Congressman Darrell Issa of California come onnnnnn dowwwwwwnnnnnnnn!
What’d you do wrong? Nuthin! I just picked you at random. Congressman Issa, did you support the “Delay Rule” in the GOP caucus today? You know, the one that allows members of the House leadership to keep their leadership posts after they’ve been indicted for felonies.
Congressman Frank LoBiondo, how about you?
Jeb Bradley of New Hampshire?
Ahhhh … I could go on an on. And by all mean let’s go on and on. There are so many members of the GOP caucus to choose from (often a matter of regret, but in this case suddenly a blessing). Here’s a list of every member of the House of Representatives.
Do you work for a local newspaper or TV Station? Want an easy story? Call up the local Republican member of congress to see if they supported the DeLay Rule. Believe me, this one writes itself.
Rep. Chris Shays (R-CT) says a “handful” of members of the caucus opposed the rule. Let’s be extremely generous and say that’s 20 members. That still leaves 211 supporters. Who are they?
Not a journalist? Afraid you can’t play? Fuggetaboutit … You can play too.
Just pick a Republican member of Congress, call the number on their website and ask. Don’t be rude or confrontational. Just a simple question: Did Congressperson such-and-such support the DeLay Rule in the GOP caucus meeting on Wednesday. After you get your answer, drop us a line and let us know what you hear. Did they vote for the DeLay Rule or are they members of the Shays Handful?
They refused to answer? We wanna know that too.
Late Update: Congressman Zach Wamp (R-TN) turns out to be a member of the Shays Handful.
Even Later Update: This AP article says that Chris Shays “estimated 30 to 50 members voted against” the DeLay Rule. All I can say is, that’s quite a “handful.” But then maybe Shays has big hands. Who knows? In any case, the game continues.
Later Than You Can Imagine Update: Ray LaHood (R-IL) also says he was a member of the Shays Handful. He explained why his colleagues voted for the DeLay Rule: “It was the result of the fact that he increased our numbers, he takes care of members when they need legislation passed, his fund raising and, in Texas, his drawing people a good district.”
