Burnt Orange Report

Morrison Gears Up for 2006

By Byron LaMasters

Richard Morrison all but announced another run at Tom DeLay in 2006 in his fundraising email yesterday. I'm pleased to hear the news. Morrison was one of those candidatates that started off a bit slow, but got better with time. He gave Tom DeLay his first real challenge in years, and laid the groundwork for another run. This time, he'll have 23 months to raise funds and build up an organization, as opposed to about six months last time - Morrison wasn't really taken seriously until around last May. It's an uphill battle, but Morrison has developed significantly as a candidate, and we can count on Tom DeLay to continue his ethically challenged behavior. Speaking of DeLay, check out David Donnelly's column in the Houston Chronicle today:

Monday's stunning reversal by U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, and the Republicans in Congress on the so-called DeLay Rule caught all by surprise, including those of us in the midst of the effort to hold politicians accountable for these types of actions.

But it shouldn't have. There are three reasons why DeLay caved on the provision, which was enacted by the House Republican conference back in mid-November and was designed to protect him if he gets indicted for his role in the on-going investigation into corporate fund-raising in Texas politics: constituent anger; a measurable rebellion among House members that emboldened House Democrats; and the growing sense that DeLay is becoming politically radioactive. [...]

Faced with citizen pressure from all over the country, DeLay blinked. The first reason he did was that members of Congress were hearing from constituents that they didn't like the DeLay Rule. One member of Congress, Rep. J.D. Hayworth, R-Ariz., summed it up in two words: Constituents reacted.

Fueled by bloggers, enterprising journalists and public interest groups, thousands of constituents called members of Congress throughout November and December to ask where they stood on the DeLay Rule vote. The issue wasn't going away.

The second reason DeLay & Co. backtracked was that they simply didn't have the votes to win on the floor of the House. While the DeLay Rule only applied to Republicans, Democrats smelled an opportunity and were preparing a straight up-or-down vote on whether House rules would allow any member of Congress to maintain a position in leadership after being indicted. That vote was to have happened Tuesday, the day after DeLay proposed revoking his rule. [...]

Lastly, DeLay's capitulation in the face of pressure signals his increasingly negative public image, and the rising wariness moderate Republicans and those in competitive districts have about being too closely associated with him. In short, in the past DeLay's ability to raise big money was an unqualified plus. Now it is becoming more of an ethical albatross. In the words of Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., "I feel like we have just taken a shower."

Let's send Tom DeLay to the showers in 2006. Donate to Richard Morrison today.

More from the Houston Chronicle editorial board, the Daily DeLay and Off the Kuff.

For the full text of the Morrison email, jump to the extended entry:

When I sent the last email of our 2004 campaign to unseat Tom DeLay, I said it would only be the beginning.

We were just getting started.

To jumpstart our new challenge to DeLay, please click here to contribute.

Holding DeLay to his narrowest win ever was only the beginning.

Compelling him to stop backing a chemical company that wanted to freight hazardous cargo on a rail-line thru the heart of area neighborhoods in Clear Lake was only the beginning.

Forcing him to outspend me almost 10 to 1 was only the beginning.

This time we're starting early, we're staying on his trail, we're working the district and we're going to win. When we win, District 22 will have a representative in Washington who will serve the interests of the people, not the corrupt corporations.

In 2004, over 10,000 patriotic Americans donated almost $500,000 to this campaign. If each of you can recruit one person, in the next two years, 20,000 of us can raise enough money to defeat a weakened DeLay.

Since the election, DeLay and the House GOP have stayed in the papers by shamelessly watering down House ethics rules. But just last night, DeLay reversed course and asked GOP members to undo the "DeLay Rule" that would have allowed him to keep his position even if indicted. This is a clear indicator that he knows he has overreached.

By keeping the campaign going non-stop for the next 23 months we can:

Keep him honest in Washington.

Make him responsive to constituents at home by pounding the message that a Congressman should serve the people of his district, not corporate contributors.

Build Democratic strength and organization in Texas.

And most importantly, we can end the reign of the most corrupt machine politician of the last one hundred years.

With your help, we can win this race, please click here to contribute:

Fight on,
Richard Morrison