Ignoring facts, Barnes smeared DeLay challenger as "a carpetbagger" in a "working-class" Republican district
SUMMARY: Weekly Standard executive editor Fred Barnes asserted that former Rep. Nick Lampson is "vulnerable to attack as a carpetbagger" in his race against Rep. Tom DeLay. It is true that, as Barnes noted, Lampson "used to represent a different district" and "moved into" Texas' 22nd Congressional District to run against DeLay. But in attacking Lampson, Barnes ignored some highly relevant facts: Lampson previously represented nearly one-fifth of what is now DeLay's district, and Lampson was defeated in his old district after it was reconfigured through a controversial redistricting plan spearheaded by DeLay.
During the "All-Star panel" segment of the March 8 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume, Weekly Standard executive editor Fred Barnes asserted that former Rep. Nick Lampson (D-TX) is "vulnerable to attack as a carpetbagger" in his race against Rep. Tom DeLay (R-TX) in Texas' 22nd Congressional District. It is true that, as Barnes noted, Lampson "used to represent a different district" and "moved into" the 22nd to run against DeLay. But in attacking Lampson, Barnes ignored the highly relevant fact that Lampson previously represented nearly one-fifth of what is now DeLay's district. In 2003, a controversial Texas redistricting plan spearheaded by DeLay moved more than 100,000 largely Democratic voters out of Lampson's district and into DeLay's; as a result, Lampson was defeated in the 2004 election. In addition, Barnes asserted that the 22nd District is a "working-class district, suburban-middle-class and working-class district that's very, very Republican." In fact, according to figures from the 2000 census, the current 22nd District has the second-highest median household income in the state.
DeLay, who won the Republican primary for the seat on March 7, will face Lampson in the general election.
From the March 8 edition of Fox News' Special Report with Brit Hume:
BARNES: I mean, this is a suburban Houston, Texas, district. I mean, who do you think lives there? Pointy-headed intellectuals from Ivy League colleges? No. There's a bunch of -- it's a working-class district, suburban middle-class and working-class district that's very, very Republican, you know? Mega-churches, the whole bit. And 62 percent is pretty good. Now, the Democrat who has moved into the district, Nick Lampson, used to represent a different district in Texas. And he's vulnerable to attack as a carpetbagger. And I'm sure that's occurred to the campaign. The Republicans, yeah. So I think DeLay looks a lot better than he did just a couple of days ago.
From 1997 to 2005, Lampson -- then living in Beaumont, Texas -- represented Texas' 9th Congressional District, which was immediately east of the 22nd District. The 2003 redistricting plan pushed by DeLay moved several Democratic-leaning areas -- including parts of Galveston County -- out of the 9th District and into DeLay's 22nd District. Lampson was left with a heavily Republican district (renamed the 2nd District) and was defeated in the 2004 election.
In 2005, Lampson moved into the adjacent 22nd District to challenge DeLay. As Dallas Morning News columnist Todd J. Gillman noted on October 16, 2005: "Mr. Lampson already enjoys a toehold in the district. He represented nearly a fifth of the electorate during his four House terms."
Lampson's campaign biography says that as a child, he spent "a great deal of time" working on his grandparents' farms in Stafford, Texas -- much of which is in the 22nd District:
Nick has a long family history in Texas's 22nd congressional district. His grandparents came to this country from Italy and settled in Stafford, Texas nearly 100 years ago, where they had farms and were founding members of their church. Nick's parents grew up, met and married in Fort Bend County, and the Lampson children spent a great deal of time on their grandparents' farms working the fields and learning what it meant to be part of a community larger than themselves.
In addition, Barnes asserted that the 22nd District is a "working-class district, suburban-middle-class and working-class district that's very, very Republican." In fact, according to figures from the 2000 census, DeLay's largely Republican district had a median household income of $57,932 in 1999 -- the second highest in the state and more than $18,000 above the statewide median household income of $39,927. Nationwide, the median household income was $41,994. (The median household income in Sugar Land -- where DeLay lives -- was $81,767.)
the republicans in texas have chosen to keep delay in the headlines.
Isn't Tom DeLay under indictment for money laundering? If he is tried, and convicted, can he still run for Congress in Texas? Perhaps the trial will be delayed for 4 years.
When Republicans start yelling "flip-flop" or "carpetbagger", you know the campaign is really going to be about ideas. Just kidding.
Is there anyone here who would vote against someone because they are a "carpetbagger" anyway (as Barnes erroneously asserted)? Any leftovers from the Johnson Administration out there? I mean the Andrew Johnson Administration?
I think anyone who has the "misguided" loyalty to continue supporting an individual just as Barnes does DeLay, needs to be looked at closer. Crooks support Crooks, so that means????
When is the American Public going to wake up and realize that the vast majority of Politicians and the Big Majority of the Media Reporting Machine are all on the same page... Keep America Fat Dumb And SEDATED... Look at RUSH.., no wait, on second thought don't look at RUSH! God I'm sorry... nightmares for a week!
Fred Barnes is either very dumb or a blatant (whatever you would call someone who is a liar without using the word liar, (I'm trying to behave.)).
Lampson was Gerrymandered out of his congressional seat by Tom Delay and the rest of the Republicans in Texas. That's one of the reasons that Delay is in hot water today. although he was in the US Congress, he went back to Texas to broker the deal to unseat the Democratic representatives. He should have stayed in Washington.
I went to school a long time ago. I never understood what the terms, Gerrymander, or jingoism meant. Now thanks to the Republicans I know the meaning all too well.
Every spin doctor, like every trial lawyer, knows the first thing to develop to win a contest being decided by the public are two hooks: one to demean the other side, one to uplift the side one advocates. Get there, get there first, and then win the war of repetition based upon the most simplified assertions of the fewest possible allegations (as opposed to facts) possible to achieve. Who would have thought "flipflop" and "swiftboat" and "war president" would work in the face of a four year history of governmental incompetence and deceit? Who would have thought "invented the internet" and "unifier" would overcome a history of economic prosperity, shrinking government, a Tennessee military wartime volunteer over a run-away political campaigner with a history of commercial incompetence and personal irresponsibility? Face it, these guys know how to win, and winning is the only thing other than the $ that matters.
So, Barnes fails to note that DeLay killed this guy's parents, and announces that his opponent is "vulnerable to attack" as "an orphan".
These guys are ghouls.
In order to be closer to my job I am planning on moving across town and into Delay's district. Not everyone down here buys into that corrupt thug. I'll be campaigning for Lampson because if he loses the hammer will be my congressman. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. It is pretty sad to see Delay signs in people's front yard while driving around looking for a house.
Let's be realistic... As with Tom DeLay, Fred Barnes is overlooking the obvious.
A newly annexed portion of district 22 is Johnson Spaceflight Center and, while not every center employee lives next to the center, several of us do. We are advanced degree professionals with representation from universities and miltary academies across the country (including ivy league)... and we prefer the term "Rocket Scientist".
So changing residency in the same state is carpetbagging but that lunatic from DC that moved to Illinois to waste Obama's time in 2004 was just running for office. Oh, the pathos that is the Republican Party.
How did George Bush get to be a Texan but his brother Jeb got to be a Floridian?