I've known 2 people who worked for Gibbs and can confirm she is a total b****. I also know one of the people in Delay's former D.C. office.. and I'd take their word over Gibbs' any day of the week. What a joke of a public servant.
Thought some of you might find this editorial from the Austin American-Statesman an interesting read. Sums it up well: Tom DeLay's legacy EDITORIAL BOARD Sunday, November 12, 2006 The dramatic power shift in the U.S. Congress leaves solidly Republican Texas with no Democratic senators and no ranking Democratic House members, which puts the state at a distinct disadvantage in the competition for legislative influence and federal money. The question is: How large will that loss of clout and money be? Texas congressional members, as well as state leaders, will have to work hard to keep Texas from being left in the cold. No doubt the loss of clout will hurt, but the hurt can be minimized if Democrats and Republicans work together for the good of the state — a simple enough concept, but one that has been difficult to realize in recent years. That's the handiwork of former U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land. If seniority rules hold, Texas — the nation's second most populous state — won't have any chairmanships in either the House or the Senate. We can thank DeLay for that setback. It was DeLay's unprecedented midterm redistricting plan that wiped out former U.S. Rep. Martin Frost, D-Dallas, who would have gained the chairmanship of the House Rules Committee — one of the most powerful because it sets the procedures by which every bill is considered on the floor. DeLay's redistricting also cost ranking Democrat Charlie Stenholm of Abilene his congressional post. Were Stenholm still in the House, he would be in line for the chairmanship of the House Agriculture Committee. One thing is clear: Texas will have to rely heavily on the 12 Democrats in its 32-member congressional delegation to win its share of federal resources. At least five Democrats are in line to be subcommittee chairs, including Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco, who becomes a powerful "cardinal" on the House Appropriations Committee. And U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, gains influence on the House Ways and Means Committee. Until Tuesday, three Texas GOP House members — including Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio, whose district includes part of Austin and southern Travis County — were poised to gain chairmanships of influential House committees. Smith was in line to gain the chair of the powerful House Judiciary Committee. That's been wiped out and the loss of chairmanships will diminish Texas' ability to shape domestic policy. Texas also suffers a similar loss of influence in the Senate. The state's senior senator, Republican Kay Bailey Hutchison of Dallas, has been incredibly successful in steering federal dollars to Texas, including increasing federal transportation dollars. But she no longer will head the Appropriations or the Commerce subcommittees. In those roles, Hutchison ensured that Texas cities, counties and military bases got what they needed. Hutchison insists she still will be effective in bringing home the bacon. And she has proved effective in reaching across the aisle to work with Democrats, a skill that will be needed now more than ever with Democrats in the majority. A major test will come soon when Hutchison attempts to win passage of the extension of the state sales tax exemption. Without that extension, Texans would be unable in the future to deduct state sales taxes on their federal income tax returns. Republican U.S. Sen. John Cornyn will be denied chairmanship of the Judiciary Committee's immigration subcommittee and the Armed Services Committee's emerging threats subcommittee. Though a junior senator, Cornyn wielded more power than others with similar experience because of his ties to President Bush and willingness to be his mouthpiece. Now that Bush's power has diminished, so has Cornyn's. Minimizing the damage that could do to Texas should prompt Cornyn to tone down his partisanship. Texas isn't expected to lose federal resources or influence on major policy issues that affect the country as a whole. Former Democratic Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes notes, too, that even a blue Congress can hardly afford to ignore Texas, which has been a fundraising bonanza for Democratic presidential candidates. And the state is likely to gain in some areas that Democrats are prioritizing, such as raising the minimum wage, making college more affordable for middle-income families and expanding health insurance coverage for families. Texas ranks No. 1 in the country in percentage of uninsured people, so expanding insurance coverage will benefit cities and counties whose uninsured health care costs are breaking the budget. But there are areas where Texas will suffer, particularly on the smaller-scale projects exclusive to Texas. Hutchison, for example, was able to deliver tens of millions of dollars to the University of Texas, Texas A&M University and the LBJ Library. The question is whether those projects will get priority — or financing — in a Congress controlled by Democrats. We shouldn't miss the lessons proffered by the shift in power in the Congress. Change happens, and Texas state leaders who went along with DeLay's blatantly partisan redistricting plan bear responsibility for weakening the state's influence and ability to attract federal funds. In the future, Texas leaders should embrace a redistricting system that will benefit Texas regardless of which party is in power. http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/11/12/12congress_edit.html D&D. Ain't Life a B!tch??
