Public Campaign Action Fund - Tom DeLay

Statement of David Donnelly on Decision to Keep Tom DeLay on Texas Ballot in November

Adam Smith — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 19:24:08 +0000

Today, U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks ruled that Rep. Tom Delay must appear on the ballot in November as the Republican nominee for the congressional seat that he resigned from last month. Below is a statement from David Donnelly, national campaigns director, Public Campaign Action Fund, on the Judge’s decision.

DELAY GONE, BUT LEGACY OF CORRUPTION REMAINS; JOINT EFFORT TO CLEAN UP CONGRESS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER

Rick Bielke — Tue, 04 Apr 2006 20:35:20 +0000

WASHINGTON – Former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay’s announcement that he will not seek reelection and will resign from Congress provides new evidence that the public is ready to sweep out corruption from Congress, said leaders of two activist organizations actively involved in drawing the links between DeLay-style corruption and the cost to American families.

Public Campaign Action Fund national campaigns director David Donnelly and Campaign for America’s Future co-director Roger Hickey joined with leaders of activist citizen organizations MoveOn.org, Common Cause, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Public Citizen for a conference call with reporters today to discuss the implications of Rep. DeLay’s scandals and the boost his resignation represents to efforts to energize citizen campaigns that refocus American politics. The two groups have combined efforts to run ads in Rep. DeLay’s Texas district, and they plan more Clean Up Congress campaigns in other districts to highlight the cost of corruption to working and middle-class Americans.

“Tom DeLay’s chickens are coming home to roost,” said Donnelly. “DeLay’s rise to power was fueled by money, and he was a master of using campaign money to engineer political victories for his allies and policy victories for his corporate donors. But he served money and not the voters, and that’s why he was forced from Congress.”

Hickey said that Rep. DeLay’s resignation represents a victory for independent citizen activism.

“Tom DeLay was brought down by the arrogance and political ambition of the political money machine he helped to build – in cooperation with other powerful individuals and organizations. But citizen action played an important role,” said Hickey. “The lesson here is that when citizen groups – who are not cowed by special interests – are willing to expose the truth, even the most powerful can be brought down.”

Hickey and Donnelly said that each of the groups at today’s press conference has been actively working to focus the sunshine of public disclosure and public discussion on the corrupt DeLay machine – which they stressed is still connecting special interest money with individual politicians in exchange for votes to benefit those interests. And they pledged to continue to go into Congressional districts with ads and organizing designed to publicize those corrupt connections and clean up Congress.

The two groups’ public education campaign on Tom DeLay’s big money agenda involves many educational activities:

--Public Campaign Action Fund’s Campaign Money Watch project ran radio and television advertisements in Tom DeLay’s district in October 2004 in the ten days before election day.

--In April, 2005, the Campaign for America’s Future aired ads in DeLay's Houston district and in Washington, D.C., calling out DeLay's corruption in dramatic, compelling images. http://www.ourfuture.org/docUploads/delay_tv_ad.html

--Public Campaign Action Fund runs an on-going weblog called the Daily DeLay to chronicle news stories, commentary, and activist ideas.

--Early in 2005, the Campaign for America’s Future launched the Project for an Accountable Congress to expose how legal graft dominates in Washington today. Tom DeLay was an early focus, along with Bob Ney, John Tanner, and Jim McCrery. With meticulous research, the Campaign shows how special interest deals affect working families in member districts– higher prices for prescription drugs, fuel and student loans. http://www.ourfuture.org/issues_and_campaigns/accountablecongress/
index.cfm

--Working with other groups, Public Campaign Action Fund lead the fight against the DeLay Rule, an effort by Republicans in the House to reverse a decade-old rule that forced a member of leadership to resign if indicted. Our members catalogued where members of Congress stood on the DeLay rule, creating the only public record of a secret vote. The public outcry and attention forced DeLay to reverse the rule.

--In late January, 2006, the Campaign for America’s Future joined with Public Campaign Action Fund to run and ad in DeLay’s Houston district regarding a million dollar gift from Russian oil tycoons to a DeLay-related nonprofit. The ad, which called on DeLay to resign, ultimately aired despite DeLay’s threat to sue television stations. http://www.ourfuture.org/docUploads/delay_tv_timetoresign.html

--Public Campaign Action Fund is working with Campaign for America’s Future on a joint Clean Up Congress effort to hold elected officials accountable for the special favors they give to their political donors, and fight for comprehensive reforms in our political system.

--Throughout 2005 and into 2006, both groups have educated voters in DeLay’s district and elsewhere about corruption in Congress using television, radio, print advertising, and grassroots organizing.

