Bitter memories of Jim Wright's resignation

Former House Speaker Jim Wright died Wednesday at the age of 92. As with the defeat of his successor Tom Foley, bitter memories of Wright's resignation linger.

The Texas Democrat served as Speaker from 1987-89. One of the first things in Wright's Wikipedia entry is the statement, "Wright resigned from the House in 1989 because of a scandal."

This irritates me. In many ways, Wright was an above-average congressperson. He voted for the 1957 Civil Rights Act when most other Southern lawmakers did not. He chaired the 1988 Democratic convention that nominated Michael Dukakis for President.

Wright's downfall came when Newt Gingrich filed ethics charges accusing him of using bulk purchases of his book to earn speaking fees above the permitted maximum. Gingrich and the right-wing media actually targeted Wright largely because of his criticism of the CIA's illegal actions in Nicaragua. This pursuit of Wright's "scandal" boosted Gingrich's credentials among the Far Right - which eventually led Gingrich to become Speaker himself after the rigged 1994 "elections." As Speaker, Gingrich got in trouble for his own book deal that was far worse than anything Jim Wright did.

Later in life, Wright was denied a voter ID card because of unconstitutional voter suppression laws that had recently been enacted.

Do the Republicans have a lock on the U.S. House and the Speaker position now? Gerrymandering, right-wing media bias, and rigged elections have hardened GOP power. But Republican voters are aging, and America's schools would have to double down on their right-wing brainwashing to churn out enough new blood to keep the GOP alive.