Hastert's Future, And The Future Of One-Party Rule

by DemFromCT

The future of Dennis Hastert may be decided in the next few days. There are dualing impulses here. One is the rising tide of conservatives demanding Hastert leave.

Conservative activist Richard Viguerie told CNN Hastert should go. "We are not going to get to the political promised land until we have new leaders, and it's time for pretty much all of the leaders to leave," Viguerie said.

The scandal put Republicans on the defensive in the final month of a tight election campaign, giving Democrats new ammunition in the fight to pick up the 15 House seats and six Senate seats needed to claim majorities in each chamber.

TAKING THE FALL

House Republicans held a conference call on Monday to discuss the scandal and its fallout, with a top Republican party aide calling the next few days crucial.

"There isn't much time to right the ship," the aide said. "Somebody has to take the fall."

See also

When asked Tuesday if Speaker Hastert should resign, conservative activist Paul Weyrich said, "Yes, I think it would be better if he did."

"One of the things that people say to me all the time is, in Washington nobody takes responsibility for anything," continued Mr. Weyrich, chairman of the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation. "And I think that he, having not delved into this the way he should have, has to take responsibility and therefore has to resign."

The other is that resignation is akin to admitting guilt, at least of neglect.

Political analysts say a Hastert resignation would probably make matters worse for Republicans, with just five weeks to go before the Nov. 7 election and the margin of control in the 435-seat House just 15 seats.

"It [resignation] would, in effect, be a concession that the leadership aided and abetted all of this, and that they were complicit in a coverup," says Charlie Cook, a nonpartisan political analyst. "It's an awful situation no matter what, but I think it probably would throw gasoline on the fire. At this point, the leadership can say, 'Look, the ones [e-mails] we saw weren't explicit and we probably should have done more, but had we seen the explicit ones, of course we would have.' "

It's an awful situation, no matter what, and the scrambling of save-your-ass-in-public is only going to get worse, especially if any more shoes drop. Even without any other shoes, it's a tsunami, a 9 or 10 on the political Richter scale, according to Chuck Todd. How leadership's sorry performance over the last 96 hours helps Republicans justify why they deserve to keep their majority status in either chamber is best left to smarter people than me to explain.

[UPDATE]:Hastert may have just days to save his job

Comments

[pol]

Rove is probably scrambling around trying to find out if any Democrats took the bait.

[Jodi]

"Dead man walking" is correct for Denny boy.

I am just don't know how it would work. He says he is not quitting, but I doubt if he wishes to be tossed out. Can they do that at this time?

I foresee "for the good of the party."

Or "for the love of the game" like the movie that my Mr Somebody likes. -- all things baseball!

[Jodi]

One more things after looking at all DemFromCT's stuff.

It has to be Hastert [[at least.]]

He has already corrected statements he made. He looks like he was trying to avoid responsibility, now now he is trying to hold on to all his power like some greedy fat spider trying to hold on to all his bugs.

Anyway, enough! Back to the "real" sideral universe.

[readerOfTeaLeaves]

While I realize the press (and blogs) will take the 'how will it affect politics and elections' angle on all this, of greater importance to me is how revealing this is of the wingnut world view. If Foley had been open, public, served on almost any other committee... then fine.

But what concerns me is that all the 'who's on first' gossip masks the more significant questions: how is it that the Republicans were so ill at ease thinking about this possibility that they failed to fully investigate it? (Teachers and pediatricians have to deal with this issue plenty, yet the gutless shills in DC don't have the integrity to ask probing questions of their own members?! Sheesh.)

Foley is almost metaphorical as an example of the levels of willing blindness, deceit, and psychologically distorted thinking that is culpable for Iraq, Plame, Katrina, social inequities, and.. now this. I hope you'll dig down a bit deeper than simply 'who's on first', to discuss WHY that particular individual is 'on first,' and what that signifies about the organization.

[Dismayed]

This is simply one of those "didn't know 'cause he didn't want to know situations". It's an inescapable dereliction of duty, and this story will clearly dog the GOP for weeks to come. RAW has a link saying Foley's attorney will soon host a news conference, and promises a 'bombshell'. Very interesting.

[Semanticleo]

I'm not in any hurry for Hastert to go. They'll just put someone worse in. Remember when we rejoiced at the departure of the
Grand Dragon only to get Dr Mengele. Hastert need to stay so we can enjoy the squriming worms of Washington without any respite.

[Mimikatz]

Foley is going to say he was molested as a child. Amato says by a priest. Blame it on the Catholic Church. So much for authoritarian institutions.

[Mimikatz]

Pardon me. His lawyer said that Foley, a Catholic, was molested by a "clergyman" of unnamed faith.

[jonnybutter]

It would be stragegically good (for the dems) for Hastert to go one day soon. I know they'll just replace him with someone as bad or worse, but.....that's fine with me if the next creep is the minority leader.

Foley is going to say he was molested as a child.

Listen to all the raincoats popping open from the sheer pressure - boing! schproing! Catholic Church, meet the GOP leadership...

So much for authoritarian institutions.

indeed.

[emptypockets]

If Hastert steps down, does it stop at him?

[jonnybutter]

Who knows if it will stop at Hastert? I don't think it will stop at him electorally.

Digby has yet another one (actual pedophile), BTW.

[jonnybutter]

(sorry, I meant 'actual pedophile this time' as opposed to what we know so far about Foley, which is that he's a very creepy, sexual-harassing creep).

[DemFromCT]

A news flash on Hardball says the ethics committee meets in closed session thursday.

[hauksdottir]

Suppose that Hastert does step aside, but doesn't resign his seat? How will that quiet the issue?

Boehner will step in, and he is just as guilty of ignoring responsibility, so the leadership questions will continue. Isn't he the whip? Why was Foley jerking off in the cloakroom in the middle of a vote without being rounded up to go do his duties as a Representative? If he was sitting in a stall tapping and grunting, somebody ought to have noticed!

Hastert will continue campaigning and fundraising, so reporters will still keep the issues alive.

Even if there is another "missing white woman' or "toddler in a well", the press will keep after these guys. Sex sells papers, and sordid sex outsells them all.

[tryggth]

Couldn't we get to the bottom of this if we just waterboarded Hastert. And why not? The guy is third in line for having his finger on the button. If we don't need the info on this - the character of a person who can blow up the world - what is the point of having waterboarding?

[Jodi]

Boehner,

has already figuratively washed his hands of the problems. He is ready to move up.
Don't know if he will be selected, but he has positioned himself as "not on watch."

We think that it will help the Republicans if Hastert leaves. It is just people, the Pres included, paying off markers that are making the noise that he should stay.

The Republicans will not forgive this mess. He has the short straw.