Revolt Against DeLay in U.S. House

By Lee Russ

Friday, January 06, 2006 at 04:00 PM

National Journal's The Hotline is reporting that there's a movement afoot among Republicans in the House of Representatives to force new elections for the party's leadership positions.

Not surprisingly, the major goal is to ensure that Tom DeLay's tenure as majority leader be laid to rest, once and for all.  I've seen commentary lauding this move by the Repubs--supposedly jointly sponsored by conservatives and moderates--but I have a hard time getting too excited.

First, remember how late in the DeLay game this comes; where have these people been for the last several months?

Second, it comes just as the Abramoff/Scanlon mess really splats against the public wall.  What better way to begin the effort to convince the public that you've expelled the lying, cheating, scoundrels than to stage a "revolt" of the supposedly ethical remainder?  As John Green, director of the Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron, says in a piece on Financial Times chronicling the end of DeLay and the coming revolt: "Just for purely practical reasons, the Republicans are not going to want him back in the leadership position."

Third, don't we have to wait and see exactly what flotsam levitates into the leadership posts before we get too excited about the ethical progress being made?  Believe me, DeLay is not the only amoral self-promoter wearing a Republican badge in the House.