Why DeLay is "retiring" to Virginia, of all places

I got this lead from Bryan Bankston's Texas 22nd District blog: Bryan's Blog. Earlier this year the Republican Texas Secretary of State ruled that if a primary nominee drops out of a race after getting the nomination, the party doesn't have the right to select a replacement. Not surprisingly, the candidate this affected at the time of the ruling was a Democrat. Situation ethics seem to be biting our Republican friends in the ass once again.

There is a loophole in this rule. And who can exploit a loophole better than Tom DeLay? It seems that if the vacancy occurs from the candidate moving away, the party state executive committee can then appoint a replacement. I wonder who came up with these situational exceptions? It wouldn't be hard to guess.

So now, instead of simply retiring from Congress, as the corruption indictment is no doubt forcing DeLay to do, DeLay is having to put on a public face of moving out of the state of Texas specifically so that the Republican state executive committee can legally appoint a replacement. The kicker is this: DeLay sat on this news of his impending retirement and withdrawal until after the March Republican primary, just so that the nomination wouldn't go to one of his Republican primary challengers, all of whom (while certainly conservative) were on record favoring Congressional reform of the sort that makes Republicans like DeLay (and his eventual successor as GOP nominee in the 22nd) scatter like cockroaches from the flickering of a kitchen lightbulb.

So there you have it. Our man Tom has once again figured out a way to thwart the will of the voters--in this case his own Republican voters.

They will probably then appoint the winner of the special election to the ballot in the fall.

Delay got 60% in a district that votes about 60% Republican. That gives his personal stamp a 36% share of the votes. But how much of that is his machine working and how much of that is simple name ID, or "rally round the president's man" mentality that won't necessarily pass on to DeLay's annointed successor?

This could get interesting.

have been had.

Bwahahaha. I bet they don't ebven realize it.

on and this was also pointed out by Mathews on the Today Show as a wiley and cunning move by Delay. :eyes:

his own greed. He will become a lobbyist. A very wealthy lobbyist. I want to believe that he will do time. I'd rather his next residence be Leavenworth but I think the power structure remains stacked in his favor.

Glad he could screw his Rethuglican friends in TX one last time on his way out the door.

until Tom can join the rest of the guys on K Street? Moving to Virginia ought to make for a shorter commute, don't you think.

If IIRC that was what I heard was in the recent bills. Not very long really for a crooked guy to have to wait to get back to the feed trough.

All Texas Republicans should be going "hmmmmm....."

Got to watch your priorities, don'tcha?

nt