Without DeLay

First, a brief but illuminating glance into Tom DeLay's reptilian little brain.


"I'm going to shock you on two levels. One is I think the real Person of the Year ought to be Nancy Pelosi....I think it's unfortunate that you said I created the culture in Washington. The Democrats, when they lost power, it was like, as John said, it was like losing your plantation - they refused to work with the Republican majority. Back in the good old days they always talk about the Republican minority mindset like the slaves of the plantation and as long as they kept that, the Democrats, they all got along. It's when things got up and changed that we all got more partisan. Nancy Pelosi, I have to give her credit."

via Huffington Post.

"As God is my witness, I'll never be bipartisan again!"

or something.

So now, though, the question is: given what we know of the man's character and doings. How bad does his successor have to be to make his entire staff walk out?

One might fleetingly hope that it has something to do with her actually being more ethical than he is. But, no, apparently, she's just nuts.

The last remnants of the resigned Tom DeLay’s once powerful congressional staff on Tuesday walked out of the office of his temporary successor, Rep. Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, because of exasperation with her. Sekula-Gibbs, a Houston City Council member and physician, was elected to serve in the lame-duck session but was defeated in a write-in for a full term.

The last straw for the DeLay alumni was when they were instructed by Sekula-Gibbs to make sure President Bush and Vice President Cheney were seated in the gallery for her swearing-in. The word on Capitol Hill is that she must have been really obnoxious for staffers to give up two months of easy pay...


Well, apparently not so easy at that; girlfriend had plans. "Lame duck?" Fie, pish-posh and pooh-pooh:

Shelley Sekula-Gibbs was sworn in as a congresswoman on Monday night and already she's a lame duck. Because of a weird electoral quirk, her brief term in office expires next month.

But you couldn't tell that by listening to her.

"I'm working hard to accomplish the things I'm working for," she said yesterday. "For tax cuts. For immigration reform. To make sure we have a good solution for the war in Iraq."

All that? In a few weeks?

"If there's a way to do it, I'll do it," she said, smiling beneath her bright blond hair. "I'll deal with the leadership to get as much done as possible."

Sekula-Gibbs (R-Tex.) won a race for Congress on Nov. 7. She also lost a race for Congress on Nov. 7. It's a long story:

Tom "The Hammer" DeLay, the former House majority leader who was indicted on money-laundering charges, resigned from Congress last spring after winning the Republican primary. Last week, voters in DeLay's old district, the 22nd, got to cast two votes for Congress. The Texas voters elected Sekula-Gibbs to fill the remaining portion of DeLay's term -- but they elected Democrat Nick Lampson to succeed DeLay in the Congress that takes office in January, a race that Sekula-Gibbs had to run as a write-in candidate.

That makes for a very short congressional career for Sekula-Gibbs, 53, who is a member of the Houston City Council and a dermatologist -- probably two or three weeks, if you don't count recesses...

And yet, bless her heart:

She said: "I'm proud that the people of the 22nd Congressional District honored me with their votes."

She said: "I'm blessed by God. This really is a gift from God."

She said: "I'm looking forward to rolling up my sleeves and getting as much done as I can accomplish."

Well, actually, she did accomplish a lot:

"She has mortally damaged herself for '08," said Bill Miller, an Austin media consultant who works for clients in both parties. "She has embarrassed herself. She has embarrassed Republicans. She's done a first-class job of ruining any prospective chance she had of winning that race.

...By Wednesday, she became known as the boss who drove off, or was abandoned by, the entire staff she had inherited from DeLay — and then sought to have them investigated.

"It's the talk of the political village," said University of Houston political scientist Richard Murray. "She's become this kind of wacky sideshow."

...and it turns out this isn't even the first time she's had a mass walkout:

I've heard rumors that there is no love lost between Shelley Sekula-Gibbs and her fellow City Council Members. And, that while she may have political skills - social skills? Not so much. At the end of today's City Council meeting, when other members were offering condolences to the family of slain police offer Rodney Johnson (who was alledgedly killed by an illegal immigrant), Shelley chose to denounce the non-existent "sanctuary policy" in Houston.

Nine council members left the room temporarily in protest of her completely inappropriate political remarks at a time when a family was mourning. Carol Alvarado (no love lost there), was the first to leave.

The Houston Chronicle had this to say:

"I was embarrassed to be in the room with somebody talking like that," said Councilwoman Toni Lawrence, a Republican and one of the first to leave.


but say what you will about her, no mistake: she'd never give up the plantation.


"I apologize to the Johnson family today for one of our colleagues attempted to pimp the death and tragedy of Officer Johnson for their political career," said Councilmember Ada Edwards.

When Sekula-Gibbs was asked about her comments showing lack of respect, she responded immediately.

"They're wrong," said Sekula-Gibbs.


Shelley Sekula-Gibbs, we hardly knew ye.