Oct. 17, 2006
 
BAYHAM ON POLITICS: Lamenting the Contemptible
 
By Mike Bayham
 
South Louisiana (Special to HNN) -- "Gerry was a stalwart champion of New England's fishing families as well as a committed environmentalist who worked hard to demonstrate that the cause of working people and the cause of the environment go hand in hand with the right leadership,” so lamented US Senator John Kerry concerning the passing of Gerry Studds, a former Massachusetts US Representative.
 
While his Democratic colleagues did their best to establish his legacy as a friend of northeastern fishermen, Studds is best known for being the first openly homosexual member of Congress and infamous for having a sexual relationship with a 17-year old page.
 
Kerry apparently has a double-standard when it comes to congressmen having affairs with underage boys as he offered much harsher words towards ex-Congressman Mark Foley, R-FL for engaging in computer dirty talk with a page.
 
Even the media was charitable towards the late gay Democratic politician, as the Washington Post’s headline for the article reporting his demise is simply “Studds, 1st Openly Gay Congressman, Dies.”
 
Disgraced politician Duke Cunningham would be so lucky to have such a bland title for his future obituary. One can only imagine what Mark Foley’s will one day read.
 
Sure there are differences between the Foley case and Studds’s scandal, with the primary distinction being the former is a Republican while the latter was a Democrat.
 
When his behavior -- which seemed to have been common knowledge with members on both sides of the aisle- was reported in the press, Foley immediately quit while Studds brazenly remained in Congress despite being censured by the House.
 
Also, while it isn’t known if Foley had relations with any underage participants in the page program, there was no doubt about Studds’s guilt.
 
Studds must have truly done wonders for the lobster fishers since he was re-elected by the voters of his Massachusetts district despite what would be considered an unpardonable fault in a red state, though the Democrats are intent on riding the putrid carcass of what was once Foley’s political career into control of at least one house of Congress.
 
Don’t get me wrong, I also think Denny Hastert shouldn’t be Speaker -- ¦but I believed that would have been a step in the right direction for the GOP months before I had ever heard of Mark Foley. “Coach” has far-outlived his original purpose as an inconspicuous temp speaker in the wake of Gingrich’s collapse quickly followed by that of Speaker-elect Bob Livingston of Louisiana. His attempts to pin the blame on aides instead of assuming any responsibility on his end makes him appear more like the Archbishop of Boston and less the Speaker of the House.
 
Nor do I think Nancy Pelosi should be calling the shots in the US House of Representatives, as she apparently had no problem serving with Studds for ten years in the Democratic caucus but has developed a sudden public disgust with such individuals. And don’t think for a second that the Democratic leadership was unaware of Foley’s activities months before the story broke.
 
But what I find disappointing though not surprising is the blatant duality by Democrats on the matter of a member of Congress making moves on a teenager. If it’s a Republican sending out licentious e-mails to a page, he is representative of the culture of corruption that has infested Congress since Newt and company took over; but when it’s a Democrat actually doing the deed with a page, then it’s a matter of taking into account his overall record of service.
 
Such hypocrisy is hardly rare by liberals. Consider the National Organization for Women’s unswerving support for “Mr. Busy Hands” himself, Bill Clinton. So long as he appoints pro-abortion judges, then he can drop his pants in front of female subordinates in perpetuity.
 
Political observers might have viewed the timing of Studds’s death being inopportune for the Democrats, as it would serve as a reminder of their longstanding embracing of a colleague who was on the same level as Foley, but they’ve shown more chutzpah than consistency by taking a brief break from carping about Foley to slip in a few words of praise for Studds. Talk about two plus two equals five!
 
Kerry’s sentimental farewell to his fellow Massachusetts politician is proof that for the Democrats, the Foley scandal is about party politics -- not protecting kids from politician predators.