Hastert lives "Bachelor-like" existence, Just him and two male aids Options

[RunsWithScissors]

Jeez...I would hope we could rise above rampant gossip mag speculation. Latching onto this type of thing before anything is known, is a good way to garner sympathy for him and make it look like Dems are willing to politicize anything...yes we know that's what THEY do, but at some point there has to be a line drawn, if for nothing else, common sense and decency.

[TheRestofUs]

The plot thickens. But I agree we should not go near this. Let the sharks have him.

Hmmm. Perhaps that's too blood-thirsty. Maybe I do need "Charm School".

This post has been edited by TheRestofUs: Oct 6 2006, 09:59 AM

[Arneoker]

Jeez...I would hope we could rise above rampant gossip mag speculation.  Latching onto this type of thing before anything is known, is a good way to garner sympathy for him and make it look like Dems are willing to politicize anything...yes we know that's what THEY do, but at some point there has to be a line drawn, if for nothing else, common sense and decency.

Absolutely.

I have to remark on how so many on the Left are eager to rush right into traps, even those that aren't even set up by the opposition.

[david sobien]

I disagree. The issue is fair game since they hold themselves out to be anti gay and MORAL CHRISTIANS in the way they term it. Is it allright for them to deamonize a whole class of people they happen to belong to?

[Arneoker]

The plot thickens. But I agree we should not go near this. Let the sharks have him.

Hmmm. Perhaps that's too blood-thirsty. Maybe I do need "Charm School".

No, you were right the first time!

[graham4anything]

This thread should not even be on the board.

From what I have read, due to the expensive living costs in DC/Georgetown, the vast majority of congress people have roommates and / or just a bed in a apartment.

Then have their real home in their state.

As I am about the only one on this board (who is a liberal), who despises Bill Clinton and what he did, I venture it is mighty hypocritical to start in on any other one.
This whole thing is because Foley is a pediophile, not that he is gay (after all, no one cared McGreevey was gay, but that he was corrupt).

One would think that a person the age of a father or grandfather attacking a younger person is the issue.

Another reason this either/or thing don't work. Throw them all out. Dems/REpubs.
they are all perverts in some way or another.

It's why Bill Clinton did not quit.

You know the real reason? Because he had no 2nd home to go to.

[Arneoker]

I disagree. The issue is fair game since they hold themselves out to be anti gay and MORAL CHRISTIANS in the way they term it. Is it allright for them to deamonize a whole class of people they happen to belong to?

There is what you think is proper justice and what is going to play in Peoria.

And trying to paint Hastert as gay over this is going to play like hypocritical gay-bashing in Peoria, particularly with a scandal that we should exercise the UTMOST CARE not to paint as a "gay thing," for both practical political and principled moral reasons.

[graham4anything]

The plot thickens. But I agree we should not go near this. Let the sharks have him.

Hmmm. Perhaps that's too blood-thirsty. Maybe I do need "Charm School".

How does the plot thicken? Not very liberal like to care if someone is gay or not.

It appears this is the height of hypocricy.

You give a pass to slime Clinton, and want to out people?
I don't see how you can advocate both with a straight face.
Give Clinton up, it would be so much easier to then say its not either/or

[TheRestofUs]

How does the plot thicken? Not very liberal like to care if someone is gay or not.

It appears this is the height of hypocricy.

You give a pass to slime Clinton, and want to out people?
I don't see how you can advocate both with a straight face.
Give Clinton up, it would be so much easier to then say its not either/or

Who put a bee in your bonnet today Graham? And, what the hell are you talking about? If those hypocrites are being hoisted on their own petard, I should care? I don't care if they are gay or not. I never cared about those things. I am against prying into people's private life. I hated what they did to Bill Clinton, while at the same time being disgusted he would cheat on Hillary and embarrass his family like that, and lie to us when it came out. But it came out due to a group of lowlife scum using 70 million dollars of the taxpayer's money to dig it out. These a**holes who are in trouble now, are the same hypocrites that went after Clinton. They should get their comuppence. But not by anything we do. I don't want to sink to their level, so I said we should not touch it! So why attack me?

[Arneoker]

Other than your mysterious obsession with Clinton (just how is he relevant to this) I think that you are absolutely right about this, Graham.

And even on the gay-baiting thing (I don't know how much of a gay-baiter Hastert is, or for that matter whether or not he is relatively tolerant) we should slam such people on that issue, not on whether they are gay or not. (But I can somewhat understand the feelings of those gays who are angry with closet gays hypocritically joining the gay-baiters.)

If the sharks get him on this, I wouldn't defend him, I would just point out the issues on which he deserves to pay.

[Gabrielle]

This is the kind of thing that I'd be careful about pushing.  If others make a big deal about it and it hurts his image, I wouldn't throw him a life preserver.  If I were a Democratic leader and were asked about to comment about this I would answer, "The real issue is Speaker Hastert's negligence in taking care of this despicable matter concerning Congressman Foley."  Personally I don't care what Hastert does in his off-hours, as long as it all involves consensual activity when others are involved and that none are minors or people who are in a position to be exploited by him.

