Josh Marshall: Foley downfall pretty nearly decapitated the leadership

(snip)
I think it's a pretty safe assumption at this point that Democrat Tim Mahoney will win Mark Foley's seat on November 7th. But I'd say that'll be relatively far down the list of eventual consequences.

The simple fact is that Foley's downfall has pretty nearly decapitated the leadership of the House GOP with just five weeks to go before election day. And that's devastating.

What do I mean by decapitated? Let's assume, for the sake of discussion, that nothing else really comes out about how the House leadership handled this. No more shoes drop. Not a safe assumption from what seems to be in the reporting pipeline. But let's assume it.

(snip)
The simple fact is that to the extant campaigning determines the outcomes of elections, the race goes to the side that can remain on the offensive most consistently and define the national debate on its own terms. Foleygate has made it very hard for the leaders of the House GOP to go on the offensive on anything relevant to the election. For political purposes they're basically out of commission. And they've given Democratic challengers in every district around the country a slew of questions with which to pummel GOP incumbents or any Republican, for that matter, who puts his head up on television. This is in the context of an election that was already going very badly for House Republicans. Foleygate has now made them all but politically defenseless in the final stretch of the campaign. And that is a very big deal.
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With crowbars.

:D

I'm stealing that one.

When they are going down is the time to make sure they do not get back up....ever...

The second any repub mentions security and/or family values they leave themselves wide open to raise the foley scandal and the repub attempts to cover for him.

When you knock the monster out, chop it's head off to be sure...:evilgrin:

They are fugged.

the ever so popuiar, it does not matter who votes, but who counts the votes... sorry... if I sound cynical... but until Nov 8th, 2006 comes and one, if not two of the houses switch, I ain't counting any chickens, or for that matter scrambled eggs.

That said, Foleygate may actually preempt Rove's October Surprise

Spot on analysis. This is like a hand grenade thrown into the GOP cesspool in the homestretch of the election.

hard as that may be to imagine. I will put nothing past them, not ever. Not even if the votes are counted properly and we win the election.
It won't be over with these people until they have been removed from power.

that deduction.

If these emails and the IMs disclosed so far were the full extent of the wrongdoing here, you would expect quite a bit of pushback from Hastert etal.

I suspect they know a heck of a lot more that has yet to come out, and that is why they are being very reserved, very quiet, and are working like crazy behind the scenes.

It is more about who covered up the public disclosure, and who used the knowledge of the information for gain or to ensure party discipline.

The upcoming midterm election just went to DEFCOM 3 for Repubs -- because if DEMS take the House, subpoena power and investigations will root out what the Repubs are trying desperately to hide.
If they ever had an incentive to steal an election, this will be the one.