by Bob Dunn, Apr 5, 05:02 pm

Battle lines were drawn Wednesday over when – and whether – to hold a special election to fill the remainder of resigning Congressman Tom DeLay’s term of office.

An unwitting alliance appears to have developed between Democratic congressional candidate Nick Lampson and DeLay’s Republican primary opponent, Tom Campbell.

The two find themselves pitted against county GOP candidates and officials who seem increasingly willing to keep DeLay’s seat in the 22nd Congressional District empty once he quits Congress, as he announced he would on Tuesday.

They’re also still pitted against DeLay himself, who said on the Rush Limbaugh Show on Wednesday no special election will occur.

“No, there won’t be a special election,” DeLay told Limbaugh. “Texas has a law that there’s only two dates that you can have a special election, November and May, and this weekend the deadline for the May special election will have passed.”

Other officials say they believe Texas Gov. Rick Perry has the authority to call an emergency election on a date of his own choosing.

DeLay’s resignation “will lead the governor to declare the seat vacant and either set a special election or leave the seat vacant for the remainder of the term ending December 31,” Fort Bend County Republican Party Chairman Eric Thode said in an email to party faithful on Wednesday. “If one is called, the special election should have NO impact on how the place on the ballot gets filled. In fact, I would argue that it could impair the Republican Party in November.”

Juanita rightly rants:

that they didn’t see any need to have a special election because not having a Congressman between June and January “wouldn’t hurt the district.” There reasoning is that Congress wouldn’t be in session much of the time anyway.

No, I’m not kidding. Look at this. All they can talk about is what is best for the Republican party. They don’t give a big bear’s butt about the district or its citizens.

Okay, Dumb Guys, what if there’s a hurricane this summer? Don’t we need a Congressvarmint to help with FEMA and do some hollering? What if we go to war or Baghdad falls to the insurgents? We don’t have anyone representing us? What if a national emergency happens?

Most importantly, what about constituent services? Who is going to help the poor widow lady who has problems with her pension? Will we get no appointments to West Point or the Naval Academy? Who do we call with our opinion about bills? Who will help our veterans with problems with the VA? Who will attend the funerals of our war dead?

Representation, what a quaint idea! What matters is that Halliburton is taken care of, and that no one says mean things about the poor little Bugman while he tries to worm his way out of real jailtime. Disaster and death are for the little people.