John Gard tagged as Tom DeLay's man

The Captial Times has an editorial tagging Rep. John Gard as Congressman Tom DeLay's man in Wisconsin's 8th District Congressional Race. Seems like the Republicans in the 8th District should take a good look at Rep. Terri McCormick if DeLay's team has refused to meet with her. Here it is:

Editorial: John Gard is DeLay's man
An editorial

U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay may have stepped down as House majority leader and as the kingpin of congressional Republicans.

But before scandal forced DeLay out of the leadership of his party's legislative forces, he established a ruthless political operation that had as its goal the nomination and election not merely of conservative Republicans but of conservative Republicans who would do the bidding of DeLay and his corporate paymasters.

That operation did not disappear when DeLay stepped down.

DeLay's operation is still playing politics, and it is still identifying the Republicans who will serve the special interests that have grown so powerful in recent years, as opposed to the public interest that has been so undermined by the Texan's reign of error.

In Wisconsin, where Republican voters will choose a nominee next September to replace U.S. Rep. Mark Green, the Green Bay area conservative who is seeking his party's nomination for governor, the DeLay operation has made its choice.

It is supporting outgoing Assembly Speaker John Gard of Peshtigo for the Republican nomination in Green's northeast Wisconsin 8th District. The National Republican Campaign Committee is already providing financial support to Gard, despite the fact that another conservative Republican legislator, state Rep. Terri McCormick of Appleton, is also seeking the seat.

DeLay's operation has refused to meet with McCormick because, while she may be right on their issues, she tends to think for herself. She says things like: "The voters should speak first instead of political insiders."

For Wisconsin Republicans the choice is clear: Both Gard and McCormick are credible candidates. Both are conservatives. What distinguishes them is that Gard is now the official candidate of the DeLay operation, while McCormick will have to settle for the support of those who believe that Republicans should break the chains of corruption that the disgraced Texan has left on their party.
Published: January 21, 2006