Posted on 10/02/2006 9:19:15 PM PDT by SmithL
Former Rep. Mark Foley's salacious correspondence with teenage boys working as congressional pages is the kind of story that not only obliterates interest in whatever bills Congress passed before leaving town but promises to hit a much rawer public nerve than the corruption scandals that have already removed three Republicans from office this year.
It strikes especially hard at "values voters," the conservative Christians who make up the core of the Republican Party.
"This kind of thing just should not happen, and there is no excuse to justify it in any way." said Rev. Bob Schenck,... National Clergy Council, a politically active group of conservative church leaders.
"A big deal should be made of it, and we intend to make a big deal of it," he said. "We plan to address it in pulpits across the country, that this is an egregious moral violation, and we all will be held accountable."
A swirl of unanswered questions remain over who in the Republican leadership knew what about Foley's exchanges and when they knew it. GOP leaders dismissed the first e-mail exchange that came to light months ago as "overly friendly," but some conservative activists now say the messages "had predator written all over them." Foley, a Republican congressman from Florida, was chairman of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children.
A criminal investigation has been opened and shows every indication of keeping the scandal alive through the election.
"The electorate is 20 percent Republican, 20 percent Democrat, and 60 percent disgusted,"
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
The media loves this. Nothing physical happened but the media is going to make it sound like many boys were ravished by Foley.
Carolyn Lockhead from the San Fransicko Comical. Like Im supposed to care what she has to say.
Remember Barney, and his live in boy toy, who turned his Mass. townhouse into a homosexual brothel??
The MSM never mentions that, do they?
PUKEMAO!
This article is a MESS.
:::banging head:::
Foley should be gone. He's a pervert. That still doesn't change my mind about voting Republican. We get rid of our crooks, perverts etc., democrats keep theirs and keep voting them back into office.
I still will trust Republicans before trusting a democrat.
I have a great Senator and I will vote for him.
Is anybody else watching Chris Matthews on Leno spewing the Dem talking points? He is saying that Republicans were more worried about protecting one of their own than the children
Now Woodward is "non partisan"
Good God you are kidding me
I don't watch Cris Matthews. Besides, he's the real alcoholic.
The writer of this article should read this:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1712501/posts
I just read a portion of the IM transcripts; Foley's a sick man, but what seems odd to me is the boy's responses. He doesn't seemed bother at all by Foley's perverted advances. I don't think all the covers have been pulled yet.
The case isn't going to turn off the conservative base. The conservative base isn't that stupid. They know that Foley is the problem of the people of his district and if they make it their problem, they get high taxes, funds cut for the War on Terror, 2 years of impeachment hearings, a roll back on partial birth abortion legislation, Pelosi as Speaker of the House, Conyers as head of Judiciary, so, no, they're not going to be that turned off.
Where were all these concerned nobodies when DEMOCRAT Gary Studds was getting it on with a 17 year old male page in the Congressional restrooms?
As I recall they were all building a wall of "privacy issue" around Studds, who resisted a Congressional censure motion and was re-elected the following term.
How times change - or is it that Foley is a target Republican and Studds was a mascot Democrat.
No, they WILL stay home if they perceive the republicans as having ignored clear signs of immorality in their midst, whether it is true or not. Just as some stayed home in 2000 after they found out Bush had a DUI and hadn't told them about it.
They are what they are. People can be upset that the value voters act like this, but they are the key to republican control of congress, like it or not.
If there is a reason to replace Hastert, this is it -- maybe put Shadegg in his place. Show the value voters that the republican party takes ethics seriously.
It's not fair, but you have to ask whether you are willing to lose 50-60 house seats to keep Hastert around. Because if the value voters stay home, it will be a bloodbath.
Actually the Democrats (and their friends in the MSM) who invented this "scandal" to play out at this time hope that the "value voters" will stay home. That way those whose lifestyle closely parallels foley's will see the power of their votes magnified.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.