Mike Allen had a really great article in this morning's Washington Post explaining the "Delay Effect". While this story seems obvious to us, the fact that the media and the public at large is picking up on what a disaster he is can be nothing but positive.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/05/AR2005060501223.html
In short, the article is saying that the Delay issue is moving from an inside the Beltway issue to a more universal issue. An issue that truly has a chance to influence the elections.
More Inside
From Allen's article:
Among those endangered are at least two committee chairmen and several other senior members. Congressional districts that traditionally have been safe for Republicans could become more competitive, according to party officials.
Nowhere is the impact of the ethics issue clearer than here in the Appalachian hills of eastern Ohio, where a thicket of weekly newspapers now gives regular coverage to revelations about House Administration Committee Chairman Robert W. Ney (R-Ohio) and his ties to DeLay and Jack Abramoff, the lobbyist now under criminal and congressional investigation for the tens of millions of dollars in fees he and a partner collected from casino-owning Indian tribes.
Ney is known as "the mayor of Capitol Hill," where his committee controls perks that include BlackBerrys, modular furniture and parking spaces. He is a conservative who has thrived in a blue-collar Democratic district, through gestures such as personally giving tours of the Capitol to 5,000 constituents' children each spring. With his warm relations with other lawmakers in both parties and his mastery of the nooks and crannies of the institution, he has been considered a strong contender to move up the House leadership ladder.
Now, all of that is in jeopardy. Ney, 51, has hired a criminal lawyer and is preparing for a grueling inquiry by the House ethics committee. His name also appears frequently in e-mails being studied by investigators at the Senate Indian Affairs Committee, which is looking into lobbyists' dealings with gambling-enriched tribes.
Democrats are using allegations about influence peddling to recruit opponents for several of the chamber's most senior Republicans. DeLay, who just a few years ago seemed invulnerable, now is certain to face a heavily funded Democratic challenge. Former four-term representative Nick Lampson, who lost in November after a redistricting engineered by DeLay, has filed as a candidate in DeLay's suburban Houston district.
House Resources Committee Chairman Richard W. Pombo (R-Calif.), a rancher who granted leave to his committee staff of about 40 for the 15 days before the November election and has been questioned about his use of taxpayer funds on fliers favorable to President Bush, was the target of radio ads by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee over Memorial Day and could face a challenge from Democratic state Sen. Michael Machado.
That is the huge news in this whole story, there are more targets at the link as well. We aren't talking about taking down freshmen in swing districts, we are talking about taking out chairmen in conservative districts.
If nothing else, this forces the R's to circle the wagons around their leaders and spend their resources defending what should be safe. We get to take free shots at other vulnerable members without as much opposition as usual.
The stars are aligning to make some major moves in 06', especially in the House. This is why it remains important to stay on Delay, he is the albatross of the party, and its starting to show.