SubscribeTime Mag Pronounces Republican Party “Dead”
From the cover story of their current issue, courtesy of CNN:
The end of a revolution
Oct 8, 2006
Every revolution begins with the power of an idea and ends when the only idea left is power.
The epitaph for the movement that started when Newt Gingrich and his forces rose from the back bench of the House chamber in 1994 may well have been written last week.
On conservative commentator Laura Ingraham's show, the longest-serving Republican House speaker in history explained why he would not resign despite a sex scandal that has produced a hail of questions about his failure to stop one of his members from cyberstalking teenage congressional pages.
"If I fold up my tent and leave," Dennis Hastert told her, "then where does that leave us? If the Democrats sweep, then we'd have no ability to fight back and get our message out."
That may have been the most damning admission yet in the unfolding scandal surrounding Florida Congressman Mark Foley: Holding on to power has become not just the means but also the end for the onetime reformers who unseated the calcified Democratic majority that had ruled the House for 40 years.
But after controlling both houses of Congress for most of President Bush's six years in office, the GOP has a governing record that has dismayed those who fantasized about what Newt Gingrich and his band of rebels might accomplish.
To win votes back home, lawmakers in session have been spending like sailors on leave, producing the biggest budget deficits in history. The party's approach to national security has taken the country into a war that most Americans now believe was a mistake and that the government's own intelligence experts say has shaped "a new generation of terrorist leaders and operatives."
The current crisis arrived with a sex scandal that has muddied one of the GOP's few remaining patches of moral high ground — their defense of family values and personal accountability.
Though Hastert and other Republican leaders say they heard last fall about the "over-friendly" approaches of a not-so-secretly gay congressman to a 16-year-old former page, they insist they never imagined anything like the more graphic instant messages that subsequently came to light.
But shouldn't they have gotten chills at learning that a 52-year-old man had sent a teenager a creepy e-mail asking for a "pic of you"? Certainly, the page understood what the emails meant, which is why he forwarded it in August 2005 to the office of Louisiana Congressman Rodney Alexander, who had sponsored him for the page program.
"This freaked me out," the teenager wrote. "Sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick."
The House response — John Shimkus, the Illinois congressman who oversees the page program, appears to have done nothing more than give Foley a private warning; he wasn't even stripped of his co-chairmanship of the House Caucus on Missing and Exploited Children — suggests that Republican leaders were motivated more by fear of electoral fallout than by concern for the young pages in their care.
And if they were worried the revelation would hurt their chances of holding onto the House, they turned out to be right. In the latest TIME poll, nearly 80 percent of respondents said they were aware of the scandal, and two-thirds of them were convinced that Republican leaders had tried to cover it up.
Among the registered voters who were polled, 54 percent said they would be more likely to vote for the Democratic candidate for Congress, compared with 39 percent who favored the Republican.
Hastert's job seems secure for the moment, barring any big new revelations, in part because the House Speaker is not merely a party leader but a role established under the Constitution. It would be difficult to replace him without summoning Congress back into town from the campaign trail. Nor would an ugly fight over who would succeed him be good for the party's prospects in November.
Meanwhile, GOP leaders are so desperate to find someone else to blame that they have been reduced — with no indication that they see the irony — to blaming a vast left-wing conspiracy.
"The people who want to see this thing blow up," Hastert told the Chicago Tribune, "are ABC News and a lot of Democratic operatives, people funded by George Soros," the liberal financier who has become a bogeyman of the right. Hastert went on to suggest, without producing any proof, that the revelation was the work of Bill Clinton's operatives."
Mind you, this presented as news and not as an editorial.
To win votes back home, lawmakers in session have been spending like sailors on leave, producing the biggest budget deficits in history.
Time is famous for its concerns regarding fiscal restraint. And, of course, the budget deficit is going down at a record rate, which somehow they neglect to mention.
"This freaked me out," the teenager wrote. "Sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick sick."
I thought the "teenager" was 21 or so when he wrote that. And, mind you, this is his response to someone asking about how he survived Katrina and would he send a photo like all the other former pages had done.
Meanwhile, GOP leaders are so desperate to find someone else to blame that they have been reduced — with no indication that they see the irony — to blaming a vast left-wing conspiracy.
Translation: our one party media has decided that this is a GOP scandal and no evidence to the contrary will ever be allowed to be presented to the public. Journalism at its finest.
