A Tale of Two Ads
KRISTOL, WILLIAM
EDITORIAL A Tale of Two Ads "It shocks the conscience. Congressional leaders have admitted covering up the predatory behavior of a congressman who used the Internet to molest children. For over a...
...Which party continued to accept Rep...
...On interrogations: Virtually all Republicans voted for tough interrogations of terrorists, and more than three-quarters of Democrats voted against...
...In a time of disturbing foreign news—apparent lack of progress in Iraq, North Korea's threat of a nuclear test, Pakistan's cutting a deal with al Qaeda, Iran's nuclear program chugging ahead—the assault on the Republicans focused on a disgraced and departed congressman and the unquestionably decent speaker of the House, Denny Hastert...
...There's no roll call vote in which the parties split on the behavior of Mark Foley...
...But voting is different from voyeurism...
...But even the Washington Post commented that Wetterling's ad "seriously overstates what is known about the actions of the House Republican leadership...
...Foley is a creep...
...That's why she's demanding a criminal investigation and the immediate expulsion of any congressman involved in this crime and coverup...
...It might not be amiss for Republican candidates to remind the electorate which of the two parties has, shall we say, a more "nuanced" view of sexual scandal...
...Did Republicans, for example, even try to link Gary Condit to other Democratic candidates in 2002...
...TV ad on behalf of Nancy Johnson, Republican candidate for reelection in Connecticut's 5th Congressional District There you have it...
...The attempt to make Foley a key issue in this fall's election is flopping...
...Vote Democratic...
...Issues usually trump scandals...
...Repelled by former Republican congressman Mark Foley's sexual overtures to congressional pages and ex-pages, and by the House GOP leadership's alleged failure to move aggressively against him...
...Which party worships at the altar of an even more famous abuser-of-his-position-of-power-for-sexual-favors—Bill Clinton...
...Not the Republicans...
...A terrorist plot may be unfolding...
...This is a choice that should work out fine for Republicans...
...They like watching Desperate Housewives...
...Lives may be at stake.' Liberal Chris Murphy says: 'No...
...Ty ad on behalf of Patty Wetterling, Democratic candidate in Minnesota's 6th Congressional District "A call is placed from New York to a known terrorist in Pakistan...
...The Nancy Johnson advertisement may oversimplify things, but it captures a basic difference between the parties...
...National polls taken last week were basically unchanged from pre-Foley polls—bad for the GOP, but not irredeemable...
...For over a year, they knowingly ignored the welfare of children to protect their own power...
...From what we know, Hastert didn't find out about Foley's lurid behavior until a week ago, and then Foley was quickly gone...
...It's not credible to tar a political party with the misdeeds of one person...
...Worried about the Democrats' tendency to coddle jihadists...
...Nancy Johnson says: 'Act immediately...
...And if the media and the Democrats want to remain sex-obsessed...
...Apply for a court warrant even if valuable time is lost.' Chris Murphy — wrong on security, wrong for America...
...And how exactly did ignoring Foley's behavior help protect GOP power...
...Johnson has opened a sizable lead on her opponent since the ad started running...
...Gerry Studds as a member in good standing for a decade after his sexual liaison with a 17-year-old page...
...Now they need to defend against the charge that they don't care about sexual predators, and attack the Democrats for unjustly impugning their honor...
...His district is a safe Republican seat (except now, when Republicans are stuck with Foley's name on the ballot...
...And in the two competitive House races in Florida districts near Foley's, where there was of course saturation coverage of the story, the Republican candidates happened to gain ground last week...
...Of course not...
...Should the government intercept that call or wait until the paperwork is filed...
...Americans like reading about scandals...
...These TV ads in two competitive House races tell the story...
...The House leadership might have stumbled in dealing with him...
...Vote Republican...
...After a few days of panic last week, House Republicans seem to have calmed down and to be dealing more effectively with the Foley aftershocks...
...That's why it has been effective...
...On supporting the administration's program of warrantless surveillance: Republicans in the House voted 214-13 for, Democrats 177-18 against...
...Then they can get back to the issues—terror and taxes—where the parties really are distinct...
...Which is why Democrats and the media may look back on the frenzy about Foley as a tactical mistake...
...Was anyone really interested in Condit's party affiliation...
...And voters aren't in Foley's...
...The Republican landslide of 1994 was helped along by earlier congressional scandals—but it was basically ideological, following a campaign focused on Clinton's health care plan, his tax hike, gays in the military, gun control, and the like...
...William Kristol...
...But there have been recent votes in which the parties divided on terror interrogations and (in the House) eavesdropping...
...For 17 years, Patty Wetterling has fought for tougher penalties against those who harm children...
...Will voters really be convinced that Denny Hastert "knowingly ignored the welfare of children to protect [his] own power...
Vol. 12 • October 2006 • No. 5
