Tom Delay convicted
 

of money laundering. Once powerfull speaker of the house, now faces life in jail.
http://dailycaller.com/2010/11/24/delay-convicted-of-money-laundering/

It good that he was finally convicted; I doubt that he will (or should) do significant time in prison.

Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.

I don't know the merits of the charges brought against him, but at least it appears that there was more to the case than just a political vendetta against him. That's a good thing.

I wish my father could have still been here to see DeLay go to jail. It would have given him another 5 years of life...........easy.

You may be right but too bad if it is true IMHO.

Convicted in accordance with the law of the land.
I don't see repubs defending him, do you?

Not any more.

Why would other republicans want to defend Tom Delay? Because of his political popularity? Because of the decency he showed them over the years?

They aren't defending him because he is a low-life and always has been.

Why would they? Far far more of them in power than Dermocrats - do what he did, - and far more money is involved with them, big corporate capaign donations, and lobbyists.

Our democracy has become little more than an influence-peddling plutotocracy.

Money rules everything. Corporate lobbyists themselves write many of the laws that affect or regulate their masters, who in turn fund the campaigns of the Congressmen who are supposed to represent US, the people.


Many or the Republican voters permit it because the politicians know how to push the single-issue buttons that mesmerize them, ie, "abortion", "Gun control", "family values", the flag, claim for themselves the exclusive mantle of "patriotism", appeal to paranoia by yelling about communism, socialism, high taxes, security, and "if we don't fight them over there, we will have to fight them over here," etc etc.

He can teach other inmates the White House shuffle dance.

It was the coins rattling in the Kenmore that gave him away.........

He just needs to remember to NEVER drop the soap!:eek:

You will not see Republicans defending him because most of them are glad that he is gone. It appears that the Religious Right is also running from him and they were his last hope of keeping his empire alive.

If you did not vote his way he would 'primary' you out of a job. If that failed he would work to get your district redrawn so you would have to move in order to live in your district. If all else failed he would just stuff you with cash under the theory that everybody has their price.

When he found he could make more money as a convention speaker he quit the House. This left his district without a Rep for 7 months. Under Texas law there is a window before an election where the Gov cannot appoint someone to fill out an un-expired term and he quit three days after the deadline had passed.

He then appointed someone to run in his place. This is a Felony under Texas law since the way you get on the ballot there is spelled out and being appointed by someone is not among the legal ways to do it. No one was tried in that instance since there were so many Republicans involved in the crime the Fort Bend County DA could not figure out just who to charge. It was a classic DeLay move: Make is so complicated that no one can figure it out. In that case it worked because no one could.

After he quit his wife was crying about how donations to her charity had dropped off to almost nothing. Under Texas law you cannot just take wads of cash from a donor but if someone wants to give millions to your 'foundation', well, there is nothing wrong with that (wink, wink)!

One of the things a Judge considers before passing sentence is if the criminal is a continuing threat to society. If he gets twenty years it looks like the answer to that would be 'Yes'.

How many times was he acquitted before this verdict? The trial took place (by design) in a heavy liberal district. It should get booted in appeal.

uh, was he guilty?