What is Digg?Sponsored by Travelzoo
$52 and Up—Airlines Slash Fares On Peak Holiday Flights. view!
travelzoo.com - This year, waiting until the last minute is NOT the best strategy. See why.
99 Comments
- Linzz, on 10/12/2007, -9/+92So if I've got this correct, the problem Republicans see here is that they got bad news before an election, not that one of their colleagues is a sexual predator preying on teenagers? These people are deranged.
- NICU, on 10/12/2007, -8/+42Its a great strategy by the GOP. The only way they can guarantee a win in 2008 is to lose now. If they lose control of the senate and the house they can come out in 2008 and blame the past 2 years of inaction and failure on the democrats (ignoring the previous 6 years). Then all they have to do is bring up amendments against gay people again and win back even more seats in 2008. (parts paraphrased from Colbert)
- sosborne, on 10/12/2007, -4/+32That's right. It was all a carefully planned conspiracy from the get-go. It all began 16 years ago when Democratic operatives went undercover as Republicans, gave birth to baby boys, raised them as homosexuals, and convinced them to become pages. Then, they had the boys dress in provocative clothing (such as khaki pants and blue blazers) in order to lure unsuspecting Republican senators into making lewd statements to the boys in IM. Then it was just a matter of alerting the liberal media at the right moment.
...Paraphrased from the Sam Seder Show this morning... - EntropyMan, on 10/12/2007, -3/+24Here's the key. GOP knows they'll lose the house. They don't want it to seem like they lost it due to policy. Much easier to blame the loss on Foley. The same people calling it a liberal conspiracy now will, after the election, say that's the only reason they lost.
- Chompy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+19So let me get this straight; republican lawmakers have apparently known about this guy's proclivities since *1995* (the first time pages started getting warnings from other Republican lawmakers), and did nothing. Now they're claming that the Dems knew about it for a few months and waited for October to break the story.
Even if it was true, am I the only one wondering why no republicans said anything for 11 years? Oh that's right, "family values" only mean something when you're talking to the hicks, it's not meant to apply to one of their own. - whiskeymb, on 10/12/2007, -6/+22here is a little prediction for a story about to hit the front page...
liberals will digg it, conservatives will mark it as inaccurate.
either way, I think the facts are lining up to point to a few things:
1. Foley is guilty of abuse of power
2. some people, including repbulicans in power, knew and did nothing about this
3. the republicans will spin this every which way they can to make it look like it's the Dem's fault - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -4/+19The republicans are committing political suicide IMO. What they should have done was say "We didn't know Foley was a crazy nut job pedophile and we excommunicate him from the Republican Party. He doesn't stand for what the Republican party stands for, I mean look at him, he's a pedophile and OMG he's gay too! We're sorry for endorsing him, we hate him too."
It wouldn't be great but its much better than going "OMGZORS the democrats are lying and cheating and and and and and its all their fault!" - torkhum, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Who cares who the source was? As a parent, I am more concerned about the act that was committed, not who said he did it.
- Joe_rigby, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11October surprise? Surprise! You're not going to win.
- modiggs1976, on 10/12/2007, -2/+10It's like the Republicans are trying to put out the fire by fanning the flames. The more reluctant they are to admit they are wrong, the deeper they sink into their own quagmire.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9Note its on CNN that Hastert knew 3 years ago, Republicans are now asking him to resign today to stop the bleeding before it gets any closer to the elections. The AP says another bombshell is gonna get dropped cause another inappropriate scandal is coming to light other than the Foley scandal. Foley also gave money to the GOP leadership to quiet them
- masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -4/+11Indeed. I'm sure that the Foley scandal is an "October Surprise," but that doesn't change the fact that Foley did it and something needs to be done about it. Whether or not it was brought out to the public intentionally and strategically is irrelevant; strategy and politics, no matter how dirty, are not illegal and nothing can change what Foley did and he SHOULD be investigated and prosecuted for it.
- growler1, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10I'm gonna get dugg down, but I'm going to say this anyway:
Dear Neocons:
Judging by the rabid vitriol you guys are spewing, this feud is just going to keep escalating. I wonder when reasonable people will be in washington again.
I wonder if you know just how much the spin, the animosity, the ad hominem attacks, and the "power at all costs" mentality is huring America.
I wonder if you care. When will it stop being about you guys being "perceived as right" and again be about doing what's right?
I think even normal republicans/conservatives are beginning to see just what you guys really stand for. - benhocking, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7@lakawak: "BOTH sides knew."
