In abject disillusionment my professor referred to the United States Congress as a circus last week.Being wide-eyed, I thought, 'what a terrible thing to say about such a distinguished institution.' But then, once again, my optimism was undermined by the newly revealed indiscretions and inappropriate emails of Florida Republican Rep. Mark Foley.
We can all agree that hitting on a 16 year old subordinate is despicable, but it is being underemphasized in national media that the House Republican leadership was alerted to Foley's questionable communications and inappropriate behaviors as much as five years ago. There have been too many recent examples of ethical breaches, indiscretions and despicable behavior to continue with the fanciful idea that Congress is made up of decent, virtuous people, plagued only by a few anomalies and small vices. We, constituents, must take some real action and offer consequences to congressmen and women who engage in criminal and indecent activity.
The problem of modern American politics is the problem of appearance. As long as one can maintain a convincing image in front of cameras and keep their private indiscretions quiet, there are few consequences. Often it must be argued that character matters in politics; the scandals that have plagued Congress in the past few years lend weight to this belief. What one does in private has public implications and it always will.
In response to accusations, according to the Associated Press, Foley has been described as "overly friendly" and "a mentor" by the Republican leadership; yet, pages and interns warned each other to steer clear of Foley. The neglect and ignorance that went into equating Foley as "overly friendly" and supporting his reelection is astounding. The accusations that surfaced years ago by young male pages and the journalistic storm that swirls around Foley's sexual orientation should have sent off blinking red lights and prompted action on the part of Congressional leaders. Certainly, Foley's sexual orientation does not ensure inappropriate behavior, but when his desires turned into criminal activity he should have been dealt with appropriately.
Now that the scandal has gained national attention, according to the Associated Press, Speaker of the House, Dennis Hastert (R - Ill.), reacted by saying, "We want to make sure that all our pages are safe and the page system is safe." The reactionary tenor of this move leaves a feeling of complete dissatisfaction. Though Democrats too have had their ethical follies, Harry Reid (D - Nev.) had it right when on the Senate floor he said, "Republican leaders in the House of Representatives knew there was a problem and ignored it to preserve a Congressional seat this election year."
Foley's reelection would have been a relatively easy win and in order to ensure that Florida seat it appears that the House Republican leadership brushed allegations of inappropriate conduct under the rug. One cannot be too general, but it is as if victory and power have trumped decency and ethics.
In the irony of ironies, Foley served as chairman on the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children before his abrupt resignation on Friday. He was instrumental in enacting legislation to protect minors from predators and internet stalkers. The hypocrisy involved in such behavior raises questions about Foley's character; his resignation is both expected and welcomed, but action should have been more effective and immediate.
As a result of Foley's scandal, it is impossible not to wonder what else lies beneath the veil of power and privilege for Congressmen and women. I walk away from learning about this far more disillusioned and disgusted.
To guard against such breaches in the future, constituents must inform themselves about issues as well as their candidates' characters. It has partly been the goal of smear campaigning to reveal character flaws and corrupt behavior of opponents, but this is insufficient as information is funneled and skewed in order to maintain the best offense. It is up to constituents to look past facades and do thorough research on candidates. When reelecting a political representative, considerations of political performance beyond the incumbents' ability to secure state funding must be taken into account. In this timely and relevant case, Republican leadership must be held accountable for ignoring Foley's indiscretions. Ignorance on the part of the voter or candidate can no longer be an acceptable excuse.
Indeed, there is no damage control that will quickly patch the Mark Foley scandal up; the utter neglect of Republican leadership demonstrates to the American people that is time for higher standards of decency, accountability and investigation. If Republicans lose face or seats over this one, they will most certainly deserve it.
Christa Byker's column appears Tuesdays in the Cavalier Daily. She can be reached at cbyker@cavalierdaily.com.
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