PRESS RELEASE: NEW GOP LEADER BOUGHT SUPPORT FROM COLLEAGUES

admin — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 18:09:31 +0000

Spoof Campaign Ads About Boehner Surfaced On The Internet

WASHINGTON – Rep. John Boehner, R-Ohio, gave nearly $150,000 to colleagues from his leadership political action committee to influence today’s vote for majority leader, according to fundraising records he filed with the Federal Election Commission Tuesday and reported today in a Capitol Hill newspaper.

PRESS RELEASE: SPOOF CAMPAIGN ADS SURFACE IN RACE TO SUCCEED DELAY

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 18:09:35 +0000

Ads Link Three Majority Leader Candidates To Tom DeLay-Style Corruption

WASHINGTON -- Three separate mock campaign ads linking Reps. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., John Boehner, R- Ohio, and John Shadegg, R-Ariz., to corruption emerged online today in the race to succeed Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, as House Majority Leader.

PRESS RELEASE: NEW TOM DELAY AD ON THE AIR IN HOUSTON

admin — Sat, 21 Jan 2006 18:13:20 +0000

Ad Expanding on Controversial Spot About DeLay Corruption Allegations To Air On At Least Two TV Stations Beginnining Sun
WASHINGTON – A new television ad that links embattled Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, to corruption is scheduled to air in the Houston area beginning Sunday. The stations’ decision to air the spot marks a turning point in the controversy which began when Rep. DeLay threatened to sue media outlets if they aired an earlier ad. The new spot highlights “the ad Tom DeLay doesn’t want you to see” and addresses the same facts.

PRESS RELEASE: FACTCHECK.ORG - CONTROVERSIAL TOM DELAY AD IS ACCURATE

admin — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 18:09:39 +0000

Independent Analysis Says DeLay Has No Factual Basis To Threaten TV Stations That Took The Spots Off The Air

WAHINGTON – The ad targeting embattled Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, which Houston television stations decided not to air after Rep. DeLay threatened to sue them for playing it, contains nothing false, according to an analysis released today by FactCheck.org.

PRESS RELEASE: REP. TOM DELAY THREATENS MEDIA OUTLETS RUNNING ADS LINKING HIM TO CORRUPTION

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 18:09:37 +0000

Campaign for America’s Future and Public Campaign Action Fund Vigorously Protest DeLay’s Strong-Arm Tactics Against Firs

HOUSTON – Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, is threatening to “sue any station” that runs a new television ad that links him to one of the worst congressional corruption scandals ever. The two public interest groups that joined forces this week to run the ads are vigorously fighting back.

PRESS RELEASE: TOM DELAY, BOB NEY TARGETS OF MAJOR NEW AD CAMPAIGN LINKING BOTH TO MONEY SCANDALS ROILING WASHINGTON

David Donnelly — Mon, 09 Jan 2006 18:02:19 +0000

WASHINGTON – Two public interest groups joined forces today to unveil $115,000 in new television, radio and billboard ads targeting Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and Rep. Bob Ney, R-Ohio, for their central roles in one of the worst congressional corruption scandals ever. The television and radio ads will begin airing Wednesday in Reps. DeLay and Ney’s districts and the billboard looms above Rep. Ney’s hometown exit on Rte. I-70 in Heath, Ohio.

PRESS RELEASE: NEW TELEVISION ADS LINK THREE REPUBLICAN CONGRESSMEN TO INDICTED REP. TOM DELAY

admin — Sat, 05 Nov 2005 22:36:28 +0000

Watchdog groups run ads in Gerlach's PA-06, Ney's OH-18 and Reynolds' NY-26

Washington, DC - Public Campaign Action Fund and American Family Voices today began running three different advertisements in Congressional districts that are represented by close allies of indicted, disgraced former Majority Leader Tom DeLay (TX-22). The ads, titled "Indicted," target Reps. Jim Gerlach (PA-06), Bob Ney (OH-18) and Tom Reynolds (NY-26).

PRESS RELEASE: TOM DELAY'S BANKRUPTCY DEFORM BILL

David Donnelly — Tue, 05 Apr 2005 16:42:50 +0000

House Majority Leader In Debt to Big Banks
and Credit Card Industry

A new analysis shows that, as members of the House of Representative prepare to debate bankrutpcy legislation under the leadership of House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-TX), they are awash in campaign money from the commercial banking and the finance/credit industries that would benefit the most from the legislation—nearly $43 million collected since 1989, nearly two-thirds of that to Republicans.