Tom DeLay and Tiahrt are best buds

From MoveOn

The tangled web of backslapping relationships between DeLay, other Republicans, and lobbyists needs to be exposed to the light. So we've taken the best information out there on the connections between Republican members of Congress and Rep. Tom DeLay and we're sending it to you as your own personal "Report Card on Rep. Tiahrt": Report Card on Rep. Todd Tiahrt's Connections to Tom DeLay Accepted $10,071 from Tom Delay's PACs Donated $10,000 to Delay's legal defense fund. Voted with DeLay 95.14% of the time (3,229 of 3,394 votes) [Data in the "Report Card" was compiled by Public Campaign Action Fund for its DeLay Rankings at http://www.InDeLaysPocket.com]After you read the report card please sign our petition and forward this e-mail to your friends, family and colleagues. This is exactly the sort of detailed information they're looking for and will find useful.So far, nearly 300,000 of us have signed a petition to Congress urging them to fire Tom DeLay as Majority Leader. We want to collect at least 500,000 petition signatures before the beginning of June when Congress returns home for a week.During the first week in June MoveOn members will deliver the petition to Republican members of Congress while they're home. If you live in a Democratic district, we will deliver the petition to the local Republican Party headquarters. You can volunteer to get involved in the petition delivery when you sign the petition.Please take the time now to sign our petition urging Congress to fire Tom DeLay as majority leader.http://www.moveonpac.org/delay/?id=5502-1273126-O_57vaRKmCjsiLpIvAthwQ&t=2We need to turn the heat up on representatives about their association with DeLay. As absurd as it sounds, many Republicans are actually gathering later this week at a banquet to honor DeLay. Rep. Tiahrt might be one of them.Among his offenses, Tom Delay:- Accepted trips from corporations and later helped kill legislation they opposed- Accepted trips from the lobbyist for a foreign government in violation of House rules- Paid family members more than $500,000 out of campaign contributions- Helped sweatshops in the Mariana Islands at the behest of a lobbyist- Promised a role in drafting legislation to a corporate donor- Tried to coerce a Congressman for a vote on Medicare- Allegedly used corporate money given to his PAC to finance Texas campaigns in violation of state law- Used Homeland Security resources in a dispute with Democrats in Texas- Diverted funds from a children's charity for lavish celebrations at the Republican convention- Threatened retaliation against interest groups that don't support Republicans- Stacked the House Ethics Committee with representatives who have contributed to his legal defense fund- Crippled the effectiveness of the House Ethics Committee by purging members who had rebuked him- Pushed for a rules change for the House Ethics process that paralyzed the panel- Sought a rule change that would have no longer "required leaders to step aside temporarily if indicted"(See postscript below for a link to citations.)As Majority Leader, DeLay is the second-ranking leader in the House of Representatives. He is responsible for developing the Republican issue agenda and sets the legislative schedule by selecting which bills the House will consider.The ranks of government contractors and lobbyists who depend on this legislative authority have slathered DeLay, his cronies and related organizations with millions of dollars.Please sign our petition today urging Congress to fire Tom Delay!http://www.moveonpac.org/delay/?id=5502-1273126-O_57vaRKmCjsiLpIvAthwQ&t=3Thanks for all you do.--Tom, Wes, Adam, Laura and the MoveOn PAC Team Wednesday, May 11th, 2005