John's Blog

Although it's far too early to consider this a "slam-dunk" (irony intentional) you have to be encouraged that there appears to be a momentum shift occurring politically. But unless Chimpy rolls out some sort of October surprise, or unless the hand of Diebold influences the outcome (something we SHOULD be more worried about) we may see significant churn in the current congressional make-up with Democrats making more gains than I had thought possible. Let's hope this momentum of discontent builds as we approach election day, and is accompanied by a significant turn-out of those who want to challenge the status-quo.

A quick sampling of the blogosphere buzz :

Newsweek: How low can the Republicans go?

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...

Time: End of the Revolution (VIA skippy the bush kangaroo)

Holding on to power has become not just the means but also the end for the onetime reformers who in 1994 unseated a calcified and corrupted democratic majority. washington scandals, it seems, have been following a moore's law of their own, coming at a faster clip every time there is a shift in control. it took 40 years for the house democrats to exhaust their goodwill. it may take only 12 years for the republicans to get there.

Glenn Greenwald: Unclaimed Territory (VIA skippy)

The same people who impeached a popular, twice-elected president of the u.s. over a sex scandal involving consenting adults, who caused our country's political dialogue for several years to be composed of the filthiest and most scurrilous speculation peddled by some of the lowest bottom-feeders and dirt-mongers, and who constructed a political movement based in large part on sermonizing about private sexual morality and demonizing those who deviate, are now protesting -- without any irony -- the fact that a sex scandal is distracting from the truly important issues our country faces and that mark foley's sexual pursuit over many years of 16 and 17-year-old congressional pages is nothing that really matters.

Shakespere's Sister: Reality check

The Democrats have by no means won the right to lead, but Republicans long ago forfeited that right. Slowing the race to dictatorship is a worthy (though insufficient) goal all by itself. My point is that we shouldn't expect the impossible, and should realize that no matter what the results are on November 7th, we're still in for a long, hard slog, and will not have the luxury of thinking the mission has been accomplished.

Alec Baldwin: The Embarrassed Republicans

Sad to think that it took the Foley situation to get the "Embarrassed Republicans" to start voicing their embarrassment. Nearly six years of lies, incompetence, lies, hate, lies, corruption, lies and war. Misguided, meaningless war that has destroyed the landscape of Iraq and the souls of the Iraqi people. And what has the war done for us, other than line the pockets of Bush, and his father's friends?

Well, you know what they say, you can lie to the American people, take us into an ill-conceived war and subvert the Constitution in the process, but you diddle one page...and it's over. I hope it's over. I'll take the end of what Gingrich started, regardless of how we get there. If it's Mark Foley's body we step over, and hopefully Hastert's as well, then so be it.

Tags: politics