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November 22, 2004

Strike One Meme

The meme: "Lookit those hypocritical Republicans! They're changing the rules because their guy DeLay is going to get indicted!"

The truth?:

[Delay] is unlikely to be indicted by a state grand jury probing alleged campaign finance violations in Texas, according to an official involved in the investigation.

"No, no, I really don’t think DeLay will be indicted," the official told CBSNews.com. "And to be quite honest, [DeLay’s] lawyers know that."

Anticipating a possible indictment by a state grand jury in Travis County (Austin) Texas, House Republicans last week took steps to protect DeLay's position by changing a party rule that would have forced him to step aside as majority leader if indicted on a felony charge. The change will leave it up to a committee of GOP House members to decide whether an indicted leader should step down.

The truthier truth?
DeLay and other Republicans have asserted that the Travis County probe was politically motivated. The Travis County district attorney, Ronnie Earle, is a Democrat.
What? A Democrat partisan staging a partisan indictment on less-than-wobbly grounds? Wow. That's so Texas.

Good thing that never happens in Minnesota, right?

Posted by Mitch at November 22, 2004 12:39 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Not to get in the way of your own little Ronnie Earle is on a politically motivated witch-hunt meme, Mitch, but the facts don't support it.

From the Houston Chronicle:

“During his long tenure, Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle has prosecuted many more Democratic officials than Republicans. The record does not support allegations that Earle is prone to partisan witch hunts.”

http://www.tpj.org/page_view.jsp?pageid=571&pf=1

But I'm more curious about your assertion that: "The meme: "Lookit those hypocritical Republicans! They're changing the rules because their guy DeLay is going to get indicted!"" is somehow refuted if DeLay does not ultimately get indicted. The GOP *did* change their rules to allow an indicted member keep his leadership position even if he's indicted, all while claiming to be the law and order, no one is above the law, party of moral purity.

How is that any less hypocritical if DeLay doesn't get indicted?
/jc

Posted by: Slashjc at November 23, 2004 09:41 AM

Mitch, a query:

Do you believe that the impeachment of Bill Clinton on a technical violation of the law was politically motivated? I'm not asking if it was justifiable, because it can be justified. I'm asking if it was politically motivated.

If so, how do you square that with your support for the GOP's latest reversal on ethics?

Posted by: Jeff Fecke at November 23, 2004 01:12 PM

Mitch this was a really bad decision any way you cut it. The fact that DeLay may or may have to make use of it doesn't make it smell any better.

If Delay's troubles are politically motivated, it's better left to his political peers (us) to vindicate him.

To make things worse, most of the people who voted for this thing don't have the balls to admit it, including Kennedy and Kline.

Let's all say it together:

Right is right and wrong is wrong.

Posted by: swiftee at November 23, 2004 08:34 PM
hi