Scandals Alone Could Cost Republicans Their House Majority

[RedEarth]

By Jonathan Weisman and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, November 2, 2006; A01



Indictments, investigations and allegations of wrongdoing have helped put at least 15 Republican House seats in jeopardy, enough to swing control to the Democrats on Tuesday even before the larger issues of war, economic unease and President Bush are invoked.

With just five days left before Election Day, allegations are springing up like brushfires. Four GOP House seats have been tarred by lobbyist Jack Abramoff's influence-peddling scandal. Five have been adversely affected by then-Rep. Mark Foley's unseemly contacts with teenage male House pages. The remaining half a dozen or so could turn on controversies including offshore tax dodging, sexual misconduct and shady land deals.

Not since the House bank check-kiting scandal of the early 1990s have so many seats been affected by scandals, and not since the Abscam bribery cases of the 1970s have the charges been so serious. But this year's combination of breadth and severity may be unprecedented, suggested Julian E. Zelizer, a congressional historian at Boston University.

For more than a year, Democrats have tried to gain political advantage from what they called "a culture of corruption" in Republican-controlled Washington. Republican campaign officials insist the theme has not caught on with the public, but even they concede that many individual races have been hit hard.

"So many different kinds of scandals going on at the same time, that's pretty unique," Zelizer said. "There were scandals throughout the '70s, multiple scandals, but the number of stories now are almost overwhelming."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/01/AR2006110103146_pf.html

[Demeter]

1. Wouldn't Have It Any Other Way

I'm tired of Bush rewarding the scandalous. Reality is going to reassert itself at last.

[trogdor]

3. I'm tired of the VOTERS rewarding the scandalous.

It doesn't speak well for the national mentality that it took some creepy guy IMing 16 year old boys to get people's attention after all the other stuff - all the other really, really good reasons to send the GOP packing. I'm afraid if it weren't for Foley, we'd be talking about MAYBE a gain of ten seats right now instead of 30-40 because most people are basically stupid.

[Whoa_Nelly]

2. The three biggest scandals: Stealing the WH twice and War in Iraq

But ain't no one a-callin'em on it.

Oh yeah...these aren't scandals.

These are crimes.

Are the other "recognized" scandals bein' a-purty'd up by being called scandals instead of crimes?

GOP=Scoundrels of Scandals
It's cute, but not much to worry about....Kinda like Keystone Cops Gone Bad :sarcasm:


Thugs. All of them :grr: