September 29, 2005

9/29: The Sugar Land Express

You certainly don't need us to tell you everybody's talking indictment of House Maj. Leader Tom DeLay. To hear many lefty bloggers tell it, DeLay's fate is sealed, and of a piece with the financial questions surrounding Senate Maj. Leader Bill Frist, and the myriad scandals relating to Jack Abramoff. Plenty link to reports about the news in a celebratory manner without adding much commentary. On the right, there is a good deal of skepticism about the intentions of Travis Co. DA Ronnie Earle plus the validity of the charges. But as right-leaning bloggers tend to describe themselves as conservatives or libertarians more than as GOPers, it is not hard to find conservative critiques of DeLay.

Also on the radar: opponents of the Int'l Freedom Center win their battle to remove it from the WTC site; a very unlikely Senate candidate is floated for the '06 midterms, and another Al Campanis moment raises ire on the left. Plus, we present our latest Blogger Spotlight, with Andrew Sullivan.

DELAY I: Earle-y Takes On The Case

Conservative Captain's Quarters: "Ronnie Earle has tried to derail DeLay for years, and he has conducted himself in a most partisan fashion in doing it. Rather than investigate these charges in a clearheaded, direct, and nonpartisan manner, Earle has made no bones about his personal and political vendetta. ... That has nothing to do with any question of whether DeLay violated the law, of course, but it has plenty to do with whether Earle presented a balanced and honest case to the Travis County grand jury." He predicts: "Don't be surprised to find this indictment quashed within a few weeks." Liberal Thought Mechanics, on Earle's supposed history of partisan indictments: "I guess nobody bothered to tell him that over the span of Earle's career as a prosecutor, TWELVE OF THE FIFTEEN ELECTED OFFICIALS EARLE HAS PROSECUTED HAVE BEEN DEMOCRATS." Conservative Politburo Diktat provides a sampling of characterizations of Earle's character: "Yesterday I had never heard of Ronnie Earle. But before I subscribe to Tom DeLay's characterization of his prosecutor, I'd like to learn some more."

Washington Monthly's Kevin Drum: "It's funny, but no one seems to be speculating about what kind of evidence Ronnie Earle actually has against Tom DeLay. (Except for Republicans, of course, who are unanimously echoing the official line that the whole thing is a partisan witch hunt.) For those who haven't been following this affair, the basic story is that it's illegal in Texas for corporations to contribute to political campaigns. ... The basic case against TRMPAC seems pretty good, but today's indictment says nothing at all in support of the theory that DeLay knew what was going on and actively supported the scheme. Personally, I figure that of course DeLay knew -- but by that standard, half of Congress would be in jail. By the actual standards of real criminal courts, however, Earle is going to have to present some evidence that supports his theory that DeLay conspired with the TRMPAC directors. In other words, someone is going to have to testify against DeLay."

Power Line, on the indictment: "The only time it mentions DeLay's name is when it alleges that he agreed to toll the statute of limitations! The indictment contains no suggestion of what he supposedly did that was illegal." Conservative Junk Yard Blog: "A very knowledgeable contact in Texas tells me that the law Earle is basing the indictment upon, Title 15 of the state's election code, expressly exempts federal officeholders from the state's campaign finance laws. Delay is a federal officeholder. Therefore the law being applied to him is irrelevant."

In 11/04, liberal UCLA prof Mark A. R. Kleiman explained that the GOP rule that forced DeLay to step down was dreamt up after the Rostenkowski scandal as a way to show up the Dems. JustOneMinute comments: "House Republicans should have been more careful in setting the standard at 'indictment'; 'Federal indictment' would have been a bit more cautious, since we are finally seeing a fairly predictable result."

Liberal atty Jeralyn Merritt notes that DeLay has hired "the best lawyer in Texas," Dick DeGuerin. She writes: "Dick has also been a very good friend of mine for 20 years. ... That means I'll be reporting the news on the case and analyzing it legally, but I won't be slamming DeLay any more. Sorry, folks, but loyalty is loyalty. Just thought I'd be up front about it." In the comments, her readers are not pleased.

PoliPundit: "Surely there is some enterprising Republican prosecutor, in a very red county, who could indict a Democrat Congressman or two..."

Don Surber headlines a post: "A Ham Sandwich Can Be Guilty."

