There is a crisis of confidence in this country.  The lack of confidence is not in the free market.  It is a lack of confidence in the Obama administration...is it any wonder?  The Obama administration has quickly proven they have no idea why we are in this mess, refuse to admit any mistakes, and clearly aren’t sure what to do about it.  Their lack of understanding was especially noticeable when I watched the Sunday shows.  [# More #]

Obama spokesmen Larry Summers, Austan Goolsbee, and Christina Romer -all academics or bureaucrats – have little to no credibility on the issue, and it shows.  None of them have run a business. None of them have had to make a payroll. None of them have had to make a sale.  None of them have had to make a fiduciary decision that would impact their own money.  Their worldviews are not capable of understanding the fundamentals of a free market. You add Secretary Geithner and President Obama to the list and you can see why the future looks bleak.

Austan Goolsbee on  Fox News Sunday: “the market for credit to small businesses has completely frozen”. False.  I have spoken to business owners and bankers around the country, and they tell me that banks are making loans, but there are simply new standards for these loans. Instead of lending to people who can’t afford it, those who have good credit are getting the loans.  Also very few businesses are simply not asking for increased lines of credit when President Obama is threatening higher taxes and more regulations.  They’re business-minded, after all, and they know his policies will harm small businesses in the long run.

Christina Romer on Meet the Press: “we have our eyes on the fundamentals” of the economy.  If there was any truth to that, then why are they driving up the federal debt by astronomical amounts, and driving business out of the capital markets?  Inflation and interest rates will go through the roof.  Why are they expanding the welfare state?  Why are they raising taxes during a recession? Why are they threatening oppressive regulations in the face of a recession? Why are they tilting our labor markets toward the socialist union controls?

Larry Summers on This Week: "we need to have a so-called regulation regime” that allow the federal government to make business decisions for private companies.  Now this is crazy, even for the liberals.  Never in our history has it been suggested that the federal government should start vetoing decisions or directly influencing the private sector to the extent Summers is suggesting.  Regulation of fraud and safety concerns can be debated, but regulating pure market forces?  What a catastrophe.  That will create even more disaster for our economy. 

The economic fundamentals of freedom, freedom, and more  freedom are the only way to ensure capital and market forces join together to grow us out of this mess. The only way to get out of this recession is to get the government out of the way.  Less taxation, smaller government, fewer regulations…confidence will return and our recovery will be quick.   But I, like the rest of America, have no confidence in this administration to get it right.

 

If there has ever been a situation crying out for clarity, it is the ongoing “dispute” between Israel – a Western, democratic ally of the United States – and Hamas – the Iran-sponsored terrorist organization that has launched 4,000 missiles into Israel over the past few years. We are lucky – though not nearly so lucky as the Israeli people – that Israel’s government has finally had enough and has decided to remove the Hamas threat once and for all. [# More #]

And yet, listening to the statesmen of the international community, one gets the impression that the whole thing is Israel’s fault. From the United Nations, the European Union, and even the United States, one hears calls for an end to the violence, as if the terrorism itself and the self-defense of the victims is morally equivalent. Meanwhile, the international media is shocked – shocked! – that Palestinian civilians have been caught in the crossfire.

Crossfire? Hamas launches its rockets, boards its terrorists, and hides its weapons along beaches, in mosques, and in cemeteries. They do this on purpose so that any retaliation by Israel can be spun to a gullible (and disturbingly anti-Israel) media as an attack against civilians. Meanwhile, reporters fail to mention that when Israeli civilians die at the hands of Hamas attacks, it’s not a regrettable consequence of war: for Hamas, killing innocent Israelis is the whole point.

The Bush Administration has been supportive of Israel for eight years, and, despite a few nods to diplomatic niceties, remains largely supportive with Secretary Rice’s call for a “ceasefire that would not allow a reestablishment of the status quo ante.” But it’s more than that. The problem isn’t just that Hamas launches rockets into Israel, but that Hamas exists for one purpose – to kill Jews and destroy Israel. The problem isn’t the conflict – it’s the terrorists.

This new war isn’t really new at all – it’s the same war of survival Israel has been fighting since its founding. It is also the same war the United States is fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, and around the world. Islamist terror isn’t a “strategic partner” or a “global competitor” – it’s a disease, a new manifestation of the same monstrous ideas that once spawned the Gulag, Holocaust, and Killing Fields. This ideology – Islamism, Islamic Fascism, whatever you want to call it – is aggressive, totalitarian, and blood-thirsty. It won’t quit – it needs to be defeated. That’s why we fought back after 9/11, it’s why we sent the surge to Iraq, and it’s why Israel should stop being asked to negotiate with men holding hand-grenades.

We’re all for an “end of the violence.” But the violence in the Middle East will not end until the death-cult psychopaths of Hamas and Hezbollah are ended first.

RNC Chairman Mike Duncan, who is now running for re-election, recently announced a new project to be run out of the national committee - The Center for Republican Renewal. 

Now this, simply put, is a horrible idea. [# More #]

While I appreciate Chairman Duncan for thinking outside the box, we'd be better off paying more attention to what the Democrats have built over the last eight years and working off of a new model.  This new political paradigm all comes down to campaign finance reform.  What John McCain thought (hoped?) would be a shot in the arm to our campaigns turned out to be a shot in the foot to the Republican Party.  Karl Rove and the Bush team were simply convinced that Republicans would rake in the dough when we doubled the individual contribution limits...but what they didn't realize was the incredible amount of soft money that would pour in to finance liberal political capital.  Unions, foundations, and wealthy individuals all ponied up vast amounts of their resources to build an outside organization - a Shadow Party, as David Horowitz calls it.  Couple that with a national candidate’s (without the last name Bush) unexpected hard dollar fundraising prowess and, well, here we are.

