Every day, more and more and more comes out about this slimeball:
The wife and daughter of Tom DeLay, the House majority leader, have been paid more than $500,000 since 2001 by Mr. DeLay’s political action and campaign committees, according to a detailed review of disclosure statements filed with the Federal Election Commission and separate fund-raising records in Mr. DeLay’s home state, Texas.
Most of the payments to his wife, Christine A. DeLay, and his only child, Dani DeLay Ferro, were described in the disclosure forms as “fund-raising fees,” “campaign management” or “payroll,” with no additional details about how they earned the money. The payments appear to reflect what Mr. DeLay’s aides say is the central role played by the majority leader’s wife and daughter in his political career.
I wish my daddy was House Majority Leader- then I could get some of them “fund-raising fees” myself. My dad is too busy being useful, though- holding spaghetti dinner fund-raisers for tsunami victims, helping out the neighbors, etc. My dad, no doubt, could not live up to the lofty standards of the House of Representatives as displayed by Tom DeLay.
One of these days the people in my party are going to recognize that every now and then the Democrats and the press are right- some people in our party aren’t saints and have got to go. DeLay is a crook, a liar, and a bully- on his best days. It is time for him to go.
*** Update ***
Several commenters claim I have to read this post by the Captain. I have read it… Have you?
..Mrs. DeLay makes about $48,250 a year, while Mrs. Ferro earns closer to $40,000. At that rate over four years, the two of them put together would have made around $350,000. The remainder of the half-million comes from Mrs. Ferro’s consulting firm which works on DeLay’s election campaigns; it received $221,000 over four years (two election cycles), or about $55,000 a year…
Don’t get me wrong. I think the practice itself is a problem, one that we should pressure our representatives to end. It can lead to back-door corruption far too easily. However, for the Times and the Left to jump all over DeLay as unethical and singular in this practice is dishonest, ignorant, and transparently partisan.
IF this were the only strike Tom DeLay had against him, I would tend to agree with the Captain- this would be a transparently partsan swipe at DeLay. But, if this was baseball, and Tom DeLay were a batter, he would be working on his ninth strike.
*** Update ***
Christ. I had forgotten all about this.
TJ Jackson
You have an interesting take on the NY Times Delay story which contrasts nicely with the frisking of this story at Captain’s Quarters. Stranger when the numbers are brokenm out there appears to be no crimes, overpayments or abuses you yell about. I wonder if you think you may have acted rather impulsively?
JAL
You forgot to mention Delay’s “Physician of the Year” scam.
And for just a mere $1.250 made out to the RNC you too can be named “Physician of the Year.”
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=643826
JAL
You forgot to mention Delay’s “Physician of the Year” scam.
And for just a mere $1.250 made out to the RNC you too can be named “Physician of the Year.”
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/Investigation/story?id=643826
Birkel
Yeah, at five years and 2 people that amounts to 50k/yr.
That’s some hefty political graft there. Yessiree.
Birkel
/sarcasm
John Cole
That is actually 50k per person per year.
I am glad we now judge political corrputness and graft by how much it is.
Some people might think 50k a year is a good bit of money.
Mr. Ortiz
I’m not sure about the fuzzy math going on here. Let’s use the numbers we’re given:
“A Republican spokesman said there were thousands of doctors around the country content with their Physicians of the Year awards, and that there was nothing about the program to apologize for.”
Thousands. That means at least two thousand. Over five years, that’s 400 doctors per year.
400 x $1,250 = $500,000 per year, or $2.5 million over 5 years. Any questions? Or did I miss something?
This is the most disturbing DeLay scandal I’ve heard yet. All the others involve him giving/getting money to/from political supporters. If I were playing Devil’s Advocate, I’d say that’s par for the course in DC. This is about bribing doctors with fake awards which the doctors then use to fool patients into thinking they’re better qualified than the doctors who didn’t pay one. If I ever see one of these hanging in my doctor’s office, I will walk out and take my business elsewhere.
Tom
TJ — are you a Democratic plant? The sooner DeLay goes, the better.
BG
I’m with TJ here John – go read the good Captain’s fisking.
