The resignation of closeted gay Republican Florida Congressman Mark Foley for pursuing young male Congressional pages with sexual intent, via e-mail and instant messaging, carries several lessons.
Number One: gay closeting by GOP office-seekers and office-holders must end, as I wrote in this post on Jim West exactly one year ago to the day. This despite the party's opposition to gay marriage; and the very legitimate concerns of many Republicans about overbearing statist affirmations in public schools of alternate sexualities. Neither race, religion or sexual orientation should be thought in the least to require a vote one way or the other on any policy issue. To endorse such determinism is itself a form of stereotyping and bigotry. Have a conversation with a gay Libertarian sometime to see what I mean. Further, it is state legislatures and initiative voters, in both cases including Democrats, who've rejected gay marriage; not the GOP.
Number Two: The vulnerability of closeted gay Republicans underscores that anyway, the party must focus now not on evangelicals, but constituencies which lean libertarian on social issues; and are fiscally conservative, and hawkish on terrorism.
Number Three: Considering their party and how it is perceived by opponents, not to mention basic considerations of law and morality, gay Republicans must make sure their dalliances and ongoing sexual relationships are not with, ahem, MINORS. Better still, consort thusly only with actual ADULTS (21 or older) as opposed to "legal" young 'uns.
Number Four: Don't cover up for office-holders who are perverts, and or seeking to abuse their authority - whether they are heterosexual or gay.
Number Five: Quite apart from the overheated debate on what he already knew about Foley's sexual pursuit of Congressional pages, House Speaker Dennis Hastert is a lame SOB most of all because he has presided over a huge expansion of government spending while his party has controlled Congress and White House. His time has come, whether he exits leadership this month or another soon.
Number Six: Democrats latching onto the "Hastert must resign" now meme are truly without a real agenda to move America forward. They are pathetic. Whether he exits now or later, their bloodthirsty baying for his scalp will backfire, as stellar Oregonian columnist David Reinhard notes.
Back to Foley and his sometimes closeted, sometimes-not life. The LA Times, today, "Path Is Risky For Gay GOP Politicians:"
WASHINGTON -- At the Republican National Convention in 2000, Rep. Mark Foley hosted a late-night bash at a Philadelphia gay bar, where an acquaintance snapped a photo of an attractive young intern sitting on the Florida congressman's lap. Months later, according to the acquaintance, when she offered to send him the photo, Foley looked anxious. The intern, "male or female?" he inquired. "Female" was the reply. "Oh, thank God," Foley responded. "Send me that photo, I might need it someday."
Back home in Palm Beach, Foley was a bit more "out" with his longtime partner, but he still had to play the game in D.C. Sad. And unnecessary, at least as soon as the GOP sees that the big picture requires an end to evangelical pander-politics.
Posted by Matt Rosenberg at October 06, 2006 03:32 PM | Email ThisAs you point out the alliance with evangelicals will make this difficult. This alliance has been important though in getting the GOP into and in maintaining majority on the national scene.
I think the GOP's long term prospects demand that it keep close to the center, but if they do so will the evangelical faction turn out to vote? And if they don't will the GOP be able to keep and win seats?
Personally I believe that a few cycles of dems controlling the nation will bring the center out in force for the GOP and that the GOP will not need to pander to the religeous right.
Posted by: deadwood on October 6, 2006 03:38 PMI'd venture that the Christian Right is more tolerant of gays than the Secular Left is of gay Republicans. But don't question the left's tolerance.
Posted by: Jeff B. on October 6, 2006 03:39 PMThere is a difference between a page and an intern in terms of age and age of consent.
There is a difference in when Hastert learned about the IMs versus the e-mails.
It is okay to have sex with an intern if it is of the opposite sex but not of the same sex (seventh line from the bottom).
Democrats are hypocrites but Republicans eat their own and do the right thing.
When a Democrat does a dirty trick, someone needs to let out in a loud deep voice to have everyone "settle down" and let things work out.
Posted by: swatter on October 6, 2006 03:42 PMNow I really am going to be sick.
Posted by: Bill Cruchon on October 6, 2006 03:51 PMGive me a Gay Fiscal Conservative anyday over some of the Borrow-and-Squander, sleeze-ball pretend Conservatives we have in Government today.
Our Republican Party CANNOT continue to expect support simply because we are at least a bit better than those damn Democrats.
It's time to raise the bar.
Frankly, I hope ALL the Lobbyist scammers in both Party's get thrown out this time.
