September 20, 2013: Although a Texas appeals court has reversed the 2010 verdict that found former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay guilty of money laundering, it's not so easy to reverse the carcinogenic effect the once-formidable House majority leader had on the body politic. During his two-decade reign in Washington, "the Hammer" nurtured a pervasive cynicism that continues to hobble the democratic process. He perfected a system of gerrymandering that has helped freeze governance into a sclerotic contortion, and as a cash-wielding power broker he was a master at making money the measure of all things political.
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