Action Archive

Does Your Rep. Stand With DeLay or Democracy?

April 2005

Campaign for America's Future supporters made over a thousand phone calls to their Representatives asking them a straightforward question to get their position on DeLay on record: "Do you believe that Tom DeLay is ethically fit to serve as House Majority Leader?" The responses were sobering news for Tom DeLay.

A mere 27 members of Congress went on the record saying that their Majority Leader is ethically fit to serve. A whopping 363 members of Congress refused to take a stand, suggesting that they were not confident enough in their Majority Leader to publicly vouch for his character. Of the Representatives who went on record with a clear position, 63 percent said that DeLay was not ethically fit to serve as Majority Leader.

 Representative Jim McCrery (R-LA)

REP. Tom Delay

(R-TX)

Does Your Rep Stand With Democracy Or Delay?


Below is the formal request that Campaign for America's Future mailed to each member of Congress pressing them to answer the question that thousands of their constituents have asked: "Do they believe that Tom DeLay is ethically fit to serve as House Majority Leader?" We will continue to publish your Rep's responses online as we hear back from them.




April 18, 2005

Dear Representative,

The ethical questions that are swirling around Majority Leader Tom DeLay have made the news headlines for the past few weeks. The new allegations, combined with his four previous admonishments by the Ethics Committee, are raising questions about whether Rep. DeLay is ethically fit to hold a position of such prominence in the United States Congress.

Thousands of citizens have made calls or sent faxes to their representatives asking whether they believe Rep. DeLay is ethically fit to serve as House Majority Leader. Nearly a thousand of them have taken the extra step and reported your responses to them. We have created a tally sheet and today we are publishing your responses on our website www.ourfuture.org/DemocracyOrDelay.cfm and releasing the results to national and local media outlets.

Many of you have not yet responded to your constituents' questions and so we are asking now, on their behalf: Do you believe that Tom DeLay is ethically fit to serve as House Majority Leader? We want to accurately report where you stand and so we ask you to provide us with a prompt reply. We will update our website once we receive your response.

Please respond to this question in a timely manner by letter or fax (202-955-5606) to my attention.

Thank you for your cooperation,

Sincerely,

Ellen S. Miller

Ellen S. Miller

Deputy Director

Campaign for America's Future


So Does Your Rep Stand With Democracy Or Delay?

In response to over a thousand phone calls from constituents, a mere 27 members of Congress went on the record saying that Tom DeLay is ethically fit to serve as House Majority Leader. A whopping 363 members of Congress refused to take a stand, suggesting that they are not confident enough in their Majority Leader to publicly vouch for his character. Of the Representatives who went on record with a clear position, 63 percent said that DeLay was not ethically fit to serve as Majority Leader.

When asked by their constituents, "Do you believe that Tom DeLay is ethically fit to serve as Majority Leader?" Representatives answered...

NOTE: The information above was provided by nearly one thousand Campaign for America's Future (CAF) supporters. Supporters called their Representatives' offices, asked them directly, "Do you believe that Tom DeLay is ethically fit to serve as Majority Leader?", and then reported the results of their calls to us. On April 18th, 2005, CAF mailed a formal request to each member of Congress, echoing this question and pressing Representatives for their official response. This web page will be updated as members of Congress respond.
What People Are Saying About Tom Delay

Corruption isn't a partisan issue. That's why Republicans and Democrats alike are going on the record speaking out against Tom "the Hammer" DeLay's corruption. In the past few weeks, the following politicians and pundits have spoken out and taken a stand for democracy...not DeLay. Click the links below for their full quotes, and check back here for regular updates.

Last Updated: 4/27/05

Ashville Citizen Times Editorial Board
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Editorial Board
Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI)
Former Rep. Chris Bell (D-TX)
Chicago Tribune Editorial Board
Christian Science Monitor Editorial Board
Former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS)
Rep. Jim Gerlach (R-PA)
Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC)
Hartford Courant Editorial Board
Rep. Joel Hefley (R-CO) & Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV)
Former Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD)
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)
Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
Richmond Times-Dispatch Editorial Board
Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA)
Springfield News-Leader Editorial Board
Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT)
Ten Former Republican Representatives
Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO)
Wall Street Journal Editorial Board
York Dispatch Editorial Board

"If Tom DeLay will not step down as House majority leader, the Republican Caucus should remove him. The alternative is to suggest to the nation that GOP stands for Greed On Parade."

Ashville Citizen Times (NC) Editorial Board, 4/14/05

"In his arrogance, his unmitigated lust for the perks of power and his cavalier attitude toward standards of conduct that in his mind apply only to lesser mortals, House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Texas) has become an embarrassment to his party, to his supporters, to his fellow House members and to the country. It is time for him to go. DeLay should resign his leadership position in the House immediately."

