Open Letter to Tom Delay
By Adam Graham (12/18/06)
Dear Mr. DeLay, - I'd like to begin by welcoming you to the blogosphere. I'm so glad you have discovered the power of this medium to communicate directly with the grassroots of America. I'm also glad to hear your rhetoric about a need for Republicans to return to first principles.
However, there’s an aspect of this whole business I find troubling. There’s no mention of your own record in Congress in all of this. While you used your skill as a Whip and leader to obtain the votes necessary to attempt to save the life of Terri Schaivo, and forever earned the scorn of Democrats by getting the US House in the waning days of the 106th Congress to call Bill Clinton to account.
Yet, your leadership skills were not always exercised for such noble purposes. In 2003, you worked with the White House to coerce members of Congress to vote for the Medicare Reform bill. You kept the vote open for hours to get this bill passed despite the fact it was the largest expansion of government since the Great Society.
It was only 15 months ago that, in the midst of $300 billion deficits, you stated that Republicans had been pared government down to size. Contrast that with your statement on Red State following the elections: “Further, our government has almost become a self-sustaining organism which continues to grow and propagate programs without accountability and without results for the people it is supposed to serve.”
How did what was “pared down to size” grow up to become an out-of-control self-sustaining organism in a mere matter of months?
In addition, while I do not believe there is merit to the indictments against you, you do deserve some of the blame for creating the atmosphere that allowed multiple scandals to plague the Republican Party through the influence of Lobbyists. The K Street Project had the net effect of creating a corrupt system where the power of special interests were magnified by a close allignment with Washington Power brokers.
Certainly, I, like most Americans, am forgiving. We’ve all made our mistakes and certainly power can blind people into making most regrettable choices. But, to go from a Majority Leader telling us that government spending is under control while working to secure Republican power on K Street, to declaring yourself a Grassroots Activists dedicated to reigning out of control spending, strains credibility and makes me doubt your sincerity.
Certainly, you’re not the only leader trying to recapture ‘90s magic without having to face past mistakes. Speaker Gingrich has been out decrying the out-of-control Congress when it was during his leadership, the House began to break the budget caps. Those of us with a memory are not impressed by such posturing. Not addressing this issue suggests that you’ve really learned nothing from your mistakes and given the chance, would repeat them.
If you’re going to help America, if you’re going to achieve anything worthwhile, then you need to come clean about the increasing the size of government while you were Majority Leader and the control lobbyists exercised over our government. Mr. DeLay, if you wish to be part of the solution now, you must admit you were part of the problem.
May you and yours have a blessed Christmas.
Sincerely,
Adam Graham
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