Republican Party: Conservative or Corporate?

Quite by accident, I happened to catch the tail end of a documentary about the Tom DeLay political scandals from 2005 on one of the local cable channels. I figured the movie was probably being shown now because of DeLay’s appearance on the finale of “Dancing with the Stars.” He was a contestant on the program for several weeks, but had to leave due to a stress fracture in one of his feet. On the last show, he did appear and performed in a couple of segments, including one where he danced the “Texas Two-step.”

After I saw the entire documentary, “The Big Buy: How Tom DeLay Stole Congress,” I was left wondering if our government is really “of the people, by the people, and for the people” -- or if practically all levels of government, both state and federal, are controlled by corporations and big money contributors. After watching this documentary, I think I know the answer.

Our elected representatives may say they place their votes for the good of their districts or for the country as a whole. In reality most of them decide how to vote for the benefit of corporate interests who are willing to pay for their campaigns and entertainment. Tom DeLay is a near perfect example of this principle.

Tom DeLay was forced out of office because he did the “Texas Two-step” with the law. In Texas, as in many other states, corporate political contributions can not legally be accepted for local or state political campaigns. DeLay found ways to not only get around the law, but also chose to simply ignore it. His successful use of corporate money resulted in his ability to become the most powerful politician in Texas. Eventually, his lobbying led to an off-year redistricting of congressional districts in Texas that changed the balance of power in the Texas state legislature -- and ultimately the United States House of Representatives.

Now Tom DeLay is a disgraced “former member” of the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served from 1984 until 2006. He was Republican Party House Majority Leader from 2003–2005, when his legal problems forced him to step down.

In 2005, a Texas court charged DeLay with criminal violations of state campaign finance laws and money laundering. DeLay pled not guilty, claiming political motivation for the charges. The prosecutor has yet to bring the case before a jury. Two of DeLay’s aides were convicted in the Jack Abramoff scandal. Although closely associated with Abramoff, Delay was not legally implicated in that scandal.

He began his career as a politician in 1978 when he ran for Texas House of Representatives. Once referred to as “Hot Tub Tom” because of his drinking and partying ways, he claimed to have become a born-again Christian in the mid-1980s. He now calls himself a “Pentecostal Christian.” As House Majority Whip, he helped Newt Gingrich lead the so-called “Republican Revolution,” pushing the Contract for America, which led to Democrats losing their majorities in Congress for the first time in forty years.

Delay helped start the “K Street Project,” a maneuver to pressure Washington lobbying firms to hire only Republicans in top positions, and then reward loyal GOP lobbyists with direct access to influential officials.

Elected House Majority Leader after the 2002 midterm elections, he enforced party discipline and direct retribution against any GOP members of Congress who did not support the agenda of President George W. Bush.

Known as a staunch conservative during his years in Congress, he earned high marks from conservative interest groups. Even though he has been under indictment for almost four years, DeLay is still considered a hero by the conservative movement and even by most Republicans. There is a general consensus by the Republican faithful that if he hasn’t been convicted of anything yet, then the charges are political in nature -- in spite of the fact that many of his associates were also charged and several actually convicted.

I looked to see if the documentary was available at another time or on another channel, but finally found it on Netflix.com. I used my privileges as a subscriber to watch the entire movie online. I found it to be very informative, not only about DeLay and his scandals,  but also the recent workings of the Republican Party.

Tom DeLay managed to change the balance of political power in Texas for years to come -- and also that of the national Republican Party. Almost all the issues with the GOP that finally drove me away from the party several years ago can be traced directly to DeLay and Newt Gingrich -- and now to their successors, John Boehner and Eric Cantor.

Trailer for “The Big Buy: How Tom DeLay Stole Congress”. . .

I strongly suggest that you rent this DVD or watch it online no matter what your political persuasion might be. If you are a progressive or independent, you will probably be disgusted with what you learn. If you are a conservative or moderate Republican, you may discover how the current Republican Party lost its way, as well as the origins of the modern conservative party that is now trying to take over the GOP.