“The Big Buy: Tom De Lay’s Stolen Congress” (DVD) (Brave New Films)
review by Kent Manthie
Good riddance Tom Delay!!! When I first heard the news, last spring, that De Lay was quitting his seat I was overjoyed. It was a case of dreams coming true and I’m sure it was more than just my dream that came true. Thousands of people danced in the streets, celebrating the fact that this heavy-handed, rabid, corrupt and corrupting phony is finally going down. Now, if we can just get rid of the rest of the crooked, hypocritical, theocratic Republicans in both houses of congress this fall we’ll be a better country for it.
Robert Greenwald, the man who directed “Outfoxed” and “Uncovered” has, with his new “Brave New Films” production company, helped put together this eye-opening look at the fall of Tom DeLay, recently resigned former congressman from Texas. Entitled “The Big Buy: Tom DeLay’s Stolen Congress”, it shows how this former exterminator from Sugarland, Texas got away for years with doing all he could to get his fellow Republicans in power, greased the corporate world for oodles of contributions – illegal contributions, part of what is at the heart of the indictment against him.
Ronnie Earle, district attorney in Houston, is a tough guy, someone with the balls to stand up to DeLay, in fact more than stand up to him, Earle has gone after DeLay and finally won an indictment against him for money laundering and conspiracy charges. He is the hero of the story. He’s not the only one that matters here, but without his aggressive pursuit DeLay might still be in congress.
In one poignant clip, Earle, talking about the political rancor his prosecuting De Lay has produced, said that “…this is not about Republican & Democrat, this about cops & robbers”, the robbers, of course, being those shifty, cunning devils, the House Republicans. The cops, though, besides being the prosecutors who bravely go after this corruption, but also the voters in this country, who can “arrest” the crooked politicians in their districts – by voting the bums out. Earle has stuck his neck out, opened himself up as a target to Republicans all over the U.S., not just in Texas, by getting an indictment of The Hammer for money laundering and conspiracy charges; bringing to light the seedier machinations that have been going on for some time now, proving to the world what most people on the inside already knew for years, that these crooks are trying to twist the government into their own little money machine.
For his efforts Earle has been tarred and feathered, metaphorically, by the right all over the US. He is seen as a partisan attack-dog, since he happens to be a Democrat, a crusader, trying to bring down poor, innocent little DeLay. It is much to Ronnie Earle’s credit that The Hammer’s reign of terror has come to an end. If it wasn’t for him De Lay would still be running things in the House, e.g., acting as a rubber stamp for GW Bush, another Texas crony. Bush is even quoted in the film as saying that he likes DeLay; he gets the legislation Bush wants through the congress. I have a sneaking feeling, however, that Bush won’t have too much trouble with the new majority leader, Boehner.
Jack Abramoff, the slimy, creepy convicted felon and former lobbyist is shown introducing DeLay at a Young Republican meeting, and does so by gushingly spewing out this pap: “…here he is, the man we all want to be when we grow up…” Gawd, how nauseating; makes me want to vomit. Hold on – UGH – ohh, that was better (I threw up).
We need much more of this kind of expose. This country has been idle for too long now, our liberties are starting to atrophy, like an unused muscle. That is why you can host your own “Screening Party” for showing “The Big Buy” at your house, with a whole bunch of your friends and maybe a bunch of new friends too. There is a place to find out more about this new phenomenon and to get signed up to do so too, just go to http://www.tomdelaymovie.com and click on the icon that reads “Screenings”. This is a fabulous way to get as many people as possible to see this interesting and very informative documentary.
It must’ve had a hard time getting distribution in theaters around the country. I wonder, though, if the ROXIE Theater in San Francisco (@ 16th & Valencia Streets in the Mission District) would or did show this film. They were the first ones, after EVERYONE else chickened out, to show the controversial “Kurt & Courtney” documentary in 1998, a fabulous look at how Kurt Cobain died, by director/filmmaker Nick Broomfield. But I can see why most theater chains would decline to show this – they’re chickenshit!
“The Big Buy” is a peek into the world of corporate political maneuvering, the industry of lobbying that, while a constitutionally protected right – the right to address congress and let your voice be heard in government, also, like many other things, is twisted and warped into something to be used for what amounts to buying congress. But what is unique is that DeLay and his cronies have been using kickbacks from corporate bribers, the redistricting issue and the usurping of the election laws to manipulate the congress so that it is kept in Republican hands, regardless of the will of the voters of America. That is what is so bad and so creepy about DeLay’s villainy.
The slickness of the film doesn’t mask emptiness or banality; it merely enhances a thrilling piece of journalism, political digs and liberal takings to task of greedy corporate hacks. For more info, check out these websites: http://www.disinfo.com or http://www.tomdelaymovie.com – KM.