# Rep. Mark Foley resigns over e-mails to teenage boys -- repercussions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 30, 2006, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735 "2006-09-30T14:28:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 15
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/281 "2006-10-05T18:51:19Z")
[QUOTE=Left Hand of Dorkness] The jury’s still out. [/QUOTE] The [first poll data is in](http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=2531037): > [@](#): > > With midterm elections less than five weeks away, the latest Associated Press-Ipsos poll found that about half of likely voters say recent disclosures of corruption and scandal in Congress will be very or extremely important when they cast their vote next month. > > The poll of 1,501 adults, including 741 likely voters, occurred Monday through Wednesday … ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/282 "2006-10-05T20:40:58Z")
[QUOTE=elucidator] True enough, **Dan** , but still…all the media can do is ask the question. They are not empowered to use “alternative interrogation techniques”, they can’t force an answer from someone unwilling to answer. And there is a huge difference in plausible deniability between “I won’t answer” and “I _cannot_ answer”. [/QUOTE] That’s true, that’s true. I suspect, though, that the media, having reinserted their backbone, won’t settle for “I cannot answer.” They’ll say, “Fine. We’ve got other sources.” And that “can’t answer” thing cuts both ways. It means the guilty can’t admit to their sins–but it also means the guilty can’t deny even bigger sins. If Hastert says, “I can’t answer whether I found out about this email in 2006, and I can’t answer about whether I found out about this email in 2005, but I assure you that these latest reports, that I found out about them in 2003, are false!”, well, we’ll know his guilt as sure as we know when the Prez last snorted coke. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/283 "2006-10-05T21:35:05Z")
> [@Time magazine](#): > > Republican pollsters are warning party officials that enthusiasm among their voters is waning from its already listless levels. And officials say the rebukes from Christian conservatives carry ominous implications for the midterm elections, when the G.O.P. will depend on these voters to turn out and work for the party’s candidates. “These are the people you need,” one dismayed official said. Of course, it’s also possible that Republicans are sounding a desperate note to try to get everybody to work hard and to get voters energized, to whatever degree that’s still possible. **Squink** ’s data is more objective, although there’s still a month to go and we don’t know how many people might change their votes or (perhaps more likely) stay home. ---
**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/284 "2006-10-05T22:13:04Z")
[QUOTE=levdrakon] Democrats are stupid. You have to present them with a scandal on a steaming hot gold platter then whack them up-side the head and remind them you’ve just handed them a scandal on a steaming hot gold platter. [/quote] Perhaps it takes a twisted kind of amorality – that the Dems don’t posses – to see a newborn scandal and immediately ponder, “What’s the best way to exploit this?” ---
**Author:** ![Lightnin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightnin/32/180_2.png) [@Lightnin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightnin)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/285 "2006-10-05T22:45:35Z")
[QUOTE=rjung] Perhaps it takes a twisted kind of amorality – that the Dems don’t posses – to see a newborn scandal and immediately ponder, “What’s the best way to exploit this?” [/QUOTE] And that, I think, is the Republican party’s greatest strength. No need to do anything more than pay lip service to the “values” that you claim to have, as long as you can make the other side look bad. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/286 "2006-10-05T23:11:24Z")
This is an interesting new twist from [Drudge](http://drudgereport.com/page.htm): > [@](#): > > According to two people close to former congressional page Jordan Edmund, the now famous lurid AOL Instant Message exchanges that led to the resignation of Mark Foley were part of an online prank that by mistake got into the hands of enemy political operatives, the DRUDGE REPORT can reveal. > > According to one Oklahoma source who knows the former page very well, Edmund, a conservative Republican, goaded an unwitting Foley to type embarrassing comments that were then shared with a small group of young Hill politicos. The prank went awry when the saved IM sessions got into the hands of political operatives favorable to Democrats. Were all the IMs to one person? Am I the only one who finds this all highly suspicious? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/287 "2006-10-05T23:17:41Z")
This is the part that has already been debunked: > [@](#): > > The prank went awry when the saved IM sessions got into the hands of political operatives favorable to Democrats It turns out the emails were turned over to ABC by [a life-long Republican](http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/100506/news2.html) who valued the safety of children over the interests of the GOP. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/288 "2006-10-05T23:21:34Z")
You need to differentiate the e-mails from the IMs. The question is, if this was a prank, did Foley still think he wa talking to an underage page. If so, then his actions are still reprehensible. ---
