Posted on 05/20/2008 3:14:24 PM PDT by Clintonfatigued
Embattled Republican Rep. Vito Fossella will not run for re-election, the New York Times reported last night, relieving at least a small burden on House Republicans nervous at the prospect of another scandal-tainted member hurting their party's national image. Arrested for driving while intoxicated on May 1 in Alexandria, Virginia, Fossella was bailed out of jail by his girlfriend, with whom he has a young daughter. Fossella also has three children with his wife in New York.
"This choice was an extremely difficult one, balanced between my dedication to service to our great nation and the need to concentrate on healing the wounds that I have caused to my wife and family. Despite the personal mistakes I have made, I am touched by the outpouring of support and encouragement I have received from so many people," a statement from Fossella's office said. "While many have urged me to run for re-election, I believe this course of action is best for my family and our community."
Fossella, who at 43 is serving his fifth full term, had been under increasing pressure from Republican leader John Boehner in recent days to end his bid. Boehner unsubtly began making phone calls to potential candidates who might replace Fossella, most notably Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan, while Democrats in Washington and New York began to pay new attention to a race they already believed they had an outside shot of winning.
Other Republicans considering a bid include State Senator Andrew Lanza and New York City Councilmembers Vincent Ignizio and James Oddo. 2006 Democratic nominee Steve Harrison is running again, as is councilmember Domenic Recchia, who represents a council district in the Brooklyn sliver of the Congressional seat.
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
At last, a little good news.
Happy to hear about this.
Why are Republicans the only ones who's image can be tainted by scandal? The Dems have had an avalanche of scandal this year.
What’s wrong with you guys? Really? A Dem can do anything and get away with it, but a GOPer is destroyed every time... How disgraceful
That's how it is. That's why we'll always be better than them.
Spitzer resigned; Vitter is still in office. So is Fossella, although he will be retiring at the end of his term.
That’s because Republican voters have STANDARDS. The Dems were going to hang this issue all over us, and we could say HELLO to Congressman Finocchio, er, Gentile.
The republican party needs to completely clean house of all the nasty junk and resume the moral high-ground.
If he had just killed his girlfriend he would have a shot at the senate. No, I guess not. He's a republican. Big difference.
For those of you who aren't familiar with the dialect used in this clip, it's called "Staten Islandese."
If they blanket the airwaves with clips of this interview, he'll win in a landslide. LOL.
“Why are Republicans the only ones who’s image can be tainted by scandal? The Dems have had an avalanche of scandal this year.”
Because Democrats are heaping piles of crap and hypocrites. While I don’t condone drunk driving and adultery, Democrats wear it like a badge of honor. If a dopey Republican does it, Democrats start screaming about the lack of “family values”. This coming from the same party that advocates the murder of unborn babies and rewarding families who’s father disappears. Go figure.
Jim Oddo was set up by that bogus interview. Since when does a foreign news program (real or comedic) have the slightest interest in a Staten Island City Council member? Everyone on Staten Island knows that Jim Oddo is a hot head. Democrats call it “passion”. Again, the double standard rears its ugly head.
There is no such thing as a politician who always takes the moral high ground. They would be preachers instead of politicians. Hell, even some priests and preaches don’t take the moral high ground. It all boils down to one thing...the way the person votes on issues near and dear to you. Most liberal hypocrites in Congress booze and whore around and sell out their country every chance they get. Republican yahoos, booze and whore around and try to remain decisions beneficial to their county. Some times they succeed, some times they don’t. At least they try. Democrats ALWAYS sell out.
And why exactly is that? What is so “bad” about taking the moral high ground?
Good. Besides the screwing, I can’t see how a DUI would play well where a lot of the key voters are police officers and their families.
“I think James Oddo would be a perfect GOP candidate for this district.”
You may be right, but I’ve read that he wants to be Staten Island Borough President. Other Republicans are looking at running, though one of them (Andrew Lanza) is under a lot of pressure to stay in the state Senate, due to fears that the DemocRATS could win a majority there.
There is nothing with taking the moral high ground. Nowadays it is virtually impossible. Politicians are too jaded to be moral to take the high ground. There is no such thing as a perfectly moral politician. They ALL have skeletons.
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.