Foley: The Shame
by Mark Adams
The shame of it is, the Pedo-Foley-a scandal* gives the entire GOP apparatus an excuse.
The Democrats were well on their way to an historic victory, reemerging to the seats of power and influence on the merits. So inept at managing the nation, the Republican stranglehold on all the levers of government exposed them as without the principles necessary to lead America or minimal ability to supervise each other.
And they had no one to blame but themselves. They had no credible Democratic whipping boy obstructing their great plans . . . if only the liberals/courts/media or brainwashed public would get out of their way, we would all finally see the light of their vision for a better world.
We've seen their complete lack of vision, the hubris, greed, lack of accountability and overwhelming arrogance spewing bodies around like litter from the streets of Baghdad to New Orleans. America has had enough and the shift in power coming this November would surprise only the most self-deluded.
And now, as if right on cue, they have their scapegoat. That is not to say that the Foley scandal (Masturgate?**), was a calculated self-immolation -- planted not by the Democrats to ensure an already assured victory, but by the GOP to provide a ready-made excuse for their impending collapse. No, this is a disaster of convenience.
And that's the shame. The 2006 mid-term election will not be remembered as as the American public's complete rejection of the Republican party's policies and inability to do more than campaign instead of govern.
No, like Vietnam, the wrong lessons will be learned by the wrong people. Foley's despicable nature has preserved the illegitimate ideology of the party of capital and the "greedy, mendacious, corrupt "unitary executive"-enabling corporatists". Much like the Soviet Union which collapsed from the internal inconsistencies of it's system and failure to check the avarice that spurs mankind to success, the conservative movement had reached its tipping point. But leave it to the purveyors of mendacity to find someone to embody the tide of historical change.
As the Republicans have all but deified Ronald Reagan as the dragon slayer who single-handedly brought communism to its knees, heralding their finest hour -- Mark Foley will personify their failures.
Once again, they will skip accountability. They can blithely ignore the required self-analysis that will prevent a future repeat of their madness as they try, once again, to repeat their mistakes -- as long as no one gets in their way -- next time they convince an apathetic public to trust their snake oil.
Perhaps even more tragic, the Democrats have an excuse to look past the mirror as well.
[*Pedo-Foley-a occurs as the first cool lable for the scandal on 9/30/06 at johniwanski.com]
[** According to Google Blogsearch, the first use of the term Masturgate in reference to Mark Foley was not by The Editors as I erroneously presumed from reading Avedon Carrol, as but by Walnut who cross-posted his proud creation at DailyKOS on Oct. 1, '06.]
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Categories: 2006 Elections
, Politics
, Republicans
