Former GOP Congressman: 'Element of sleaze' hangs over the Republican Party
Former Republican Congressman and MSNBC host Joe Scarborough appeared on NBC's Today Show Tuesday to discuss the recent string of Republican sex scandals. Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) pleaded guilty this month to lewd conduct in a mensroom, while Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) has acknowledged employing the services of prostitutes.
"What's with the Republican Party?" Scarborough wondered aloud. "Perhaps they're more closeted. Perhaps the Republican Party does not allow gay members to win their primaries, so maybe these guys have to live these secret lives. ... I think it comes out in the hypocrisy, mainly, where you have Democrats that will support same-sex marriage. ... There aren't the issues of hypocrisy that follow Republicans around."
"Last year, people were talking about the war, they were talking about runaway deficit spending," recalled Scarborough. "But the bottom line is, with the Republicans that I spoke to after the Mark Foley scandal broke, they looked at each other and said, 'Well, that's it, we're going to have a Democratic Senate and we're going to have a Democratic House.'"
"There's an element of sleaze that will hang over this party," Scarborough concluded. "The two sex scandals this year have involved Republicans. Conservative, pro-family, pro-life Republicans. ... I think every sex scandal in Washington DC since Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky has involved a Republican, and that has to have an impact and may break the Republican Party again just a little bit more away from its evangelical base."
The following video is from NBC's Today Show, broadcast on August 28.
|