The good news is there are about twice as many conservative think tanks as liberal ones, yet the Republican National Committee - a party organization with the sole goal to elect Republicans to office, is potentially wasting scarce, overly-regulated, hard dollars on ten staffers to write talking points and develop a new website.  They don't need a think tank to develop new ideas, we already have a party platform for that.

My suggestion: we as conservatives don't need another Think Tank, what we need is an Action Tank that can partner the issue and idea-based resources available through Heritage, AEI, Hudson, etc, with the right legislators and advocacy groups to make these big thoughts actually happen.  It's something I always wish we had when I was in leadership, and something we can easily do now, through a 501(c)3 that can take unlimited, tax deductible donations. 

Call the RNC and tell them they'd be better off using their hard money for races, party building, and communicating our conservative platform.
 

I was so blessed with the time to learn from Paul Weyrich as we worked together to build the Republican Study Committee and to ensure that conservative thought and action guided the Republican Congress.  Up until my last days in the House, I could count on seeing him each week in my office, lunching around a table of conservative heroes – and, of course, he was always the most revered of the bunch.  Paul was the only man in this town who knew how to revive the Right and he did so through political thought and political organization.  This is a very sad day, indeed, and his passing comes at a time when we need his leadership more than ever.  Conservatives would do well to allow Paul’s life and legacy to not only serve our memory, but to guide our future. 

Following are my remarks from the Weyrich tribute dinner earlier this year…and now that this day has come, I am so happy that we were able to tell him how much he meant to us, personally, and to the conservative movement.  May you rest in peace, my friend. [# More #]

Paul Weyrich is the man a generation of Washington conservatives wanted to be when they grew up. 

He is one of the few men of his or any generation that combined the twin geniuses for political thought and political organization.  His greatest legacies – the Heritage Foundation and the Free Congress Foundation – have served as headquarters for conservative thinking and conservative action in Washington.  Until conservatives come together again and put these twin pillars of our movement together, we will remain on the outside looking in.  If anyone wants to know how to revive the right, just look at the life and legacy of Paul Weyrich, a man who always puts his ideas to work.

Paul, you have always been a trusted friend and loyal ally.  And now, heading into what everyone says is a liberal revival, I hope you know that none of us will let you retire anytime soon.  We need you, and your vision, now more than ever, old friend.

This is my column that first ran in Roll Call last week...subscription required, but full text below.

The word agenda has two related but distinct political definitions. The first meaning is superficial, as in, “The agenda for this week will be ...” That is, what a political leader or constituency wants to do. The second is deeper, as in, “What’s their agenda?” That means, what does a political leader or constituency really want to do? [# More #]

Right now, Democrats are euphoric about their expectation of run-the-table unity. But once the inaugural balls are over, will the unity hold?

Within the Democrat Party right now, there are at least three important agendas.

The first is that of President-elect Barack Obama, the savior who has brought the Democrats out of the wilderness, the first presidential candidate from his party to win a popular majority in more than 30 years. His primary agenda is to be re-elected in 2012 by what is still a center-right nation. video platform video management video solutions free video player

His career makes clear he is a genuine liberal in ways that Bill Clinton never was, but it also makes clear his primary ambition is ambition. The selection of Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) as his chief of staff sends several messages, but the clearest one, it seems to me, is that Obama has no plans to repeat the mistakes of Bill Clinton’s first two years in office.

This administration’s honeymoon will not be derailed by gays in the military, any whiff of incompetence, or strange mini-scandals about firing secretaries and the like. Rahm Emanuel is a liberal, but he’s no fool. He’s the one who urged Democrats in the 2006 midterms to run moderate, middle-class- oriented campaigns to take back Congress. He knows what side his party’s bread is really buttered on, and he’ll prevent unforced errors that annoy the electorate.

Unfortunately, the second most important agenda is probably that of Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), desperate to finally fulfill his lifelong goal of European-style, universal health care coverage paid for by the taxpayers. Surely Obama would love to be the president who finally delivers on this liberal goal of providing entitlements to the middle class, but will the American people really stomach the tax hikes necessary to afford such a move, in the middle of a recession? What will the dynamics of the party become if, say, a certain Democrat Senator known for her advocacy of nationalized health care starts making noises that the president is road-blocking the fading Lion of the Left from realizing his mythic family’s ultimate dream?

Meanwhile, the third agenda will be that of the liberal interest groups that make up the Democrat coalition and the House Democrat caucus that must retain good relations with them less than two years from a pendulum-swinging election in 2010.

Remember, conservatives believe Obama to be a liberal extremist, but he ran a moderate campaign, promising tax cuts and increased energy production while attacking earmarks and the rigidity of teachers unions. Liberal interest groups are the Democrats’ greatest strength and weakness — they provide unparalleled organization but then demand unparalleled rewards.

They will expect quick action on long- delayed payoffs such as card check for union elections, the Freedom of Choice Act that would force Christian doctors and nurses and hospitals to perform abortions, the so-called Fairness Doctrine, and rolling back the still-popular Republican tax cuts of 2001 and 2003. Obama has indicated he supports all of the above, but will he really be willing to use his political clout for such polarizing displays of power?

The American people just want the economy to improve, and if socialized health care, tax hikes or taxpayer-funded partial-birth abortions arrive before the economy does get better, well, honeymoon over. Obama knows this.

Put yourself in his shoes — trying to get re-elected by a still-conservative-leaning country while fighting off rabid activists, a history-chasing Kennedy, and a suddenly accountable Democrat Congress — and you can see why he would want a well-trained pit bull as his chief of staff.

