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, Hillarys investments, Paula Jones, Travelgate, the FBI files, the Rose Law Firms billing records the Lewinsky scandal seared into everyones 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 Clintons 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 dont 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 Delays (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.
I'm starting to believe that the worst of this isn't even true. How hard is it to steal someones passcode for IM? How hard is it pretend your someone else? Happens all the time here on FreeRepublic, doesn't it?
Holy jeez! I had no idea he was so far off in '02 either. And that was dated 11/4, the day before the election? LOL. He called a few of them right at least. Dick picked up on Chambliss's gain on Cleland but that's about it. Well this makes me feel even better about our chances this year.
He says the Dems gain 6 on Nov 7? In 1998 he said the GOP would gain 5. They gained 0. So I guess we can maybe count on an unexpected pick up this year!
Agreed. I don't see why I should be less inclined to vote for my congressman in Ohio, because of some pervert in Florida. There isn't any evidence that the Republicans knew what he was doing and looked the other way, so whatever Dickie.
Thank goodness its only Dick Morris. For someone who is supposed to be "in the know" he sure is wrong alot.
The Hill writes:
"The details dont matter much."
LOL...yes they do and some folks are working on those 'details' as we speak!
Geez...the truth is going to come out and it's looking like really BAD NEWS for the dems!
There is a problem with this assessment. The American people know Foley is one man and both parties have been negligent in protecting "the children." They also know the media is in the hands of the left. Republicans see the bigger picture, i.e., the possible nuclear test threat by North Korea, winning the war on terror, protection from attack and staying alert and active on the border issue. If there ever was a time to crawl over broken glass to get to the voting booth, this is it.
Actully they do:
RI-GOP Cnadidate behind
PA-GOP Candidate behind
OH-GOP Candidate behind
MT-GOP Candidate behind
MO-GOP candidate tied under 50%
TN-GOP Candidate tied
NJ-GOP Candidate ahead but it is NJ afterall
Voted already for Sonny Perdue
Does anyone have a running tally of Dick Morris' wrong predictions????
I find Dick Morris' pronouncements to be just so much "wishful thinking" on his part.
That would be .000 for all American League pitchers. He might rise to the level of National League pitchers (<.100), still abysmal by any account. He's always changing his "absolute" pronouncements over time, so he is difficult to pin down anyway.
Thank God. Morris has been 180 degrees off on every single political prognostication he's ever made. This assures we'll gain seats.
"Morris is best known for managing Bill Clinton's successful 1996 bid for re-election to the office of President of the United States. His tenure on that campaign was cut short two months before the election, when it was revealed that he had had an extramarital affair with a prostitute (named Sherry Rowlands) and allowed her to listen in on conversations with the President. Following the scandal, Morris turned his focus to media commentary."
Scarborough, Morris. It's like it's homecoming week for politicos whose careers have ended because of sex scandals.
And where do they end up? As pundits on TV.
RI
PA
OH
MT
MO
TN
Mendez wins in NJ but by less than the margin 55%+ that DEMS have been winning there in statewide races since 2000
If Morris thinks that's what happened, he should prove it. Where are the details?
The details dont matter much.
Oh. Ohhhhhh-kay.
Yawn
That's not hypocrisy, that's a man afraid of his own predilections and tendencies; a man who understands clearly what is right, in contrast with the evil in his own evil.
Missouri, Tennessee, and Ohio will remain Republican. Rhode RINO Chafee has 60% chance to win in Rhode Island. Pensylvania and Montana are most probably lost.
"...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."
Liberal projection.
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.