**Author:** ![GeorgiaBoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cab0a1/32.png) [@GeorgiaBoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GeorgiaBoy)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/289 "2006-10-05T23:27:39Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] This is the part that has already been debunked:It turns out the emails were turned over to ABC by [a life-long Republican](http://www.hillnews.com/thehill/export/TheHill/News/Frontpage/100506/news2.html) who valued the safety of children over the interests of the GOP. [/QUOTE] From the article: > [@](#): > > Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) yesterday called for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) to testify about what and when they knew of Foley’s contact with former pages (see related story). > > House GOP leadership aides have said they would like to see investigations of Foley examine how the story became public. ABC News’s website first reported the e-mails just as Congress was about to recess for the election. A very Rove-like strategy – whatever you’re doing, be quick to accuse the other side of doing it first. That way, they seem to be the ones re-acting when they bring the charge against you. > [@](#): > > Republicans say the timing of the scandal is evidence of a political dirty trick orchestrated by Democrats. They have drawn comparisons to negative reports about President Bush that surfaced before the 2000 and 2004 campaigns. > > Shortly before the 2000 election, it was reported that Bush had been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, and before Election Day 2004, forged documents surfaced calling into question Bush’s National Guard service. And guess what – those negative reports turned out to be accurate. ---
**Author:** ![the\_PC\_apeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac8455/32.png) [@the\_PC\_apeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/the_PC_apeman)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/290 "2006-10-05T23:34:51Z")
From ABC News:[Three More Former Pages Accuse Foley of Online Sexual Approaches](http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/10/three_more_form.html): > [@](#): > > An online story on the Drudge Report Thursday claimed one set of the sexually explicit instant messages obtained by ABC News was part of a “prank” on the part of the former page, who reportedly says he goaded the congressman into writing the messages. > > “This was no prank,” said one of the three former pages who talked to ABC News today about his experience with the congressman. Drudge is poo-flinging monkey. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/291 "2006-10-05T23:37:12Z")
[QUOTE=psychobunny] Were all the IMs to one person? Am I the only one who finds this all highly suspicious? [/QUOTE] [Three More Former Pages Accuse Foley of Online Sexual Approaches](http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2006/10/three_more_form.html) > [@](#): > > Three more former congressional pages have come forward to reveal what they call “sexual approaches” over the Internet from former Congressman Mark Foley. > > The pages served in the classes of 1998, 2000 and 2002. They independently approached ABC News after the Foley resignation through the Brian Ross & the Investigative Team’s tip line on [ABCNews.com](http://ABCNews.com). None wanted their names used because of the sensitive nature of the communications. > > “I was seventeen years old and just returned to [my home state] when Foley began to **e-mail** me, asking if I had ever seen my page roommates naked and how big their penises were,” said the page in the 2002 class… So maybe not IM’s, if that makes a difference. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/292 "2006-10-05T23:40:07Z")
[QUOTE=psychobunny] You need to differentiate the e-mails from the IMs. [/QUOTE] Why? [qutoe=cervaise]NPR story this morning: not so much [/quote] There’s a large fraction of diehard party loyalists on either side, who will simply never vote across the aisle. But they’re not who decides elections. The moderate, independent, less-involved, cynical, just-short-of-apathetic voters who outnumber the stated members of either party decide elections. The question about their decisions isn’t “if” but “how much”. ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2006, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/293 "2006-10-05T23:50:01Z")
[QUOTE=rjung] Perhaps it takes a twisted kind of amorality – that the Dems don’t posses – to see a newborn scandal and immediately ponder, “What’s the best way to exploit this?” [/QUOTE] Well, I’ve already received a thorough dressing-down for not being able to prove this all wasn’t common knowledge among everyone in Congress with ears that work. Have to tread lightly here now. I did discover one Democrat who knew, but that’s Melanie Sloan, executive director of CREW. That doesn’t help my argument much though. She may be a Democrat, but CREW is also the org which received copies of the emails and immediately sent them to the FBI and then later demanded to know why the FBI didn’t do anything. So I can’t claim “the Dems knew too but did nothing.” I’ll keep looking out for evidence the Dems knew but sat on their hands, but at this point I don’t think there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of me finding one. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/294 "2006-10-06T00:15:40Z")