The most interesting agenda, then, will be the Republicans’. The forces pulling the Obama administration will force the new president to finally make decisions and, for the first time in the public eye, fill his feet with clay. No later than April or May, the 4 percent of Americans who supported Republicans four years ago but not last week will give another look to the GOP. What they see is the single question Republican leaders and conservative activists should be asking themselves now.

The unchecked Democrat government in Washington will naturally lend itself to a cohering of a conservative coalition opposed to it. Conservatives tired of their previous batch of leaders will quickly seek another once the Obama-Pelosi-Reid triumvirate runs the government for a few months.

What is needed then is a new conservatism, a new agenda, an alternative that can be put before the American people when they come looking for one.

I think a Republican agenda that looks like Ronald Reagan’s or the “Contract with America” won’t work — the country has moved on. The specifics must be worked out, but the very idea of Republicanism must become at once clearer and bolder. Tax cuts must be replaced by tax reform — reforms with an eye specifically toward investment, growth and middle-income families. “Slowing the rate of growth” should be replaced with actual spending cuts — better to cut a little than tinker a lot.

In 1994, Republicans ran on 10 promises; in 2010, they might run on only two or three — something along the lines of “Security Abroad, Freedom at Home and Competence in Government.”

The three branches of conservatism — security hawks, social traditionalists and economic libertarians — could all sign on and fill in their own blanks. Alternative proposals should be advanced against every policy Congressional Democrats propose — and they should all be simpler, easier to implement, more accountable to the people and less costly to the taxpayer. This kind of reinvention is good for conservatism — it’s good every decade or so to reassess and recalibrate the common goals.

And the timing couldn’t be better. I cannot stress this enough — the Democrats, for the first time in a very long time, are unable to avoid the consequences of their actions. The most significant consequence they face should be a unified and unifying conservative plan of government that reminds the American people why they became Republicans in the first place. Forging that plan before President Obama makes his first big mistake is the Republican agenda, in both senses of the word.

I explain in today's Washington Times.  [# More #]

When it comes to fundraising, organization and ground game, we Republicans got whipped.

Now, Republicans may criticize Sen. Barack Obama for breaking his promise to accept public funding and play by the established rules, but that doesn't take us too far. We shouldn't kid ourselves: Democrats breaking this precedent had nothing to do with their campaign-finance principles, and everything to do with the fact they could afford to. Mr. McCain could never have competed this fall without the federal funds and, in the end, Mr. Obama simply smothered McCain, outspending him in battleground states by three-to-one, with plenty left over to compete in even Republican-leaning areas.

For years, Republicans outworked Democrats at the polls. Democrats would have opulent fund-raisers with celebrities and would bask in the glow of a lapdog media. Republicans would go out on Election Day and beat them on the ground game. Their guys wrote checks; our guys wrote letters to the editor. They knocked our values; we knocked on doors. They spoke for the people; we actually got out and spoke with the people. Conservative organizations outside the official party apparatus understood their role in a large coalition: organize, energize, and mobilize. And then we won.

Victory is always the hardest thing for a successful political coalition. Economic, social and foreign-policy conservatives unite easily when brought together in opposition to tax-and-spend, pro-abortion, dovish liberals in power. After more than a decade in control of Congress and eight years in the White House, the coalition has worn thin. Conservatives of each of these stripes will always have some complaint to make against the Republican Party. But as odd as it sounds, we need not let our past victories continue to divide us.

Meanwhile, liberals of every sort are in a frenzy to get back into power, and especially to wrest the White House back from President Bush, who liberals have tried to peg as an illegitimate president all along. Democrats have not missed this golden opportunity to unite.

Liberalism's new and impressive network of organizations -- especially fund-raising, grassroots mobilization, and communications -- has left in the dust anything conservatives have ever put together. Organizations like America Votes and ACORN are so closely tied to Democrat politics that they might as well be arms of the party apparatus. The George Soros-funded Shadow Party of organizations run by former Clinton administration officials and liberal leaders -- the Center for American Progress, the Thunder Road Group, MoveOn.org, Media Matters, etc. -- has created a second left-leaning party free from restrictions imposed by official regulations -- including McCain-Feingold.

This liberal infrastructure, which now dwarfs conservatism's in size, scope, and sophistication, will be setting and helping to impose the national agenda for the coming years. The time has come for conservatives to wake up and smell the 21st century.

American politics as we know it ended the day Mr. Obama refused public funds for his presidential bid and unleashed a billion-dollar political giant. National campaigns will now operate not as individual operations designed to elect a single man, but as a cohesive, all-encompassing movement, well funded and certainly prepared for a political coup. In 2012, Mr. Obama -- whether as an incumbent or a seasoned veteran challenger -- will no doubt raise more than $1 billion for his campaign conglomerate. And that's not wrong. It's impressive -- and intimidating.

Between now and then, Republicans must come to terms with their organizational shortcomings and finally become again the kind of dynamic political party that won stirring victories in 1994 and 2000. Our party must expand its organization to include our coalition groups in the ways Democrats have with theirs. The Coalition for a Conservative Majority, an organization I helped start in 2006, is trying to pull conservative organizations back together after too many years of internecine squabbling. Only under conservative government will groups like the National Rifle Association, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and National Right to Life Committee receive a fair hearing of their views; it's time they started working together.

Conservatism's leading donors must look beyond contributing only to traditional channels like the RNC or campaign committees, and open up to also funding outside organizations that can do what the Democrats' Shadow Party is already doing. New resources must be tapped, and just as importantly, coordinated.

And our leaders -- in Congress and in the states -- must develop and communicate a strong, conservative agenda of reform around which conservatives of all stripes can rally with a well-organized political communication strategy.

