Tom DeLay should not be re-elected due to lack of ethics

By: Tim Aylsworth

Posted: 3/29/05

Polls following the 2004 election showed that a great deal of President Bush's victory can be attributed to the public siding with him on the basis of ethics. Christian Science Monitor called the recent presidential election, "The most religiously-charged election in decades." Evidently, Americans are passionately concerned with morality. A politician, whose character is deemed questionable, should lose an election to a more upstanding citizen. Ironically, the House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, violated several House rules and was found guilty by the House Ethics Committee prior to being re-elected. Sadly, the story doesn't end there. These three violations can hardly hold a candle to the cloud of unscrupulous muck that has been floating around DeLay and Washington D.C. Voters should not re-elect the majority leader, to prove that Americans require ethical representation.

Texas Rep. Chris Bell filed a 187-page complaint against DeLay that stated, "Mr. DeLay is the most corrupt politician in America today." The charges raised against DeLay include bribery, extortion, fraud, money laundering and the abuse of power. If these allegations are true, every citizen must see that this will not stand. Partisan differences must be cast aside, and the public should condemn this unacceptable behavior.

The three violations released from the House Ethics Committee range from violating fund raising procedures to taking money illegally from lobbyists. One such breach was a golf trip to London. The House prohibits lobbyists from paying for vacations of representatives. This cost-free holiday was funded by a lobbyist. DeLay repudiated these claims by arguing that he had no idea that lobby money funded the trip. That's odd because his friend, the lobbyist, accompanied him on the trip.

According to Time Magazine, DeLay has unapologetic ties to lobbying groups, known in Washington as K Street. A press release from the House furthers the claims that DeLay is corrupt. House Democratic Leader, Nancy Pelosi, D-California, accused DeLay of offering a "quid pro quo" on the Medicare prescription drug bill, misusing the FAA for political purposes and allowing political donations to affect his legislation.

DeLay insists that the indictments are baseless claims whose roots lie in partisan hatred. He says the Democrats have fabricated facts to bring him down. In response to his allegations, a bipartisan ethics committee was assembled. However, DeLay was still found guilty. Instead of changing his behavior, he accused the ethics committee of being unfair, and he made several attempts to remove their power. He tried to insist that claims against him should come from the GOP.

So why is he still the leader of the Republicans in the House of Representatives? He has raised extraordinary amounts of money for the GOP. He has helped out Republicans all over the board. He tried to aid in redistricting voter precincts to gain more Republican seats. His get-out-the-vote campaign helped swing essential seats in the house. His tenacity has earned him the nickname "The Hammer." DeLay has done a lot for the Republicans. But is he becoming too hot to handle?

Regardless of what he has done for the party, if the allegations against him are true, the Republicans should not support his candidacy. The accusations have come from diverse sources. They have regarded varying parts of DeLay's actions. Even if certain individual claims were only weak strands, they can be wound together to form a strong rope. This rope would be strong enough to form a noose for the political career of DeLay.

The American public said in exit polls that ethics played a large role in the electoral process. Unethical leaders should certainly lose elections. Oddly enough, the information about DeLay came out long before the election. The public had plenty of time to consider what it thought. Either it did not believe that the allegations are true, it never heard of the allegations or it simply did not care.

DeLay is only the tip of the immoral iceberg: from House Majority leaders who illegally raise money to presidents who commit perjury. While punishing DeLay does not solve the problem, his case should help open the eyes of the voters. It is the duty of the voters to ensure that immoral leaders are not re-elected. DeLay's victory held a 14 percent lead over his Democratic competitor. When the public fails to know or care about what is going on in the government, immoral politicians are inevitable.