POWER GRAB II: THE RETURN OF DELAY
Perry Becomes the Puppet for Tom DeLay's Unfair Redistricting Plan

AUSTIN - In reaction to Rick Perry's call for a special session on redistricting, Texas Democratic Party Chairwoman Molly Beth Malcolm released the following statement:

"Rick Perry has turned himself into Tom DeLay's puppet, and it's going to cost the people of Texas $1.7 million.

"After saying in 2001 that redrawing congressional lines would be "a waste of taxpayer's money," Perry has flip-flopped and joined in Tom DeLay's power grab.

"The people of Texas are sick and tired of these Republican political games. The Republicans just passed a budget that will hurt hundreds of thousands of people. They abused and misused state law enforcement officers when the Killer D's broke the House quorum.

"Even though the U.S. Supreme Court approved a congressional redistricting plan in 2001, Perry has decided to follow Tom DeLay's lead and redraw the lines again. What a waste of time and money!

"In the regular session, the Republican redistricting plan needlessly divided up Texas, marooning rural voters in districts dominated by suburban voters and cutting off urban voters from long-standing neighborhoods. Rural Texans, Hispanics and African-Americans all lost under the DeLay redistricting plan. There is no reason to believe they won't try again to jam down our throats the same sort of outrageous plan.

"Rick Perry and the Republican Party will rue the day they became Tom DeLay's puppet. The people of Texas don't want this redistricting plan, and they will hold the Republicans responsible for wasting their tax dollars on a special session.

"In the end, I believe the Republicans will fail, and power mad Tom DeLay will be denied his power grab."