Comments on: UPDATED: “About the only safe Republican Senate seats in ’08 are the ones that aren’t on the ballot” http://themoderatevoice.com/14878/about-the-only-safe-republican-senate-seats-in-08-are-the-ones-that-arent-on-the-ballot/ An Internet hub with domestic and international news, analysis, original reporting, and popular features from the left, center, indies, centrists, moderates, and right Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:33:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.2 By: Simon http://themoderatevoice.com/14878/about-the-only-safe-republican-senate-seats-in-08-are-the-ones-that-arent-on-the-ballot/comment-page-1/#comment-97149 Simon Sun, 02 Sep 2007 00:47:05 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/14878/about-the-only-safe-republican-senate-seats-in-08-are-the-ones-that-arent-on-the-ballot/#comment-97149 I thought Mark Shields was right - if I understood his remarks yesterday on the News Hour - to connect the reactions by GOP leaders to Larry Craig to their failure to react (and the cost thereof) to Mark Foley. As I understood Shields' point, Foley was a problem that many in the CGOP leadership was aware of, but one they did nothing about - they supposedly let the problem fester, and when that sordid backstory emerged, they paid a very heavy price last fall. (The actual facts of the matter are irrelevant; what matters is that this is the version of events that was accepted by the voters.) When the Craig story broke, wanting to avoid making the same mistake twice, they're reacting extremely strongly: "I've got the rope, you find the tree," as Shields put it, has been the GOP standard this week. My opinion is that this is right and proper - members of the United States Senate (and a fortiori <i>Republican</i> Senators - we, after all, are supposedly the moral party) ought to be held to a fairly high standard, and soliciting anonymous extramarital sex fails any imaginable threshold. But I do agree with Shields if he means to say that the reaction has been so strong and so uniform because the party doesn't want to repeat the mistakes it was hung from over Foley. I thought Mark Shields was right – if I understood his remarks yesterday on the News Hour – to connect the reactions by GOP leaders to Larry Craig to their failure to react (and the cost thereof) to Mark Foley. As I understood Shields’ point, Foley was a problem that many in the CGOP leadership was aware of, but one they did nothing about – they supposedly let the problem fester, and when that sordid backstory emerged, they paid a very heavy price last fall. (The actual facts of the matter are irrelevant; what matters is that this is the version of events that was accepted by the voters.) When the Craig story broke, wanting to avoid making the same mistake twice, they’re reacting extremely strongly: “I’ve got the rope, you find the tree,” as Shields put it, has been the GOP standard this week.

My opinion is that this is right and proper – members of the United States Senate (and a fortiori Republican Senators – we, after all, are supposedly the moral party) ought to be held to a fairly high standard, and soliciting anonymous extramarital sex fails any imaginable threshold. But I do agree with Shields if he means to say that the reaction has been so strong and so uniform because the party doesn’t want to repeat the mistakes it was hung from over Foley.

]]> By: superdestroyer http://themoderatevoice.com/14878/about-the-only-safe-republican-senate-seats-in-08-are-the-ones-that-arent-on-the-ballot/comment-page-1/#comment-97144 superdestroyer Sat, 01 Sep 2007 22:34:19 +0000 http://themoderatevoice.com/politics/14878/about-the-only-safe-republican-senate-seats-in-08-are-the-ones-that-arent-on-the-ballot/#comment-97144 Of course, even the Washington Post does not take the Republican's problems to their logical conclusion. When the Democrats get to 60 seats in the Senate in either 2008 or 2010, the Republican Party becomes irrelevant to national politics and the donations will end. Why will anyone in the future donate money, time, or take an interest in a politicial party that has zero affect on national politics. Of course, even the Washington Post does not take the Republican’s problems to their logical conclusion. When the Democrats get to 60 seats in the Senate in either 2008 or 2010, the Republican Party becomes irrelevant to national politics and the donations will end.

Why will anyone in the future donate money, time, or take an interest in a politicial party that has zero affect on national politics.

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