Luckily, we are still a center-right nation. We still favor conservative approaches to taxes, spending, regulation, foreign policy and traditional values. Americans have never lost their faith in conservatism. We need now a new, 21st-century political coalition to remind them of that fact, and to restore its faith in actual conservatives.

Former Rep. Tom DeLay, Texas Republican, served as House majority leader.

This is why it's great to have a blog. 

Not that I ever expected the Chronicle to give me a fair shake, but here is an editorial board that based their endorsement of a Democrat candidate on lies about me, that failed to include the egregious ethical violations of their preferred candidate, and then refused to print my response because they felt it was "misleading" and didn't match up with their printed inaccuracies.  No wonder they can't keep their readers...
[# More #]
To the Editor:

I’m writing in response to your October 29th endorsement of Chris Bell for the District 17 state Senate seat. 

Contrary to the claims in the editorial, Bell was not the first, nor the last, defeated Democrat to “fire shots” my way, and it’s laughable to think the vengeful actions of a freshman Member is what led me to resign two years later.  I’d been through 10 years of this Democrat smear campaign, starting back in the mid-90s when they announced this as their political strategy.  Rep. Patrick Kennedy even filed a RICO suit during the 2000 election, accusing me of conspiring to defeat Democrats.  It was later dismissed with prejudice. 

The Democrats’ continued their plan to “Newt-er” me leading up to the 2004 election, colluding with Democrat front groups and a so-called “watchdog group” that drafted a formal House Ethics complaint and shopped it around to lawmakers.  Bell, at that point a lame duck congressman, was the only one bitter enough to bite, so he filed them.  I was cleared on the charges.  

The House Ethics Committee then issued a report finding Bell in direct violation of House Rules.  The Committee found - as we’ve always held - that Bell’s complaint contained inflammatory language, exaggerated charges, and serious misstatements of fact and law.  Their letter – of admonishment, if you will – would have led to official punishment for violating the rules, had he not already lost the Democrat primary. 

The Chronicle can try to chalk Bell’s political losses up to “redistricting”, but in reality, he didn’t serve his constituents well enough to be returned to office.

Tom DeLay

That's the topic of my piece in U.S. News and World Report, which hit the newsstands last week.  [# More #]

Also, check out my former constituent Paul Begala's angry rant.  That's the liberals for you - always making politics personal, and never quite sticking to the subject. 

And here we go...

Frank Calls for Major Defense Cuts, 'Eventual' Tax Hike. [# More #]

The best thing about liberals like this is that they just don’t know when to keep quiet.  The worst thing, Barney Frank is actually an able legislator...thankfully the rest of his House leadership is not.  All the better for Republican fundraising and political fodder, and for our chances of winning back seats.

June: DeLay: 'Unless Obama Proves Me Wrong, He Is a Marxist'

October: Marxists/Socialists/Communists for Obama

Turns out the actual communists who vote in this country deny that he really does represent their views, but they still argue that he's the best candidate for their cause based on Marxist teachings.  Then whoever wrote this (quite oddly) claimed they aren't Marxists....sounds like Obama fits right in with this crowd.  And, since this appears on Obama's official website, I take it he is quite comfortable publicly courting the commie vote. [# More #]

Barack Obama is the single most liberal person to have ever received the nomination of the Democrat Party, and if voters don't quickly realize just how dangerous his political beliefs will be for our country, we will soon find out the hard way.

Marxists/Socialists/Communists for Obama

This group is for self-proclaimed Marxists/Communists/Socialists for the election of Barack Obama to the Presidency. By no means is he a true Marxist, but under Karl Marx's writings we are to support the party with the best interests of the mobilization of the proletariat. Though the Democratic Socialists of America or the Communist Patty [sic] of America may have more Socialististic values, it is pointless to vote for these candidates due to the fact that there is virutally [sic] no chance they will be elected on a National level. The members of this group are not Leninists, Stalinists, etc. and do not support or condone the actions of North Korea, China, Cuba or any other self-procalimed [sic] "Marxist States." They do not in anyway represent the Marxist philosophy nor do they represent Socialism/ Communsim. [sic] We support Barack Obama because he knows what is best for the people!

As you may have seen over the last couple of weeks, CCM Chairman Ken Blackwell has been all over Fox News attacking ACORN for their voter fraud practices in key swing states.  Taking on ACORN is a major battle, and I appreciate all the groups out there who are hammering away.   The bad news it, there are plenty of other fights to pick with these groups, some of which seemingly take their fundraising cues from the Question Mark Guy.  [# More #] Take a look at PIRG (Ralph Nader's group) and the Legal Services Corporation (Hillary' Clinton's group) -  two Leftist organizations that rely on government handouts and "dues" to fight their battles against conservative, American values.

Now when I was elected to Congress, there was nothing I wanted to do more than eliminate these types of socialist programs, not to mention the larger ones, like the Department of Education.  What we conservatives learned the hard way is that organizations like this were just powerful enough to frighten moderate Republicans into leaving them alone, and not allowing us with enough votes to zero them out.  We were able to slow them down a bit, but now conservatives have the opportunity to use ACORN's media attention to make an example of liberal excess and efforts to undermine conservative principles, the free market, and individual liberty. 

This is one of many reasons we have to build a real conservative movement, not just a loose coalition of single issue groups. We will never be able to compete with the huge and powerful Leftist movement until we are aware of what exactly it is they are doing.  We started with CCM, which gives us a real grassroots organization that builds a political movement, not just a cause. But we need more.  Conservatives have no communications/research group that rivals what the Left has in the Media Fund, CREW, and Media Matters, etc. We need what I call an "Action Tank" that will take the policy and research of the Right and put it, and our elected officials, to work.  When we come together and share the resources of new organizations with the many single issue groups that have dominated the conservative political scene, we will once again become an organized force that will compete with, and clobber, the Left. Until then, we will be forced to continue our current operations within the movement: complain, whine, and lose.

