Tom DeLay

Thomas Dale DeLay (born April 8, 1947) is Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives. He is well-known for his staunch conservative stances in foreign and domestic policy, and for being a fiercely partisan politician.

Biography and Early Political Career

He was born in Laredo, Texas, and lived part of his childhood in Venezuela due to his father's work in the oil and gas industry. DeLay graduated from the University of Houston in 1970 and went into the pest control business. He was elected to the Texas State House in 1978 and then was elected to the US House of Representatives in 1984, representing the Texas 22nd Congressional District. He became a born-again Christian in 1985.

Congressional Career

When the Republican Party gained control of the House of Representatives in 1994, DeLay was elected by his Republican colleagues as Majority Whip, succeeding Representative Newt Gingrich, who became Speaker of the House. After serving as Whip for eight years, in 2003 DeLay was elected Majority Leader upon the retirement of fellow Texan Dick Armey from the House.

In Congress, DeLay earned the nickname "The Hammer," for his enforcement of Party discipline in close votes and his reputation for wreaking political vengeance on opponents. His Christian conservative viewpoint led him to vote 100% in line with the views of the National Right to Life Committee and 0% with the National Abortion Reproductive Rights Action League.

On economic and environmental policy, he was rated a 95 by the anti-tax Americans for Tax Reform, and 95 to 100 by the United States Chamber of Commerce, a business lobby, while earning ratings of 0 from the Sierra Club and League of Conservation Voters.

In foreign policy, DeLay has been a strong supporter of the State of Israel, saying, “The Republican leadership, especially that leadership in the House, has made pro-Israel policy a fundamental component of our foreign policy agenda and it drives the Democrat leadership crazy — because they just can’t figure out why we do it!” [1]

DeLay blames Senate Democrats and what he dubbed "BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything) environmentalists" for blocking legislative solutions to problems such as the 2003 U.S.-Canada blackout. [2] He has also been vehemently critical of liberal causes, most notably the environment and labor unions.

Texas Redistricting; Accusations of Gerrymandering

DeLay made headlines in 2003 when he supported a controversial Congressional redistricting plan in Texas. The plan would likely result in a gain as many as seven GOP seats in the the U.S. House of Representatives. The Republican party gained control of redistricting when it gained a majority in the Texas Legislature in 2001. In 2003, Texas Democrats made national headlines when they travelled across the state border to Oklahoma en masse to deny a quorum for voting on the plan.

Opponents of the plan suggested that such dramatic changes in the makeup of the Texas Congressional Delegation were evidence of gerrymandering, while supporters noted that the Democrats' 17 to 15 edge in the congressional delegation, held since the 1991 Texas redistricting implemented by the Democrats, does not reflect the politics of a state where all 29 statewide office-holders elected are Republicans. Redistricting in the middle of a decade, after a plan based on that decade's census, is highly unusual.

Ethics Investigation

DeLay is currently under investigation for ethical violations, stemming from complaints filed by Representative Chris Bell of Texas. Some of the complaints involve illegal campaign financing.

Quotes

On the State of Israel: "My friends, there is no Palestinian-Israeli conflict. There is only the global war on terrorism." [2004 August 31]

"If Israel falls to the terrorists, the entire free world will tremble. To forsake Israel now would be tantamount to forsaking Great Britain in 1940. It is unthinkable, and it is unthinkable because the world wants to know if we believe freedom is worth fighting for." [2004 August 31]

On the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

"The EPA, the Gestapo of government, pure and simply has been one of the major claw-hooks that the government maintains on the backs of our constituents." - As reported in the AP [1995 July 29]

On Newt Gingrich:

"Newt Gingrich is an incredible leader. He is a leader of our time, and he's going to lead us into the future. And we're going to accomplish the things that we've all dreamed of." - As reported from "Late Edition" on CNN [4/6/97]

On the federal government:

"I am the federal government." - DeLay was responding to a government employee who tried to prevent him from smoking on government property. As reported in the New York Times [2003 June 13]

"You know, the Democrats want to balance the budget by raising spending and raising taxes. The Soviet Union had a balanced budget." Meet the Press, 12/22/2003

"...I am not a federal employee. I am a constitutional officer. My job is the Constitution of the United States, I am not a government employee. I am in the Constitution." - From "Talk Back Live" on CNN [1995 December 19]

On the working poor:

"Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25 an hour [the minimum wage in 1996] are hard to resist. Fortunately, such families do not exist." - From the Congressional Record, H3706 [1996 April 23]

On war:

"Nothing is more important in the face of a war than cutting taxes." - From a speech made to bankers [3/12/03]

On the International Criminal Court:

"Kofi Annan's kangaroo court...a clear and present danger to the war on terrorism and Americans fighting it all over the world." - AP 2004 July 16[3]

On the role of women in the home:

"I have seen these liberal psychologists and sociologists talk about there is no need for the man in the family. The woman can take care of it. A woman can take care of the family. It takes a man to provide structure. To provide stability." - From a radio interview. His wife, Christine DeLay quickly asked to "edit this out," then turned to Tom and said: "This is not a good thing for you to be saying."

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