In order for this to make sense, one has to believe both (a) it's obvious that both sides knew, but (b) it never occurred to the Republicans that the Democrats might know about it. Otherwise, the Republicans would have dealt with it when it was more convenient for them to deal with it. - geronimo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7Dems should just lay off and let the republicans self-destruct with no one to blame but themselves. Already they're attacking eachother. Which makes sense. When you get the head of the "family reseach council" defending a pedo and his friends vs looking out for families, then a few non-stupid members of that organization will scratch their heads and wonder if it's about family or if it's about political power. Just kick back and have some popcorn.
- michlibrarian, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5If the Democrats were really planning these sort of October surprises, they would have had Tom DeLay resign now (instead of June) and Nye get sentenced. DeLay did much more to corrupt the political system. Sure, sex is titillating and Foley abused his power with vulnerable pages, but DeLay undermined Congress on a scale not seen since the 1880's. And then the process of the Ethics Committee was changed after DeLay stepped down from Speaker of the House to thwart any probe. Worse than Watergate by far.
- totorototoro, on 10/12/2007, -6/+11So, three issues:
1) Foley under investigation for improper behavior towards teenage pages
2) Republican leadership under investigation for suppressing this information
3) Democratic leadership under investigation for releasing this information
Yeah, number 3 looks like the BIG ONE. :p - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Except that regular news agencies have known about it for months since it was leaked once before several months ago.
- peritonlogon, on 10/12/2007, -1/+6Am I the only person, who, when the whole "that's just politicizing" or "this is timed to affect the election" line is heard thinks
Yeah, maybe, so what, unlike the President landing on some aircraft carrier with a potato in his shorts? I mean, these guys... THESE GUYS are saying its all timed... ALL these guys do is time media releases, it just so happens in the past 6 years or so, they haven't been able to realease nearly as many damning things to release about the Democrats as have been released about them... that's what happens when you control the whole government.
I'm an American, I've come to expect that the politician and the media will release things in a manner to have the maximum political effect. I don't like it, but, that's how the game has been played for a long time now. - benhocking, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6@10ksnooker:"typing on the keyboard"
Right, so when he said "I miss you from san diego", he was referring to... - maisis00, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6If I had to guess. I would say the Republican party is ifacing a serious possibility of loosing every close race where they have a seat up for re-election in November.
So I guess it is time for us to be attacked by terrorists or for Homeland Security to stop a major terrorist plot or something. Ooh we should start a little 11th hour rally...hmm... but well need a battle cry how about one of these:
(1) "Patriot Act protects the Lives of every American by finally getting rid of that pesky Bill of Rights" (wait no, no we can do better)
(2) "God Has sent us to spread Democracy"(no, no, no... we used that one already during the Crusades)
(3) "Clinton is a Douche" (Okay that is probably true statement and we need something with more gusto!)
(4) "VOTE Republican! THERE ARE STILL PAGES TO BE FONDLED!!! (Wait WTF did he just say?).
Okay maybe we will invade Iran/N. Korea to distract from this latest republican crisis. Yeah that's it lets invade another (3rd) country. I mean look how well things turned out for the Germans after the late 1920's when they invaded multiple countries and slowly slipped into a fascist state. - mikesherov, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7corrections:
BJs between adults are sex, but not illegal.
Typing sexual comments to minors is not sex, but is illegal.
Making comparisons between Clinton and Foley is ridiculous. Same as making comparisons between Foley and the 1983 scandals (which were also legal... they were ethics violations, not pedophilia).
Stop apologizing and trying to draw incorrect comparisons. - rblinne, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4What's needed here is the political version of Occam's Razor. Don't attribute a conspiracy that can more easily be explained by stupidity. There is no grand plan on the part of the Republicans. They just stepped in it. I'm a Republican and this October Surprise stuff is BS. What do you expect that when you screw up that the opposition is going to look the other way? There is another piece of political wisdom popularized by the late Republican pundit Lee Atwater that some Democrats get -- mostly the elected kind -- but others don't. When your opponent is imploding get the hell out of the way.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5FYI: The ABC reporter stated that his sources were republican sources. This was not leaked by dems.
He will be on AirAmerica Tomorrow morning if you want to call in and bitch. - ayeyen, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5What will Canadians do?
- Koosebane, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3So ThinkProgress has one observation from an elected official and a couple of quotes from a talking head and a journalist.
Okay.
Why am I supposed to believe that this is some form of widespread Republican denial just because someone at ABC contradicted a couple of gasbags? - Dipsomaniac, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5"I don't like what it says so I call it spam."
Fixed that for ya, Tavi. - nixfu, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4From Drudge Flash Alert:
http://www.drudgereport.com/flashmfa.htm
"A posting on ABCNEWS.COM of an unredacted instant message sessions between Rep. Mark Foley and a former congressional page has exposed the identity of the now 21 year-old accuser."
