The Energizer Party

After glancing over this week's headlines, I can't help but wonder if anything will be enough to keep the Republicans down as we approach the midterm elections. Republican officials are claiming to have confidence even in the wake of circumstances that should have been politically lethal for our nation's majority party. \nIn spite of early attempts to distract the public from Iraq (which was eventually out-staged only by another issue that the GOP would rather not address ... ), the number of American troops injured this month "surged to its highest monthly level in nearly two years" (Washington Post, Oct. 8). This alone should make the Republican task of retaining the majority a difficult one. However, the negative press they've received has not been due to the war or even national security.\nOf the recent woes it seems that the most detrimental is the Mark Foley scandal -- especially when it comes to the GOP's evangelical Christian supporters. If there's one thing that would most likely cause a decrease in values-voters' turnout, a sex scandal involving a Florida congressman and a 16-year old male page seems like it would be more than enough. On top of that, there are also the mounting allegations of wrongdoing concerning how the Republican leadership handled reports of the incident, and an investigation has begun into what was actually known about Foley's conduct. "Allegations that House leaders were too passive in responding" (Washington Post, Oct. 8) to the scandal have even led some to call for House Speaker Dennis Hastert's resignation, claiming "intense partisanship repeatedly blinded him to GOP misconduct." (Washington Post, Oct. 16)\nDemocrats have been gaining momentum throughout these GOP ethical pitfalls. An early October New York Times/CBS News poll concluded that "46 percent of Democrats said they were more enthusiastic about voting this year than in previous Congressional elections, compared with 33 percent of Republicans." However, Saturday's New York Times explained how Republican strategists believe "they can compensate for any gap in enthusiasm with their legendary get-out-the-vote operation." If the GOP is actually able to retain its favor among voters who consider morals the top priority when casting a ballot, I have to applaud the loyalty of its base. Perhaps I underestimated them by assuming they'd rather stay home than be forced to support someone they felt was ethically compromised. \nIs it possible that the situation is only bleak in appearance? Though "Some Republicans on Capitol Hill are bracing for losses of 25 House seats or more," President Bush and Karl Rove remain "upbeat," with the president even planning to use the next two weeks to "reshape the national agenda" to aid Republican candidates (Washington Post, Oct. 15). Sounds like a lot of reshaping to accomplish in two weeks, but if it can be done, I'll regretfully extend my congratulations. Only a resourceful party with a resilient base could bounce back from the events of the last month. If we are in for another round of GOP congressional control, though I might be personally disgusted, I'll be politically impressed.