DELAY II: If You Think You Need To Read Liberal Websites To See Tom Get Hammered, Think Again

Conservative Josh "Tacitus" Trevino: "We knew all along that Tom DeLay was a bully -- ask the Heritage Foundation about his penchant for petty grudges. We knew all along that he was, on a fundamental level, unprincipled -- ask him about the fat in the Federal budget. We knew all along that he was mostly interested in power for its own sake -- recall, please, that he sought a House rules change to protect his leadership position in this very circumstance. And we knew that if it came to an indictment, it would be the end."

Right Wing News' John Hawkins argues despite the merit of the charges, DeLay should go: "At one time, Tom DeLay was a great conservative leader of the House. Unfortunately, he has been in Washington too long Moreover, while President Bush has taken plenty of well deserved shots for his big spending ways and inept political maneuvers of late, Tom DeLay is just as deserving of scorn as Bush is from conservatives." More: "Republicans pulled out the long knives and got rid of Newt Gingrich when they decided he was a liability and, quite frankly, DeLay isn't half the leader that Newt was."

Lefty Duncan "Atrios" Black: "My guess is he'll decide at some point that it's much more fun (and lucrative) to retire to K street, if he manages to escape the pokey."

Instapundit: "I'm on travel and haven't had time to read the many emails I've gotten proclaiming his obvious guilt or persecuted innocence, but it's obviously an embarrassment for the GOP On the other hand, maybe his replacement will be better at finding pork..."

Daily Pundit Bill Quick: "There will undoubtedly be a DeLay pile-on, and many of the pilers may even be from the right. I won't be one of them. Until liberals and lefties like BJ Clinton, Kofi Annan, Sandy Berger, and others of that ilk are forced to pay a price for their offenses, I am going to remain singularly unimpressed by liberal-inspired vendettas against conservatives."

The Moderate Voice sees problems for both sides, asking: "will the batch of shoes that will soon be loudly dropped be good for the nation or be just one more abrupt shove into rage-tinged political polarization?" More: "Democrats, after talking in a nearly united voice for a while, now seem to be lacking a central message. The fact that DeLay resigned (even if temporarily) took some of the wind out of the Democrats' sails on this one. The best thing for the Demmies: if he beats the case on a technicality and comes back so he can be a political boogieman. The worst thing for them: if he's convicted or eventually eased out for a new, fresher face."

GOP LEADERSHIP: An Interregnum Of Sorts

MyDD's Chris Bowers posts an excerpt from the book "Off Center": "In American politics, centrifugal tendencies are everywhere. Asked to contemplate a House of Representatives without the leadership of the great coordinator, Tom DeLay, a Republican strategist with close ties to the White House commented: "It would be complete and total chaos. The House would descend into 'Lord of the Flies.' (p. 137)" Bowers adds: "With leaders like Cheney, Frist, Rove and DeLay, there is no escape from the Culture of Corruption for Republicans save total defeat and reorgnization. The gatekeepers are all knee-deep in it, and everyone else is knee deep in the gatekeepers."

In the early afternoon 9/28, when it seemed likely that CA Rep. David Dreier would be temporary Maj. Leader, TAPPED's Garance Franke-Ruta wrote, he "will likely find himself drawing some unwanted attention in his new post, if selected, for reasons I'll leave it up to Wonkette to get into." Within the hour, Podhoretz responded at The Corner: "I understand there are some things about Garance Franke-Ruta that she might not want people to know. Just saying." MyDD, Boi from Troy, RedState, Matt Szabo, Don Surber, AMERICAblog, Protein Wisdom and Balloon Juice have more.

The American Mind: "It's nice to see conservative Republicans are feisty and getting tired of the current leadership."

DELAY III: Look Out! Chips Are Falling Everywhere!

At The Corner, John Podhoretz was one of the 1st to weigh in: Next couple of days there will be a lot of gleeful liberals and Republicans claiming that this really does make it possible for Dems to take over the House and Senate in 2006." He suggests analogies will be drawn to ex-Rep. Dan Rostenkowski (D-IL), comparing it to the '94 "GOP landslide" -- "Corrupt Dems in 1994 = corrupt Repubs in 2005. Add to the DeLay indictiment the talk about Bill Frist's stock sale and you have major-league talking points for Democrats all over the country. ... Brace yourself. It's gonna get ugly."

