News junkies like myself have probably already heard about the resignation of Congressman Mark Foley (R-FL) in the wake of a scandal involving sexually explicit emails and instant messages he sent to a 16 year old male congressional page. There are also shocking accusations that members of the House leadership including Speaker Dennis Hastert and Majority Leader John Boehner knew about the revelations almost a year ago. To me, this is reminiscent of the Catholic Church scandals where abusive priests were moved from parish to parish putting more children at risk.
The exchanges he had were revolting; many were not even released by ABC, the news outlet that broke the story, due to their graphic contact. The released messages included:
Maf are the initials of Congressman Foley followed by 54, his birth year. It is unclear whether House leadership knew about these graphic exchanges or just some tamer, but still disturbing, emails that were made public Thursday.
Foley, who ironically co-chaired the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, was considered a shoo-in for reelection in his Republican-leaning Florida district until he resigned yesterday. The hypocrisy of it all is striking since he crusaded for tough laws against those who used the Internet for sexual exploitation of children, noting: "They're sick people; they need mental health counseling."
Under Florida law, Florida Republicans can not replace him on the ballot after the primary has occured. Therefore, his seat seems likely to be won by his formerly long shot Democratic challenger Tim Mahoney. If we factor in Tom DeLay who also resigned from Congress but must remain on the ballot, Democrats are really only 13 seats away from a majority in the House. This sex scandal does not bode well for a party that relies on energized religious conservatives to get out the vote in November.
The exchanges he had were revolting; many were not even released by ABC, the news outlet that broke the story, due to their graphic contact. The released messages included:
Maf54: You in your boxers, too?
Teen: Nope, just got home. I had a college interview that went late.
Maf54: Well, strip down and get relaxed.
Another message:
Maf54: What ya wearing?
Teen: tshirt and shorts
Maf54: Love to slip them off of you.
And this one:
Maf54: Do I make you a little horny?
Teen: A little.
Maf54: Cool.
Maf are the initials of Congressman Foley followed by 54, his birth year. It is unclear whether House leadership knew about these graphic exchanges or just some tamer, but still disturbing, emails that were made public Thursday.
Foley, who ironically co-chaired the Congressional Missing and Exploited Children's Caucus, was considered a shoo-in for reelection in his Republican-leaning Florida district until he resigned yesterday. The hypocrisy of it all is striking since he crusaded for tough laws against those who used the Internet for sexual exploitation of children, noting: "They're sick people; they need mental health counseling."
Under Florida law, Florida Republicans can not replace him on the ballot after the primary has occured. Therefore, his seat seems likely to be won by his formerly long shot Democratic challenger Tim Mahoney. If we factor in Tom DeLay who also resigned from Congress but must remain on the ballot, Democrats are really only 13 seats away from a majority in the House. This sex scandal does not bode well for a party that relies on energized religious conservatives to get out the vote in November.
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