jimBOB, I think he will go quietly in the hopes of a Gingrinch style reformation in a few years — there is plenty of room in the big Republican tent for a rabid attack dog, just not right now when they’re winning and he’s biting his handlers.

  • Al,
    Since the next in line for Delay’s position is another one of those good old boys from my hometown in Springfield Missouri (you may remember another one by the name of John Ashcroft) I wonder what would be in store. I read an article over on Rawstory last week and saw that Majority Whip Blunt was pretty cozy with Delay and Abramhoff – did I spell that right? – anyway the corruption is far deep and wide.

  • Mark, I admit to not being particularly well informed but find it hard to imagine that anyone could be worse than DeLay. Tom DeLay will go down in annals of history as one of the most corrupt, unethical men ever to be elected in this country and in a just world would be spending his retirement behind bars. While I’m not familiar with Blunt’s record I have every expectation that I will be soon.

    I’m afraid that I’ve reached the point where I expect corruption and hypocrisy — as long as they remain the majority (every damn place you look) it’s going to be the same old thing. My only consolation is the hope their outing might make a difference the next time the voting booths roll into our schools and post offices. Along these lines, since I don’t see DeLay surviving that ugly little detail of his PAC putting his wife and daughter on payroll, my most fervent hope is that Blunt is even worse.

  • Huh. That’s an interesting point. How deep is the Repug bench, and how far down the line does the sleaze go? If they’ve got a squeaky-cleaner one or two deep, they can let that person distance himself from the ugliness and recover before 11/06. But… do they? Or do Blunt, Hastert, etc. all have green on their hands too?

    There’s an awful lot of corporate sleazery around that House these days– if this cancer runs deep, they will indeed suffer for it at the polls.

    • Comments are closed.