If you read that “prank” story, it doesn’t really amount to anything more than one of the former pages trying to deny that he’s really gay. It’s not clear which communications this particular person is associated with but the whole “It was just a joke, I’m not really gay” stuff sounds like it was probably the kid that Foley had cybersex with. That kid is now (according to Drudge) a conservative Republican with political aspirations who’s afraid his name is going to come out so he’s preemptively putting out his “I was just kidding, I’m not really a homo” defense just in case. The whole story is completely self-serving on the part of the former page and really does Foley no favors at all. Also notice how carefully Drudges parses his description of ABC’s source as being “friendly to the Democrats” but doesn’t really say he’s a Democrat. That’s because it was a Republican, but that Drudge is tautologically labelling any source that hurts the Pubs as being “friendly to Dems.” Man, that guy is a weasel. Of couse, that’s assuming his story even has any truth to it at all. He could be making it up out of his ass like he did with that Kerry-intern story. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2006, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/295 "2006-10-06T11:13:53Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] Of couse, that’s assuming his story even has any truth to it at all. He could be making it up out of his ass like he did with that Kerry-intern story. [/QUOTE] [Gee, ya think?](http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/001739.php) ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/296 "2006-10-09T20:51:56Z")
First there was the [Newsweek poll](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15167150/site/newsweek/) that came out a few days ago: > [@](#): > > Oct. 7, 2006 - Come hell or high water-ran the conventional wisdom-Republicans could rely on two issues to win elections: the war on terror and values. Then came Mark Foley. The drip-drip-drip of scandal surrounding the former Congressman from Florida, which became a deluge this week, now threatens to sink Republican hopes of keeping control of Congress, says the NEWSWEEK poll out today. > > \ > > Fully 53 percent of Americans want the Democrats to win control of Congress next month, including 10 percent of Republicans, compared to just 35 percent who want the GOP to retain power. If the election were held today, 51 percent of likely voters would vote for the Democrat in their district versus 39 percent who would vote for the Republican. And while the race is closer among male voters (46 percent for the Democrats vs. 42 percent for the Republicans), the Democrats lead among women voters 56 to 34 percent. > > \ > > Democrats now outdistance Republicans on every single issue that could decide voters’ choices come Nov. 7. In addition to winning—for the first time in the NEWSWEEK poll—on the question of which party is more trusted to fight the war on **terror** (44 to 37 percent) and **moral values** (42 percent to 36 percent), the Democrats now inspire more trust than the GOP on handling Iraq (47 to 34); the economy (53 to 31); health care (57 to 24); federal spending and the deficit (53 to 29); gas and oil prices (56 to 23); and immigration (43 to 34). Now [Gallup/USA Today](http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-10-09-poll_x.htm) weighs in: > [@](#): > > WASHINGTON — Four weeks before congressional elections, a new USA TODAY/Gallup Poll shows Democrats hold a 23-point lead over GOP candidates. That’s double the lead Republicans had a month before they seized control of Congress in 1994. > > President Bush’s approval rating was 37%, down from 44% in a Sept. 15-17 poll. The approval rating for Congress was 24%, down 5 points from last month. > > \ > > More than half — 54% — said Republican leaders who knew about Foley’s actions for months or years did not act against him earlier “for political reasons.” By 43%-36%, they said House Speaker Dennis Hastert should resign. One-third said the scandal would make them less likely to vote for a Republican; 53% said it would make no difference. > > On the question of which party’s candidate would receive their vote if the election were held today, Democrats held a 23-point lead over Republicans among every type of person questioned — likely voters, registered voters and adults. That’s the largest lead Democrats have held among registered voters since 1978 and a jump from last month’s 48%-48% split among likely voters. > > Government corruption, Iraq and terrorism were the three most important issues to poll respondents. They said Democrats would do a better job on all three. The party had a 21-point advantage on handling corruption and a 17-point advantage on Iraq. A longstanding GOP advantage on terrorism vanished; Democrats had a 5-point edge. In other indicators: > > • 57% of registered voters say their own representative should be re-elected, the lowest since just before the 1994 Republican House sweep. > > • 56% said it was a mistake to send troops to Iraq while 40% said it was not — the biggest split in a year. > > • Voters gave Democrats a 54%-28% advantage over Republicans concerning which party would handle gasoline prices better despite the recent drop in prices. And the effect on individual races, per the [Congressional Quarterly](http://www.cqpolitics.com/2006/10/cq_ratings_reflect_crumbling_s.html#more): > [@](#): > > All