GOP elders seeking Delay opponent

HoustonChronicle reported Former U.S. Rep. Pete McCloskey, in Houston Sunday for a conference on Palestinian issues, said he and other Republican elders are looking for a candidate to oppose U.S. Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land. "Tom DeLay is an embarrassment to the Republican Party," said McCloskey, who represented Northern California from 1967 to 1983. He met Sunday with Michael Fjetland, who was defeated by DeLay in Republican primaries in 2000 and 2002 and as an independent in the 2004 general election. McCloskey is one of nine former congressmen who have formed an informal group he called the "revolt of the elders," to oppose congressmen who they think are guilty of ethics violations.

Fjetland, 55, a lawyer from Missouri City, said he is forming a committee to see if he can gather enough support to take on DeLay in the primary. Fjetland said many voters are tired of DeLay acting like a bully.

Most of the voter that are tired of DeLay acting like a bully are Democrats, because DeLay is very effective at his job. The Republicans that are against him are probably RINOs seeking to please the Democrats.

Sal Towse blogged Pete McCloskey (represented the San Francisco Peninsula in Congress from 1967 to 1983) wrote on September 10, 2004 "Although I'm a lifelong Republican, I will vote for John Kerry on Nov. 2. The choice seems simple under traditional principles of the Republican Party."

Chris Elam blogged Pete McCloskey has nothing better to do than arrange a meeting with THREE-time loser, Mike Fjetland? The man who couldn't break THREE percent in 2004 as an Independent (after wisely deciding not to get humiliated in the '04 primary for the third straight time)?

Byron LaMasters blogged Mike Fjetland is delusional if he thinks he can get tens of thousands of Democrats to vote in the 2006 GOP primary to help oust Tom DeLay. The only way that Tom DeLay loses a Republican primary is if enough Republicans in CD 22 see him as someone that hurts their party. However, if CD 22 Republicans believe that Democrats are attempting to hijack their primary, then Republicans who might otherwise turn against Tom DeLay would support Tom DeLay in order to maintain the integrity of their primary. Since there are more Republicans than Democrats in CD 22, then the suggestion that Democrats could help defeat Tom DeLay in a GOP primary is pretty much just a pipe dream.