If some folks out there are going to compare Pelosi’s incompetent tactics to my previous leadership in the House, let’s get a few facts straight:

1.    If I were a rank and file member, I would have voted against it.
2.    If I were in leadership, that would not have been the bill.
3.    And we would have won.

UPDATE: Thanks, Rich!

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing." - Edmund Burke

As someone who has been attacked by a rabidly liberal partisan prosecutor and who is quite aware of what prosecutors are able to get away with, I can tell you that criminalizing politics is exactly what the Obama camp intends to do.  I wrote about this ridiculous phenomenon from a first hand account in my book: [# More #]

It was Winston Churchill who once said, “In war a man dies only once, but in politics many times.” No one who enters public office is surprised by this anymore. Political leadership has always been tantamount to painting a target on your back, and this is even more the case in our media-driven, “inside story”-addicted generation. Only a fool would step on the public stage today without expecting every detail of his life to be exposed, debated, and criticized. This is simply the price of leadership in our time.

In the meantime, church pastors are desperate to remove the muzzle that is keeping them from sharing political views that  - gasp! - happen to apply to the direction our nation's leaders may take us.  When it's a crime in this country to run a radio ad that a candidate doesn't agree with, or for a pastor to provide political counsel based upon shared religious beliefs, we must do something. 

Finally, someone is making some sense when it comes to the bailout.  The problem is, will House Democrats lend an ear to what conservatives are saying, or simply do what they do best - spend, and waste, taxpayer dollars?  [# More #] House conservatives, led by Reps. Cantor, Hensarling, and Ryan, today introduced the above list of conservative economic principles that should guide Congress through this process.  

I commend them for not blindly accepting the plan the Administration, or the Democrats, put forth.  But in addition to these principles, I would add that the appropriate agencies should be given authority to change the accounting rules to reflect market principles or, if they already have that authority, it should be required that they use it.  Now is the time to implement market principles, not socialist ideas that have driven these Democrat leaders for the last 50 years.  Finally, we must be very vocal in attacking Democrats for causing this through their regulatory, socialist, big government worldview. 

House Republicans are making the right moves by injecting their conservative principles into the debate, but no matter what is put out there, they should feel free to VOTE NO!

Today is Constitution Day.  Celebrate...by actually reading it. [# More #]

I carry a copy of the Constitution in my breast pocket every day so that I remember there is such a thing. And I have recommended that to numerous public officials, and yes, even Supreme Court justices.  Order your copy of the Constitution here, or just ask your Member of Congress for one.

Think the Democrats are the party of honest, open, ethical government? Wrong. I’ve worked with these guys (actually, against them) for longer than I care to admit, and let me tell you: nothing has changed but their talking points. The Republican Leader office has compiled a great resource, titled “The Swamp List” highlighting their dirty tricks, and they’re actually in print. But it’s not enough to simply call them out on their hypocrisy and wrong doing – we need to take a page from their playbook and make sure their leadership is weeding out these members. Call on Nancy Pelosi to fire Charlie Rangel!
[# More #]

Charlie’s Beach Buddy

New York Post

September 7, 2008

By Isabel Vincent

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09072008/news/nationalnews/charlies_beach_buddy_127860.htm

 

Interest Was Waived for Rangel on Loan for Villa

The New York Times

September 6, 2008

By David Kocieniewski and David M. Halbfinger

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/06/nyregion/06rangel.html

 

Playing the Tax Angles

New York Post

September 6, 2008

By Maggie Haberman

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09062008/news/regionalnews/playing_the_tax_angles_127744.htm

 

Charlie’s Tropical Deal

New York Post

September 6, 2008

By Isabel Vincent and Maggie Haberman

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09062008/news/regionalnews/charlies_tropical_deal_127747.htm

 

Tax-Writer, Tax-Dodger

New York Post

September 6, 2008

Editorial

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09062008/postopinion/editorials/tax_writer__tax_dodger_127788.htm

 

Rangel Failed to Report $75,000 in Income

The New York Times

September 5, 2008

By David Kocieniewski

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/nyregion/05rangel.html

 

Rangel Admits to Villa Income

New York Post

September 5, 2008

By Isabel Vincent

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09052008/news/regionalnews/rangel_admits_to_villa_income_127682.htm

 

Rangel Got Interest-Free Loan on Dominican Villa

Bloomberg

September 5, 2008

By Ryan J. Donmoyer

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=an6bTCY4Ar7M

 

Charlie’s Cash Cow

New York Post

September 3, 2008

Editorial

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09032008/postopinion/editorials/charlies_cash_cow_127248.htm

 

Tricky Charlie’s Carib ‘Hideaway’

New York Post

August 31, 2008

By Isabel Vincent and Susan Edelman

http://www.nypost.com/seven/08312008/news/worldnews/tricky_charlies_carib_hideaway_126882.htm

 

The Murtha Rules: A Simple System to Win Federal Money

Harper’s

August 20, 2008

By Ken Silverstein and Sebastian Jones

http://harpers.org/archive/2008/08/hbc-90003436

 

Pelosi and Pickens, Investment Partners

Washington Examiner

August 18, 2008

Editorial

http://www.dcexaminer.com/opinion/Editorial_Pelosi_and_Pickens_investment_partners.html

 

Murtha Intervenes for Company That Broke Export Law

The Washington Post

August 15, 2008

By Christopher Lee

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/08/14/AR2008081403217_pf.html

 

Ethics Probe of Rep. Rangel Takes New Turn

The Hill

July 30, 2008

By Susan Crabtree

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/ethics-probe-of-rep.-rangel-takes-new-turn-2008-07-30.html

 

Rangel to Ethics Panel: Probe Me, Please!

