The Hammer: Tom DeLay God, Money, and the Rise of the Republican Congress

One of the Republican reforms implemented after the 1994 takeover of the House was to greatly reduce the power of formerly powerful committee chairmen who had presided with baronial independence based on a rigid system of seniority. Now there is a six-year limit on their chairmanships, support staff have been cut one-third (limiting their ability to analyze issues), each party's study groups were eliminated (provided brief summaries of bills), and the Speaker has the ability to appoint/replace chairmen. This new environment provided the power vacuum for Majority Leader DeLay to grab power. DeLay dodged Vietnam service via student and marriage deferments. DeLay first ran for Congress after the EPA banned Mirex - one of the few chemicals that kill fire ants. This was particularly offensive to DeLay who had been an exterminator, albeit a marginally successful one. (The IRS had filed liens in '79, '80, '83 for failure to pay withheld income and Social Security taxes from DeLay's employees.) DeLay had been a three-term member of the Texas legislature (few remember him at that time) at the time he first ran for Congress in 1984. DeLay's first focus was the pornography and banality of grants supported by the National Endowment for the Arts - with a few others from Texas the result was an $8 million cut in their funding. DeLay was a heavy drinker at the time, but after seeing one of Dr. James Dobson's TV presentations he became very upset about now spending much time with his daughter, and he became a "Born-Again" Baptist. DeLay got on the Republican Committee on Committees as a freshman, making him part of those who allocate seats and can thereby cultivate favor. Upon re-election DeLay moved to the powerful Appropriations Committee, though that never was his real interest. 1994 was a banner year for House Republicans. Between Hillary's healthcare reform bill (supported by President Clinton, but massacred by insurance companies), Clinton's support for gays in the military (created upsetness among evangelical Christians), and the assault weapons ban (prompted the NRA to donate $70 million to support candidates to its liking), the Republicans took control. DeLay got into the practice of using his PAC to buy loyalty of members by contributing to their campaigns and providing training for political candidates he supported; he furthered his strength by also getting lobbyists on his rolodex to also help support those same candidates directly. DeLay became the Republican Whip, and selected Hastert as chief deputy. Moving further, DeLay started the "K Street Project" - lobbyists united behind the concept of freeing business from government taxation and regulation. (When asked, DeLay replied that he could not think of a Federal regulation he would keep intact.) Saipan (an American protectorate) offers an example of DeLay's regulation-free utopia - DeLay worked to prevent U.S. labor laws from applying there, leaving intact the practice of $3/hour wages,

Tom DeLay came from the camps of Texas and lived with an alcoholic father: a questionable beginning indeed. He moved from the owner of a pest control business with a reputation as a party boy to become the most powerful man in Congress, today: The Hammer: God, Money And The Rise Of The Republican Congress charts his rise to power. Not only does The Hammer cover DeLay's life: it analyzes accompanying social and political changes which fostered his rise.

OK, first off, in deference to the harsher critics of this book, it does seem like a total rush job - punctuation and spelling errors abound. These errors were obvious and often enough to make me cringe when I came across them, and unfortunately made me wonder about the author's methods of research and interviewing - were they as spotty as their grammar? I would not be surprised if there were factual errors as well, but I don't know enough about the details of DeLay's life to spot them and although I doubt they're fatal, they still provide needless ammunition for DeLay's defenders. Their publisher should have let a copy editor spend a few more hours with the manuscript. That said, this book is a terrific read and an excellent overview of the life and works of Tom Delay. The authors touch on his upbringing in rural Texas and chart his rise through the Texas legislature. The early chapters give a sense of how his character was formed (apparently, rather poorly) and how he came to embrace the toxic brand of conservatism that he is currently trying to jam down the throats of the American People. The latter chapters explore in depth his cunning use of his position as Whip to steer both the Republican Party and Congress to the far right. The authors also lay bare DeLay's fundraising machinations, and show that one of the major sources for the loyalty DeLay enjoys from his fellow members is the cash he is able to infuse into their campaigns. Finally we get a truly nauseating glimpse into his dealings with Saipan and his courtship of End Times obsessed "Christians." It was after reading these chapters that I stopped viewing him as merely a canny politician and instead came to view him as one of the most cynical and evil men who has ever held office in the United States. Sound like hyperbole? Just try and square his purported "pro-life" positions and chest beating over Terry Schiavo with his support for the business owners in the Mariana Islands. The Marianas are a Commonwealth of the United States, and goods made there can be labeled with "Made in the USA." Unfortunately, none of the workers in these factories are protected by US Labor or Environmental laws. The workers spend their lives in factory "camps" working for slave wages and being exposed to all sorts of toxic materials. If any of the young women (who make up the majority of the population.) should become pregnant (rape and sexual slavery are common) they are heavily encouraged (read "forced") to have abortions in order to keep their jobs. Tom Delay fought tooth and nail to stop a bill that would have brought humane living and working conditions to these people. I think that this book is pretty much essential reading if you are interested in seeing how our government operates. DeLay may not be speaker, but in many ways he is far more influential on the policies enacted than many past speakers. The authors have provided us with an unflinching look at how power is gained, maintained and exer

First off, this book is not very well written. It is full of incomplete sentences, the writing is often choppy, and the authors sometimes get themselves tongue-tied. That being said, this (I am assuming hastily published) account of House Majority Leader DeLay is an excellent book for understanding the sewer-like atmosphere that characterizes doing business on The Hill today. Authors Dubose and Reid give much detail into such activities as DeLay's dealing with far-right Christian Premillinialist groups, his support for sweatshop labor in far away American territories, and his vengeful nature when dealing with anyone who would dare look at DeLay sideways. DeLay's passion seems not in enriching himself personally. He seems much mnore interested in gaining and consolidating power for himself. The most telling feature of DeLay's leadership is the close relationship detailed in the book between the Majority Leader and industry lobbyists. Early in his career DeLay brought industry lobbyists into his office and set them up to actually write legislation regarding the EPA, which DeLay has a passionate hatred of. Later on, DeLay recieved direct funding for his activities from such companies as Westar and Enron, having Ken Lay write checks for his Texas Political Action Committees so that they can use the money (illegaly) in campaigns in Texas House races. DeLay set this up to ensure that his plan to redistrict the House seats of Texas legislators would pass. There are many other dirty and underhanded activities DeLay has led detailed in this book, the above mentions are just aming his greatest hits. I would definitely recommend this book for those interested in why Capitol Hill seems like such an ugly place to do business nowadays. It is because of people like Tom DeLay.