Quotes of the Morning: Don't Let the Door Hit Ya

“Yesterday Tom DeLay gave his final speech from Congress.”
-Skippy

“In preparing for today, I found that it is customary in speeches such as these to reminisce about the good old days of political harmony and across-the-aisle camaraderie, and to lament the bitter, divisive partisan rancor that supposedly now weakens our democracy.
Well, I can't do that because partisanship, Mr. Speaker, properly understood, is not a symptom of democracy's weakness but of its health and its strength, especially from the perspective of a political conservative.”
-Tom DeLay, farewell speech to Congress, June 8, 2006

“See, the fact that they Democrats and Republicans battle unthinkingly over every little topic is a good thing, especially from the viewpoint of the conservatives.”
-Skippy

“Liberalism, after all, whatever you may think of its merits, is a political philosophy and a proud one with a great tradition in this country, with a voracious appetite for growth.
In any place or any time on any issue, what does liberalism ever seek, Mr. Speaker? More -- more government, more taxation, more control over people's lives and decisions and wallets. If conservatives don't stand up to liberalism, no one will. And for a long time around here, almost no one did.”
-Tom DeLay, farewell speech to Congress, June 8, 2006

“Yes, liberalism believes that it is ok for the government to spy on people’s personal lives, control ‘free’ speech and act without any oversight by ‘we the people’. Oops.. Sorry, that was the current Republican administration, not the liberals.”
-Skippy

Indeed, the common lament over the recent rise in political partisanship is often nothing more than a veiled complaint instead about the recent rise of political conservatism.
I should add here that I do not begrudge liberals their nostalgia for the days of a timid, docile and permanent Republican minority.
-Tom DeLay, farewell speech to Congress, June 8, 2006

“Yes, liberals miss the olden days of the permanent Republican minority. Hey, wait a second. How could anyone miss a permanent minority? If it was ‘permanent’ wouldn’t they still be the minority? Sigh, you have to love Tom ‘the Exterminator’ DeLay. Even in his last speech before stepping down in disgrace he manages to say something that makes no friggin’ sense. Let’s have a few quiet moments of retrospective for the dearly departed shall we?”
-Skippy

"Emotional appeals about working families trying to get by on $4.25 an hour are hard to resist. Fortunately, such families do not exist."
- Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX), House Majority Whip, April 23, 1996

“The grand jury has indicted three of DeLay's political associates in connection with fundraising activities for a political action committee closely linked to DeLay.”
-Washington Post, November 18, 2004

“Emboldened by their election success, House Republicans changed their rules yesterday to allow Majority Leader Tom DeLay (Tex.) to keep his post even if a grand jury indicts him, and Senate GOP leaders continued to weigh changing long-standing rules governing filibusters to prevent Democrats from blocking President Bush's most conservative judicial nominees.”
-Washington Post, November 18, 2004

“House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert is leaning toward removing the House ethics committee chairman, who admonished House Majority Leader Tom DeLay this fall and has said he will treat DeLay like any other member, several Republican aides said yesterday.
Although Hastert (Ill.) has not made a decision, the expectation among leadership aides is that the chairman, Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), long at odds with party leaders because of his independence, will be replaced when Congress convenes next week.”
-Washington Post, December 28, 2004

“The aides said a likely replacement is Rep. Lamar S. Smith, one of DeLay's fellow Texans, who held the job from 1999 to 2001. Smith wrote a check this year to DeLay's defense fund. An aide said Smith was favored for his knowledge of committee procedure.”
-Washington Post, December 28, 2004

"Mrs. Schiavo's life is not slipping away -it is being violently wrenched from her body in an act of medical terrorism."
-Tom Delay, March 18, 2005

“House Majority Leader Tom DeLay said yesterday that Republicans have done so well in cutting spending that he declared an ‘ongoing victory,’ and said there is simply no fat left to cut in the federal budget.
Mr. DeLay was defending Republicans' choice to borrow money and add to this year's expected $331 billion deficit to pay for Hurricane Katrina relief. Some Republicans have said Congress should make cuts in other areas, but Mr. DeLay said that doesn't seem possible.
‘My answer to those that want to offset the spending is sure, bring me the offsets, I'll be glad to do it. But nobody has been able to come up with any yet,’ the Texas Republican told reporters at his weekly briefing.
Asked if that meant the government was running at peak efficiency, Mr. DeLay said, ‘Yes, after 11 years of Republican majority we've pared it down pretty good.’"
-Washington Times, September 14, 2005

“On Wednesday, DeLay was indicted with two aides by a Texas grand jury, accused of flouting campaign finance laws by illegally sending corporate funds to GOP candidates in the state. Two months ago, Abramoff was arrested and charged with fraud in connection with a casino deal in Florida. On Tuesday, two employees of a company owned by Abramoff were charged with murdering the casino's former owner. Last week, the feds arrested David Safavian, who has been working in the White House, on charges of lying to investigators about a trip to Scotland with DeLay and Abramoff. Scanlon, the former DeLay aide who worked with Abramoff, is said to be cooperating with investigators, who are likely to file even more charges.”
-Salon, September 29, 2005

“Ah yes, Tommy Boy shall be missed. On a lighter note, ComFest is at T-2 weeks. We have two weeks until the holiday season begins. Gentlemen, prepare your tie-dye.”
-Skippy