More Democrats Attack Perry / DeLay
The Houston Chronicle reports.

U.S. Rep. Martin Forst (D-Arlington):

Rep. Martin Frost, D-Arlington, said Perry's decision means spending $1.7 million in tax dollars for partisan purposes.

"Is there nothing that Governor Perry won't sacrifice to do the partisan dirty work of Tom DeLay and the Republican National Committee? He couldn't find enough money in the budget for Texans' education or health care, so Governor Perry should ask Republicans in Washington, D.C., to refund Texas taxpayers for the $1.7 million he's about to waste on Tom DeLay's partisan power-grab."

Frost also said Perry broke his word, citing comments he made to newspapers pledging he would not call a redistricting special session.

Frost, the dean of the Texas delegation, said DeLay, R-Sugar Land, wants an "absolute, guaranteed" quota of Texas congressional House seats.

"The reality is voters chose to split their tickets in five of these congressional districts ... Republicans have run weak, underfinanced candidates in those five seats in recent years and have lost them. Given a strong candidate with enough resources, they could win five of these current districts," Frost said.

Texas has 32 congressional seats with 17 held by Democrats and 15 by Republicans.

Frost said that five of the 17 seats held by Democrats are in districts carried by every single statewide Republican candidate in 2002 and by President Bush in 2000.

The five districts are represented by Frost and Reps. Chet Edwards of Waco; Max Sandlin of Marshall; Jim Turner of Crockett and Chris Bell of Houston.

But a map considered during the regular session also revised the districts of most of the veteran Hispanic Democrats; split four ways the district of Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin; revised the historically black district of Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, paired some of the incumbents and made Stamford Rep. Charlie Stenholm's agricultural district more suburban.

U.S. Rep. Chris Bell (D-Houston):

"It is sad that Rick Perry cares more about doing the bidding of Tom DeLay than about serving the people he was elected to represent," said Bell. He said the money spent should be spent on Texas children. He referred to the planned redrawing of Texas' congressional district as "Perry-mandering," a play on the word gerrymandering.

Democrats have also said the map will cost Texas some clout in Congress because several of those who could lose their seats hold key committee positions. Stenholm is the ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. DeLay has previously said he was not worried about losing those committee positions because he considers the Democrats "rather irrelevant" since they don't vote with the majority.

U.S. Rep. Max Sandlin (D-Marshall):

If a new map is passed by the Legislature, it's likely to end up challenged in court. Sandlin said the map offered during the regular session would have had a tough time passing constitutional muster.

"I believe they are going to have a very difficult time in getting any map they draw passed by a court because they just can't hold themselves back from the greediness," Sandlin said.

Posted by: Byron L.