I’m Not Sure Why
Tom Kean, Jr. felt he had to do this. He has called for Speaker Dennis Hastert's resignation. In the first place, Kean is in a Senate race and has been mixing it up very well with Robert Menendez. In the second place, Kean has been doing that by focusing on his race. Now he's made what I consider to be a mistake.
WASHINGTON (AP) — New Jersey Republican Senate candidate Tom Kean Jr. on Friday called for House Speaker Dennis Hastert to resign over the congressional page cybersex scandal, making him the first major candidate in his party to do so.
"He is the head of that institution and this happened on his watch, and I urge House leaders to go further by appointing an outside panel to review the matter immediately," Kean said in a statement.
Kean, in a tight race with Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez, added that if any members of the party beside Hastert or his staff are found to have covered up knowledge of the scandal, they should also resign or be relieved of their duties.
"This disturbing situation is another reason why the public holds the Congress in such low esteem, the culture of protecting each other has eroded Congress and the public's faith in government and the system needs reform," he said.
Kean, the son of former Gov. Thomas Kean, has made ethics a cornerstone of his campaign. He also has publicly criticized President Bush over his administration's handling of the war in Iraq, and has also called for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign. Menendez also has called for Hastert and Rumsfeld's resignation.
Kean's call for Hastert's resignation puts him at odds with powerful members of his party, who have publicly rallied around Hastert. The speaker said Thursday he would not step down over the revelations that former Republican Rep. Mark Foley of Florida had been sending inappropriate e-mails to male teenage pages for years.
None of New Jersey's six GOP congressmen have called for Hastert to resign, although four — Mike Ferguson, Scott Garrett, Rodney Frelinghuysen and Chris Smith — all said they support the ongoing investigations. Spokesmen for Reps. Frank LoBiondo and Jim Saxton did not respond to requests for comment.
Here's the problem as I see it. The Democrats are trying, and to some extent at least succeeding, in "nationalizing" the election. It is a mistake to raise to that bait. Instead, the local candidates should stay focused locally. No local candidate can run against a national campaign effectively. But they can kick butt one-on-one locally. That's where they should try to keep the race, in my opinion. Kean should refocus. He has a real chance at pulling off a major upset. If he keeps it local. If he starts echoing Democratic talking points, he fails to differentiate himself from the Democrats in the voter's minds. That is a mistake.
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bRight & Early » First Cup 10.07.06 — Saturday, 7 October , 2006 @ 7:45 am
By Matthew, Saturday, 7 October , 2006 @ 8:15 am
I agree with you that Mr. Kean should have kept his mouth shut if he wants to win. It is difficult to imagine why he would want to inject himself into the debate. Watching him on FoxNews last night, it is clear that he didn’t know what he was doing or why he called out the Speaker. He had no explanation whatsoever.
By Black Jack, Saturday, 7 October , 2006 @ 11:07 am
I don’t know much about Tom Kean, Jr. However, most of what I do know, I don’t like. So far, he seems like just another RINO, and the GOP already has more than enough fair weather friends.