GOP nervously rallying around Hastert, hoping new info won't surface

[bigtree]

. . . contradicting statements by Hastert and others that they were unaware of Foley's sexual messages to underage boys . . .


House Republicans Move to Back Hastert
Speaker Gains Support as Lawmakers, President Seek Best Defense Against Scandal

By Jim VandeHei and Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Staff Writers
Friday, October 6, 2006; Page A04

Republicans are calculating that the smartest way to survive the Mark Foley sex scandal is to rally around House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) and hope that no new evidence surfaces before Election Day that shows GOP leaders could have done more to prevent the congressman from preying on young male pages, according to several GOP lawmakers and strategists.

The White House and top House Republicans remain deeply nervous that the scandal will hurt them politically, and that additional information will come out contradicting statements by Hastert and others that they were unaware of Foley's sexual messages to underage boys, the lawmakers and officials said.

For now, they said, it would be politically disastrous for Republicans to oust Hastert because it would be viewed as akin to a public admission of guilt in the scandal, as well as a pre-election victory that would buoy Democrats and help their turnout efforts.

more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/05/AR2006100501821_pf.html

[Vinca]

1. If I happened to be a betting person, I'd put my money on more dirt

coming out real soon. It'll be images on someone's computer, more 'pukes hitting on kids or both. And Hastert was running the show.

[bigtree]

2. I like the way his party is loading the gun again

should be another blow-out when the rest of the story surfaces

[aquart]

4. Did JC Watt mention pictures?

[Vinca]

5. I haven't heard anyone mention pictures, but if Foley's computer

wasn't scrubbed before the FBI locked it down, I wouldn't be surprised to find some.

[ecstatic]

3. if the machines are rigged, then Hastert doesn't have to step down

They are just hoping nothing more breaks on this issue because the more scandal, the harder it will be to explain why the polls (public and exit polls) are so drastically different from the election results

[David__77]

6. The "Erich Honecker Effect" with Hastert

When the East German authorities conceded to popular demand and purged their leader Honecker in October 1989, they dug their own graves. They acknowledged their political weakness and the sharks smelled blood. Likewise, if Hastert resigns, their will be tremendous ideological disarticulation among the rightists.

The problem is that the GOP does have to face electors, unlike the East Germans. They may pay a higher price for maintaining their existing leadership than if they conceded it. That is entirely up to the Democrats, however.