In Texas, the Name of Corruption is DeLay

From top to bottom, Republican politicians all over America are using their power to place themselves above the law. At the top, there’s the infamous example of now-Attorney General Alberto Gonzales declaring that President Bush does not need to follow the law if he doesn’t regard doing so as necessary. This week, we’re brought a new example of Republican lawlessness from the Texas legislature, where Republicans are considering a new measure that would allow well-connected Republicans to break election laws and get away with it.

The bill, which is being pushed through by allies of Republican congressman Tom DeLay, would grant the Texas Elections Commission the power to stop any prosecution of any politician accused of violating election laws. No appeals, no vote counts, no chance for justice – the power of the law would be overturned just like that.

Now, just who do you think has the power to appoint people to the Texas Elections Commission? That’s right – it’s the Texas Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and Speaker of the Texas House. All three of these positions are held by Republicans. So, guess who is sitting on the Texas Elections Commission? That’s right – they’re all Republicans, and every single one of them is on the record as supporting Tom DeLay’s fight to prevent his prosecution for breaking election laws in 2002.

The immediate effect of the new Texas law would be to let Tom DeLay off the hook, protecting him from paying the legal consequences for breaking election laws in his hungry climb to power. In a longer view, however, the impact of the law that DeLay’s Republican allies have proposed would be to end democracy in Texas.

Think about it: If every single member of the Texas Elections Commission is a loyal Republican, appointed and removed from the commission at the whim of the leadership of the Texas Republican Party, then the Texas Elections Commission effectively is nothing more than a branch of the Texas Republican Party. If the Texas Elections Commission is given the power to provide immunity from prosecution to anyone who breaks election laws, then Texas election laws will only apply to those candidates that the Texas Elections Commission, and the Texas Republican Party, do not approve of.

The ultimate effect of the bill that Texas Republicans are proposing is that election laws in Texas would only apply to non-Republicans. Republican candidates would be given free reign to engage in all kinds of illegal campaign practices in order to defeat their opponents. With the Republicans now in control of all branches of government in Texas, there would be no real opportunity for Democrats, or any other political party, to ever challenge the Republicans’ grip on power. Texas would become a one-party state.

Some Republicans may argue that the Republican Texas Elections Commission would never really allow such a thing to occur, but really, that doesn’t matter. The most important difference between a democracy and a totalitarian regime is that in a democracy, government is accountable to the people. In order for this to happen, the law cannot be enforced only when it pleases the whims of those in power. The law must apply to all people all of the time, regardless of political considerations.

Unfortunately, equal protection under the law is a principle of democracy that the Republican Party seems to have little patience for these days. Let’s not forget George W. Bush’s promise – he wants to do for America what he’s done for Texas. Look out, America.