Here's an exquisite piece on Delay and his money dance done by KarenDC at
Democracy Cell Project:
The way that money moves in Washington and throughout government is obviously a Baroque dance, full of delicate complex patterns, furtive asides, bowing and scraping, and intrigue rivaling that of the Louis' courts.
A Notated Baroque Dance
Opening: The stately entrance of TRMPAC, a receptor for corporate money in the state of Texas. With open arms and sweeping gestures, the dollars are gathered up and placed delicately into:
TRMPAC's bank account
Upon which:
A check is issued from TRMPAC to the Republican National Committee.
(let us consider the balanced ornateness of this movement--how crude it would appear if money went directly from the corporations to the RNC. And how rude if the money then disappeared into unknown destinations. Control is everything in Baroque World).
The RNC deposits the check from TRMPAC into an account set up to accept corporate money. (the passepied, or passing of the buck).
The next day, the RNC sends a check for roughly the same amount back to: TRMPAC! (the renverse, or reversal). This is legal, as the RNC is not a corporation. It is also balanced and elegant, something at the top of the list of goals for true Baroque-ness. It does not need to be democratic.
TRMPAC disburses the newly cleansed money to the candidates in Texas. The Reverance--the bows, ensue. Many of the Republican candidates win their elections.
The Contredanse Section:
The pairing of man and money produces a patterned segment of the dance involving the Allemande and similar dance steps, which eventually evolved, upon their arrival in the young United States, into something that goes like this:
ALL JOIN HANDS AND CIRCLE TO THE RIGHT, ALLMANDE LEFT, BACK TO THE RIGHT, AND DO-SI-DO YOUR PART-EN-ER...YOUR CORNER, AND SWING THAT GIRL BACK HOME...
Further groupings and regroupings occur until, interestingly, the sets of couples (man and money) are redistricted so that the Republicans are sitting quite pretty, occupying the center of the hall, as well as most of the oxygen.
The Democratic state legislators do not like the way the dance is evolving, as it is clearly leaving them partner-less and on the sidelines. They leave the state.
Enter Mr. DeLay once again:
The Inquiry:
Monsieur DeLay inquires delicately of the FAA where the Democratic legislators might have landed their planes.
Brief pause. The briefest of pauses.
APOTHEOSIS:
The dance resumes as planned and all goes well, until the entrance of:
Ronnie Earle. The Decoder.
Monsieur Earle enters, dressed as Apollo, the balancer. "J'accuse", he says, pointing at Monsieur DeLay.
"I am innocent", cries DeLay, his overly powdered wig slipping off his damp pate. He fans himself furiously but elegantly, trying not to appear red-faced and vulgar.
Enter the Muses and Graces, draping flowers and ribbons upon Mr. Earle. "Merci, Merci", they cry.
CODA: Bravo, Ronnie Earle, the bi-partisan defender of democracy and voting rights . It is only through such elegant balance that our democracy will be restored.
Next Time: Earle as Marat and Rove as De Sade in the 21st Century production of the play that made the French Revolution so memorable...coming soon to a country near you.