… [P]eople funded by George Soros," the liberal financier who has become a bogeyman of the right.
Is Time Magazine pretending that the people who sent these (innocuous) emails around are not from CREW, and that CREW is not in the pay of George Soros?
Is Time pretending that George Soros does not have an anti-Republican, anti-conservative, even anti-American agenda? Just how out of touch are they?
And it's not like they've never been wrong before:
Times' March 9, 1987 cover.
(Time's answer to their own question was of course, "no.")
But who reads Time Magazine anyway?
I'd be surprised if even dentist offices still subscribed.
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24 Responses to “Time Mag Pronounces Republican Party “Dead””
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October 8th, 2006 at 11:59 am
Well, they can wish, can’t they?
October 8th, 2006 at 12:20 pm
I wish that perspective was used - how can a emails be a sex scandal when a bj in the oval office was a ‘private’ matter? We have no proof (and you know given the howl about the IMs and emails - if anyone had proof this joker had sex with a page - it would already be front page news) that Foley had physical contact - so what is the scandal or where is the perspective. And how dare the Dems/lunatic left once again led by ted ‘a bridge too far’ kennedy, robert ‘kkk’ byrd, bill ‘i did not have sex with that woman’ clinton, barney ‘i fixed the tickets but did not know about the sex ring’ franks talk about a few emails as a scandal and reason for Hastert to step down - any minority leaders on the Dem stepped/stepping down? No, heck the dem scandal perps themselves are still sitting and getting re-elected while Foley’s gone. . . Time has lunatic left itself into obscurity. Notice if you read the left take on the War and economy and oh heck all of American life and politics - there is a may, but, possible, future or other qualifying adjective in the sentence. Read some conservative piece and it rarely has one of those stuck in their key points.
Well maybe pigs will fly, a money tree will grow in my back yard and muslim extremist terrorists will go home if you make nice - in the meantime, since I believe none of those will happen - I will earn my money, make war on terrorists and not care what pigs do (except go to the butchers).
October 8th, 2006 at 12:31 pm
I used to be an avid reader of Time magazine…until the Reagan era…..I found that the news was missing, and being replaced by partisan editorializing and outright innuendo. I havent picked up a Time in years…even in the dentist’s office. I would rather be bored in a waiting room than read propaganda designed to propel dishonest Democrats into office.
Foley is a dirty old man to be sure…..but….he didnt get a BJ in the oval office or have other lacivious contact with a youngster, or get caught buggering a male page either. Democrats did, and when that happened, all of these loud mouthed “outraged” congressmen were telling the public to “move on”, it was a “private matter” ect ect ect…..now, they are screaming for heads. What gives? Are we the only people who look things up? Hell, they were there! But they keep forgetting what they said last month….and they, the Democratic party as a whole, are a disgusting bunch of adult children.
October 8th, 2006 at 3:04 pm
They don’t. The newsweeklies have comped doctor’s offices for years. I’m not sure how this circulation is accounted for by the audit bureau.
October 8th, 2006 at 5:35 pm
The Foley story’s dead, it was only on the editorial page of the local paper in Portland Oregon, a Blue Stamp state. Of more interest here about Hooley D Incumbant a safe seat in a district with +8k more Republicans has the smell of an upset.
October 8th, 2006 at 6:20 pm
You could be right Mathews, I just noticed Drudge has only two stories linked. He had at least 6 plus the headline story yesterday.
October 8th, 2006 at 6:39 pm
Much ado about nothing much.
Time Mag’s Karen Tumulty is another tiresome lib who believes her version of the truth is the only truth. All else is to be dismissed.
Reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated.
October 8th, 2006 at 7:03 pm
“Karen Tumulty is another tiresome lib who believes her version of the truth is the only truth. ”
Watch a program this morning - Eleanor Clift was a guest. When the Studds story was mentioned she said ” Oh, that was thirty years ago”. What frosted my b#lls was that the moderator didn’t say..”Well yes, it was thirity years ago BUT what did the dems do about it?? Did they demand any resignations etc??? When are we going to start fightin back at these self serving idiots???
October 8th, 2006 at 7:20 pm
Eleanor Clift is a bitter, frustrated, conservative-hating leftwing harridan spewing venom like nearly no one else.
And to think Fox News Channel has her as a “contributor” dismays me.
