The Hammer Takes A Hit
Fair play or not, the indictment of Majority Leader DeLay is causing big problems for him and his party
Last Tuesday, Tom DeLay had dinner at the home of some comrades-in-arms from the 1994 Republican revolution, former New York Reps. Bill Paxon and Susan Molinari. It was a hauntingly beautiful night in the Washington suburbs, and in less than 24 hours, DeLay would be forced to step aside as majority leader of the United States House of Representatives, the result of a criminal indictment to be unveiled in his home state of Texas.
But according to Paxon, even though he knew what was coming, DeLay showed no signs of distress. "Tom DeLay is a remarkably centered individual," Paxon says. "He is serene in the face of this firestorm. He was playing with my kids, helping me look for my dog. . . . You would think that this was just another day in his life."
High stakes. But it was a moment of more than average trouble, and not just for DeLay. His party, his president, and the GOP agenda that he has so defiantly championed all of his political life have been shaken hard and may be deeply damaged.
In the face of declining poll numbers for the president in the wake of the Katrina disaster and a growing dissatisfaction with the general direction of the country, the DeLay indictment put already defensive Republicans, who control the entire government, further back on their heels. "[The] criminal indictment of Majority Leader DeLay is the latest example of Republicans in Congress being plagued by this culture of corruption," says House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, a longtime DeLay nemesis, who adds: "This all extends to the White House as well."
Democrats are hoping to cash in on that GOP misery at the polls, and Republican strategists worry that if the bleeding continues, they could lose control of the House next year. By some counts, up to 70 or 80 seats, mostly Republican, could be up for grabs, in contrast to the usual 30 or 40.
DeLay, who is scheduled for his first court appearance in two weeks, says the one-count indictment is politically motivated and hopes the case can be resolved by December. But whatever the merits of the charge, having DeLay on the sidelines is unlikely to help the Republicans' larger cause.
The 11-term representative and former exterminator from Sugar Land, Texas, has become a political force of nature over the past decade. DeLay's value--and liability--exist on two levels: as a potent symbol of the Republican ascendancy and a skilled tactician at implementing its provisions, earning as many enemies as friends in the process.
"He is the big target because he is tremendously effective," Paxon says.
Nicknamed "The Hammer," DeLay combines ideological clarity, partisan zeal, and fundraising prowess, which have been accompanied by long-standing questions about his ethical standards and his willingness to skirt the line of legality.
"For all intents and purposes, Mr. DeLay has set the agenda for the country at least for the last four years, and probably for longer than that," says former Texas Rep. Chris Bell, a Democrat who filed ethics charges against DeLay last year.
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