Today's Washington Post has an excellent article regarding "the DeLay effect" - nasty ethics and abuse-of-power issues threatening to drag down other Republicans with him. Here in Virginia, we have several "DeLay Republicans," closely tied to the poweful, corrupt House Majority Leader from Texas, and richly deserving of defeat. People like Deputy House Majority Whip Eric "Dinner at Abramoff's" Cantor and Cantor's good friend Jerry "Eavesdropping Scandal and Gate City Corruption" Kilgore. As we wrote back in early April:
Not that we believe in guilt by association or anything, but why on earth would Virginians support a candidate ? Jerry Kilgore ? who is a strong backer of people like Tom DeLay? And, even more to the point, why would we support a guy who wants to give Virginians the same disastrous economic and fiscal policies, the same meddling Big Government intrusion into our most personal life-and-death decisions, and the same reckless attitude towards Social Security and other critical programs for the middle class, as Tom DeLay and George W. Bush have bestowed upon the rest of the country?Short answer? We wouldn?t! Frankly, here in Virginia, we can do a lot better than the divisiveness, incompetence and corruption of the Jerry Kilgores and Tom DeLays of the world. Fortunately, come November, we will have the option of continuing with the unity, AAA bond rating, and ?best-managed state in the nation? achievements of Warner and Kaine.
To put it mildly, this will not be a difficult choice.
That's for sure -- even if I do say so myself! :) And today's Washington Post emphasizes the Republican ethics gap once again, with its headline, "GOP Worries Ethics Issue May Hurt Party in '06." Just one caveat: the Post should have said "'05 and '06" instead of just "'06," because the damage from the ethically challenged, DeLay-led, Republican Congress is going to be seen first in Virginia here this year. In other words, why wait until 2006 to start throwing the bums out? Let's do it ASAP!