The big political news from over the weekend was the announcement by Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) that he would no longer seek to regain his former post of House Majority Leader. Given that DeLay was arguably NASA’s most powerful patron on Capitol Hill, this decision—and his ongoing legal troubles—raises the question of just how much influence he will have and how much attention he will be able to devote to NASA. This could prove to be particularly critical if the administration asks for another significant budget increase for NASA for fiscal year 2007. At least for now DeLay will likely still wield considerable influence despite losing his leadership post, and he plans to use it to support the space agency: the AP reported that DeLay said Saturday that “one of his new main objectives was securing more funding for NASA”. His long-term influence, though, will depend on the outcome of his legal problems, as well as what may be a bruising reelection campaign against former Congressman Nick Lampson.
I rather doubt that Delay has much to worry about from Nick Lampson (unless there’s another shoe left to drop, in which case he’ll have greater worries than just staying in Congress.) Indeed, Delay has bought himself a lot of good will by taking one for the team.
You mean by taking one for the ‘regime’, right?
http://cosmic.lifeform.org
DeLay did rather poorly in 2004, getting only 55% of the vote even though he was up against a virtually unknown and underfunded Democrat. It’s also important to note that Bush won the district by and despite the fact that Bush won the district by more than 65%.
This time around, DeLay is in serious trouble. Nick Lampson is well-known and well-liked in the district, a large chunk of which he represented beore the redistricting. The DNC has targeted the race and Lampson will have no trouble raising money. He’s also seen as a moderate to conservative Democrat, not some bleeding heart liberal.
Some current polls have DeLay losing. I’d say this race is up in the air.
Despite all of my negative comments about human spaceflight at NASA, including at Johnson Space Center, I certainly think that JSC could be useful for America in the future. But not the Tom DeLay way. It should be clear that DeLay mainly thinks of NASA as a patronage vehicle. He doesn’t really care how the money is spent, as long as it is spent in his district.
The grasping patronage mentality — which is much bigger than just Tom DeLay — is not just a theoretical source of embarrassment. It is bringing Tom DeLay down. It also slowly delegitimizes NASA. NASA’s budget has been falling relative to NSF and NIH for many years.
I hope that Nick Lampson can rise above patronage and recognize the national interest in his dealings with NASA. It shouldn’t just be about getting funding, but also about doing things that deserve funding. District 22 in Texas should hope for it too.
I just hope Congress gets another of its periodic purges. Delay leaving is just fine with me, and if he’s guilty, then he better see jail time. Crookedness among politicians is certainly not new, but it reaches a level of institutionalization that apparently is too high. The realization only comes when someone is caught, and the majority party will take the hit (after all, Republicans carry on about high ethical standards and less government – so far, they’ve done the opposite on both counts, much to the frustration of reasonable conservatives nationwide).
NASA needs not just a better vision, but more honorable champions.
Actually, Monk, Delay’s last opponent was very well funded and flooded the air waves with commercials that didn’t mention that he happened to be a Democrat or a trial lawyer. Nick Lampson, far from being “well liked”, is considered a light weight. Unless Delay’s legal troubles deepen, he is very likely to be reelected comfortably.
And, of course, having Ronnie Earl as an enemy is a plus.
Mark,
You obviously weren’t there. I was.
Mark lives in Huston, he was there and is there.
What helps Delay and hurts Lampson is Delay will effectively be running against Ronnie Earl, a character not well liked outside of moveon.org circles.
>>Mark lives in Huston, he was there and is there.
>>Mark lives in Huston, he was there and is there.
Ask him, not me.
He lives in Houston and is up to speed on these matters regardless of whether he worked on the campaigns or not.
Interesting news in today’s (12th Jan) New York Times suggesting that Delay might be hoisted by his own redistricting petard.
— Donald