Houston Chronicle endorses DeLay challenger Morrison

[PDittie]

District 22, Richard Morrison — A Democrat who promises to place the district's interests above grasping for partisan power in Washington, Morrison seeks to unseat the long-serving Republican incumbent, U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay. Morrison, an environmental lawyer and Sugar Land resident, vows to do a better job in securing federal funds for Houston-area transportation and homeland security. Morrison says he would work to close corporate tax loopholes and invest more in education and health care. He is personally opposed to abortion.
DeLay is the powerful House majority leader, perhaps more influential than the House speaker. The District 22 election thus has national implications that bear heavily on the race.

DeLay has been reprimanded several times by the House ethics committee for an indifference to the rules that reflects poorly on the House and on Texas. Most recently, the committee's bipartisan membership admonished DeLay for offering a favor in exchange for a colleague's vote; giving the appearance of wrongdoing by exchanging access on the golf course for campaign contributions from energy executives; and improperly trying to use federal aviation officials to locate Democratic legislators who had fled Texas.

DeLay's misplaced priorities were most evident in his previous ban on federal rail transit funds for Houston, causing the funds to go to other cities. DeLay was behind the redistricting effort in Texas that displaced badly needed property tax relief and school finance reform as the Austin leadership's top priorities.

Morrison faces an uphill battle in this race. The Houston region and the entire country will be better off if he succeeds.

============================

Holy SHIT!

[PDittie]

1. Here's the link:

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/editorial/2850084

They also endorsed Nick Lampson over Ted Poe.

[are_we_united_yet]

2. Well

you gotta like that one.

[Judi Lynn]

3. Isn't this a surprise?

Maybe the fact Delay is in trouble for multiple reasons has made him more vulnerable, and the possibility of defeat more credible, after all these long, bitter years!

Great line in the article:

Morrison faces an uphill battle in this race. The Houston region and the entire country will be better off if he succeeds.

Never expected to see this from the Chronicle.

Thanks a LOT!

[efhmc]

4. Time to be proud of Houston again, the best and only real city in Texas.

[wolfgirl]

5. ROTFLMAO!!! eom

[Florida_Geek]

6. Wrong

Austin is :bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce::bounce:

[efhmc]

10. No, Austin is a town and an overgrown one at that. A city has great,

and wonderful arts; including opera and ballet (that have real stars, not UT students)and museums of quality that attack large, important exhibits. It also has great restaurants with a range of diversity, not just chicken fried steak, bbq and catfish. It has fabulous ethnic groups of people and fantastic celebrations, such as a Thanksgiving Day parade that doesn't feature only rival football teams and a Forth of July celebration at Herman park that has live orchastral music with the most magnificent fireworks I have seen anywhere, a beach within 45 minutes, aand more than 2 ways to get across town.

[Florida_Geek]

14. Four words ---- Air Quality & Hippy Hollow

:evilgrin:

[efhmc]

15. I'll give you air quality but Austin had a shocking number of ozone

actions day last year, especially for a non-manufacturing town. Hippy Hollow has absolutely nothing to do with being a city. It is just another part of Austin's charming childishness, which makes it unique but certainly does not make it a city. BTW, I wonder who would like to take over all of those refineries that are on the Gulf Coast and cause the major part of Houston's pollution. Since no other city seems to want them (including many Houstonians), maybe we can get *Georgie's hometown interested. Of course, stricter laws would help but now we are back to the subject at hand. (Electing people to make a difference in our quality of life.)

[VegasWolf]

16. I lived in Austin during the 80's and it was a fantastic place - went

back a few years ago and I was totally dismayed by how
overgrown it had become. Driving down Research Blvd was
almost as bad as driving down 101 in Sili Valley :).

[efhmc]

17. You're right. My family and members have lived in and around Austin for

a long, long time. My husband and daughter were both born there. My husband couldn't wait to leave and my daughter moved back there this year from the Bay area of Cal. and really hates the place. Overrated and without too many cultural redemptions. The TV stations lead off the local news with who is going to be the starting quarterback of an upcoming game but there is vertually no news on state government ever given and the government is rumored to be located there. Yet they will always get the UT game news on air.

[PDittie]

18. that's five words

;)

[PDittie]

12. Austin's a big town n/t

;)

[StupidFOX]

7. So does Morrison have a chance?

Haven't been following this race

[PDittie]

11. MUCH more than just a chance

The most recent poll numbers -- a bit over a month ago -- showed it 48-39, DeLay over Morrison. (DeLay has never been re-elected by less than a 20-point margin.)

That was, of course, before the three ethics rebukes, and before Judicial Watch suggested he step down as Majority Leader.

The headline in yesterday's Galveston Daily News (page one, above the fold):

DeLay won't debate opponent

http://www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?wcd=56626

Inside this article Bugman claims he's polling 56%. That's folly.

A steaming pile of horse folly.

[Rose Siding]

8. Did the Chronicle endorse DeLay in 02?

Have they ever?

[PDittie]

13. I don't know their endorsement history

I suspect they have endorsed DeLay in the past and probably more than once.

[xxqqqzme]

9. Morrison was an early

'Dean Dozen', I believe. I know Howard has gone to TX numerous times 2 assist the campaign against bug killer.