Foley: My sexuality is private Questions about homosexuality 'revolting and unforgivable'

Miami Herald ^ | 5/23/03 | PETER WALLSTEN AND LESLEY CLARK

[Chancellor Palpatine]

TALLAHASSEE - U.S. Rep. Mark Foley took the offensive Thursday to address a question he acknowledged may affect his bid to become the Republican nominee for the U.S. Senate: Is he gay?

The answer, Foley said, is that it's nobody's business but his own. He called the innuendo about his private life ''revolting and unforgivable,'' and blamed it on Democratic activists who fear his strength as a candidate.

snip

Foley holds a massive fundraising advantage over his leading rival for the Republican nomination, former Orlando-area U.S. Rep. Bill McCollum, and has amassed dozens of endorsements from Republican state legislators across the ideological spectrum.

But party strategists worry quietly that Foley may be too ''moderate'' to beat McCollum, a darling of the party's influential conservative wing, in a primary -- but that McCollum, who lost to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson in 2000, is a weak candidate in the general election.

[JohnnyZ]

I could care less what a candidate is, as long as he is pro-gun and anti-tax, and isn't pushing for statutes that single out gays for special protections.

Foley fails that test, as he is very much in favor of "gay rights". And abortion.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Unusual behavior for Dems - that surprises me. Who were they smearing?

[Mr. Bird]

I agree he has that "actuarial flair", but depending on the climate, that could help him...

[Chancellor Palpatine]

I like him, but he has a boring demeanor.

I call that "The Dole Factor", and vowed in '96 that I would point it out every time I spotted it.

[jmaroneps37]

At some time in the future, being gay won't mean anything. But that time is still aways off. Foley is a good guy and deserves a shot but; not on a state wide ticket. Because this has gotten out, Foley win NOT win the GOP primary. 04 will be a great year and whether cracker leaves his seat or not, McCollum will beat him or take the open seat. If we get real lucky, deutsch or wexler will run and we'll get rid of another rat congressman in the process.

[kstewskis]

How in the h*ll did Ronald Reagan ever win an election in this state?

...pehaps because once upon a time the state wasn't overrun, out numbered, over-bred and infected with Socialists and illegal aliens. They at least kept confined in certain areas (Bezerkly, et al...), and the rest of us could lead peaceful lives back then

Sigh. Those were the good 'ol days, huh? IMHO, the state started going downhill when he left office.

[george wythe]

If McCollum runs again, either Deutsch or Panellas will trounce him at the general election.

Forget about another Republican pick up in the US Senate. Florida is not a conservative state, but a swing state, and McCollum not a likeable conservative

[Beck_isright]

If the idiots would shut up, he will win the seat down here easily. He's anti-Castro, anti-communist, anti-terrorist, anti-hollyweird, anti-left. I don't care who, what or where he is sleeping. At this point in time in our nation's history, there are more important issues.

[Joe Boucher]

I am a straight veteran white guy nearly 50 years old.
Mark Foley is my congress critter as I live in Port St. Lucie Fl.
He is and has been a very good congressman for many years. I support him and could care less if he is a homosexual. Fact is his sexuality has never entered into whether he is competant or not.
He is a leader in the fight for veterans. He is approachable as a representitive he reflects his constituancy.
If he runs for the U.S. Senate I will probably work to elect him. I know many gays as they are through out society. If they do their job and don't pester me with it then so what? And in reality he hasn't come out and said he is, just that whatever he is is no ones business except his own.
I am married and my wife of 25 years and I have a 16 year old son. Whatever my wife and I do within our sex lives is no one elses business and if one were to press the subject I'd probably try to kick their ass. Mr. Foley at least is more civilized then I.

[JohnnyZ]

I agree he has that "actuarial flair", but depending on the climate, that could help him...

Heck, I'm an actuary (in progess) and I didn't know that was even a term!

[wimpycat]

Lindsey Graham, of course. Dick Harpootlian had made a comment about Graham being a little "light in the loafers" to fill Strom Thurmond's shoes; then he had the audacity to claim he didn't know that is a gay slur.

There was no Republican senate primary in SC; Graham was the Anointed One. During one of their debates, Alex Sanders made a crack about Rudy Giuliani's endorsement of Graham by saying something along the lines of, "his wife kicked him out and he moved in with a gay couple and a shih-tzu. Is that South Carolina values? I don't think so." Even the gay rights folks had something to say about that.

And don't forget that race somewhere in the Midwest in 2002, where some married Republican candidate's opponent showed old TV commercials from the 70's when the Republican used to own a chain of beauty parlors.

It's not as rare as you think.

[JohnnyZ]

And don't forget that race somewhere in the Midwest in 2002

Montana, Max Baucus "pounded" Mike Taylor with those commercials showing Taylor shampooing some guy's hair in an old commercial for his business.

[GraniteStateConservative]

Now with the recall, California will get Sen. Gray Davis and Gov. Feinstein. How the hell is that a victory?

[wimpycat]

"Actuarial flair"...heh! That's a good one!

[GraniteStateConservative]

absolutely zero downside personality

That's the problem. He has already lost a GOP open seat race. Why give him a chance to lose a Dem open seat race?

[Mr. Bird]

I may have just coined the phrase. No offense! LOL.

[GraniteStateConservative]

McCollum is a fine candidate.

Yeah, that's why Bush rewarded him with a nice position in the Administration. Bush thinks he's an awful candidate for statewide office and he's right.

[AuH2ORepublican]

"2000 was NOT a good year for Republicans; we lost most of the close senate races, among other things."

---

You beat me to it, Johnny. 2000 was a pretty bad year for the GOP, especially in Florida. Clay Shaw came within a whisker of getting unseated, and we couldn't come close to beating Karen Thurman and Jim Davis in then-swing districts (Thurman's district was made more Republican, and Davis's more Democratic, in 2002 redistricting). And as you mentioned, we lost nearly all the close Senate races nationwide (Florida, New Jersey, Washington, Nebraska and Michigan), and two GOP incumbents were defeated by a wide margin (Grams in Minnesota and Roth in Delaware). We went from having 54 GOP Senators in January of 2000 to only 50 GOP Senators (one of whom was Jeffords) in January of 2001.

I think McCollum can beat Peter Deutsch (the RAT fronrunner if Bob Graham doesn't run), but he'd have a tougher time against Alex Penelas. I believe Mel Martinez may be our silver bullet against Penelas---I hope Bush and Rove can convince him to run.

[Chancellor Palpatine]

Heheh - I can't believe you admitted it. All that excitement - manipulating databases, creating life tables, computing losses, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.............

[JohnnyZ]

US Rep. Dave Weldon

Pro-life

Doctor

Veteran

Dave Weldon for Senate!