November 3, 2005
Goodbye Earle
By Salena
Zito
Ronnie Earle, the district attorney from Travis County in Texas,
finally has made his strongest case for removing a political operative
from office -- himself.
Yep, time
to go, Ronnie.
Mr. Earle's
brand of political prosecution makes you want to sing "Goodbye
Earl," the Dixie Chicks' tune about abusive men.
It's easy
to dislike Earle's latest target for judicial mayhem. Former House
Majority Leader Tom DeLay never hides his swagger or his cowboy
leadership style. Vocal, tough and unafraid of a fight, DeLay's
stick-to-itiveness grates many.
But Earle's
long-in-the-tooth investigation of Mr. DeLay is not just a grudge
of biblical proportions; it is a case of a self-serving ideologue
masquerading as prosecutor.
Earle claims
partisanship plays no role in his prosecutions. And his record
gives the illusion of a principled prosecutor -- he's hauled 12
Democrats before grand juries to three Republicans.
But that's
a bit misleading. At least two Democrats he dragged before grand
juries were political thorns in the side of his ally, former Texas
Gov. Ann Richards.
And his charges
against Texas Treasurer Warren Harding cleared a path for Richards
to win that springboard post. Ditto for state Attorney General
Jim Mattox, who previously faced Richards in a bitter gubernatorial
primary; Mattox, however, was acquitted and won re-election.
And, oh,
don't forget Earle's self-inflicted misdemeanor charge against
himself for untimely campaign-finance reporting.
Yet none
of these chess moves has rooted Earle to the bosom of Texas Democrats.
Mention his name around state party leaders and many cringe.
Lone Star
State Democrats traditionally are a conservative lot, while Earle
is a throwback to the crunchy 1960s liberal mentality that plays
poorly statewide.
What possesses
a district attorney to employ a documentary film crew to shadow
his every move for a score of months as Earle did? A memo from
Michael Moore? Why go Hollywood unless you have propaganda to
spew?
Earle is
turning his prosecutorial legacy into a mockumentary.
There is
a compelling list of reasons for Earle's tenure to end. It goes
beyond his sniffing after DeLay -- or his neatly packaged attacks
on officials of his own party -- to the heart of his intent.
Earle has
created "Mini-Me" versions of his activism by fueling
his children's careers as elected officials.
Daughter
Elizabeth is a Travis County judge and his heir apparent.
Son Jason
is gearing up to run as a state legislator, a position Earle himself
briefly held.
The Earle
birthright continues.
What Ronnie
Earle apparently fails to see is that he has become what he claims
to despise -- an empire of self-interest. Going after DeLay put
him on the national radar screen. It should also put him under
the microscope of Travis County voters. Does Ronnie Earle serve
them well? Or does he serve only Ronnie Earle?
Spend less
than five minutes watching his documentary and the answer is plain:
Ronnie's peculiar activism and misuse of the media is an all-about-me
crusade.
Salena
Zito, a political consultant who has worked for Democrats
and Republicans, lives in Mt. Lebanon, PA.
