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Shays (R) on Foley handling: At least no one died

D

DealMonkey

Lifer
Since we're examining Congress Critters who say bizarre things in public (e.g. Kerry and his "two birds killed" thingy), Rep Shay pulls the ultimate "but clinton" statement out of a hat. Watch as he self-destructs right in front of your eyes.

HARTFORD, Connecticut (AP) -- Republican Rep. Christopher Shays defended the House speaker's handling of a congressional page scandal, saying no one died like during the 1969 Chappaquiddick incident involving Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy.

"I know the speaker didn't go over a bridge and leave a young person in the water, and then have a press conference the next day," the embattled Connecticut congressman told The Hartford Courant in remarks published Wednesday.

"Dennis Hastert didn't kill anybody," he added.

Shays' comments recalled the Chappaquiddick incident, when Kennedy's car ran off a Massachusetts bridge, killing his passenger, Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy did not immediately report the tragedy, and he later pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident.

Last week, Kennedy campaigned for Democrat Diane Farrell, who is locked in a bitter fight with Shays that could help determine whether Democrats recapture the House after 12 years of GOP control.

"This is symptomatic of Chris losing his composure in a tight race," Farrell said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Wednesday. "Chris just seems to be lashing out in anger."

Kennedy's office had a terse response.

"This just makes clear the real need for change in November. Beyond that I'm not going to dignify such a desperate attack with a response," said Kennedy spokeswoman Melissa Wagoner.
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Linkage
 
Oh, good! Now we can use "At least he didn't use cocaine and drink himself stupid(er)" regarding Bush whenever a Democrat does something.

Desperation...
 
only an armed insurrection in which we throw ALL the professional politician type bloodsuckers out of office will cure the problem.....anyone who would like to go with me and request that anyone who has served more than a couple terms go get a job somewhere else is welcome to attend the festivities
 
Wow. I live nowhere near CT, but Shays has always struck me as a decent guy. This is a really outrageously stupid comment to make in public - it's worthy of some of the posters here, but not of a US Representative. Hell, if even the George HW Bush Foundation recognizes Ted Kennedy's career of public service, you'd think Shays could cut him a little slack. I bet this is one comment he'd like to have back.
 
Well what he said was factually true.

But not sure what the point of it was? Unless he is hoping to pick up votes for himself.
 
Originally posted by: ProfJohn
Well what he said was factually true.

But not sure what the point of it was? Unless he is hoping to pick up votes for himself.
Click to expand...

I can't imagine it will have that effect. CT is a pretty liberal state - I imagine he'll alienate more voters than he could possibly win over by making such a strange, gratuitously nasty outburst.

BTW, it would also have been factually true if he'd said that Hastert never killed six million Jews, or raped toddlers. It just wouldn't be relevant, just as this comparison wasn't.
 
Why is it that as soon as some public official screws up big time---someone always dredges up someone of the opposite party---but this is a new low---usually they blame Clinton---who has been out of office only six years---but this goes way way back to 1969---and totally different scandals.

Hey history buffs---anyone care to discuss the Grant administration---or how about the ever popular
teapot dome scandal of the Harding administration---and to be bi-partisan---today's relevance of Taminy hall.-------our next trick will be changing history.
 
Originally posted by: catnap1972
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Nobody died with Monicagate
Click to expand...

Millions of innocent sperm died in that incident 🙁
Click to expand...

Yeah, it was genocide of an epic proportion, I am sure the Catholic church was behind the prosecution of such a mass murderer.

[cues monty python] every sperm is sacred...[/cues monty python]
 
New England hasn't forgotten Teddy killing someone.......Some of you youngsters should do your homework.....

The reference also has nothing to do with apology, just pointing out hypocrisy, which is not a very smart thing to do for ANY politician, because none of them are clean...
 
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Originally posted by: catnap1972
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Nobody died with Monicagate
Click to expand...

Millions of innocent sperm died in that incident 🙁
Click to expand...

Yeah, it was genocide of an epic proportion, I am sure the Catholic church was behind the prosecution of such a mass murderer.

[cues monty python] every sperm is sacred...[/cues monty python]
Click to expand...

:laugh:
 
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Nobody died with Monicagate, but that didn't stop them from doing everything they could to oust Clinton.
Click to expand...


Bill Clinton perjured himself. That is breaking the law. And then he lied about it (more lies). If he had been a 4 star general in one of the military branches, he would have been court martialed. But the large number of democrats and moderate republicans in congress let it slide. Quite sad.

The libs and dems are trying to get something out of nothing on the Foley story. The guy is gone. Republican leadership did what democrats hardly ever do.. punish wrong doers.
 
Personally, I think everytime ANY politician does anything illegal or borderline illegal, that we have a drunken murderer in the senate should be brought up 😀

Then work our way down the list of anyone else that is a crook but never paid for it...
 
Originally posted by: hellokeith
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Nobody died with Monicagate, but that didn't stop them from doing everything they could to oust Clinton.
Click to expand...


