DeLay’s Primary Win a Gift to Democrats

Tom DeLay (R-TX) is under indictment, and he has been forced to the backbenches. Sensing opportunity, some GOP congressional wannabes challenged him in a primary for only the third time in 22 years. He romped home with about 62% of the vote with turnout as low as usual for this kind of thing. The GOP claims this helps vindicate him, but the Democrats have been given a huge gift. They now have a target for their 2006 campaign.

Tom DeLay is not a particularly ethical fellow, and he’s probably a boor among boors on a personal level. Nonetheless, he also made himself one of the most effective arm-twisters on Capitol Hill, earning the nickname “The Hammer.” He has a high profile in DC even after quitting his position as House Majority Leader as a result of his indictment on money-laundering charges. Since Speaker Hastert is not much of a TV presence, the Hammer is the most recognizable face of the GOP on the Hill since Newt Gingrich left office.

This gives the Democrats someone against whom to run. Naturally, President George “LBJ” Bush is a target, but he has been particularly effective in playing the 9/11 card in campaigns past. Americans, like most people, tend to rally around their leader in times of crisis, even if the leader is an incompetent jackass whose bungling is casting a pall over the nation’s future. Running against any President during times of international angst is difficult.

Running against a nationally known congressman who is under indictment for money laundering is a lot more attractive. American democracy isn’t big on nuanced policy discussions. The voters want to know who the good guys are and who the baddies are. Running against someone who may be going to jail puts a halo around one’s own candidates. Throw in former Congressman Duke Cunningham’s 8-year stretch for bribery, and the Dems can run against a culture of corruption.

Will it be enough to give the Democrats control of either the House or the Senate? Probably not. There aren’t enough vulnerable GOP Senate seats, and the House has been gerrymandered to the point that the Soviet Politburo had more frequent turnover (that is statistically true, and sadly not a flight of literary fancy). At the same time, it does mean that the elections in 2006 may lead to more Democrats on the Hill, and that in turn, could officially mark the beginning of President Bush’s lame-duck years.

© Copyright 2006 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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