Time for a Change

The decison by Tom Delay to quit because people were exerting undue pressure on him over the whole sex slave pimping, mob boss acting, hit man loving, stealing for fun in the hot tub thing is most interesting the closer to Houston one gets.

There is huge confusion about exactly what will happen, and what exactly Bug Man intends to do in terms of leaving office, residence issues, his criminal status, etc.. Very "inside baseball" type stuff. Disperate opinions abound, such as:

From GregsOpinion.com:

. . . Obviously, there'll be a special election called and you can bet your Ronald Reagan mint coin that Rick Perry will call it faster for a living coward of a Republican than he called it for replacing a dead Democrat. I'm not as certain that the resulting field (open primary) will have only Nick Lampson facing a squadron of rightwingers and other assorted loonies. Ambition makes for poor predictions and an open seat in an increasingly competitive district can make some interesting things happen.

From Tom DeLay vs. the World:

The big loser in all of this is Nick Lampson. He's a pretty solid underdog to any credible Republican candidate.

Lampson lost 43%-56% in 2004 to Ted Poe in a slightly more Republican district. That was a district that included his long-time home of Beaumont. Lampson had to move into his aunt's house to live in this district, and despite the fact that he's been campaigning for the last year, his ties to the district are not nearly as strong as they were

This is a solidly Republican district. Peg it conservatively at 60%, and you're behind by 20% already if you're Lampson.

www.chron.com

I know these guys must understand the TX-22 better than me. The district is solidly conservative, but not necessarily Republican. It is increasingly Latino, Asian, working class, and decreasingly agricultural. Although Stafford/Sugar Land, etc., have miles of McMansions, times are not good. Foreclosures, and banckruptcies are sky-rocketing, gas for the long commute is up - no promised rail line. Opportunities and jobs are down. The district's state park is overcrowded, run down and too expensive. There are no new promised green spaces. The sprawl is not family friendly. Everyday Enron, and unpopular war, a disappointing president, and unrelenting corruption is in the news. Delay has disgraced the district and the party in Ft. Bend is divided. Who says this won't be a referendum on Tom Delay and George Bush's failed leadership? Time for a change?

Don't count your chickens yet, pukes. The people will decide who wins, (unless you cheat).