Just a "Political Problem"
Coverage of the Foley page scandal has been non-stop since ABC broke the story last Friday. The story has all the earmarks of a blockbuster for the media: sex, underage sex, gay sex, a political figure, alcohol. It's what sells, baby. The fact is that is indeed a major story, unlike many of those shoved in the faces of Americans, because it's also the story of a cover-up. That Representative Mark Foley was sexually harrassing teen-aged congressional pages is bad enough, but that the GOP House leadership had been told about Mr. Foley's behavior at least as early as 2005 and swept it under the rug is horrific.
How the GOP leadership is handling the issue now that it has blown up in their faces is even more devastating. From today's NY Times:
Speaker J. Dennis Hastert faced intensifying questions on Monday about why Republicans had not reacted more assertively to Representative Mark Foley’s messages to a teenage page, as members of his party, fearing a political debacle, demanded a strong response.
Straining to hold the party together five weeks from Election Day amid unfolding revelations about the case, Mr. Hastert and his leadership team held a conference call with House Republicans on Monday night and heard blunt advice and criticism from participants who pressed for further action to reassure voters. [Emphasis added]
Here's the money quote:
“This is a political problem, and we need to step up and do something dramatic,” Representative Ray LaHood of Illinois said afterward, adding that he had proposed abolishing the Congressional page program. [Emphasis added]
Why, yes, Mr. LaHood, it now is a political problem. And, yes, the election is just five weeks away. The timing couldn't be more unfortunate for the GOP, but stuff like this happens when the party leadership thinks it's more important to keep a member on board than to fully investigate a crime that member is accused of committing. It shouldn't matter that the member is a money-raising expert. It shouldn't matter that a seat might be lost (although the district in question up to this point was a safe Republican seat). What should matter is the integrity of Congress, especially when the victim of the crime is a teenager working in the Congress.
"A political problem," indeed.
How the GOP leadership is handling the issue now that it has blown up in their faces is even more devastating. From today's NY Times:
Speaker J. Dennis Hastert faced intensifying questions on Monday about why Republicans had not reacted more assertively to Representative Mark Foley’s messages to a teenage page, as members of his party, fearing a political debacle, demanded a strong response.
Straining to hold the party together five weeks from Election Day amid unfolding revelations about the case, Mr. Hastert and his leadership team held a conference call with House Republicans on Monday night and heard blunt advice and criticism from participants who pressed for further action to reassure voters. [Emphasis added]
Here's the money quote:
“This is a political problem, and we need to step up and do something dramatic,” Representative Ray LaHood of Illinois said afterward, adding that he had proposed abolishing the Congressional page program. [Emphasis added]
Why, yes, Mr. LaHood, it now is a political problem. And, yes, the election is just five weeks away. The timing couldn't be more unfortunate for the GOP, but stuff like this happens when the party leadership thinks it's more important to keep a member on board than to fully investigate a crime that member is accused of committing. It shouldn't matter that the member is a money-raising expert. It shouldn't matter that a seat might be lost (although the district in question up to this point was a safe Republican seat). What should matter is the integrity of Congress, especially when the victim of the crime is a teenager working in the Congress.
"A political problem," indeed.
posted by Diane at 3:50 AM
2 Comments:
It's a political problem because that's the only way they see everything. If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. It's all about getting and keeping power; nothing else matters, no one else matters, there are no higher considerations for these people. I loathe them.
Hey, I think LaHood trolls at Eschaton!
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