I will vote for McGavick....although I have serious concerns about what he will do if & when he gets in office. Serious concerns. Hopefully Mike is not just another borrow-and-squander, weak-kneed pretend Conservative who's main goal is to be POPULAR!!
Yuck.
I don't buy the characterization that this so-called Religous Right is necessarily the problem.
Although folks that have a one issue litmus test (like if you are gay you are bad) are indeed a problem....instead of looking at many principals (especially the role and cost of Government in our lives).
While I may wish otherwise, I am now beginning to ready my frayed nerves for 2 or 4 years of disaster with the likes of Palousy and her gang of idiots running the congress.
I thank God Bush will still have the veto.
Posted by: deadwood on October 6, 2006 04:35 PMThe Dems were dumb to play the dirty tricks with the facts of Foley's behavior and even dumber to do it four weeks out from the election. There's plenty of time for the overall stability of the electorate to materialize as it always does.
And we are not talking about a Presidential race here, local politics is still be far the biggest factor in the elections. Has everyone forgottten Reichert-Burner and McGavick-Cantwell? Of course not. And the same is true for the rest of the country. Also, as the details of Foleygate have become exposed, it's pretty clear that in the universe of sex scandals, this was quite (pardon the pun) minor. For all of the pages were of DC consenting age. Foley knew the law well because he helped write those laws. Does it excuse his behavior, heck no, but everyone is jaded by the Internet-speed nature of the scandal and other recent scandals where real Pedohiles have used the Internet to phish for victims. The fact of the matter is that this was mostly just Foley and a few brief lines of text. Nothing anywhere near an actual case of sexual contact with a truly underage child.
Not much to see here, move along.
Posted by: Jeff B. on October 6, 2006 04:43 PMYou dance with the Devil, you pay the price.
Posted by: david on October 6, 2006 04:46 PMMr. Cynical I agree that Bush should have done more to reduce spending and the size of government. However the political cost of doing so is high, (Bush is taking food away from grandma and starving school children--we all know how the Dems and their media will react).
Don't forget as well that we are at war. Bush has cut taxes, stimulated the economy, and made some excellent Supreme Court appointments. Cut him a little slack.
Note that you are going to have to live a higher standard than everyone else in this country. Why? Because your electorate doesn't tolerate anything less, and the Democrats know it.
If you are homosexual, you must be openly homosexual. If you are adulterous, you must be openly adulterous. If you get elected while the electorate knows full well that you are either homosexual or adulterous, then there will be no problem.
Why? Because the Republicans expect more, they assume that you are not homosexual or adulterous. They assume silence means you keep the law of chastity that Christ laid down--"Don't even think about it"--and that you are living that ideal. If you are not, be upfront and honest about it.
I am tired of seeing Republicans that think they can pass themselves off as upright and overwhelmingly moral. When they get found out, the fall is terrible.
Let us as Republicans keep our high standard and be honest about it. Let our candidates understand that assumption and be clear when they do not live up to it. That will solve the problems--honesty all around.
Posted by: Jonathan Gardner on October 6, 2006 05:22 PMNobody's perfect, Jonathan.
Posted by: Bill Cruchon on October 6, 2006 05:38 PMLooks like that's what Foley was doing.
PS It wasn't tthe Demo's that released this, but a rare commoditiy; A Republican with a conscience.
Finally "Big Tent" folks It's not about Gay.
It's about Pedophilia.
That's the problem with Mr. Irrelevant, He thinks volunteering as the Church little league uniform fitter is okay.
That's why he supports Foley.
The real issue is gay activists insisting on going way beyond tolerance: the rest of must must approve and promote homosexuality, or be branded bigots.
There is a huge gap between tolerance versus approval and promotion.
Do what you want behind closed doors. If you want to be known as gay, rather than as good at something, rather than as a quality person, then kiss it goodbye, Dumbo.
Most of us do not want your gayness taunted at us, and, frankly, doing so is to your own determent.
So, be known as a quality person and leave your gayness at your bedroom door.
If I choose not to associate with a behavior ( by the way, drop the gay gene baloney, Einstein) or a person I find repugnant, that is perfectly within my right of association. Its a free country, remember.....
The reality is many of us find all this emphasis on sexuality, whatever brand that is, repugnant and offensive........
Posted by: Hank on October 6, 2006 05:58 PMHow about your buddy O'leily showing Foley as a Democrat? Now there's no agenda on what you call news there.