DLC's Ed Kilgore, at TPM Cafe: "Democrats need to raise their game, raise the stakes, and raise the broader issues involved in the DeLay saga, right now. ... It's time for Democrats to connect the dots, and launch an intense, sustained, united reform message and agenda for the country. DeLay doesn't really matter. What really matters is the system which he has served, and what it has done and is doing to our country." In a diary for Daily Kos, MT SEN candidate Jon Tester ties DeLay together with Frist and Abramoff. He writes: "I've been a farmer my entire life, and I can tell you from experience that no matter how hard you try, you can't convince a hog to shovel its own bull. By the same token, we can't expect those in Washington to clean up corruption in Washington." In an interview with Houston Democrats, TX House candidate David Murff (D) comments: "Regarding the DeLay matter, it will probably drag well into the 2006 election cycle, and frankly I'm not excited about the Democratic Party potentially being the beneficiary of the Republicans' misfortune. I'm tired of the Republicans portraying Democrats a certain way, and the truth is that the party in power needs to clean up their house and start serving the people instead of the corporations, and maybe this will give them the incentive to do so. If they don't, or won't, then that's a good enough distinction between us to give voters a clear choice."

NRO's Stephen Spruiell calls the indictment "totally phony." He gives a brief overview of the charges, adding: "What you won't hear in the press is that A) This is a perfectly legal move, and B) the Democrats did the exact same thing" -- the TX Dems did it in '02 -- "Even people who aren't fans of Tom DeLay should show some intellectual honesty and admit that this is an out-of-control prosecutor and a phony charge." Conservative Michelle Malkin: "I don't think the 'Everybody does it' line is going to work for Republicans any more than it does for the Dems defending the actions of Chuck Schumer's ex-employees."

Conservative Junk Yard Blog: "You want a conspiracy, I'll show you a conspiracy. The mid-terms are a year out. We now have" DeLay indicted, Frist "under fire for a stock sale, misuse of MD LG/likely SEN candidate Michael Steele's SSN to get his credit report," and radio talker Rush Limbaugh "fighting off a partisan invasion of privacy and prosecution meant to bring him down. This is starting to look like a concerted effort to criminalize Republicans out of office while silencing our pundits."

Raising Kaine, which supports VA LG Tim Kaine (D) in the 40-days-out GOV race, opines that "the question here" for GOP nominee AG Jerry Kilgore "and his campaign team -- led by Scott 'Max Cleland is an Osama-Loving Traitor' Howell -- is not WHETHER the DeLay/Frist/Bush daily scandals will hurt them but HOW BADLY."

Liberal Running Scared: "Here's a question for you, but don't think about it too long or hard -- if this trial runs well into next year's election cycle and DeLay is in the midst of a criminal trial, do you think the good people of Texas would still elect him again? Don't answer too soon. I have a sick feeling that they would."

ABRAMOFF: Oh No! Hovering Shoes May Descend At Any Moment!

Americans for Bayh, noting the AP story about how temporary House Maj. Leader Roy Blunt hired TRMPAC lobbyist Jim Ellis: "One would suppose that this belongs under the 'the more things change, the more they stay the same' category." Fired Up America has more on the Blunt-Ellis-DeLay connections.

Talking Points Memo: "We've noted before our interest in DeLay-Abramoff contacts which belie DeLay's claim that he cut Jack off soon after the murder of Gus Boulis in February 2001. Here, just added to the TPM Document Collection, we find national GOP fundraiser and fellow DeLay indictee Warren RoBold of ARMPAC setting up a December 14th, 2001 fundraiser for ARMPAC/DeLay at the Jack Abramoff skybox at the MCI Center in Washington, DC. To date, we've found no evidence this one was ever reported. For those of you deeply addicted to Abramoff Skybox love trivia: it was Wizards-Knicks."

DELAY IV: King Of All Media

Watching GOPers smile through interviews yesterday, moderate AmbivaBlog comes up with the term "Facial Spin": "That's the art of smiling (smirking, sneering) with superior amusement to discredit whatever is being earnestly said by the talking head on the other side of the split screen and the political spectrum. I have the impression that while all sides employ it, Republicans have perfected the art of facial spin."

Liberal Newshounds, on DeLay being interviewd by Sean Hannity on "Hannity & Colmes" last p.m.: "DeLay said he wanted to get the truth to the American people. If he was so anxious to be forthcoming and frank, then why did he avoid being interviewed by Alan Colmes? Surprisingly, Hannity conducted a reasonably knowledgable and histrionic-free interview. I'm sure the histrionics will be back before long." The Political Teen has video.

DeLay, on "Hardball" last p.m.: "That's TRMPAC. That's not me ... I was simply, along with four other elected officials, on an advisory board. They used my name as headliners for fundraisers and I had no idea what they were doing." CAP's Think Progress cites prior news reports suggesting otherwise, including DeLay saying TRMPAC was "his idea."

