After losing a long and arduous battle to reclaim support in the wake of numerous allegations of political improprieties, Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, recently stepped aside as House majority leader. The distrust resulting from ties with lobbyist Jack Abramoff - who has pled guilty to federal charges of conspiracy, tax evasion and mail fraud - and DeLay is now virtually ineffective in generating support for furthering Republican-interest legislation.
The Abramoff scandal is another notch in the list of questionable practices DeLay has been criticized for in his three-year post as House majority leader. Other allegations include dubious financial sources for some of his foreign trips and fundraising for Texas elections. Although never convicted of any hard charges, the Republican Party has drawn farther and farther away from the distrust that has become a public opinion trend during the reign of the Bush administration and the GOP majority in Congress. Recently, a poll was released on CNN.com that shows a significant portion of the American public is becoming increasingly skeptical about the effectiveness of incumbents.
With DeLay taking himself out of the line of fire, Congress in general can be relieved to have a representative with so-called ethical problems out of the limelight, while also making room for a new leader who can push the Republican agenda forward. The two forerunners competing to fill the position are Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Miss., and Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio (West Chester). Both candidates are using sentiments of renewal and regaining of public trust to partly fuel their campaigns.
Even if DeLay were innocent of all charges against him, acting as a spearhead for the Republican majority in Congress calls additional attention to his alleged misuse of political power. With suspicion of the entire party reaching new heights, Republicans simply cannot afford to have such a liability acting as a barrier to the pursuance of their legislative goals. In his own words, DeLay confirmed that, While we wage these important battles
I cannot allow our adversaries to divide and distract our attention. 17
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Dethroning Delay allows progress
