Republicans calling for elections to replace DeLay

[seafan]

Republicans calling for elections to replace DeLay


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - About two dozen Republicans have promised to sign a petition calling for elections to permanently replace Rep. Tom DeLay as majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, aides said on Friday.

"We have commitments for about 25 signatures. The letter calls for a leadership election for a permanent majority leader," said Matthew Specht, a spokesman for Rep. Jeff Flake (news, bio, voting record), a conservative Arizona Republican.

Fifty House Republican signatures are needed to call elections, which would occur after the House reconvenes on January 31.

A source close to House Republicans, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters that the signatures were being collected from conservative and moderate Republicans. The source said Rep. Charles Bass (news, bio, voting record), a New Hampshire moderate, was working closely with Flake.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060106/pl_nm/usa_congress_delay_dc;_ylt=A86.I14q3b5D8sAA8xkb.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTA4NGRzMjRtBHNlYwMxNjk5

[The Pain]

1. permanent?

Abram is telling on 60 republicans.
Let's wait till after that for the repubs to find a "Permanent" replacement

[UpInArms]

2. Welcome to DU, The Pain!

Glad to have you here :hi:

And I, for one, hope that none of the current crop of crooks get to be "permanent".

[seafan]

4. DeLay's time is up.

The years of his intimidation and bludgeoning of other House members while laughing in our faces are over.

It is painful yet healing to excise cancer.

[0007]

6. Abram who? Where and When n' How?

Welcome home

[napi21]

3. I suspect they'll have the 50 by Monday!

I'm not sure who I'd like to see in that spot. I think there are a few decent Pubs left, but probably NONE of them ever would be chosen as leader!

[0007]

5. Was that DeLay's stomach I heard rumbling or was that his

farting?

[AlinPA]

7. The right wing religious nuts that control the party have not spoken yet.

Once they do, these rpigs will back off.

[DoYouEverWonder]

10. The wacko fundies have no power anymore

its all an illusion. They're getting their asses kicked left and right lately on all of their phoney 'issues'.

[AlinPA]

16. I hope you're right, but I think the next election will be loaded with God

issues.
There may be some hope that people are seeing the stupid stuff like the Dover PA creationism thing (and Kansas, where the third worst job in 2005 was that of a Kansas science teacher) and the wacko stuff by Robertson and Falwell.

Lets hope that Philadelphia event (Falwell rally for Alito) is seen as a big joke, note that Santorectum is a speaker there this weekend.

[dogfacedboy]

17. They never really had any power.

They were used for the votes they could bring in.

[boot@9]

21. not really true in many states.

these"issues" still resonate loudly for many voters. In regard to stripping delay of power, many repugs will undoubtly will wait to see what happens and remember the quote "if you are going to shoot at the king, you better damn sure not miss".

[IndyOp]

25. The wacko fundies still own the voting machines --

Howard Ahmandson gave the start up funds for Diebold and ES&S. Unless the vote is free and fair - the issues do not matter at all.

[onehandle]

8. Jean Schmidt! Go with your party's strengths! nt

[SKKY]

9. Boy, when the light is turned on...

...the roaches certainly do scurry about, don't they?

[Maeve]

11. And there was much rejoicing!

Couldn't happen to a more deserving piece of...gee, what's low enough for the Bug Man? :think:

[realFedUp]

12. trying to find a clean one will be challenging....nt

[DemonFighterLives]

13. I can't stand the pukes but will applaud this move

:applause:

[seafan]

14. Where's that impish grin, Tom?

[IndyOp]

24. I could almost feel sorry for him, but for the *pain* he has caused

millions of people. I wonder if he still thinks it is okay to trap women in forced labor facilities? Or okay for women who turn to prostitution to buy food to be forced to have abortions? His ascendancy to power pushed others to the top who have hurt millions more, and others who gave the direct orders to kill 100,000's of innocents.

Penance. Penance is necessary to purify. Right, Tommy?

:grr:

[seafan]

15. 'DeLay has not given any sign of backing down.'

snip

"I would not support him for majority leader," Rep. Ray LaHood (news, bio, voting record) told Reuters in a telephone interview from his central Illinois district.

