So, you probably saw this a couple of days ago: House GOP Changes Rules to Protect DeLay. The gist of the article is that the Republican Caucus agreed (note that word, it’ll be important later) to change House rules, instituted during mid-90s (and at the behest and instigation of the GOP), that called for Congressmen in leadership positions to step down when facing felony indictments in their home states.

Now, they didn’t entirely abolish the rule, as some are saying, but made the question a reviewable issue by the party on a case-by-case basis. The problem is that this now effectively lets House members decide whether an indictment is serious enough to warrant a removal — or, as they’re currently arguing, if an investigation is politically motivated (and therefore somehow not equivalent to an actual criminal investigation.)

Sound like crap to you, too? Yeah.

So, clearly, there’s enough support for this plan in Congress for it to have passed. Was your Congressperson one of those who votes to change the rule? Well, there’s the rub. After meeting on the issue for four hours, some members say there was a voice vote. Some stepped out of the room, they say, and then things happened without them. Some say there was NO VOTE AT ALL.

The Daily DeLay is keeping track of the GOP members’ positions on this. (As of today, it looks like one of Columbus’s own, Pat Tiberi, voted against the change, but Deborah Pryce, our local representative, hasn’t answered yet.)

Did your representative vote for the change? Find ’em and call ’em.

UPDATE: In a full review of the comments to the Daily DeLay post, I note the following, which I’ll reprint here:

I am a constituent of Rep. Price of Ohio- called her office, an aide told me she did not vote on the issue because she is a committee chair. I did detect a hint of glee that the question was able to be so deftly avoided, but I understand that there would be a conflict of interest there. — By Chance, at 8:27 AM

and

I called Deborah Pyrce (OH-15) yesterday morning and was told first to “check the website” and then put on hold for five minutes before being told that there was “no vote” or that the “vote wasn’t recorded” or …”wait let me make sure I wrote this down correctly from the spinner down the hall.” Basically, Pyrce won’t tell voters from her district how she voted. It’s a state secret. So if we take the Repubs. at their word–they mean what they say and say what they mean–we can only conclude that voters don’t deserve to know about how elected officials vote on matters of national or local importance. Wonder what other kinds of secret votes are being held up there in DC. — By Idle Crank, at 10:46 AM

Guess that answers that question.