Is Tom DeLay Buying Another Wisconsin Republican?

We already know that indicted Congressman Tom DeLay (R-Texas) has invested tens of thousands of dollars in Wisconsin Republicans. Mark Green accepted nearly $30,000 and Paul Ryan accepted $25,000. In my opinion, this money has purchased lockstep voting from these Congressmen. The problem is that they are supposed to be representing Wisconsinites. If this is not the case, then someone give me one example where these two have ever voted against the Delay wing of the party.

Now we find out that even amid his various indictments and possible scandals, DeLay’s machine is looking to replace their man (Mark Green) in Congress. Apparently the latest person that they would like to own is John Gard. Gard is running in the GOP primary for Mark Green’s current seat (Wisconsin’s 8th Congressional District). The Capital Times gave us some details this week:

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."

So the DeLay faction of the Republican Party refused to even meet with McCormick? Why? Because she “tends to think for herself”? If this is true, then my description of them as the neo-con ZOMBIE brigade has been justified all along. We’ve had enough of this lockstep voting and blind loyalty. We can assume that if the DeLay crowd has backed him, that Gard plans on representing that wing of the party rather than Wisconsinites in the 8th Congressional District.