I'm still trying to pick my jaw up off the ground on this one, Arne. I thought the Republicans were the ones screaming about gay marriage and all that. It's just too ironic, and too funny, how big of hypocrites some of them are!

[Arneoker]

I'm still trying to pick my jaw up off the ground on this one, Arne.  I thought the Republicans  were the ones screaming about gay marriage and all that.  It's just too ironic, and too funny, how big of hypocrites some of them are!

I would say that our standard of behavior shouldn't be that we should behave in a tad more principled way than the Republicans. (We can still use very aggressive tactics.) I do not think that we should emulate their hypocrisy, that is not the way to win, either on strictly moral grounds or strictly practical grounds.

[ConcernedObserve...]

Sorry I just don't have the sympathy some of you guys do. These peope have trashed the economy, the constitution, and profited all along the way while claiming gays are evil. This sort of thing is fair game in my opinion, only because the closet Repubs made it fair game when they started running their elections based on banning gay marriage. Mark my words, if you give them some slack they're gonna use that slack and turn around and give you an upper cut to the gut.

Silver, my concern is most assuredly not based on any sympathy for Hastert or any of the rest of them. Its based on the fact that when you sling mud invariably the wind shifts and you end up covered in the mud you directed at others.

They are destroying themselves. Stand back and enjoy the show. Their base will do them in this time.

AND .. just suppose there is nothing to this article about Hastert's living arrangements in DC ? It could serve to ameliorate the anger directed at the GOP right now by their own and see it turned on the Dems. In any event it will most assuredly dilute the effect of the present debacle.

[Arneoker]

I can remember reading an article in the Boston Globe a long time ago about two Mass. Congressmen who shared an apartment in DC. And no, neither was named Barney Frank or Gerry Studds.

It is an expensive place, and some people like to save money. (One of those Congressmen, Boland, represented the Springfield area, a relatively inexpensive area.)

[Gabrielle]

I would say that our standard of behavior shouldn't be that we should behave in a tad more principled way than the Republicans.  (We can still use very aggressive tactics.)  I do not think that we should emulate their hypocrisy, that is not the way to win, either on strictly moral grounds or strictly practical grounds.

I used to believe in the "moral approach" until I watched Karl Rove ram-rod us for the past 6 years.

You take the moral high ground for both of us on this one, Arne. I think it's funny as all get out.

[tomhye]

I can remember reading an article in the Boston Globe a long time ago about two Mass. Congressmen who shared an apartment in DC.  And no, neither was named Barney Frank or Gerry Studds. 

It is an expensive place, and some people like to save money.  (One of those Congressmen, Boland, represented the Springfield area, a relatively inexpensive area.)

Right, I'd concentrate on him having been a wrestling coach, since he's known the rules of being responsible for groups of teens most of his adult life he knew how wrong the cover up was, he knew he was REQUIRED to hand over he information to the authorities.

[Gabrielle]

Silver, my concern is most assuredly not based on any sympathy for Hastert or any of the rest of them. Its based on the fact that when you sling mud invariably the wind shifts and you end up covered in the mud you directed at others.

Oh, you mean like swift-boating? Max Cleland? That sort of thing. Is there a place on any of the democratic party that ISN'T covered with mud right now from all that mud that's been slinging our way for the past 6 + years?

It's FRIDAY! It's been a gruesome, horrible week! I want to kick back and have a good ironic chuckle on this one! :pumpkin:

Actually, after this week, I don't find much of anything funny. But there's a certain dark, black humor I derive from reading this about Hastert. A certain "what goes around comes around" comeuppance kind of feel to it.

This post has been edited by Gabrielle: Oct 6 2006, 10:57 AM

[Arneoker]

I used to believe in the "moral approach" until I watched Karl Rove ram-rod us for the past 6 years.

You take the moral high ground for both of us on this one, Arne.     I think it's funny as all get out.      

I'm not saying let's play nice and be polite. Look at the Bible. Jesus and the Old Testament prophets didn't always play nice and act polite. They were often pretty aggressive.

But we can still take the moral high ground. From that high ground we can more easily defeat our enemies. That's a pretty basic military principle as well.

[Arneoker]

AND .. just suppose there is nothing to this article about Hastert's living arrangements in DC ?  It could serve to ameliorate the anger directed at the GOP right now by their own and see it turned on the Dems. In any event it will most assuredly dilute the effect of the present debacle.

Exactly.

This is what I meant by eagerly walking into traps.

[ConcernedObserve...]

Oh, you mean like swift-boating?  Max Cleland?  That sort of thing.  Is there a place on any of the democratic party that ISN'T covered with mud right now from all that mud that's been slinging our way for the past 6 + years?

It's FRIDAY!  It's been a gruesome, horrible week!  I want to kick back and have a good ironic chuckle on this one!  :pumpkin:

Gaby, that's understandable and human but its not very smart if you will excuse my being blunt.

Tit for Tat may feel good for the moment but it doesn't win anything. In fact most times it guarantees failure because one is so busy getting even that they lose sight of the goal. And it is guaranteed to rally the opposition forces.