Reply #125: GOP Leaders Taking Advice from Pat Robertson

[Chipster]

GOP leaders continue to scramble in their Foley damage control efforts. Growing evidence shows that Pagegate has badly shaken the religious right's belief in the Republican party's "family values" and "morality". Pat Robertson urges them to use Foley's predatory behavior to further their homophobic agenda. According to the Time article:

"Last week some conservatives went so far as to insinuate that Foley proves that every gay person is a pedophile waiting to happen. "You don't need 'gaydar' to understand he has certain dispositions," Utah Congressman Chris Cannon told the Deseret News. Televangelist Pat Robertson recommended that G.O.P. leaders simply explain the situation this way: "Well, this man's gay. He does what gay people do."

Robertson is so wrong. It's not about gays. It's about a man using his position to prey on teens, and it's about how his congressional colleagues aided him in his perverse interests by their silence and inaction. It's about how they all cared more about their own self-interests than the youths entrusted to them, and it's about money - Foley was a Republican rainmaker.

"Foley has given about $745,000 to fellow Republicans since 1995, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign financing.

But the top recipient of Foley's contributions, the National Republican Congressional Committee, is holding onto the cash. The NRCC, which works to increase the number of Republicans in Congress, has received $550,000 from Foley since 1996, including $100,000 this past July, according to the Federal Election Commission.

"We decided that the best use of the money is to elect other Republicans around the country," said Carl Forti, a NRCC spokesman.

Foley left Congress with $2.8 million in his campaign account through Friends of Mark Foley, his political action committee. He has the option to transfer the money to national, state or local political party committees, candidates or charity. He can also return the money to contributors.

If he chooses, Foley may petition the Federal Election Commission to request the money be used to pay possible legal bills related to his defense against any alleged misdeeds."

Like disgraced Republican congressman Bob Ney of Ohio, Foley went into alcohol rehab after being confronted with his behavior. Ney plead guilty to federal criminal charges of taking bribes from Jack Abramoff and is now facing 10 years in prison and $500,000 in fines.

Given the amount of change in Foley's campaign coffers, one has to wonder if Foley has more in common with Ney than just rehab. Follow the money...