Friday, November 19, 2004

Delay Tactics: The Republicans are hypocrites for getting rid of a rule now that it no longer suits them. While they looked all high and mighty when they were the minority party by preventing indicted House members from taking leadership roles -- to show up the Democrats -- now such shackles of "reform" are deemed inconvenient.

That being said, I do feel for Tom DeLay for being the latest target of Ronnie Earle's political crusades. I'm no fan of DeLay, not by a long shot. But this isn't the first time Ronnie Earle has made headlines for himself through a widely publicized investigation.

For those who don't know, Ronnie Earle is the District Attorney for Travis County, Texas. Travis County is, of course, home to the city of Austin, which is a liberal bastion in a conservative state -- a bright Blue Dot in a deep Red State, if you will. It's also one of my favorite places on Earth.

There is a quirk in Texas law that puts all of the states elected officials, for both state and federal offices, under the investigative power of the Travis County District Attorney (because Austin is the state capital). Ronnie Earle has made a career delighting his constituents by dragging politicians, both Republicans and Democrats, through the mud.

Each of the investigations, which rarely it seems produces a conviction, have always been deemed political in nature. This one is probably no different, considering DeLay's controversial involvement in redistricting congressional seats in Texas. I'm betting that DeLay won't be convicted for any of the fundraising funny business he's been accused of. I could be wrong, considering I don't know all the facts in the case, but that's just a hunch.

Am I upset that The Hammer might get knocked off his high horse, if not criminally then at least politically? Not at all. But it's hard to support the tactics of Ronnie Earle. Then again, it's equally hard to stomach watching the Republicans adopt one ethics policy as a minority party in order to gain power, only to cast it aside after they have secured control. Election after election, it remains politics as usual.

Update: The GOP finally changed course on this.