year, [CQPolitics.com](http://CQPolitics.com)’s ratings of House and Senate races have been a virtual one-way street: Almost all rating changes show improved chances for the Democrats to capture seats — a reflection of the year’s toxic political environment for the Republicans who control both chambers of Congress and the White House. > > And the traffic on that one-way street is getting heavier by the day. Last week, [CQPolitics.com](http://CQPolitics.com) changed it ratings on one Senate race and 10 House races. In every case, the ratings indicate strengthening Democratic prospects. I think it’s safe to say we’ve got repercussions. Another one that I’ve seen that’s harder to measure is that, for the past week and a half, Foleygate has completely taken the megaphone out of Bush’s hands. He can say whatever he wants, but nobody’s paying attention. His vaunted ability to control the debate has, for the time being, gone right down the toilet. Politically, this is shaping up like another Katrina - only this time, thankfully, nobody had to die. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/297 "2006-10-09T22:46:45Z")
[QUOTE=RTFirefly] Politically, this is shaping up like another Katrina - only this time, thankfully, nobody had to die. [/QUOTE] I hope we never find out Foley managed to “score” with some 16 year old who did it because he felt pressure. (If a sixteen year old is the legal age to consent and does it of his own free will…that is one thing. But if that same kid felt sexually harrassed because Foley was a member of Congress, that not too many steps from rape in my book). ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/298 "2006-10-09T23:55:04Z")
[Washington Post - ABC](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/09/AR2006100900868.html) > [@](#): > > Democrats have regained a commanding position going into the final weeks of the midterm election, with support eroding for Republicans on Iraq, ethics and presidential leadership, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News Poll. > > Apparent Republican gains in September have been wiped out in the face of mounting U.S. casualties and gloomy forecasts from Iraq and the scandal involving Rep. Mark Foley (R-Fla.), who was forced to quit the Congress over sexually graphic e-mails with former House pages. > > Congressional approval has plunged to its lowest level in more than a decade (32 percent) and by a margin of 54-35 percent, Americans say they trust Democrats over Republicans to deal with the biggest problems facing the country. Fifty-five percent of those surveyed said Democrats in Congress deserve to be reelected in November, but just 39 percent said Republicans deserve to be returned to office. > … > By a margin of 54-41 percent, registered voters said they planned to vote for the Democrat over the Republican in House races next month. [NY Times - CBS](http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/09/opinion/polls/main2074116.shtml) > [@](#): > > Two-thirds of voters say the Foley scandal will make little difference in how they cast their ballots, but 21 percent say it will make them more likely to vote Democratic. > > Democrats continue to hold a sizeable lead in the generic vote for Congress, with 49 percent of registered voters saying they’d support a Democratic candidate versus 35 percent who would support a Republican. Those numbers show little change from last month. > > Fewer Republicans, though, now say they are enthusiastic about voting in November, and fewer expect their party to win the most seats this year. Overall, 59 percent of voters, including 41 percent of Republicans, expect the Democrats to pick up seats in the House in November. > > More Americans also now see the Democrats as the party holding the higher moral and ethical ground — once a Republican strength. Thirty-seven percent think the Democrats have higher ethical standards, compared to 32 percent for the Republicans. Forty-seven percent think the Democrats are more likely to share their moral values, versus 38 percent for the Republicans. > > By more than two to one, Americans see Republicans as more corrupt. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/299 "2006-10-10T00:12:00Z")
> [@](#): > > by a margin of 54-35 percent, Americans say they trust Democrats over Republicans to deal with the biggest problems facing the country. Do you think that will hold after today’s nuke test? The Nuclear Boogeyman is good at scaring people into voting republican. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Hamster\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8edcca/32.png) [@The\_Hamster\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Hamster_King)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2006, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735/300 "2006-10-10T00:44:52Z")
[QUOTE=Patty O’Furniture] Do you think that will hold after today’s nuke test? The Nuclear Boogeyman is good at scaring people into voting republican. [/QUOTE] I doubt it will play out that way in the current environment. Recent polls show the Democrats leading the Republicans on national security. In that case the recent news from North Korea should push the Republicans even lower. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735.md?page=14) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rep-mark-foley-resigns-over-e-mails-to-teenage-boys-repercussions/374735.md?page=16)