GOP Should Ask de Lay to Step Down as Leader

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on whether the GOP should ask Tom de Lay to step down as the leader of the House of Representatives. Participants explore the implications of his leadership amid allegations of unethical behavior and the party's internal rules regarding leadership in the face of indictments.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants argue that de Lay's past actions and the reversal of a party rule regarding leadership under indictment reflect poorly on the GOP.
  • Others express embarrassment over de Lay's association with the party and question his moral standing as a leader.
  • A participant provides context about de Lay's position and the rules governing leadership in the House, noting the distinction between indictment and conviction.
  • Concerns are raised about de Lay's controversial statements and actions, including his comments regarding the tsunami victims and his response to a federal law violation.
  • Some participants call for his removal, while others suggest that changing the party rules may be necessary.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of opinions on de Lay's leadership, with some advocating for his removal and others defending his position. There is no consensus on whether he should step down or on the implications of his actions.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference various allegations and statements made by de Lay, but the discussion does not resolve the validity of these claims or the appropriateness of his leadership.

Would it make you glad to see Tom de Lay step down, as leader of the House ?

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Gokul43201
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Should the GOP ask de Lay to step down as leader of the House ?

Yes, they have reversed the hideous party rule they enacted in November, upon de Lay's rquest. (Both parties have a rule which states that a leader of the party, if indicted for a crime or found violating a set of ethics guidelines, must step down. When the story of Tom de Lay's shady fund-raising tactics and illegal use of the FAA started coming ot in the open, de Lay asked his party to throw out this rule...and they complied.) In all fairness to the GOP, they seem to have recovered from this attack of shamelessness, and reinstated the rule.

Still, isn't Tom de Lay a lousy figurehead and too much baggage for the GOP to carry ? Wouldn't the GOP gain respect by showing the people which party holds the moral high ground ?
 
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Tom Delay makes me embarrassed to be a Texan and a Republican.
 
Tom de who ?


marlon
 
Is he a bad man??
(Just to be on the safe side, I'll vote for his removal)
 
Tom Delay is the Majority Leader in the House of Representatives.

In the USA, there are 2 houses of congress (or legislative bodies), the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state gets 2 representatives in the Senate (so there are 100 Senators in all). In the House of Representatives, there are 435 members, and each state gets a different amount of Representatives depending on their population.

Tom Delay is a member of the House of Representatives from Texas, and a Republican. The Republicans in the House of Representatives have chosen him to be their leader.

As Gokul said, he had some fund-raising practices which were called into question, and there are plans to indict him for illegal fund-raising tactics. Both the Democrats and the Republicans have a rule that if any member of their leadership is indicted for a crime, they are obliged to step down from their leadership position, however they do not have to leave office. Some Republicans want Delay to step down because he is going to be indicted, while others think that the rule should be changed, since being indicted for a crime doesn't mean you're actually convicted for it, only that charges were brought against you.

Hope I explained that well enough...
 
He is also on record quoting Jesus out of context to suggest that the victims of the tsunami were being punished by God for their wickedness.

Is he a bad man? Yer damn tootin' he is!
 
According to an account published by the Washington Post, when asked to extinguish a cigar he was smoking in a restaurant, in violation of federal law, Delay responded with, "I am the federal government."

Then the recent redistricting of Texas in order to exclude representation by Democrats is scandalous.

More on Delay in "Justice Delayed" from MotherJones.com
 
Remove him please.
 
selfAdjoint said:
He is also on record quoting Jesus out of context to suggest that the victims of the tsunami were being punished by God for their wickedness.

Is he a bad man? Yer damn tootin' he is!
Actually, he was quoting Jesus totally IN context. You clearly haven't read your bible carefully enough if you don't recall all of Jesus's proverbs about death to the masses, especially the ones about leaving children homeless, starving and open to countless diseases.