New York Post

July 26, 2008

By Carl Campanile

http://www.nypost.com/seven/07262008/news/regionalnews/rangel_to_ethics_panel__probe_me__please_121641.htm

 

Rangel Seeks Ethics Probe Of His Efforts For College

CongressDaily AM

July 24, 2008

http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/hba_20080724_9720.php

 

Democrats and Ethics: Swamp Not Drained Yet

CQ Today

July 24, 2008

By Bart Jansen

http://www.cq.com/document/display.do?docid=2924321&sourcetype=6

 

Rangel Defends Actions On College Center In Complaint He Filed With Ethics Officials

The Hill

July 24, 2008

By Susan Crabtree

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/rangel-defends-actions-on-college-center-in-complaint-he-filed-with-ethics-officials-2008-07-23.html

 

Rangel Acknowledges Seeking Gifts

The Washington Post

July 24, 2008

By Christopher Lee

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/23/AR2008072303389.html

 

Rangel Asks For Probe Into Charity Solicitation

Roll Call

July 24, 2008

By Jennifer Yachnin

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_12/news/26988-1.html

 

Residential Fraud?

Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor”

July 22, 2008

By Bill O’Reilly and Griff Jenkins

http://www.foxnews.com/oreilly/index.html?playerId=oreillyhomeplayer&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=2546538&referralPlaylistId=326b9a135b246f708ad8efd924daee594c0b7c88&maven_dartZone=undefined&maven_dartSite=undefined

Wexler's Delray residency disputed by opponent

Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

By Kelly Wolfe

July 22, 2008

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/politics/content/local_news/epaper/2008/07/22/0722oreilly.html

 

Rep. Rangel’s Tin Cup

The Washington Post

July 17, 2008

Editorial

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602535.html

 

Rangel Says He Welcomes Ethics Inquiry on Fundraising

The Washington Post

July 17, 2008

By Christopher Lee

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/16/AR2008071602561.html

 

Probe Is Urged of Rangel's Fundraising for N.Y. Center

The Washington Post

July 16, 2008

By Christopher Lee

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/15/AR2008071502656.html

 

House Panel’s Staff Said to be in Turmoil

CongressDaily

July 15, 2008

By Chris Strohm

http://www.nationaljournal.com/congressdaily/cda_20080715_8959.php

 

Staff Turnover Hobbles Ethics

Roll Call

July 15, 2008

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_6/news/26674-1.html

 

Rangel’s Pet Cause Bears His Own Name

The Washington Post

July 15, 2008

By Christopher Lee

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/14/AR2008071402546.html

 

Staffers Join Money Chase

Roll Call

July 14, 2008

By Tory Newmyer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_5/news/26627-1.html

 

Mr. Rangel’s Very Good Deal

The New York Times

July 12, 2008

Editorial

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/12/opinion/12sat2.html

 

For Rangel, Four Rent-Stabilized Apartments

The New York Times

July 11, 2008

By David Kocieniewski

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/11/nyregion/11rangel.html

 

Greening Plan Evokes Criticism

Roll Call

July 10, 2008

By Emily Yehle

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_4/news/26555-1.html

 

Judge Denies Dismissal of Wire Fraud Charges in Jefferson Case

Roll Call

July 10, 2008

By Torey Van Oot

http://www.rollcall.com/news/26588-1.html

 

Teaching Can Pay Off

Roll Call

July 9, 2008

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_3/news/26491-1.html

 

Big Earmark Headache for Rep. Kanjorski

The Hill

July 8, 2008

By Susan Crabtree

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/big-earmark-headache-for-rep.-kanjorski-2008-07-08.html

 

Moore Staffers Used Office E-mail for Slattery

Roll Call

July 7, 2008

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/54_1/news/26403-1.html

 

Cooper Download Questioned

Roll Call

June 30, 2008

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_160/news/26354-1.html

 

Driving a ‘Gold-Plated’ Bargain

(Long Beach, CA) Press-Telegram

June 29, 2008

By Gene Maddaus

http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_9740035

 

Court Rejects Jefferson Bid to Dismiss

Roll Call

June 25, 2008

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/news/26257-1.html

 

Jefferson Trial Date Set for Dec. 2

Roll Call

June 16, 2008

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/news/25947-1.html

 

Richardson Disclosure Form Lists No Defaults

Associated Press

June 16, 2008

By Erica Werner

http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_9607911

 

Murtha’s Money

Roll Call

June 11, 2008

Editorial

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_150/editorial/25798-1.html

 

Colleges Paid Davis Aide’s Salary

The Hill

June 10, 2008

By Susan Crabtree

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/colleges-paid-davis-aides-salary-2008-06-10.html

 

Broker Alleges Loan Favoritism

(Long Beach, CA) Press-Telegram

June 9, 2008

By Gene Maddaus

http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_9535752

 

Murtha’s Cash for Students

Roll Call

June 9, 2008

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_148/news/25734-1.html

 

37^th District Rep. Laura Richardson Left Car Bills Unpaid

(Long Beach, CA) Press-Telegram

June 6, 2008

By Paul Eakins

http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_9508907

 

Jefferson Linked to Charges Against Brother

Roll Call

June 5, 2008

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/news/25682-1.html

 

Rep. Has a History of Defaults

(Long Beach, CA) Press-Telegram

May 28, 2008

By Gene Maddaus

http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_9410331

 

Jefferson Loses Bid to Dismiss Bribery Charges

Roll Call

May 27, 2008

By Torey Van Oot

http://www.rollcall.com/news/25459-1.html

 

