The lawyer, David Roth…told reporters, “Mark Foley wants you to know that he is a gay man.”
NY Times
Leave it to lawyers to tell you the obvious usually after the damage has been done. So Mark Foley is a gay man. Wow! Maybe if he’d fully accepted and acknowledged this BEFORE engaging in such heinous behavior it might’ve meant something–to him, to his constituents, to the Congressional pages he abused, and to his Party. As it is, it is beyond self-serving. It is odious.
We should add to this all of Foley’s other supposed vices and weaknesses which Roth has told the world about in the feeble hope of winning some sympathy for him. Mark Foley is an alcoholic (though none of his co-workers who spent endless hours with him seem to have known). Mark Foley was sexually abused. Gee. How much candor can we stand? I’d advise Roth to knock it off. His efforts are cheesy and make Foley look like even more of a clown than he already does.
Regarding his claim of sexual abuse, I know that human beings have awesome powers of denial but…you’d think that someone who would be in the public eye would make some minimal attempt to confront their demons BEFORE they run for office; instead of bringing such heavy baggage with them into the public arena where it will spill open as it has for Foley:
Sid Dinerstein, chairman of the Palm Beach County Republican Party said: “In a way it [confessing to being abused as a child] makes it worse. A person who knows they have a problem and spends all those years covering it up, who leads a double life and allows themselves to be a leader of a community when their life is completely hypocritical, is worse.”
With the following statement, Roth moves from the realm of the offensive to the mendacious:
“Any suggestion that Mark Foley is a pedophile is false,” Mr. Roth said. “Categorically false.”
Yeah right. The guy is innocent till proven guilty in a court of law. But does Roth expect the American public consists of utter fools?
And to show you that Foley’s lawyer isn’t the only pathetic one on this issue:
Mr. Dinerstein said he and other Republicans intended to trumpet the story of Mel Reynolds, the former Democratic congressman from Chicago who was imprisoned for corruption and for having sex with an under-age campaign worker. Former President Bill Clinton pardoned Mr. Reynolds before he left office.
“If the Democrats want to fight on the issue of who’s protecting the public and the children and all that,” Mr. Dinerstein said, “God bless them, because two weeks from now Mel Reynolds will be a household name.”
If Dinerstein thinks that Floridians are going to rally around Joe Negron’s substitute candidacy with a stratagem like this one they’re dreaming. Mel Reynolds a “household name?” It happened years ago. No one cares! Mark Foley happened this week ferchrissakes. Who do they think they’re kidding? Do they think that anyone in their right mind will pull an election booth lever for Mark Foley? The seat is gone, Republicans. Move on and try to save a seat you really have a shot at.
Hi Richard.
Have you seen the lists of holier than everybody Republicans who have been involved one way or another with child abuse, domestic violence, and generally hypocritical behavior.
Of course it cuts across party lines but we’re not the party of “family values”. They are and they talk out of both sides of their mouth.
Let me know if you want the link – I’ll send it.
I think Foley is making all these revealations to divert attention away from himself. He is also probably trying to buy himself protection by claiming to be gay – as if gay people everywhere will rise up to protect him for this “homophobic attack by the left”. Or maybe he thinks by playing victim (abused alcoholic), he will get some leniency or mercy. I hope most people are not fooled by these tricks.
The bottom line is that Foley is a pedophile and a sexual predator.