Republicans Seek to Divert Attention from Issues of Character

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Which only makes sense for them.

These articles are linked elsewhere at DU, but I would like to emphasize that they have a common thread.

After Foley, New Fears For GOP at the Polls

After Foley, New Fears For the GOP
Some Say Party Could Lose House and Senate

By Dan Balz and Jim VandeHei
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, October 3, 2006; Page A01

....
Top GOP strategists said party leaders will concentrate on trying to keep the focus of the unfolding story on Foley, rather than on how House leaders responded when informed about his contacts with former pages.

Allen Seeks to Refocus Campaign

Senator uses long ad to shift voters' focus from character issues to political ones, acknowledging that he has been sidetracked by questions about racial, ethnic sensitivity.

Allen Seeks to Refocus Campaign With Long Ad
Senator Urges Shift From Character Issues to Political Ones

By Tim Craig
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, October 3, 2006; Page B01

U.S. Sen. George Allen tried to revive his embattled reelection campaign last night with an unusual paid appeal on television asking voters to focus on issues instead of the character questions that have dramatically tightened the race.

No Spinning Past This Scandal

No Spinning Past This Scandal

By Eugene Robinson
Tuesday, October 3, 2006; Page A17

Even when damage control seems a lost cause, I suppose you have to follow the playbook. So Mark Foley resigns his House seat in a nanosecond, then explains those creepy electronic messages to young congressional pages by declaring himself an alcoholic, effectively blaming it all on demon rum. House Speaker Dennis Hastert promptly calls for a really thorough -- meaning really slow -- investigation. The rest of the Republican leadership declares itself shocked and/or saddened, but agrees that the time has come to move on, folks, nothing to see here.

These practiced responses have long served politicians, but you don't get the sense that anyone thinks they'll work this time. There's really no effective spin you can put on the Foley scandal, no way that even the Republican Party's image-making geniuses can make people feel good about a 52-year-old man discussing masturbatory techniques with a male teenager via instant message.

[TechBear_Seattle]

1. Oh! The irony!

Their 8 year witch-hunt against Bill Clinton was based solely on his alleged flaws of "character." I say, if it is a character flaw for a Democrat, it is most definitely a character flaw for the soi-disant guardians of the country's morality.

Not that I expect most Democrats in Congress to do more than wring their hands while wimpering impotently.