Could Republicans lose control of Congress over an instant message? If they do, it would certainly be the moment at which the internet went prime time.
And according to Carl Hulse and Jeff Zeleny in The New York Times, the issue is resonating with voters. Said Rep Ray LaHood (R-IL):
“The first three questions I was asked when I arrived in Peoria,” he said, “were not about immigration, the war or taxes. It was, ‘What are you going to do about the page program?’”
It’s a beautiful scandal for Democrats, because when gays are concerned its heads we win and tails you lose. If Republicans had publicized and reprimanded Rep. Foley for inappropriate contact with congressional pages before last Friday when ABC News publicized the inappropriate IM conversations that Foley had with a congressional page, then they would have been roundly criticized as the homophobe party.
Now they are being criticized for being soft on child molesters.
Well, right or wrong, there is a higher standard of behavior for Republicans in public life. To adapt the words of British Prime Minister Tony Blair: they have to be whiter than white.
And that’s how it ought to be. If House Republican leaders knew about inappropriate behavior and did nothing about it then they should resign.
Never mind the if, ands, and buts.
Speaker Denny Hastert said: “Would have, could have, should have.”
But that’s not good enough. Not good enough for Republicans.
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