The random political thoughts thread (Part Deux)

Alex · 10-02-2006, 09:05 AM

I'm not putting this out ther to in any way exonerate Foley. I just find it interesting, perhaps as a sign of changing times.

In 1983 a House investigation determined that two congressmen had actually had sex with pages. Initially Congress was going to simply reprimand them but Newt Gringrich demanded they be expelled and eventually the House compromised and officially censured both of them.

Congressman A tearfully apologized and lost his next attempt at re-election. He had had sex with a female page in 1980. Congressman B was defiant. He had sex with a male page in 1973. He held a press conference with the former page (both pages in question were 17 at the time of the sex) essentially telling people to mind their own damn business. He went on to be reelected six more times before retiring of his own free will in 1996 (and in 2005, at the age of 68, had one of the homosexual marriages in Massachusetts; not to the former page).

So an interesting comparison. The obvious differences being that Foley's advances were likely not reciprocated. But on the other hand it was nothing but words.

10-02-2006, 09:05 AM	#11
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I'm not putting this out ther to in any way exonerate Foley. I just find it interesting, perhaps as a sign of changing times. In 1983 a House investigation determined that two congressmen had actually had sex with pages. Initially Congress was going to simply reprimand them but Newt Gringrich demanded they be expelled and eventually the House compromised and officially censured both of them. Congressman A tearfully apologized and lost his next attempt at re-election. He had had sex with a female page in 1980. Congressman B was defiant. He had sex with a male page in 1973. He held a press conference with the former page (both pages in question were 17 at the time of the sex) essentially telling people to mind their own damn business. He went on to be reelected six more times before retiring of his own free will in 1996 (and in 2005, at the age of 68, had one of the homosexual marriages in Massachusetts; not to the former page). So an interesting comparison. The obvious differences being that Foley's advances were likely not reciprocated. But on the other hand it was nothing but words.
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