9/11 MEMORIAL: Make That 2 Wins For The Blogosphere

According to the AP, Gov. George Pataki (R-NY) has decided to move the Int'l Freedom Center (IFC) museum away from Ground Zero. Header at New York Times, which carries the story: "Museum Dropped From WTC Site for Now." Take Back the Memorial, dedicated to opposing the IFC, thanks those who helped, adding: "Take Back the Memorial will continue to monitor the plans for Ground Zero to ensure that a fitting and proper memorial is built; one that is respectful of the victims murdered that day, their families, the first responders, and the American people." Michelle Malkin: "Biggest losers: [IFCers] Tom Bernstein, Rich Tofel, and the shameless editorial writers at the NYTimes who had the gall to call critics of the IFC 'un-American.'" Ankle Biting Pundits: "Query: How long will it be before the New York Times writes an op-ed blasting Pataki for kicking out the IFC? I say it will be in Sunday's edition, at the latest."

SCOTUS: You Can En Banc On It

A GOP insider is quoted anonymously at RedState: "I have no clue who the nominee is. In fact, no one I have spoken to inside or outside the White House really knows who it is. We all feel more comfortable with who it is not than with who it is -- and I'm pretty sure it is not [AG Alberto] Gonzales."

Mickey Kaus: "Here is Harriett Miers' bio ... and here's Michael McConnell's. Assume they're both fine people. If you had to make a snap decision, which one should be on the United States Supreme Court?" Kaus, doing his signature editorial note second-guessing: "You just like McConnell because he wrote a piece in 2000 trashing Bush v. Gore--ed. Shhh. That article showed guts. Clearly-written too. We were hoping the Bushies had forgotten it."

RACE: Not-So-Modest Proposal

Media Matters draws attention to a quote from conservative author Bill Bennett saying on his radio show on 9/28: "I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could -- if that were your sole purpose, you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down. So these far-out, these far-reaching, extensive extrapolations are, I think, tricky." Steve Gilliard: " I won't even bother to point out all the racist assumptions here." The Zero Boss: "Of course, the statement is couched in enough plausible deniability to feed the victims of Katrina for a month. Sadly, no amount of denial can change the fact that, when forced to grab an example off of the surface of his subconscious, Bennett proposed genocide. Because, you know, those little black babies are just going to grow up sucking the welfare teat and selling crack cocaine to your bored white suburban kids anyway."

SPENDING: Drunken Sailor Report

Captain's Quarters' Ed Morrissey announces he will merge his "Not One Dime More" campaign -- originally conceived as withholding money from the NRSC as long as the GOP leadership couldn't get Bush's jud. nominees through -- with Instapundit/TTLB Porkbusters project. He writes: "Unwilling to rethink priorities and excusing it by demanding that federal money get spent on the 'burbs as well as the big cities? Not One Dime More for Porkers."

At RedState, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) follows up her poorly-received 1st post (see 9/26 Blogometer), elaborating on her plans and responding to specific criticisms. Plenty of commenters are still skeptical, wanting more cuts and/or arguing the EITC is the wrong target. On the other hand, site co-founder Mike Krempasky comments: "Thanks for being here. You're far ahead of your Republican colleagues in your willingness to engage. Kudos to you -- and I can't wait to help make sure you stay right where you are -- on Capitol Hill."

MIDTERMS '06: The Chances Are Pretty Lowell

Via the New Haven Independent, Markos Moulitsas floats the rumor that GOP-to-indie ex-Sen. Lowell Weicker might challenge Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-CT) for his old seat.

WHITE HOUSE '08: Poll Position

With a few more blogs linking to Patrick Ruffini's Sept. straw poll (including conservative traffic-cop Instapundit), 13K+ have now participated. Ex-NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani continues to dominate with 33.8%; VA Sen. George Allen comes in at 19.1%; MA Gov. Mitt Romney has 9.9%; Undecided shows up with 7.9%; and McCain makes it into the top 5, displacing CO Rep. Tom Tancredo by just a handful of results.

INTRODUCING: On The Prowl

The American Spectator enters the blogosphere, launching a blog featuring contributions from its writers and editors, including Wlady Pleszczynski, John Tabin, George Neumayr, Al Regnery, Jed Babbin, possibly "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" actor Ben Stein, and the mysterious "Washington Prowler."