LaHood, a conservative Republican with close ties to House Speaker
Dennis Hastert, also from Illinois, added that elections for a new majority leader ought to be held when the House reconvenes on January 31.

"We need to clean up our House here very quickly or a year from now we'll be the minority party," said LaHood, initially elected to Congress in 1994 when his party won control of the House for the first time in 40 years.

snip

While Acting House Majority Leader Roy Blunt of Missouri is expected to seek the job, an energy trade group president said "support is coalescing around (John) Boehner," an Ohio Republican who chairs an education and labor committee.

DeLay has not given any sign of backing down.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060105/pl_nm/congress_delay_dc;_ylt=A9G_Rxa83L5DjP0Ajgkb.3QA;_ylu=X3oDMTA4NGRzMjRtBHNlYwMxNjk5

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

20. Never heard of Boehner (Although the name has hilarious possibilities)

I'd never heard of Hastert before, either. Hastert was promoted as a clean alternative to Newtie and Livingston. Yet he turned out to be another piece of shit. I expect much the same from Boehner (Boing!).

[katty]

18. the sword hangs over their heads...nowhere to run/hide

[VegasWolf]

19. Wonder if the fat fuck is still laughing? nt

[rodeodance]

22. sweet. i love to see the pugs dividing.

[rodeodance]

23. nominate

[eppur_se_muova]

26. GOP coalition seeks shake-up of House leadership (CNN)

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/01/06/house.leadership/index.html




From Ed Henry and Deirdre Walsh
CNN Washington Bureau

***

The effort is being spearheaded by conservative Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, and moderate Rep. Charlie Bass, R-New Hampshire. The two are circulating a petition.

Under House Republican conference rules, they need 50 signatures to hold a meeting to press the new elections when the 109th Congress reconvenes on January 31. GOP congressional sources indicated to CNN that they were halfway toward that mark early Friday afternoon.

Flake told CNN by phone, "We don't just need new leaders, we need a serious course correction or we're going to be in the minority."

Citing the Jack Abramoff scandal and the resignation of Rep. Duke Cunningham of California after his indictment for illegally taking money from a defense contractor, Flake said the leadership has underestimated the impact of such news.

***

[seafan]

27. He was grinning like a 'possum just a couple of months ago.

Rep. Tom DeLay during his appearance at the Travis County Courthouse in Austin, October 21, 2005. DeLay's bid to return as majority leader of the House of Representatives was in mounting jeopardy on Thursday as fellow Republicans feared his ties with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff have made the Texan too much of an election-year liability. (Jay Janner/Pool/Reuters)

[Skittles]

28. STICK A FORK IN THAT SMARMY BASTARD

trouble is, with republicans there are smarmy bastards lined up around the block to take his place

[Vektor]

29. Wow, can they replace Bush too? That'd be great.

This is interesting news.

[Tight_rope]

30. House GOP Calls for DeLay Replacement

By DAVID ESPO, AP Special Correspondent
16 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay's hopes of reclaiming his position as House majority leader suffered a potentially fatal setback on Friday as a growing number of fellow Republicans called for new leadership in the midst of a congressional corruption scandal.

"It's clear that we need to elect a new majority leader to restore the trust and confidence of the American people," said Rep. Jim Ramstad (news, bio, voting record) of Minnesota, as two fellow Republicans circulated a petition calling for new elections.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060107/ap_on_go_co/delay

[Hardrada]

31. Wait...I thought he WAS the U.S. Government!!

Whassup??

[Tight_rope]

32. Well it looks like, "I am the Government" is in deep shit!

[goforit]

33. You mean there is a gov't?......What do they do there?

[aquart]

34. Can't wait to see who has the guts to sign it.

you just know there will be testimony against them if they do.

Or pictures sent to their wives.

Why does the article say Hastert is secure? What are the odds that Denny never had his hand out?

[jefferson_dem]

35. Duplicate.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2026000&mesg_id=2026000

[HR_Pufnstuf]

36. Huh, what, me?

[greiner3]

37. It was a given that smiling boy is going down;

By which, or both, scandals is anybody's guess. I figured that having the pugsey SOB swaying in the breeze like he has been for the last few months was worth more to us than letting him slip under the public's radar. Hell, he was worth millions in donations if anything else!