Posted on 10/04/2006 6:38:58 AM PDT by pabianice
In a curious way, the former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) scandal will be to the Republican congressional leadership what the Monica Lewinsky imbroglio was to the Clinton presidency.
After all the boring scandals — Whitewater, Hillary’s investments, Paula Jones, Travelgate, the FBI files, the Rose Law Firm’s billing records — the Lewinsky scandal seared into everyone’s consciousness. Those who failed to read the many volumes of Whitewater documents published by The Wall Street Journal or who despaired of following the paper trail that led to the Travel Office firings could easily grasp the simple facts of Clinton’s dalliance with Monica. Nothing complicated. Nothing subtle. Easy to understand. And so the Clintonian penchant for scandal became universally known and has been an enduring part of his legacy.
Now, after the lobbyist travel scandal and the Abramoff favors for legislators and the growth of earmarking and the financial scandals that have faced Reps. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.), Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.), Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and a host of others, there is finally a simple sex scandal for everyone to focus upon. Nothing complicated about this one either.
It is not that the voters believe that all congressmen are child molesters, nor is it the details of what Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) knew, and when he knew it, that makes this scandal so important. Its centrality stems from the sheer arrogance and hypocrisy it demonstrates both on the part of Foley himself and his colleagues who hushed up the affair until it burst onto the public stage.
One more pious member of the Moral Majority, one more legislator who makes a career out of fighting for “values” and crusading to protect children turns out to be a hypocrite and an abuser himself!
One more congressman, a sponsor of legislation to help children, a member of the caucus on abused and exploited children, has abused and exploited them himself. The gap between what Foley professes and what Foley did is so huge that you can sink the entire Republican majority in both houses into the gap.
And once again, the arrogant leaders of the Congress circled the wagons and looked the other way to avoid investigating or even recognizing the child abuser in their midst.
The details don’t matter much. Who really cares if Hastert only knew that Foley had asked a kid for his photograph or if he knew more about the e-mails that were flying around. And who cares if the Democrats had their own part in the scandal by taking no action and protecting a colleague until right before the election?
None of that really matters.
What is important is that all of the venality and hypocrisy, so evident when congressmen hire their wives or freeload on trips paid for by lobbyists or cram the budget with unjustified earmarks or encourage their sons and daughters to become highly paid lobbyists cashing in on their special access — all of those misdeeds, have suddenly acquired a poster boy: Rep. Foley!
Rep.Tom Delay’s (R-Texas) misdeeds are far too boring, in the same way that Whitewater was boring. The paper trail is hard to follow and the accusations murky.
But there is nothing murky about what Foley did and the voters will find the story interesting and easy to follow. Despite this, however, it is not Foley who is sinking his party. Its own misdeeds have already sunk it.
Bill and Monica. Foley and the pages. What we are watching now is the vindication of Karl Marx’ comment that history repeats itself — the first time as tragedy, the second time as farce.
Did Karl Marx say that? I thought it was George Santayana.
"
In a curious way, the former Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.) scandal will be to the Republican congressional leadership what the Monica Lewinsky imbroglio was to the Clinton presidency."
Not even close. On the one hand you have the President of the United States misbehaving. On the other you have one of the 438 members of the House. The isn't close to the same thing.
He is probably right, but as I have written here, a party cannot create a lasting governing majority based on the scandals of the other party. Realignments occur when great idealogical battles are won like in 1932 or 1980.
Even Watergate didnt benefit the defocrats after 1976. 4 short years after Nixons resignation, the GOP scored big wins in the 1978 midterms setting ther stage for Reagans 1980 landslide.
This will only encourage the defocrats to seek scandal rather than ideas as the way to electoral success..such succes is fleating.
I stick with my prediction for this election:
GOP -30 seats in the House
GOP -6 seats in the Senate
Morris should know by now that the October before an election is "blitz month," in which the Democrats try to regain their long-lost power by inundating the public with hints of Republican scandal. By this time next week, Foley will have been forgotten and we'll be on to some new "scandal" that's sure to propel the Democrats back into power.
