The King of Corruption, the Sultan of Sleaze, the Doge of Dirt, disgraced congressman Tom DeLay has weighed in on the election by calling Obama a radical Marxist.
The basis of this claim is that Obama will allow Bush's tax breaks for the rich to expire. Those were the tax reductions for the wealthiest of the wealthy, the very same that McCain wants to extend to ensure that each Fortune 500 CEO benefits from a $700,000 tax cut. Obama is called a communist because he will provide some relief to the Middle Class, simple reinstating the tax code we had under President Clinton. Hey, here is an idea: why not just go ahead and call Obama a Fascist Nazi baby killer? That last claim is no less absurd than calling Obama a socialist or Marxist or Muslim or terrorist-coddler. If claims are free from the constraints of truth, just go for the brass ring and use the worst of a sick imagination and twisted fantasy. Why stop at Marxist? The Republicans have truly reached new lows of desperation by frantically throwing ugly epithets at the wall hoping some of the verbal feces will stick. The nutty Far Right has been reduced to fabricating charges against Obama from whole cloth because the sane world offers them no help at all.
Former House majority leader DeLay was at the apex of, and leading cheerleader for, the most corrupt culture to contaminate Washington since Nixon subverted our constitution by using the FBI to influence the outcome of a presidential election. In the face of the Bush financial meltdown, record foreclosures, and a failing healthcare system, you would be forgiven for forgetting Jack Abramoff and the lobbying scandal that rocked Washington. Allow me to offer a brief reminder. DeLay created an environment of rampant corruption so pervasive that buying votes on the Hill became the norm, the dirty secret that everybody knew. DeLay was sanctioned by the House Ethics Committee not once, not twice, but three times for openly favoring lobbyists, misusing a federal agency and attempting to bribe a colleague in exchange for a vote. He was implicated in the Indian Casino scandal. He claimed that Republicans were "bigger than Christ." He abused his power to intrude into the family tragedy of Terri Schiavo. The man is a moral monster, an ethical eel. He resigned in disgrace, crawling out of Washington in a haze of deceit. DeLay has no standing, no authority to accuse Obama of anything. DeLay as a crusader for good has as much credibility as Sweeney Todd lobbying on behalf of the barbers union. Both characters are butchers of the worst kind, each with a serious credibility problem in the face of his crimes.
DeLay does provide us with one benefit. As he spews his hate on TV, we can contrast the best and the worst of our politicians by setting him beside Obama. No contrast could be greater. We can visualize the face of sleaze and the image of hope. He reminds us why we must elect Obama and reject the culture that created and nurtured Bush and McCain.
But the benefits of his presence do not come close to offsetting the high costs. So Mr. DeLay, please go away. For the sake of our country, for the good of the electorate, go away. You had your chance, and you used your time to undermine our political system with corruption and greed. You outrageously abused your power. Go away. Never come back. Obama is the future, and you are nothing but a sad reminder of an ugly past. Go away.