KC
Will things honestly get better in the leadership realm if Delay isn’t there? Sure, there will be conservatives who are going to push the meme that things are all better after he leaves, that he was a martyr on a pire of liberal hatred. But really, Delay couldn’t do what he is/was doing if it wasn’t for his supporters and friends in Congress.
ape
my dad was made ‘Doctor of the Year’ by a charity concerned with a particular ailment. He has the certificate framed above his desk in his office.
patients, i imagine, assume (rightly in his case) that this refers to some kind of legitimate recognition of his clinical achievements.
the idea that such a accolade could in fact refer to a donation to a political party is absolutely sickening.
is that what’s going on here? if so, who cares how much the donation is for?
in the UK, such a scandal would put all those involved permanently beyond the political pale. it would be like that symbol a baseball umpire makes: “get out”.
Birkel
Family members should work for free regardless of what they do for the campaign.
Let’s not let them get paid for their work no matter what.
Starve you nepotism sponges.
Even if you’re an accountant and you prepare accounting documents for a campaign.
No. Soup. For. You.
John Cole
Birkel- Are you intentionally being stupid? The story stinks. You try peddling this shit in red states- states where the avergae income is 32k a year- and ask them what they think about big money donors donating to political action committees created and coordinated by DeLay, and just convenientlye administered and audited by his wife and daughter to the tune of a half a million dollars.
Maybe most of the Republican party has become so damned out of touch they can pooh-pooh a half million dollars. Where I live, damned few people are going to make a half million dollars in 15-20 years, let alone 4.
Oh, and when you are done explaining where all th money came frokm, tell those voters that it is just a coincidence that DeLay comes down on the side of the donors whenever legislation comes up- whether it be on the bankruptcy bill, labor standards, etc. Just a big ole coincidence.
Mr Furious
$50K is more than most people in this country will ever make a year working their ass off. You can laugh it off if you want Birkel, but it’s a fact.
A Congressman’s wife getting a quarter million dollars to “provide big picture, long-term strategic guidance and help with personnel decisions” might be unseemly to some folks who might consider helping with personal decisions part of a spouse’s role
Birkel
Apparently, John, you’re the one being intentionally thick.
Do you know what services they provided? It’s about the cost (that’s the 500k over 5 years) and the benefit (unknown, seemingly) they provided.
Tell me what they DID and what people who do that thing normally get paid.
I can’t get worked up about this sort of thing until I hear they were overpaid for the value of the services provided.
QUERY THIS:
If one of my parents ran for office and paid me $50 an hour for my services am I overpaid?
1) Yes
2) No
3) Cannot be determined ’til I found out what you did for that $50/hr.
Well, for providing legal work I’d be underpaid at $50/hour. For janitorial services I’d be overpaid. And that is where the stinkin’ worm turns.
I’ll save my outrage ’til I find out what they were doing for the money. Sounds like a great thing to, you know, blog about.
ape
Birkel –
No. Whether they were janitors or lawyers, it is still valid to ask whether the best person was hired for the job.
Or do Republican campaign doners expect to be transferring wealth to their candidate’s family?
And in any case Ill bet my ass they did next to nothing.
Mr Furious
“…do Republican campaign doners expect to be transferring wealth to their candidate’s family?”
The individual who scrapes together a donation check might, but I’d suspect big corporate donors have no problem with that at all.
$400,000 contributions buy deregulation that saves them $400 million, they could give a shit how that money is doled out.
bg
Just wanted to point out that BG isn’t me.
Birkel
ape,
I await your brilliant answer to your own question.
Neither you nor I have any information on that point, I’m willing to wager.
Nice straw man though.
neil
On the physician of the year scam, you can find quite a few doctors using this award to promote themselves in public — there are a myriad of news stories, many of which don’t contain the word ‘Republican’, most of which don’t mention that there are thousands of recipients, some of which call it a ‘Congresional award’ and none of which mention that money changed hands.
Here are a few ugly examples. Who knew that the Republicans had such high regard for ayurvedic chiropractors and doctors under investication for phony malpractice testimony?