Peas In A Pod: DeLay, Kline, Kennedy

Today ex-GOP majority leader Tom DeLay announced his pending retirement from politics amid epic size scandals of corruption, partisan politics, cronyism and numerous other criminal activities centered out of DeLay's office.

But here in Minnesota, two strong DeLay rubber stamp backers/supporters are currently seeking to stay in politcal offices. Both John Kline (R-MN) and Mark Kennedy (R-MN) have used their positions, influence and votes to further DeLay's corrupt leadership. Just how tangled up are Kline and Kennedy with DeLay's Culture of Corruption?

• John Kline has taken more than any other Minnesota elected official $30,000 from Tom DeLay's ARMPAC. No surprise that Kline voted with Tom DeLay 96% of the time between Jan. 1 2004 and March 31 2005.
• Mark Kennedy has taken a close second $29,500 from Tom DeLay's ARMPAC. Kennedy voted with Tom DeLay 95% of the time between Jan. 1 2004 and March 31 2005

• John Kline and Mark Kennedy voted to weaken the ethics rules in a move that served only to protect Tom DeLay's leadership. John Kline also voted to allow Tom DeLay to continue serving as Leader even if Delay should be (and is) indicted!

• Only when Republicans realized it was "impossible to win the communications battle" over their proposed gutted ethics rules, did Kline and Kennedy flip-flopped and voted to put the old rules back into place.

• When Democrats offered a solution to clean up the House by strengthening ethics rules, John Kline and Mark Kennedy voted twice to make sure it never even came to an up or down vote.

Kline voted:

• Kline received contributions from ARMPAC:www.tray.com $30,000 ($40,000 total!)
• Voting percentage with DeLay:calculated through: www.cq.com 96%
• Vote to weaken ethics rules:H Res. 5, Roll Call #6, 1/4/05 YES
• Vote to repeal weakened ethics rules:H Res. 241, Roll Call #145, 4/27/05 YES
• Votes to table Democratic solution:H. Res. 153, Roll Call #70, 3/15/05 H. Res. 213, Roll Call #106, 4/14/05 YES, YES
• Closed door indictment rule vote: http://www.pcactionfund.org/votecount/dr.htm YES
  

Kennedy voted:

• Kennedy recieved contributions from ARMPAC:http://www.tray.com/ $29,500
• Voting percentage with DeLay:calculated through: http://www.cq.com/ 95%
• Vote to weaken ethics rules:H Res. 5, Roll Call #6, 1/4/05 YES
• Vote to repeal weakened ethics rules:H Res. 241, Roll Call #145, 4/27/05 YES
• Votes to table Democratic solution:H. Res. 153, Roll Call #70, 3/15/05 H. Res. 213, Roll Call #106, 4/14/05 YES, YES