October 8th, 2006 at 7:37 pm
Time mag comes to the shop every week.
Thanks to the lib secratary.
Its a liberal rant from cover to cover, Writtin by a bunch of self absorbed
snobs out of touch with the real world.
October 8th, 2006 at 7:42 pm
The republican party isn’t dead, but you’ve got to admit that it is ailing. Our current GOP leaders need to be a sight more Reagan than McCain imo. When republicans are conservative and not trying to move to the middle, they win. It’s a simple strategy: be yourself. I do think we need some new leadership in the party, although I certainly don’t agree with this article’s assertion that one slimeball speaks for the shape of the rest of the party.
As for Hastert, I don’t think stepping down now is the answer. That would reflect guilt (which the msm will insinuate anyway but what can you do?). Scandal aside, Hastert has been seldom seen or heard from during his tenure, and that ain’t good. So, if the republicans can keep the House, Hastert should step aside then, and be replaced by a conservative.
Our biggest problem as a party imo is the terrible communication and reluctance to get out the message by our leaders (Bush included). That has got to change if our country keeps it’s power standing in the world. I think the libs would be perfectly happy to neuter the US in order to just keep power in DC. In closing………Newt for president!!!!
October 8th, 2006 at 9:19 pm
Time ragazine has about as much weight as any of our checkout line bird cage liners. This is what they want to be the facts or the truth, not as it is. If you read Time for your news, then you read the slimes for your facts. To me this is a non-factor.
October 8th, 2006 at 10:15 pm
This is a legitimate question you guys! Has Time been this bad throughout it’s history, or is this just in the past say, thirty years?
October 8th, 2006 at 10:41 pm
Actually SJ I think its within the last 30 years, At a point in history Time magazine was trusted by most Americans, Now they are just another tabloid,
With all the respect of the national inquirer, Maybe even less.
October 8th, 2006 at 10:55 pm
Time was one of the mags that used a picture of a dump burning used tires
And claiming it was a downed israeli jet.
They are just another rag hoping they can pass lies as fact.
October 9th, 2006 at 12:00 am
Time is desparate, they will put anything on the cover, or make any story to sell a magazine.
I used to read them years ago, but now if I see one laying around in the doctors office I just throw it away because it’s worthless trash.
October 9th, 2006 at 12:52 am
The Drive-by Media said exactly the same thing after Jimmy Carter was elected. Who was it said, “a month is an eternity in politics”.? Somebody who knew what they were talking about.
October 9th, 2006 at 9:52 am
It’s also the same magazine that lied repeatedly when reporting on Haditha as SG pointed out here. They make up news instead of reporting on what is actually going on.
And what kind of priorites do they have when North Korea is testing nukes? Is Foley really, that big of a story that we have to talk about him (even though he’s gone) instead of the implications of North Korea with nukes?
October 9th, 2006 at 10:32 am
Esthier, when Time obviously wants dems in power again, the Foley story IS their biggest story. They won’t let it die until, oh, I would say November 7. And if it can make other republicans look bad, it will be even longer.
But if they win their precious majorities in the House and Senate, they will shift their focus on making Bush answer for all of his “lies” and even trying to impeach him. If they organize though, they could make liars, thieves, and killers out of every republican in Washington. You know, to pave the way for Hillary, HillaryCare, tax hikes –but only on the “wealthy” right ;)–, the mass surrender to jihad, the turnover of power to the UN, etc. in January of 2009.
Newt for president!!!
October 9th, 2006 at 11:11 am
Time magazine is a joke, and for me, there are two very distinct issues that come to my mind. The first is the cover that detailed the chemical weapons attack on the Kurds - I distinctly remember the photos of a woman holding her child dropped dead in her tracks. When I returned home from a year in Argentina serving an LDS mission (so I was really out of touch politically) Gorby was the man of the year. I remember thinking “WTH?!” Did Gorby go good? NO, Time went bad. That’s it in a nutshell, Time went lib.
October 9th, 2006 at 11:24 am
“To win votes back home, lawmakers in session have been spending like sailors on leave, producing the biggest budget deficits in history.”
From the AP:
October 9th, 2006 at 11:31 am
Steve,
You know damn well that liberals are not going to let facts stand in the way of their Bush Bashing.
October 9th, 2006 at 5:55 pm
The reports of the GOP’s death are greatly exaggerated.
October 11th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
More inconvenient truths, from the AP: