Democratic Party Chariman Howard Dean thinks DeLay will be an issue in ’06. Can Virginia Dems make him an issue in ’05?
“This is going to be an issue in 2006, and its going to be an issue in 2008 because we’re going to have an ad with a picture of (House Majority Leader) Tom DeLay saying, ‘Do you want this guy to decide whether you die or not? Or is that going to be up to your loved ones?'” Dean said in West Hollywood, Calif.
“It’s disturbing that Howard Dean would plot to use the life of Terri Schiavo for political gain,” Schmitt said Saturday. “This demonstrates a troubling lack of sensitivity and one would hope that Democrat leaders in Congress would reject such a strategy.
“The American people expect their leaders to provide solutions and principled leadership rather than overt partisan politicking.” Karen Finney, Democratic National Committee spokeswoman, defended Dean’s comments, saying they were not a reflection of him trying to politicize the issue, but rather he was speaking to “Republican intrusiveness into people’s lives.”
“This is another example of a Republican party that is overreaching,” she said. “Tom Delay and his cronies want to intrude in personal family matters. Democrats believe that individuals and their families should be trusted to make these very personal decisions, not Tom DeLay and not the government.