Former Aide is Under Investigation

The Washington Post

May 24, 2008

By Carrie Johnson and Paul Kane

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/23/AR2008052302776.html

 

Congresswoman Defaults on Loan

(Long Beach, CA) Press-Telegram

May 21, 2008

By Gene Maddaus

http://www.presstelegram.com/search/ci_9341463

 

Illinois Aide Claims Earmarks Credit

Roll Call

March 24, 2008

By John Stanton

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_110/news/22670-1.html

 

Ortiz Bet on China Deal

Roll Call

February 27, 2008

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_99/news/22281-1.html

 

Oink! Oink! Murtha’s Porkfest

The Washington Examiner

February 27, 2007

Editorial

http://www.examiner.com/a-1244549~Oink__Oink__Murtha_s_porkfest.html

 

Critics Believe Murtha-Backed Defense Center a Waste

WTAE-TV ABC 4

February 15, 2008

By Paul Van Osdol

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/15313889/detail.html

 

Meeks to Pay $63,000 in FEC fines for Financial Improprieties

The Hill

Februrary 5, 2008

By Aaron Blake

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/meeks-to-pay-63000-in-fec-fines-for-financial-improprieties-2008-02-05.html

 

Millions in Earmarks Purchase Little of Use

The Washington Post

December 29, 2007

By Robert O’Harrow Jr.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/28/AR2007122803055_pf.html

 

Even Cut 50 Percent, Earmarks Clog Military Bill

The New York Times

November 4, 2007

By Marilyn W. Thompson and Ron Nixon

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/washington/04earmarks.html

 

Dem’s Rising Star Didn’t Exercise Care

The New York Daily News

October 15, 2007

By Elizabeth Benjamin

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/10/15/2007-10-15_dems_rising_star_didnt_exercise_care.html

 

A Lucrative Center for Visclosky, PMA

Roll Call

October 3, 2007

By Tory Newmyer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_37/news/20310-1.html

 

Reyes PAC Gets PMA Cash

Roll Call

October 1, 2007

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_35/news/20256-1.html

 

Lawmaker had a Run-In with INS Officials in ‘03

The Hill

September 21, 2007

By Susan Crabtree

http://hill6.thehill.com/leading-the-news/lawmaker-had-a-run-in-with-ins-officials-in-03-2007-09-21.html

 

Mud Thrown at Murtha Stains All of Us

The (Johnstown, PA) Tribune-Democrat

September 21, 2007

Editorial

http://www.tribune-democrat.com/editorials/local_story_264103810.html

 

Mr. Murtha’s Money

Roll Call

September 19, 2007

By Tory Newmyer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_29/vested/20056-1.html

 

Watchdog Group Ranks Murtha Among Most Corrupt

The (Johnstown, PA) Tribune-Democrat

September 18, 2007

By Sandra K. Reabuck

http://www.tribune-democrat.com/local/local_story_261232617.html

 

Ample Earmarks Aid PMA Clients

Roll Call

September 17, 2007

By Tory Newmyer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_27/news/20015-1.html

 

Lobbying on the Side

Roll Call

September 12, 2007

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_25/news/19946-1.html

 

Cleland Leaves Disability Group

Roll Call

September 11, 2007

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_24/news/19914-1.html

 

Mollohan Cast Votes Despite Recusal

Roll Call

July 30, 2007

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/53_14/news/19587-1.html

 

Defense Firms Like Murtha’s District

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

July 15, 2007

By Jerome L. Sherman

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07196/801835-84.stm

 

Scott Aide Cries Foul, Gets Fired

Politico

July 9, 2007

By Kenneth P. Vogel

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0707/4847.html

 

Mollohan Earmarks Nearby Land

Roll Call

June 28, 2007

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/52_148/news/19199-1.html

 

Jack Murtha, Venture Capitalist

The Washington Times

June 26, 2007

Editorial

http://washingtontimes.com/news/2007/jun/26/jack-murtha-venture-capitalist/

 

Companies Follow Murtha’s Earmark Trail

Roll Call

June 25, 2007

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/52_145/news/19117-1.html

 

Murtha’s Technology Show is a Showcase for Contractors

The Hill

May 23, 2007

By Roxana Tiron

http://thehill.com/business--lobby/murthas-technology-show-is-showcase-for-contractors-2007-05-23.html

 

Rep. Scott’s Finances Questioned

Politico

May 23, 2007

By Kenneth P. Vogel

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0507/4163.html

 

Dems Save Murtha a Slap

The Hill

May 23, 2007

By Jonathan E. Kaplan and Jackie Kucinich

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/dems-save-murtha-a-slap-2007-05-23.html

 

Mollohan, Town Do Battle Over Earmark

Roll Call

May 22, 2007

By Paul Singer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/52_129/news/18600-1.html

 

Murtha Sent Earmark Letter Five Weeks After Deadline

The Hill

May 22, 2007

By Susan Crabtree

http://hill6.thehill.com/leading-the-news/murtha-sent-earmark-letter-five-weeks-after-deadline-2007-05-22.html

 

Murtha Accused of Rules Violation

Politico

May 17, 2007

By Patrick O’Connor

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0507/4068.html

 

Money Rolls for Approps Democrats

Roll Call

April 23, 2007

By Tory Newmyer

http://www.rollcall.com/issues/52_112/vested/18090-1.html

 

Democrats Offer Up Chairmen For Donors

The Washington Post

Feb. 24, 2007

By Jeffrey H. Birnbaum and John Solomon

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/23/AR2007022301978.html

 

Breaking the Congressional Deadlock
 
(This is an op-ed that ran in the Washington Times on Sunday, up against my friend Steny Hoyer's opinion piece.)

