A survey of Republican members of the House of Representatives reveals that only 20 representatives publicly support House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), according to the Campaign for America's Future.
The survey sent out last week as a formal request for information asked each GOP congressperson if they believe Tom DeLay is "ethically fit to serve as Majority Leader."
Meanwhile, a growing number of Republican critics have openly challenged Delay to either resign or to be more forthcoming as to avoid further embarrassment or weakening of the Party.
"In the present Congress, a number of changes have been made to the committee's rules, and we are deeply concerned that they may spell the end of a credible, effective ethics process in the House."--Rep. Joel Hefley (R-CO) and Rep. Alan B. Mollohan (D-WV), former chair and ranking member of the House ethics committee writing about rules changes order by the GOP leadership to protect DeLay from further ethics investigations.
"Tom's conduct," Rep. Christopher Shays (R-CT) is quoted by AP as saying, "is hurting the Republican Party, is hurting this Republican majority and it is hurting any Republican who is up for re-election."
Tom DeLay so far has been close-lipped about allegations of numerous reports of ethics violations. He has refused to discuss trips he took that may have been paid for illegally by lobbyists, campaign payments of over one-half million dollars to family members, his improper direct participation in raising funds from corporate donors, solicitation of funds that were improperly linked to issues pending in Congress, and his connections to lobbyists who are under criminal investigation for influence peddling, solicitation of bribes, and stealing from clients.
The majority leader was admonished unanimously three times last year by the then bi-partisan House ethics committee. After October, the Republican leadership, in an unusual move, replaced the chair of that committee, Rep. Joel Hefley (R-CO), and several other members with people who are regarded as Party loyalists with allegiance to the GOP leadership. Two of the new members of the committee reportedly donated several thousand dollars to Tom DeLay's legal defense fund.
Subsequently the GOP leadership, including DeLay, ordered that House rules governing the ethics committee be altered to make investigations into ethics violations more difficult to order and of much shorter duration. Most observers regard these changes as a direct response to calls for the ethics committee to investigate allegations surrounding DeLay.
Other Republican Party figures have also challenged DeLay to be more open or face serious consequences. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who fell from power due to serious ethics charges that he fought to hide, chided DeLay for his tactic of blaming the Democrats for a "vast left-wing conspiracy."
"[His] problem," Gingrich told CBS last week, "isn’t with the Democrats; DeLay's problem is with the country,"
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So far DeLay hasn't doesn't seem concerned by this advice, despite sinking popular support. According to a recent CBS poll, Congress is currently enjoying record high disapproval ratings and DeLay's personal disapproval rating among all Americans is the worst of any member of Congress.
Republican Senator Lincoln Chafee also hinted at the difficulties Republicans may face in the 2006 elections if Tom DeLay remains in power and/or under a cloud of suspicion. "We've got to uphold the highest standards of legality and ethics,'' Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) said Monday. "You can't have your leader under a cloud. It makes it difficult to run."
At least two other Republican members have been more quiet and indirect with their criticism. According to the New York Times, Rep. Joel Hefley (CO) and Rep. Dan Lungren (CA) leveled criticism at the GOP leadership over its handling of the ethics crisis during a secret meeting of the Party members last week. Their comments dealt with how badly the ethics quandary was handled, warning the caucus that the leadership had become arrogant.
Hefley added a public criticism in a recent editorial for the Houston Chronicle, DeLay's hometown newspaper, co-authored with House Democrat Alan B. Mollohan (WV), ranking member of the ethics committee. In a slap at the GOP leadership for changing the ethics committee's rules, Hefley and Mollohan wrote, "we are deeply concerned that they [the rules changes] may spell the end of a credible, effective ethics process in the House."
Hefley and Mollohan described the work of the previous committee, which had rebuked DeLay three times, as "calm" and "deliberative."
The editorial argued that bi-partisanship has to rule the ethics process, including changing the rules that govern the ethics process, in order to be credible.
DeLay's problems have already pushed the House Republicans into disarray. The tight discipline DeLay is known for imposing, because of his control over campaign funds with deep pockets, is beginning to break down.
In a serious blow to Party discipline, 44 moderate Republicans signed a letter to the chair of the House Budget Committee to reject $20 billion in proposed cuts to Medicaid earlier this month. This request was a serious break with the GOP House leadership's agenda.
Instead, Republican moderates proposed reforms to the program that is used by 53 million low-income people to help cover skyrocketing health care expenses, 38 million of whom are children.
Many Republicans have also refused to sign on to deep cuts in student loan funds and agricultural subsidies.
Additionally, DeLay's leadership quandary has also aided the grinding halt put on Bush's drive to privatize Social Security. Without the full weight of "the Hammer," as DeLay is known inside the DC beltway, many GOP members of the House have refused to sign on to the privatization plan.
Meanwhile, Democrats are quietly gleeful that DeLay is putting up such a big fight to keep his position. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) told reporters last week that he hopes DeLay doesn't quit too soon so that his party can use "the Hammer" to beat the Republicans up a bit.
Corporate sponsors of the Republican Party, however, are still banking on DeLay's ability to hold power in the Republican-dominated Congress. According to the Washington Post, they handed DeLay over $220,000 in the first three months of this year for his reelection bid. In the 2004 election, DeLay spent a massive $3.1 million dollars – five times is opponent.
Regardless of the outcome of this scandal, corporate special interests presumably will still be able to call in their markers when it comes time for the GOP leaderhsip to put their interests on the House legislative agenda.
--Joel Wendland is managing editor fo Political Affairs and may be reached at jwendland@politicalaffairs.net.
