The #1 Priority For The Hastert/RW Spin Machine Tonite Is...

[stopbush]

"Find me a Democrat in the Congress who's as bad or worse than Foley. Innuendo will do if we don't have the facts."

[rpannier]

1. I was gonna say

make this bipartisan

[lapfog_1]

2. Fox is on the job

already heard them say "essentially the same thing as a number of Democrats" and pushing the
"inappropriate advances by a superior to a subordinate" line of crap.

The kid was 16. And yes, that's a big difference than 18. And he wasn't the only one... and the
leadership knew about it and did nothing.

[troubleinwinter]

10. "The kid was 16." The word is ADOLESCENT. Use it.

[opihimoimoi]

3. They are reduced to making us DEMs look worse than them??

Is that all they have??

Has it got to the point of NO EXCUSES other than find more DIRT on US???

THOSE DESPERATE PUBs oughta make a good movie someday...LOL

[MrScorpio]

4. They'll point out that 16 is the legal age of consent in DC

But I ask, what middle aged white guy, who's up for reelection, wants to get pegged as a guy who fucks teenage boys? (or defending such a perv)

Let them spin all they want

We have them by the balls.

SQUEEEEEEEZE!

[SeattleGirl]

5. Regardless of what the age of consent is, as a parent, let me

tell you that if some fucking asshole had done that to my child when she was 16 or 17, that fucking asshole would find himself at the end of a civil suit, at the very least. Most parents are not really forgiving at adults acting in a sexually inappropriate way toward their children, even if the children are close to 18.

[MrScorpio]

7. That's the beauty of this:

There is NO DEFENDING IT!

Hand the defenders their own heads on a pike!

[SeattleGirl]

8. Exactly. I don't know too many parents who would stand aside

because the person/persons guilty of this kind of shit are in the party they prefer.

[troubleinwinter]

11. The object of Foley's predation was an adolescent.

[gatorboy]

6. I agree with Greg Saunders remarks on what will probably go down.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/greg-saunders/playing-politics-with-p_b_30727.html

And let's not fall into the trap of thinking the GOP leadership's new-found conscience is based on anything more than covering their asses before the election. Just as they've done in the Jack Abramoff scandal, the GOP is desperate to turn this into a "both sides are equally guilty" situation, which explains why Hastert, who desperately tried to sweep Foley's sexual misconduct under the rug, is suddenly eager to cast such a wide net.

Therefore, I also request that the Department undertake an investigation into who had specific knowledge of the content of any sexually explicit communications between Mr. Foley and any former or current House pages and what actions such individuals took, if any, to provide them to law enforcement. I request that the scope of your investigation include any and all individuals who may have been aware of this matter-be they Members of Congress, employees of the House of Representatives, or anyone outside the Congress.

If Hastert was so desperate to get to the bottom of this mess, he would have done something last year. This isn't an attempt to find the truth, it's a fishing expedition. The GOP is desperate to find Democratic complicity and they'll use all the means at their disposal until they can find a Democrat who's heard the rumors about Foley's harassment and is willing to say so on the record. A statement as vague as "Yeah, I heard that guy's a little creepy" would do. At that point they can unveil Talking Point 2.0, "the Democrats didn't tell anyone either".

[Rageneau]

9. The best the Freepers can do is go back 25 years to Gary Studds...

...0r 40 years to Ted Kennedy.

It never seems to occur to Freepers that the questionable actions of a Democrat two decades ago have nothing to do with the unquestionably despicable actions of Republicans just this last week.

Apparently, conservatives have absolutely no concept of personal responsibility.

[TheMadMonk]

12. So give them what they want,

Strategy to defang here.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x2281295#2282237

[malaise]

13. Give them more

From Foley to Reynolds

[TheMadMonk]

14. If you'd read the linked post, you'd know that...

that was what I suggested. Give them every dirty Repuke AND every dirty Dem. Now let the numbers speak for themselves.

It's unfortunate, given the media, that it will almost certainly be a one shot wonder. A reporter will be blidsided when he tries to take his cheap shot, and virtually every other reporter will avoid the subject like the plague.

Though of course, it would be a perfect foil to any attempt at swiftboating. Just challenge the accuser with "Prove it. And disprove THIS." (cue dropping a bundle of paper which is a print out of every single substantiated Repuke charge list.

(Damn I can't stop grinning at the imagery of KKKark (typo unintentional or Freudian?) gnawing on his liver as every one of his attempts to fabricate a scandal gets trumped with a hundred truths.)