Bill Clinton perjured himself. That is breaking the law. And then he lied about it (more lies). If he had been a 4 star general in one of the military branches, he would have been court martialed. But the large number of democrats and moderate republicans in congress let it slide. Quite sad.

The libs and dems are trying to get something out of nothing on the Foley story. The guy is gone. Republican leadership did what democrats hardly ever do.. punish wrong doers.
Click to expand...

Err, except they tried to cover it up so they wouldn't HAVE to punish him...boy you've really got the wool over your eyes.
 
Originally posted by: DonVito
Wow. I live nowhere near CT, but Shays has always struck me as a decent guy. This is a really outrageously stupid comment to make in public - it's worthy of some of the posters here, but not of a US Representative. Hell, if even the George HW Bush Foundation recognizes Ted Kennedy's career of public service, you'd think Shays could cut him a little slack. I bet this is one comment he'd like to have back.
Click to expand...

I live in CT. I'm not in Shays district, but am very familiar with him. Diane Farrell's comment was spot on (and frankly far more civil than one would expect from an opponent in a tight race). Shays has always been a good, very conscientious politician who has been acting somewhat erratically in this extremely tight race. He is one of Congress's best informed voices on Iraq, having made 17 trips there. Although he has been supportive of the war, I get the impression it has been because of his independent thinking rather than adherence to the party line. After his last trip there this summer, he made a drastic policy switch and now supports withdrawing the troops (with tons of qualifications).

Odds are he is going to lose to Farrell, Shays is showing every sign of a politician flaying around for a viable platform-the classic flip-flopper in GOP speak. In a way it's a shame to lose a rationale, reasonably independent GOP Congressman, but it really is time to sweep the House clean.

Incidentally, I personally think Shays totally missed the boat in his remark. Most people I talk to are far more concerned with the apparent coverup at the GOP leadership level than they are with Foley's offenses.
 
Originally posted by: hellokeith
Originally posted by: LegendKiller
Nobody died with Monicagate, but that didn't stop them from doing everything they could to oust Clinton.
Click to expand...


Bill Clinton perjured himself. That is breaking the law. And then he lied about it (more lies). If he had been a 4 star general in one of the military branches, he would have been court martialed. But the large number of democrats and moderate republicans in congress let it slide. Quite sad.

The libs and dems are trying to get something out of nothing on the Foley story. The guy is gone. Republican leadership did what democrats hardly ever do.. punish wrong doers.
Click to expand...

and I would agree with you. However, the "set up" of Clinton, in relation to a non-event that set the stage for the perjury was a sham. It had nothing to do with his job, voters, or the law. The Republicans wanted something to tarnish him so they came up with that. Back then, I used to fall for it. Now, I realize that it was nothing more than a con.

Yes, they prosecuted a President not of their party in a witch hunt, but allow a President of their own party unfettered powers and "get out of jail free" cards at every step. Furthermore, they refuse to make the President personally liable for his actions and force him to testify. The "operators" of his Administration are way too smart to let that happen, otherwise he would have perjured himself long ago.

 
Originally posted by: LegendKiller

and I would agree with you. However, the "set up" of Clinton, in relation to a non-event that set the stage for the purjery was a sham. It had nothing to do with his job, voters, or the law. The Republicans wanted something to tarnish him so they came up with that. Back then, I used to fall for it. Now, I realize that it was nothing more than a con.

Yes, they prosecuted a President not of their party in a witch hunt, but allow a President of their own party unfettered powers and "get out of jail free" cards at every step. Furthermore, they refuse to make the President personally liable for his actions and force him to testify. The "operators" of his Administration are way too smart to let that happen, otherwise he would have purjered himself long ago.
Click to expand...


The goal was to attack the office of the presidency, and lower the goal and associated expectations of people
who hold that office so an incompetent fool like Bush would appear acceptable to the conservative base
that they were counting on to vote as a backlash or blowback to the Democrats and Bill Clinton.
 
This looks like good news to me: the GOP is scared enough to play the Chappaquiddick card, it means they are running scared and don't have any viable political currency.
 
Mr. Kennedy has criticized Speaker Hastert. Mr. Kennedy has no place criticizing anyone, considering his egregious past. Shays was simply pointing this out, and rightly so. AFAIK of him, Shays is not a republican I would vote for or support, but what he said is correct.
 
New England hasn't forgotten Teddy killing someone.......Some of you youngsters should do your homework...The reference also has nothing to do with apology, just pointing out hypocrisy, which is not a very smart thing to do for ANY politician, because none of them are clean...
Click to expand...
Exactly...the entire Kennedy clan is drenched in scandal, but that is irrelevant to the Foley case...however, as this and other scandals have demonstrated repeatedly, it is somewhat hypocritical for one party to call on accountability from the other party, when neither party has demonstrated a capacity for moral or ethical standards of conduct.

 
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