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HOUSTON — A New England group founded by former Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean erected two billboards Tuesday near the district of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, highlighting his problems with lobbyist-funded travel.
"Lobbyists sent Tom DeLay golfing; all you got was this billboard," says a billboard overlooking a freeway that bends around downtown Houston, identical to one erected in Galveston County. They will remain up until the end of May.
The billboards refer to golf outings and other foreign trips DeLay took that were paid for by lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whose work is now under criminal investigation.
"The alleged ethics violations that surround Tom DeLay are a disgrace to the integrity of America's political system," Democracy for America Chairman Jim Dean, Howard Dean's brother, said in a statement. "These billboards send the message that Americans and the voters of Texas are sick of corruption and special interests dominating our political system and public officials."
But a local moderate Republican activist said out-of-state efforts will backfire with GOP voters, even those who might not normally support DeLay.
"Our whole state, our whole identity as a people, is we do our own thing," said Geyer Dybesland, president of the Magic Circle Republican Women's Club, a moderate GOP group founded by former first lady Barbara Bush. "We like our politicians tough, and we like them even better when they're being picked on by the media elite."
DeLay's ethics troubles have inspired local Democrats to run better-financed and better-organized campaigns for the March 2006 primary than they have since DeLay was first elected to the 22nd Congressional District in 1984. Former U.S. Rep. Nick Lampson has decided to seek the nomination, and Houston City Councilman Gordon Quan said he is deciding whether to jump in.
Meanwhile, a new poll showed 51 percent of voters in DeLay's district disapproved of the job DeLay was doing in Congress. The poll, conducted for KPRC-TV by SurveyUSA, also showed that 39 percent said he should remain House majority leader, 21 percent said he should resign his leadership post and 36 percent said he should resign from Congress. The poll of 548 registered voters has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.3 percent.
A spokeswoman for Democracy for America declined to reveal how much the group spent on the billboards. A call to Viacom Outdoor, which owns the billboards, was not immediately returned.
Howard Dean is now chairman of the Democratic Party.
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</center>I just hope Dean promotes himself and not spend too much time attacking others, or he'll end up in the same stalemate John Kerry was in.
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