I guess Morris thinks they will.
If the GOP loses *BECAUSE* of the Foley scandal and *BECAUSE* the GOP conservative base sits out this one, it will be the fault of the conservatives if the next few years become a policy nightmare for America.
THINK folks, THINK !
1) This is the problem of ONE INDIVIDUAL --- Congressman Foley -- NOT THE ENTIRE PARTY, which has practically DISAVOWED HIM.
2) There was NO ATTEMPT at cover-up. Whatever e-mail evidence that has surfaced thus far is so UNCLEAR that to demand Foley's removal as you read the e-mails would be to accuse him of a crime you cannot prove.
3) The GOP should bring up the hypocrisy of the Democratic party. Foley WAS NEVER FOUND to have abused a youngster, while in the 1980's, a Democratic Congressman Studds WAS DISCOVERED TO HAVE COMMITED CHILD ABUSE ! THE EVIDENCE WAS BEYOND REASONABLE DOUBT. Yet, what did the Dims do ? They merely gave him a slap in the wrist and ALLOWED Studds to continue his term ( he eventually won several more elections to the eternal shame of his constituents until his retirement in 1996 ). Shall we forget the call boy ring that Barney Frank ran in the past ? Yet, here he is, still being allowed to vote to increase our taxes and still vote to social engineer this country to death.
My point is this conservative friends --- DO NOT CONFUSE THE ERROR OF FOLEY's ways with the entire GOP party. Punish Foley, not the GOP.
And think of what the ALTERNATIVE WILL BE LIKE IF YOU DECIDE TO SIT THIS ONE OUT !
If there is a nail to the GOP coffin, it will be because conservatives provided the hammer in 2006.
This smells like a toe sucking Democrat.
Great day since Morris weighed in with his usual "sky is falling" for Republicans. If he told me the sky is blue, I would go check. When has he been right? What amazes me that there are any Freepers who still believe what he has to say! Once a Clintonite, always a Clintonite!
Yet to figure out how Foley who resigned immediately is going to affect races in places like Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, etc. I would say if you are a gay candidate in a Red State, you are doomed. Other than that, it shows by Hastert telling him to resign, that Republicans stand for values. Last I checked the Dims are still supporting Barney Frank and others.
*ping*
This smells like a toe sucking Democrat.
We're saved! I can't recall an election Dick has ever called right. In '04 he said Bush would cream Kerry in debates and this would be a big boost to his reelection. Then when Kerry ended up "winning" the first, and possibly all 3, debates, Morris said Kerry would win the election.
His '06 prediction though sounds like the mirror image of his take on the '98 election. Said GOP voters were so disgusted with Clinton they would turn out in huge numbers. With a straight face he actually predicted they would get to 60 seats in the Senate, and gain dozens of House seats. He could not have been more wrong and it sounds like he's done it again.
Yesterday on Sean's show he said Foley was going to be topic of conversation in every home in America. I have not heard one person mention this unless I bring it up first. I honestly think most Americans do not care and will not let this affect their vote.
youre missingthe point.
the stupid Foley scandal takes those issues off the front page. In Sep the GOP was making headway because of those issues, now they are the back burner. This only hurts the GOP.
As a result watch for Bush's approval numbers to fall as the Foley mess overshowds terrorism.
The Sheeple are extremely fickel
Link, the one true message the GOP should have on every poliitical ad is, if you stay home, Pelosi and the gang will appease terrorists and destroy America's military.
As I recall the Dems GAINED seats in the 1998 elections. Yeah that Lewinsky scandal really hurt them that year. /s
The stakes are too high, the GPO base is energized. Pelosi will never be speaker.
Right, but there are 5 weeks, and the odds are a world event will put Security back in the Headlines.
"There is no nail"- a matrix inspired comment.
This is pure tripe at the end of the day...those that have voted to defeat dems in the last several elections will not have changed their vote. So, like all past elections...the dems lose.
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