Read John Warners Statement about Iraq today?
It involves reading, cause I am sure Faux news didn't show it.
Please use your internet for something other than picking the winner of the cutest Page for Foley contest.
Anything else from you? See you over at HA if Mrs. Hut has left you a pair.
Posted by: danw on October 6, 2006 06:26 PM
Back home in Palm Beach, Foley was a bit more "out" with his longtime partner, but he still had to play the game in D.C. Sad. And unnecessary, at least as soon as the GOP sees that the big picture requires an end to evangelical pander-politics.
It really makes me wonder what chance in hell McGavick has of winning this November. Sad.
Posted by: huckleberry on October 6, 2006 06:31 PMThe other side that the Dems can play is the "its all about the children" because of the underage kids that were involved. Of course, that is BS - they don't really care about that, because of their past actions. However, the approval rating of Congress - 25% doesn't help things. Except, if the Dems keep making an issue of it - this could backfire on them..
Posted by: KS on October 6, 2006 09:53 PMNot Sound Politics and Not Sound Living.
Posted by: Jericho on October 7, 2006 07:47 AMRepublicans need to reach out to more libertarian-oriented voters and one of the ways to do this is with tolerance for Gays.
For coverage on the libertarian Republican movement:
www.mainstreamlibertarian.com
Eric Dondero,
Former Bremerton/Port Orchard resident
If we want to protect 'our' kids maybe we should point out that it is those practising homosexuallity that are doing a hugely disproportionate share of the molesting. As with the Priest scandal the degenerate cultural leaders have shifted the discussion from the proclivities of the wanna-be molester to the leadership.
Posted by: Jericho on October 7, 2006 08:00 AMTony Perkins was busy gay bashing gain this past week. he was promoting the idea that the Speaker couldn't deal with the Foley matter because the Speaker would be accussed of gay bashing. Good grief. He must think the GOP leadership is completely feckless.
Perkins goes on to say that it was a "network" of openly gay senior staff members in the House who protected Foley. Funny thing. It now appears that it was openly gay senior staffers who repeatedly pressed for action and got no answer from the Speaker.
Step number one for the GOP is to rebuke Tony Perkins. He's slyly promoting hate based stereotyping. He's a paper tiger - way out of touch with the views of most people he claims within his fold.
The state Senate GOP fell victim to similar paper tigers in our state when all but one of them refused to make it illegal to fire people just because they are gay. Legal firing of people just because they are gay drove thousands of people into some forms of the closet over the past 30 years - ever since a judge in Pierce County ruled that a school district could fire a teacher just because he was gay.
Turns out the only organized opposition to the proposed law was a few very right wing self promoting ministers and the leadership of the Catholic Church. And they turned out to be paper tigers too. The leadership Catholic Church had lost credibility on the subject. The other preachers never had much of a following.
And yet the GOP Senate followed them in lockstep.
Surely the GOP is better than that.
Posted by: Thor on October 8, 2006 08:55 AMThe Democrats didn't make Hastert bury the many complaints (which as time goes on are only going to become more numerous).
The solution to this issue and larger problem is going to have to be found within the GOP.
Posted by: Marko on October 8, 2006 11:18 PM1. "their stranglehold on the party" - There is no such animal. Matt is right, traditional conservatives are just being pandered to. If they had a "stranglehold" we'd have a Federal Marriage Amendment already. What conservatives get from the RNC types is disingenuous posturing, instead, by hypocrites like Foley. Hastert's (and the pragmatic wing's) problem is that 70 percent of the general public is not "politically correct" on this issue like Foley and McGavick and SoundPolitics and the Slade-o-philes are. GOP officeholders have to "pander" (that is, offer up slimy compromises) if they want to stay in office as Republicans. I wish they'd stop pandering, frankly. That way we could run some actual Republicans. You'd know this if you were a Republican. Perhaps you're a libertarian.
2. "Legal firing of people just because they are gay" - American Freedom is being able to fire anyone - if you don't like the look of their mustache, or the way they mispronounce your name, or the color of their girlfriend's convertible - because it's your damn company. Don't like somebody's hiring preferences? Start your own company. It's a free country. (we thought.) That applies to gay, ugly, male, female, transsexual, etc., etc.
If you don't get that you're not so libertarian after all. It's called FREEDOM. I can hire you or not. You can work for me or refuse.
It's not like that in China. You might like it there.