Atlanta Journal-Constitution (NC) Editorial Board, 4/27/05

""He can call a pig a horse, and it's still a pig ... Now that his back has been pushed against the wall, he's becoming desperate and knows he can't fight with the truth. I guess he thinks it's his best defense to convince people of something that isn't true."

Former Rep. Chris Bell (D-TX) | Houston Chronicle, 4/19/05

"We've got to uphold the highest standards of legality and ethics. You can't have your leader under a cloud."

Sen. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) | CQ Today, 4/11/05

"For the good of his party, DeLay needs to answer the questions that dog him about campaign contributions and lobbyist-paid trips and nepotism hires--and step aside as majority leader."

Chicago Tribune Editorial Board, 4/18/05

"Tom DeLay needs to leave the dance floor of questionable ethical behavior. If he doesn't, he may soon find he no longer has any partners."

Christian Science Monitor Editorial Board, 4/12/05

"I think what Tom needs to do is just to come out somewhere and to just lay out everything. My advice would be the sooner you can get out and tell your story the better. Lay it all out."

Former Sen. Bob Dole (R-KS) | New York Daily News, 4/18/05

"If found to have violated our ethics rules, the member ought to receive the proper sanctions and punishment as deemed warranted by the committee."

Rep. Jim Gerlach | Philadelphia Inquirer, 4/18/05

"I think we should go back to the original rules"

Rep. Walter Jones | CQ Today, 4/19/05

"Mr. DeLay has grown recklessly audacious as he has accumulated power. His trips, ties to lobbyists and payments to relatives were bound to be scrutinized. He is becoming a liability to his party."

Hartford Courant (CT) Editorial Board, 4/14/05

"If the ethics process is dominated by the majority party -- whichever party that might be -- it will have no credibility. It will almost certainly degenerate into a tool of partisan warfare and become a farce."

Rep. Joel Hefley (R-CO) & Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-WV) | Washington Post, 4/13/05

"DeLay's problem isn't with the Democrats, DeLay's problem is with the country. And so DeLay has a challenge to lay out a case that the country comes to believe, that the country decides is legitimate, if he does that he's fine"

Former Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-GA) | CBS Evening News, 4/12/05

"The Republicans in the House of Representatives are running the most closed and bitterly partisan House in the history of our country."

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) | Associated Press, 4/14/05

"Republicans are engaging in abuse of power and the American people are paying the price."

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)| Associated Press, 4/14/05

"What he is doing by stonewalling these accusations, the clouds of corruption are not just on the Republicans but the entire House."

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) | New York Daily News, 4/18/05

"DeLay Must Go...congressional Republicans would be wise to strip DeLay of his leadership position"

Richmond Times-Dispatch (VA) Editorial Board, 4/13/05

"DeLay, for all his efforts to accuse others for his current predicament, has only himself to blame. He played hardball, and now his foes are doing the same with him. The difference is that they have substance; he had only the ability to exercise raw power. DeLay's days are numbered."

Springfield News-Leader (MO) Editorial Board, 4/20/05

"I think he has to come forward and lay out what he did and why he did it and let the people then judge for themselves."

Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) | Associated Press, 4/11/05

"Tom's conduct is hurting the Republican Party, is hurting this Republican majority and it is hurting any Republican who is up for re-election, He is an absolute embarrassment to me and to the Republican Party."

Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) | CQ Weekly, 4/18/05

"We felt grave concern when the Republican leadership changed the ethics rules ... We saw it as an obvious action to protect Majority Leader Tom DeLay ... the previous admonitions to Mr. DeLay for casting discredit on the House were well merited."

Former Rep. & Sen. Mark Andrews (R-ND), Former Rep. John Buchanan (R-AL), Former Rep. Caldwell Butler (R-VA), Former Rep. Paul Findley (R-IL), Former Rep. Bud Hillis (R-IN), Former Rep. James Johnson (R-CO), Former Rep. Richard Mallary (R-VT), Former Rep. Wiley Mayne (R-IA), Former Rep. Pete McCloskey (R-CA) & Former Rep. William Whitehurst (R-VA) | Public Campaign Action Fund Release, 4/15/05

"...if the majority leader were to temporarily step aside... it may be a productive move."

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-CO) | Dallas Morning News, 4/16/05

"The Beltway wisdom is right. Mr. DeLay does have odor issues. Increasingly, he smells just like the Beltway itself. His real fault lies in betraying the broader set of principles that brought him into office, and which, if he continues as before, sooner or later will sweep him out."

Wall Street Journal Editorial Board, 3/28/05

"DeLay's actions are far more those of a spoiled child than a responsible congressional leader. ...in the case of Mr. DeLay, it's obvious that arrogance, and a disregard for the nation's fundamental law, will be the seminal cause of his fall."

York Dispatch (PA) Editorial Board, 4/15/05


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