YEOW!!! Tom DeLay attends debate! Gets ass handed to him!

[johncoby2]

There has NEVER been a congressional debate in district 22 for over 20 years......until tonight.....

Tom DeLay, fearing a backlash from not attending a debate sponsored by a High School Debate Club, caved in and attended a debate in Clear Lake, south of Houston.

He has NEVER debated, until now and Richard Morrison kicked his ass!

DeLayed agreed to the debate only after announcing it on a local right wing station, requesting support from his minions. This was just 20 minutes before the debate. DeLay snuck into the debate, without talking with any constituents as was planned for 30 mintues prior to the debate.

He didnt have the decency of even telling the debate club, the sponsors of the event. They were surprised just like the candidates.

And after noting that the debate was historic since no District 22 debates have ever been conducted, DeLay took the wind out of the sails of the debate team by claiming it was not true.

This is the leadership of Congress.

Until Nov 2.

[GOPNotForMe]

1. I am CRAVING details!

[JohnnyCougar]

2. Me too!

Do tell!

[Gman]

3. Wow! Delay MUST be worried

or else he wouldn't have given this debate the time of day.

And, it sounds like kinda eratic behavior too. Could it be his campaign polls are now showing him behind?

[eleny]

4. Please post if it's going to be teleived on C-Span

If you can find out. and yes - please give us some juicy details!

And thanks for posting to tell us he debated!

[powergirl]

5. That's where I went to High School - yikes Tom Delay defiled my school!

I went to Clear Lake High School - Class of 1982. And I was a debater. Those poor kids. At least Delay got his ass kicked. I wonder if he drove up in his Exterminator Truck.

[aquart]

6. Could it be possible?

Could Sugarland toss the little insect?

[joanne]

8. Please let it be true!!!!!!!

I started another thread asking people who they most wanted to see defeated besides *.

Seems I'm not the only one saying cockroach.

[pacalo]

7. I suppose C-Span wouldn't have taped this if Tom DeLay wasn't

scheduled to participate in it. Maybe part of the reason DeLay didn't let anyone know beforehand was to prevent any major media from covering it?

[girl gone mad]

11. I'm sure somebody taped it..

let's hope they'll share.

[Sliverofhope]

9. Help support an anti-DeLay attack ad in his district

$100,000 needs to be raised. Go to http://www.retiretomdelay.com/ for more info!

[Sliverofhope]

13. Yet another ad you can donate to

http://www.campaignmoney.org/delay/values.htm

[efhmc]

23. I donated this morning. I so want this to happen.

[eleny]

10. A Mike Malloy caller is talking about the debate!

[Darby]

12. I made a "pointed" call to his campaign ofc on Sunday

they told me DeLay never said he would go - the high school inexplicably scheduled the event after being told he was not available. (LIE LIE LIE LIE LIE)

I asked, what in the hell else is he doing that day? Doesn't he have two damn hours for these kids?

[naufragus]

14. VIDEO?????

[KharmaTrain]

15. Was The Local Radio or Cable Access Station There?

I'd be interesting if they have a tape. Maybe the debate organizers do.

This would be damning if it leaks out of the People's Republic of Texas and we could finally use this rodent as the poster child for all that's wrong with this government.

I'm working a Congressional campaign here in Illinois and DeLay's about as popular in this soon-to-be-previously Repugnican district as Herpes. One person I canvassed said that she was voting for Melissa Bean specifically to get Bastert & DeLay far away from her tax money.

[naufragus]

17. someone at the event has to have one

one of the students or even a parent. some specator.

[KharmaTrain]

20. I Hope We Get A Local News Story...

It should be fun stuff to pass along.

BTW...if this was done at a school or college, my bet are there is a recording of the debate. I covered a ton of these in my younger days and always had a recorder rolling...even for a debate about dog catcher. This surely was a big local event...especially when weasel-dick made his surprise announcement.

In honor of this great turn of events, I've just send Mr. Morrison another $100!!!

My accountant thinks I'm nuts, but he's matching me on contributions :hi:

[madfloridian]

16. Donate to this ad, the first ad by DFA for a Dean Dozen.

http://www.blogforamerica.com/archives/005371.html

We are having a lot of firsts lately. Takes courage and work, and Richard Morrison is up to the task for sure.

[Roland99]

18. Galveston Daily News Article on the Debate

http://www.galvnews.com/story.lasso?wcd=56728

Despite telling The Daily News on Friday that he would not attend because the debate would go largely unnoticed by the media and constituents, DeLay appeared onstage Tuesday night alongside Democratic challenger Richard Morrison, Libertarian candidate Tom Morrison and independent Michael Fjetland.

Students from Clear Lake High School organized the debate at North Pointe Elementary School.

The debate team’s coach, Mariss Elliott, called the students’ achievement in bringing all four candidates together in front of constituents inspiring.

“I’m just awed by these kids,” said Elliot. “This was totally student-driven. It was their conception and their work that put this together. I’ve never seen this kind of work ethic in teenagers.”

[Roland99]

19. Related news...Challengers question Petri, GOP in debate

http://www.wisinfo.com/postcrescent/news/archive/local_18278747.shtml

OSHKOSH — U.S. Rep. Tom Petri equated fund-raising ethics violations House of Representatives majority leader Tom DeLay has weathered to a “traffic violation” Monday.

Petri, 64, a Fond du Lac Republican and 6th Congressional District representative since 1979, defended both himself and his GOP leader, as he debated with two Nov. 2 election challengers — Democrat database marketer Jef Hall, 31, of Oshkosh and Green Party candidate Carol Rittenhouse of Plymouth.

During the 75-minute debate at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh’s Reeve Memorial Union, Petri was asked whether he believed DeLay — a Texas Republican rebuked for raising campaign funds from a company standing to gain from an energy bill — should resign as majority leader.

“I don’t think so,” said Petri, a former House ethics committee member. “It’s a little like a traffic violation,” he said of DeLay’s recent ethics reprimands. “You can get arrested for things, but it’s not like it’s murder.”

[Bridget Burke]

21. Here's the Houston Chronicle story on the debate....

Students at a high school debate club who had invited Tom DeLay to attend a candidates' forum but didn't receive a return commitment were surprised to see the U.S. House majority leader show up.

DeLay attended Tuesday night's forum sponsored by Clear Lake High School Debate Club. The area only recently became part of the 22nd Congressional District after the state Legislature redrew congressional districts in Texas in a plan pushed by DeLay.

Democrat Richard Morrison and independent Michael Fjetland attacked DeLay's conservative record during the forum that ranged from regional transportation issues to national concerns, including the war on terror and homeland security.

There's more but not too much. I'm sure more media would have been present if Delay had actually been expected.

www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/ap/tx/politics/2857461

The "regional transportation issues" mentioned are important down here. Many of his constituents commute into Houston & the drive can be a real pain. DeLay's opposition to federal funding for Houston's mass transit plans was a big reason the Chronicle turned against him--& has come out in favor of his opponent.

[PurityOfEssence]

22. The Democratic and Libertarian candidates have the same last names?

Can it get to be any more of a clusterfuck these days?