BLOGGER SPOTLIGHT: Sullivan Generis

Today the Blogometer talks to ex-TNR editor/veteran blogger Andrew Sullivan, who writes The Daily Dish.

What is your full name?

Andrew Michael Sullivan

What is your age?

42

Where did you grow up?

East Grinstead, a small town thirty miles south of London in England.

Where do you live now?

Adams Morgan in DC and Provincetown, MA.

What is your occupation? Have you ever worked on a political campaign or for the mainstream media?

I'm a writer. I have never worked on a campaign; but I edited the New Republic for five years, still write for them, and for Time, the Advocate, the Sunday Times of London, and the New York Times Book Review.

When did you start blogging and why?

The summer of 2000. It seemed to me that this was a great opportunity to write without an editor or publisher to cramp my style.

What has been your favorite post, or favorite story to write about, in that time?

Inevitably, making sense of the war is the central theme of the last five years -- and the struggle for gay equality. I've also tried to draw attention to the Bush administration's embrace of torture as a military policy.

Describe your typical blogging schedule. And what is your average output?

It has changed over the years. Right now, I blog for a couple of hours in the morning and then sporadically in the afternoon when I'm trying to avoid other work. I typed around 500,000 words last year. You do the math.

Who is your favorite political blogger? Favorite non-political blogger?

Glenn Reynolds. No one does it better as fast-food. I only browse political blogs. I don't have a favorite.

Who is your favorite mainstream media columnist?

Dan Savage.

What is your favorite television news program, either network or cable?

I watch O'Reilly with morbid fascination.

What MSM-produced websites (i.e. newspapers, magazines) do you visit on a daily basis?

NYT, WaPo, Guardian, Telegraph, Times, Slate, TNR.

What non-MSM websites (i.e. blogs) do you visit on a daily basis?

Drudge, Instapundit, Romenesko, NRO's Corner, Volokh, Kos, TPM, Kevin Drum, Power Line, Jeff Jarvis, Dan Drezner, OxBlog, Yglesias, Michelle Malkin, Hit & Run, Wonkette.

How often, or do you ever, read a newspaper in its dead-tree (i.e. print) form?

Once a day, with coffee: the NYT. Sometimes the WaPo over lunch. I'm thinking of switching the two around.

How do you see the new media and old media affecting and influencing each other in the next five years?

Mutual encouragement, continuous sniping, eventual merging.

THOUGHT OF THE DAY: Is It True That In France They Put Malaise On Fries?

When the identity of Watergate's "Deep Throat" was revealed this summer (see 6/1 Blogometer) a few writers noted that the famous phrase "Follow the money" was never reported by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein; it was in fact the creation of screenwriter William Goldman. And now, picking up on the liberal blogosphere's anger about The Note's fake Bush speech practical joke (see 9/28 Blogometer), Anonymous Liberal makes a related point: "[W]hat annoys me even more [than the deception] is that the writers of The Note also inserted a line into the speech that was not originally there. Buried in the middle of their version of speech is the line '[s]imply put, there is a malaise afflicting America.' While Carter's speech has since become known as his 'malaise speech,' he never actually used that word."

LEST WE FORGET: Put Up Your Dukes

Liberal bloggers are having no small amount of fun with the DeLay indictment:

The Poor Man Institute presents its latest installment of "Keyboard Kommando Komics" -- this time a "Dukes of Hazzard"-themed comic strip, with Frist as Bo, DeLay as Luke, House Speaker Denny Hastert as Uncle Jesse, and Michael Moore in for Boss Hogg.

Daily Kos posts the image of a "Get Out of Jail Free" card with DeLay's face photoshopped over Rich Uncle Pennybags. The card says: "The Republican Party has passed an amendment in your favor!"

At Huffington Post, liberal comic/blackpeopleloveus.com co-creator Chelsea Peretti creates an Evite parody: "Edite," which invites: "You're Indicted!" -- sent by "Ronnie Earle and a Grand Jury." Among those attending: DeLay, TRMPAC officials Ellis, John Colyandro, Abramoff and business partner Adam Kidan. Not yet replied: Rove, Bush. Unable to attend: Frist -- "Can't: have to attend SEC par-tay... sorry." And Judy Miller -- "Regrets. Can't." In the Maybe column: Scott McClellan -- "I'd rather not comment at this time. Like I said, I'm just not going to engage in the e-dite commenting you want me to engage in at this time."

Posted by at September 29, 2005 01:18 PM

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