Foley Scandal

Susan Page discusses the impact Mark Foley's resignation will have on the midterm elections.

Tavis: Let me start with the obvious. What is the fallout going to be from Mr. Foley's resignation for Republicans?

Susan Page: I think the fallout is enormous. Just a week ago, Republicans were feeling a little bit better about the midterm elections. They thought with the focus on terrorism, things were maybe tilting back in their direction. That feeling is gone. Both Democratic and Republican strategists I've talked to now believe the House will be won by Democrats in November, and that the Senate is at least an even bet for Democratic control.

Tavis: One person going up in smoke, or down in flames, whatever the metaphor is you wanna use, one person can cause that kind of a ripple effect?

Page: Well, look at it this way. Democrats need to get just 15 seats in the House to gain control. Well, now they're likely to get Mr. Foley's seat. He's had to resign. They're likely to get Tom Reynolds' seat. He's the congressman from upstate New York who knew about these inappropriate e-mails and instant messages, and didn't do enough about it.

And more broadly, I think it's contributed to a sense that the party in power has been there too long; they're out of touch; they're out of control; and they're protecting their own interests rather than looking out for the American people and for children, in this case. That is a pretty devastating indictment.

Tavis: That is a greater indictment - here's what I'm fascinated by. Certainly your point of view on it, that is to say this Foley mess is a greater indictment on the Republican Party than the mess we're in in Iraq?

Page: (Laugh) Well, the war in Iraq is also a very difficult issue for Republicans, and it's one that's kind of set a landscape that makes it hard for Republicans running in the midterms. And the war is important, too. Bob Woodward's book, just out in the last week or so, has reinforced the case that the United States has made a lot of mistakes. The administration's made a lot of mistakes in Iraq.

But this Mark Foley scandal is kind of a tipping point. It's just things were a little bit on the bubble; you weren't quite sure if Democrats would go far enough to win control. And I think this has convinced everything that things have gone far enough. That Democrats are extremely optimistic.

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