Tom DeLay: Dancing in Hollywood But Watching Washington Politics
LOS ANGELES– Walking out of a restaurant in Los Angles last week, Tom DeLay, the Republican former House majority leader, who is currently on the hit show “Dancing with the Stars,” was stopped by a stranger.
The man said “aren’t you Tom DeLay?” DeLay responded “yes, I am.” The man sharply retorted, “I am so glad you are out of politics.” DeLay genially replied, “Well, so am I.”
After 27 years in the Texas state legislature and U.S. Congress, DeLay may no longer be in elected office, but he is still engaged in politics. He keeps in close contact with elected leaders and conservative activists, and reads the fine print in legislation.
Say what you want about Tom DeLay’s political views or his style, but he can read the tea leaves of elections like no one, and he knows how to get legislation through congress. His achievements during his years as the House Whip in passing seemingly impossible bills are legendary. He never lost a bill he whipped because he never brought a bill to the floor until he had the votes to pass it.
And, he knows each member’s district by heart- the voters, the issues, the industries. I was DeLay’s communications director when he was the Whip, and watching and learning how to “grow the vote” was like getting a PhD in government.
On Friday, he took a break in his last rehearsal with Cheryl Burke of the cha-cha to the song “Wild Thing” for the Monday premier of “Dancing with the Stars” to talk politics. We iced his injured foot while we sat outside the second floor dance studio in a seedy strip mall overlooking fast food restaurants.
Starting with the biggest issue in Washington now, health care reform, DeLay predicted that the House and Senate will pass a health care reform bill, and the president will sign it before the end of the year.
As the two chambers are still unresolved on what legislation they will put to a full vote, I asked him how he could be so sure. He said, “The Democrats will do exactly what we always did, rewrite the bill over and over until they give all the members what they need to get to 218 votes. The Senate will do the same thing.”
He predicts health care changes will eventually pass congress with a straight party line vote, and “maybe a few Republicans voting for it, but not many.”
What does he think about the Baucus Senate version of reform? “This new bill is just providing political cover for the Democrats to vote for health care reform. It sill has public insurance in it, just in other terms like the public won’t recognize like coalitions appointed by government. But it’s still government insurance and that health care option will still be run by the government bureaucrats.”
The whole topic of health care riled the conservative DeLay. “The federal government should stay out of my health care,” he said.
“What they are doing to health care- it’s unconstitutional.” How so? “The federal government doesn’t have the authority to mandate small businesses,” referring to employer funded health care.
DeLay originally ran for office out of frustration with the regulations on his small extermination business. Way before the “Hammer,” his political nickname has always been “Dereg” (de-regulation, get it?) and is still part of his email address.
“The only way any of this health care could be constitutional would be if the government allowed interstate choice so people could choose health care policies from any of the 50 states,” he said. “So living in Texas, I could, say choose a California health care policy if it was better than what I got at home.” But, he added “this will never happen, there’s too much bureaucracy with state insurance agencies and boards to change that system.”
Turning to the political landscape, I asked his predictions for House seats in 2010. “Republicans will pick up some seats in the House, maybe 20, but not enough to take back control.”
Shaking his head with frustration, “The Republican party doesn’t have the organization or leadership to take advantage of this dire political situation that Obama is in now.”
Referencing the so-called tea party rallies around the country protesting the Obama administration, DeLay said “we have these grassroots sprouting up, but not the party organization to use them.”
Staring through the strip mall second floor railing, DeLay added, “Look, even people who voted for Obama think what he’s doing is outrageous. He ran as a ‘moderate’ and now showing his true liberal agenda.”
“Republicans are leaderless, so we’re just fighting each other instead of Obama’s radical policies. There’s no political leader of the party taking control. So, Republicans are just attacking each other for being too far right or too far left. Even Rush and Hannity are doing it,” he said shaking his head.
Well, so who does DeLay see as the GOP’s future leaders? “No one,” he replied in exasperation. “It’s all the same old guys who were in leadership with me, and those old guys aren’t the leaders the party needs.”
He couldn’t name one person as a viable leader for the Republicans, saying that the party has no chance, “barring a miracle” of regaining the House or Senate next year.
He blames the Obama administration policies for the economic recession not turning around and the almost 10 percent level of unemployment in the country. “Obama’s administration focuses on government coming in to save the day. Government can’t save the economy, businesses save it by putting people to work and making products.”
Pointing at the fast food restaurant across the parking lot, DeLay said “Take the owner of that Wendy’s over there. He’s not hiring. He’s not making anything new. Because he doesn’t know what the future holds with the government in his business. He’s scared so he’s doing nothing, so the economy is stuck in the recession.”
