The Walkout

This is kind of hilarious. Shelly Sekula-Gibbs is the Republican Representative from Tom DeLay's old district for approximately two weeks. She won the special election for the seat last week, but she lost a write-in campaign (necessitated because Tom DeLay resigned too late to get off the ballot) to Democrat Nick Lampson, who will replace Sekula-Gibbs in January.

The Washington Post wrote a story a couple days ago about this instant lame duck, and her head seemed a little bit in the clouds.

"I'm working hard to accomplish the things I'm working for," she said yesterday. "For tax cuts. For immigration reform. To make sure we have a good solution for the war in Iraq."

All that? In a few weeks?

"If there's a way to do it, I'll do it," she said, smiling beneath her bright blond hair. "I'll deal with the leadership to get as much done as possible."

Good luck with all that, Shelley. I'm sure you'll get a lot done. There probably won't be a budget deficit in two weeks once you're done. In fact, if you deal with the leadership the same way that you deal with your staff, maybe they'll all resign too:

It's not unusual that staff will quit or be fired any time there is a change a new congressperson in office. But it is unusual that so many would resign at the same time.

Eyewitness News has learned five staffers quit from the Washington, DC office of Sekula-Gibbs and two from her office in Stafford.

Sekula-Gibbs was just sworn in Monday as interim successor to Congressman Tom DeLay in District 22. On Tuesday seven staffers who worked for DeLay resigned.

According to a published report, a source familiar with the office says the workers thought Sekula-Gibbs was "mean" to them. She denies that, but declines to discuss the matter further. She calls it a personnel issue.

"I will say that some of the employees who were here from previous were transitional employees and for whatever reason they decided to leave," Sekula-Gibbs told Eyewitness News.

And apparently, this mass resignation happened while the Washington Post reporter was in her office! Somehow that didn't make it into the story. I guess the reporter was mesmerized by Sekula-Gibbs strong agenda. Too much to notice the actual news happening at the same time.

One thing that's troubling is that Sekula-Gibbs won at all. Nick Lampson is clearly the top House target for 2008 in a very conservative district. He's obviously not going to get away with going against a write-in candidate again. But if Sekula-Gibbs looks like this much of a buffoon in her moment in the sun, maybe he can win a rematch. Actually, the local GOP would do best to walk out on her.