The larger problem for House Republicans is that they’ve amassed a poor record of policing themselves amid a succession of scandals. Even as Duke Cunningham, Tom DeLay and Bob Ney tarnished the party’s image, no one other than a few “moderates” who don’t have much sway in the caucus took the lead in called for drumming any of them out of the ranks. It’s also notable that none of these three men survived their respective scandals. Cunningham is serving time in the federal pen after pleading guilty to corruption charges late last year. Mr. Ney abandoned plans to run for re-election a few weeks ago after it became clear a federal investigation was heading straight for him.
And then there’s Mr. DeLay. After being indicted on money laundering charges last year, he refused for months to clear the path for the election of a new majority leader. Apparently he was unwilling to give up the possibility of coming back from a politically debilitating legal battle. His legacy now includes preventing Republicans from electing a new, forceful leader in the House just as Republicans were being torn asunder for their response to Hurricane Katrina.
The problem isn’t just that there are a few rotten apples in the Republican Party—every bushel has its share. It’s that Republicans seem comfortable with leaving the bad apples in place, even at the risk of tainting all the others. That Mr. Foley is a Republican isn’t itself the issue. It’s that Republicans were unwilling to take a closer look at something that long ago demanded a much more detailed inspection. If the GOP had uncovered Mr. Foley last year or even this past spring, the party wouldn’t now be facing a full blown sex scandal in October. Heading into this election year, Democrats knew they had a chance to retake the House, if everything broke their way. What no one predicted is that they’d be handed so many breaks by Republicans.
I’ve argued before that the Republicans have done little recently to deserve their continued hold on Congress. Repeatedly ignoring scandals in their own ranks is part of what led to the downfall of the Democrats in 1994. Prior to that, the party enjoyed a half-century lock on the House. The Republican collapse may take much less time.