What would DeLay recommend be done? “Well first obviously, I’d get the government out of the way of business,” he said referring to both health care and regulations. “Then I’d cut capital gains tax to zero percent. That would give incentives to businesses to buy equipment, but products.” He also recommends eliminating the depreciation provision from the tax code.
As for the Obama economic stimulus package passed last February, DeLay says it has done nothing to stimulate the economy because, again, economic recovery comes from business, not government spending. “They are already starting these roads projects and all those useless new government programs that no one even knows about.”
“Congress just gave Obama a wide-open, blank check and all that money has been wasted, and done nothing to stimulate the economy,” he said.
Well what about the Bush administration’s bailout of Wall Street? “That was a big mistake done out of panic,” DeLay says of his own party. “They never should have done that. The markets would have stabilized in a few months if they had just stayed out of it.”
Jumping to some other hot topics in politics today, I asked him if he’d seen the ACORN videos showing the staff giving advice to a supposed pimp and prostitute on how to buy a house to run as a brothel. DeLay said he’d seen the videos and wasn’t surprised.
He said he’d been trying to de-fund ACORN his entire career in office, back to the Texas state house and throughout his years in the House. He said he kept of offering amendments to de-fund ACORN and other leftist groups, but could never get anything passed. “I couldn’t even get many Republicans to vote for it. Now everyone realizes what those groups really are all about,” DeLay said.
What does he think of Sarah Palin resigning the Alaska governorship early? He said she was smart to do that- so she can both make money to pay off the legal bills for the ethics charges launched against her and stop being subject to further politically motivated ethics charges.
DeLay and I disagreed on Palin making decisions without getting experienced political advice from party leadership. While I think she should be listening to the professionals to sustain her future political viability, DeLay disagreed.
“Once she starts listening to what the party experts tell her, she’s done,” he says. “What people love about Palin, what people are begging for in all politics is being real and thinking for herself.” He said it’s her “charm and personality” that will carry her popularity through in the future.
His home state Texas has a hot governor’s race on for next year. DeLay said “it’s too early” to predict what would happen, but referring to Republican and former Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson’s bid, “it’s tough beating an incumbent governor in a primary.”
DeLay said of current Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) “I like him a lot. You know we served in the state house together, we go way back.” So, it sounds like you think Perry will be the frontrunner. “Oh no, he has to worry,” DeLay said. This is going to be an expensive race? He shook his head yes emphatically.
The ice on his foot was melting and Cheryl Burke had been patiently waiting inside to get back to rehearsals. I had to ask the tough questions- which DeLay could see I had avoided asking to ruin the light-hearted fun he was having dancing. He helped me out.
“So Emily, don’t you want to ask me about Ronnie Earle?” DeLay asked. I laughed, yes, what is going on with the case? “Well, I can’t get my day in court, that’s what’s going on,” DeLay said. “It took the first two and a half years just to get the first court ruling,” he said. “Now it’s been four years, one appeal after another, but it’s still hanging out there.”
DeLay said he’s hopeful that the final appeal to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals would decide to hear the cased in the next six months. “Until I get a chance to have a trial or the case is dismissed and not appealed, it keeps going.” He says he hopes the court will uphold the lower court’s ruling that Earle was citing campaign finance laws from states other than Texas.
“All Ronnie Earle ever wanted to do was indict me,” DeLay said. “He went through six grand juries to finally get his indictment for breaking laws that didn’t even exist at the time in Texas.”
While four years have passed and DeLay hasn’t had his “day in court,” Ronnie Earle’s political aspirations have risen. The Democrat says he is considering getting in the race for Texas governor. Asked about this, DeLay replied “I think it’s great if Ronnie Earle runs for governor because I will be there every step of the way to tell my side of the story of his outrageous abuse of power.”
DeLay turned to look at me with a fire in his eyes I hadn’t seen in years, “What do I say to Ronnie Earle? Run baby run. Run Baby Run. And I will be at every campaign stop to tell my story. You abused your power worse than even that DA in North Carolina that prosecuted those Duke Lacrosse players.”
Finally, I about the Justice Department investigation related to the Jack Abramoff case.
“It’s been five years. Five years. Those lawyers have everything of mine- every paper, every email – and still they have found nothing,” DeLay said evenly.
Still, I asked, they are clearly dragging this case out to get to you. How will it ever end, after five years of this? “I have no clue,” DeLay said wearily.
We both stared into the distance for a moment. DeLay then turned to me smiling, “OK then, enough about politics, I gotta go practice my waltz.”
And with that, he put his iced foot back into his dancing shoes and went back to the dance floor, looking like he didn’t want to be anywhere else in the world than that simple dance studio overlooking the Wendy’s.
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