In coming weeks, President Bush, John McCain, Barack Obama and the Democrats running Congress will all try to blame the other guys for the deadlock in Congress. "We just can't get anything done," they will lament, as only political candidates can. The ideal scenario expressed in the speeches of all of the above will be a gauzy time in the middle distance when we can finally set aside our petty differences, come together and solve our problems in a bipartisan manner. The enemy of this rhetorical era of good feeling is said to be partisanship. [# More #]

The first problem with the post-partisan dream is that America's (or the Left's) oft-referenced golden age of pre-partisan harmony never existed. During the Revolutionary War, at least one-third of the American colonists sided with the British. Thomas Jefferson slandered the Federalists with government resources, and, of course, Alexander Hamilton was fatally shot by the sitting vice president. John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay practically stole a presidential election from Andrew Jackson. Republican Sen. Charles Sumner was caned on the floor of the Senate by Democratic Congressman Preston Brooks in 1851.

Then there was the unpleasantness of 1861 to 1865. Then Reconstruction's humiliation of the South, the Gilded Age's exploitation of the Common Man, Progressivism's creepy holy war against anyone who disagreed with it, our 20-year experiment with socialism between the wars, America First, "Who lost China?," Vietnam, the Nixon mess, the Carter debacle, Reagan, Clinton, Bush ... tell me, when exactly did Americans set aside their differences and solve our problems in a nonpartisan fashion?

The second and more important objection to gauzy, gooey post-partisanship is simple: Who really wants it?

Listening to the Democrats at their convention this week, I find that they think people have a fundamental right to health insurance, but not a fundamental right to life. They think the Iraq war was a mistake. They think President Bush is a bigger threat to our democracy than jihadist terror. They think the solution to our energy crisis is asking Saudi Arabia to pretty please drill some more oil for us. They think "community organizer" is a real job.

Agreeing with such things would not require the setting aside of a conservative's differences, but his principles. It's impossible for everyone to agree on a policy, so in a democracy, it's not important that they do. All that matters is that all have their say in shaping that policy. If we lose, fine, but at least we have a fair shake. As long as we have winner-take-all elections, we're going to have two parties, and as long we have two parties, we're going to have partisanship. There are plenty of models for "post-partisan" government around the world - Cuba, China and Saudi Arabia come to mind - but few would actually recommend them.

Vigorous argument about political differences is not rancor - it's democracy. And lest we forget, deadlock is often the best option. Take the energy debate. The Democrats are scrambling to come up with a way to protect themselves from the drubbing they're taking on offshore drilling. The bill they produce is going to be awful. It will contain 1 percent drilling and 99 percent stupid. On the other hand, if Congress does nothing, the moratorium on offshore drilling expires Oct. 1. If "setting aside differences" and "getting things done" means Democrats throwing a drilling ban on a spending bill, thereby canceling Energy Freedom Day and potentially causing a government shutdown, I'll take deadlock any day. And according to public opinion polls, so would most Americans.

Partisanship, for lack of a better word, is good. Partisanship helps to clarify choices and explain options. It also provides our only meaningful vehicle for reform - whether from the Left or the Right. Social Security and Medicare - whatever you may think of them - were not American ideas, but projects of the Democrat Party. Meanwhile, welfare reform and growth-minded fiscal policy achieved national support only after the Republican Party promoted them in the teeth of partisan opposition. If nationalized health care is ever adopted, it will be over the screaming opposition of conservatives, and if we ever open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, Democrats may cane a few more Republicans along the way.

And that's a good thing (well, not the caning, I guess). It is good that laws governing 300 million people spread across a vast continent are very hard to enact. National laws should only express national consensus, and the reason we have policy arguments is that consensus isn't yet reached. When it is, legislative majorities will materialize, and we'll move on to new arguments.

And if history is any guide, those arguments will be loud, unyielding, overheated, partisan as hell, and in many cases will lead to years of entrenched deadlock. God bless America.

Howdy Townhall Readers,

If you couldn’t already tell, I’ve been on a vacation/fact-finding trip up to the northern part of our beautiful country and unable to post. Sorry for that, but there will be more to come as my good friends Ken Blackwell and Bob Beauprez join their CCM activists in Denver to combat the liberals – even those too liberal to blend in - and as I head to St. Paul for the Republican convention. In the meantime, I hope you all enjoy the Olympics…and the conventions.

Keep the Faith,
Tom DeLay

Enjoy...

http://tomdelay.com/dnc/

Please let me know if you have details (specifically who is paying and who is going) for any of these.

This is one of the few times since I’ve resigned from Congress that I actually truly miss it. As you all have heard, House Republicans decided to forego the August District Work Period to stay in D.C. and work on an energy bill that will actually lower gas prices and protect our economy. While the Democrat leadership turned off the lights and went home, House Republicans flew back to D.C. to continue work on the energy crisis. There are no C-SPAN cameras rolling, but Members of Congress are still talking. This is truly historic and exciting and all activists should feel very encouraged by this display of unity among Republicans.

Action Points: [# More #]

1.) Tell your member of Congress to sign the discharge petition that will bring H.R. 6566 – The American Energy Act, up for a vote despite Nancy Pelosi’s objections and as soon as Democrats turn the lights back on.

2.) Stay tuned in to what’s happening on the floor through the Republican Cloakroom, and visit the Capitol to show the Republicans who are still there your support. That is, if you have the time and can afford the fuel to get there. From what I hear, the visitors have been able to join Members on the House floor, and are asking questions and engaging in the debate.

3.) Keep the media coverage coming – write a letter to your local paper, call your local talk radio, and show your support for The American Energy Act. With Democrat obstruction, this is truly the only legislative solution to our energy problems.