"But upon reviewing the records, the young man was in fact **over the age of 18** at the time of the exchange[that ABC has been showing]" - modiggs1976, on 10/12/2007, -4/+6I don't agree. This was a cover-up that could potentially land Republicans in a worse PR nightmare than Watergate. Most people are outraged at the cover up, of which many Republicans are guilty.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3ABC's about to let out a big "ooops" following by an "aww *****". They accidently broadcasted a clip of some IM's with out redacting the kids username. "ooops". After a little investigating, turns out the kid was 18 at the time of the IM. "awwww *****".
Drudge is covering it now. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2@NICU
If you actually read the article posted yesterday, the one with all the comments trashing Fox News for not running it, it also listed several other news outlets that it was given to. So it wasn't just Fox News. - DocDEB, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I love the smell of Republican desperation in the morning!
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5you will probably have to turn off the politics section until after the election.
- velezda, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3So the guy who busts Foley says that he got the e-mails from Republicans and you still want to blame Democrats or at least make them sound just as bad. What is wrong with you? Sometimes the truth sucks, deal with it.
- benhocking, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2So how exactly is this relevant? Do you think that Foley didn't proposition the 15 and 16-year olds that have come forth recently? If Foley did nothing wrong, why did he resign? Is he *part* of the conspiracy in your reality?
- EntropyMan, on 10/12/2007, -3/+5Talk about SPAM. You posted the same comment at least twice. Go away.
- diggballs, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Oh for God's sake, it's pretty obvious none of the Democrats in Congress were told about this:
First, if there were a shred of evidence that ANY Democrat had been informed about this, it'd be out by now. The whole GOP leadership in the House is in super-ultra-mega panic mode, and they're desperately throwing whatever ***** they can to get stuck to the wall.
Second, if any Democrat had been told about this, then the Republicans would have let the story out before now. Like, say, October 2005, when there was no election and it could be defused without much political damage.
Of course, that's all beside the point. Assuming the obviously untrue premise that Democrats did know of this in advance, so what? Does that in any way excuse Folley's behavior, or that of the House leadership in keeping this quiet for so long? If you assert that the Democrats were the ones that made this public (which isn't the case) and did so for political reasons, why won't you speculate about the reasons for the GOP keeping the matter quiet for so long (2-3 years, at least, according to the more recent reports)? Wasn't that just for political gain?
Enough of the stupid conservative conspiracy theories. Try acknowledging what's happened instead. - benhocking, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2OK, ignoring the fact that Monica was 22 at the time of the event (well, mostly ignoring), what Clinton did *was* wrong, for at least 3 reasons: (1) He was married, (2) she was an intern and hence he was in a position of power over her, and (3) he lied about it under oath. As Republicans frequently point out, that last one was the kicker.
Now, with Foley, we have the fact that at least some of the boys were under 18, and the cover up by the Republicans who knew about it. Saying it was just "IM sex" is very disingenuous when you have IM comments like "I miss you lots since san diego." Surely, you don't believe it was *just* IM sex, do you? If so, what does the comment refer to?!?
Again, part of the kicker isn't just the act, but the cover up. You can say, oh, well the Republican leadership didn't really *know* he was guilty of anything besides inappropriate comments. Well, why the heck didn't they investigate and make sure?!? Because they didn't *want* to know. That's disgusting, and it goes beyond just Foley. (Granted, it's not ALL Republicans - but you sound an awful lot like them when you try to paint this as just "IM sex".) - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4i think you are commenting in the wrong foley article.
"Why do you think the cops typing on the chat keyboards want to meet the perps before charging them with anything?"
you should read the Adam Walsh Child Protection of 96...and yes it is illegal to solicited using the internet even if it is not illegal for them to have sexin their own state. It makes it a crime to solicite sex on the net towards anyone under 18. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4MONEY!!! AT ALL COSTS!!!
- Mu99ins, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4The title could have read, Democrats don't think the Foley scandal
was an intentional surprise. It's politics as usual, and the timing is
precise. The timing is so good, that it's worthwhile, as Foley and
Hastert are investigated, to investigate just what the Democrats knew
and when....and what the FBI knew.
Scandals divert attention from the issues, which both sides have major
problems with. The last thing politicians on either side of the isle want
to talk about is the issues. They lose votes when they do that. They
are coached not to talk on the issues.
That being said, it's not factual that this is a Democrat versus
Republican problem. It's spun that way, sure, and the partisans
will play it for their advantage. But, it's a problem with power figures
like Foley taking advantage of his position, and it's a problem with
Hastert, because he knew of Foley and did nothing.
If you read the news, there are plenty of Republican politicians and
pundits being very vocal about this scandal, some calling for Hastert's
head.
Power corrupts, and the longer these politicians stay in office, the more
power they have, and more potential for personal problems to be amplified.
It's yet another good reason to vote out incumbents.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3I see the horror in your last statement, and fear that North Korea will be the ultimate "October Surprise"...
- HeartOfFire, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1As a commenter just noted, Drudge is reporting that the Page was 18 at the time of the IM, which is currently on the drudgereport.com frontpage, no specific link yet:
"A posting of an unredacted instant message sessions between Rep. Mark Foley and a former congressional page has apparently exposed the identity of the now 21 year-old accuser...
ABC RELEASED TRANSCRIPT OF CHAT BETWEEN FOLEY AND A MAN WHO WAS 18 AT THE TIME OF THE INSTANT MESSAGE EXCHANGE.... NETWORK GAVE IMPRESSION MESSAGE WAS TO 'UNDER AGE' TEEN... DEVELOPING...
'ONLINE GLITCH' LEADS TO IDENTITY OF FOLEY ACCUSER "
Whether this is true or not or to be substantiated by evidence, I do not know.
I personally think the kid probably was underage, as the evidence all seems to point there. An AOL profile that says he was 18 does not mean he was 18, if that is where they get this information from.
As for whether or not this story was leaked by the Democrats in time for elections, Drudge apparently has at least this story:
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2006/10/the-bogus-blog-behind-foleys-fall.php
Personally, I think the guy needs to go to jail, and if any Republicans knew about this beforehand -- they need to go to jail. If Democrats knew of this issue beforehand -- they need to go to jail.
As for people using this situation to say call completely unrelated people (such as Bush or all Republicans or Democrats) "pedophiles" -- those people are clearly shown up for what they are really doing to anyone capable of comprehending truth. Such people shouldn't go to jail, probably, but they are capitalizing on a sick crime just as many others are. - Dipsomaniac, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2No, they want the Speaker to resign because he ignored the fact that Foley was known to be a sexual predator of minors years ago and did nothing about it.
- Chompy, on 10/12/2007, -7/+8"Except that regular news agencies have known about it for months since it was leaked once before several months ago."
I dunno if I'd call FOX News a "news agency". - geekee, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2"He will be on AirAmerica Tomorrow morning if you want to call in and bitch."
AirAmerica and thinkprogress.org. Wow, no bias here. - Koosebane, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I RTFA.
One single solitary Republican elected representative was quoted and that quote had very little to do with party.
I even read the linked articles:
" The trickle of information about Mr. Foley’s messages, first made known to the news media almost a year ago, has raised questions not only for Congressional officials but also for news organizations about how to handle anonymous sources making explosive accusations in an election year."
"At the same time, the papers’ decisions not to report the accusations are being cited by Republican leaders as justification for why they themselves did not step forward earlier to try to stop Mr. Foley.
“He deceived his in-state newspaper when they each questioned him,” Speaker J. Dennis Hastert said Tuesday. “He deceived me, too.”
"The St. Petersburg Times said that last November, it received copies of an e-mail exchange between Mr. Foley and a former page from Louisiana. The newspaper said the boy, who was under age, did not want his name used, and the paper said it did not want to publish accusations based on unnamed sources. The Miami Herald apparently received the same information, although it is not clear when it received it."
"Brian Ross of ABC News said he learned about the e-mail messages in August but was too busy with Hurricane Katrina and the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks to pursue them immediately. None of the organizations seemed to anticipate how big the story would become."
“I never thought it would lead to his resignation,” Mr. Ross said."
"When The St. Petersburg Times received its first tip on the e-mail messages in late 2005, the editors decided it was “friendly chit-chat,” with nothing overtly sexual, but nonetheless assigned two reporters to find out more, according to an editor’s note."
It's somewhat amusing to see everyone scream and point fingers at each other without knowing WHO, WHY, or even WHEN.
Politics suck. This little gem proves it beyond a shadow of a doubt. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Ahh you kiddies will understand sarcasm one day...
- jonathan95060, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2RTFA!
It appears that half of the posters did not RTFA. In response to hysterical accusations that the Foley (D-FL ;^)) scandal is a Democratic October surprise ABC's reporter clearly states that his source was a Republican! So enough with the "it probably was a Democrat trick but ...". - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1There is no evidence that any Democrats knew about it until the rest of us heard it on the news. To the contrary: Everything said to date by Alexander, Reynolds, and Hastert indicates that the Republicans kept this information from the Democrats even on the House Page Board.
-
Show 51 - 100 of 105 discussions
The Digg Toolbar for Firefox lets you Digg, submit content, and keep track of Digg even when you're not on the Digg site. Download the official 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is