By: Mary Mostert, Analyst, Original Sources
October 9, 1998
As the debate on the Hyde Amendment progressed, and callers began to comment on the C-Span line, the split became more an more obvious. The people who were getting up to support the Democrat attempt to stifle and control the impeachment inquiry were, as one caller noted, "mostly blacks and women and other minorities." One of those "others" was Rep. Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, the openly homosexual representative who survived a scandal relating to male prostitution. The caller thought that meant that most Americans do not believe that the behavior of the president "rises to the level of impeachable offenses."
Why would anyone believe that those strong and moral men who wrote into the Constitution the provision allowing the People’s House, the House of Representatives, to impeach a president would think that the president’s reprehensible behavior, part of which he has publicly admitted, is NOT an impeachable offense? The minority opposing the Hyde Amendment consisted of feminists, self-proclaimed "victims" of racial discrimination and sexual perverts. And, nothing was clearer than the voters that opposed the Hyde Amendment simply do not believe that lying under oath about behavior that took place while on the job IN THE OVAL OFFICE is an impeachable offense. The reason, we are told, is that it was "only about sex."
It isn’t, but the statements being made by those blacks, feminists, homosexuals, that make up the most of those in that minority group are revealing. It tells us what THEIR true agenda really is. If a feminist, a black person, a homosexual defends behavior by the president that is clearly illegal, immoral, and dishonest, what does that tell us about some of the OTHER agendas this group has been pursuing over the last 30-40 years? How concerned have they been for people and how much of their agenda is false?
It really isn’t just President Clinton’s integrity on the line here. It also it the integrity of those who defend the notion that lying, obstruction of justice and abuse of power are not impeachable, if the charges rise out of defending an illicit sexual liaison. This lowering of standard would allow ANYTHING, presumably up to and including murder, to be permissible if it arises out of personal immorality. Joseph Kennedy (R-MA) argued that " these issues do not rise to an impeachable offense. President Clinton admitted his offenses and apologized. Let us move on."
That statement speaks volume. This, after all, was the standard allowed his uncle, Senator Ted Kennedy, when he left a young woman at the bottom of a pond, clawing to get out of the car, while he called all over the State of Massachusetts trying to, apparently, cook up some kind of alibi - and never once called the police. Twelve hours later, of course, after he finally was pushed by aides to call the police, the girl he left at the bottom of the pond, Mary Jo Kepechne, was very dead.
Sen. Kennedy apologized for this incredible irresponsibility and has been re-elected every six years by the people of Massachusetts every since.
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY), an ardent feminist, redefined morality for America saying, " People understand president’s behavior was wrong, but I appeal as a woman, mother and lawmaker, let us have a formal review and move forward. We believe it is immoral that we are not rebuilding our schools, taking care of our children, and not saving social security and Medicare."
So, what one caller labeled "Clinton’s Oval Office sodomy" is "wrong" - but apparently not immoral. What is "immoral" is failing to totally federalize public education, failing to pay for any results of bad planning or immorality among women - by providing cradle to grave government child care, parent care, health care, etc.
Rep. Fattah, D-PA, charged that "None of the investigations have been fair" and warned that there would be "economic consequences" to the impeachment inquiry. Of course, whatever impact the President of the United States is going to have on the US economy in 1999-2000 will be based on what Clinton has been doing for the last six years.
But, not all the liberals were trying to create a "victim" status for President Clinton. One caller who identified himself as a liberal on the C-Span caller line said, "It’s agony to watch this debate. Clinton doesn’t care about us - he cares about himself."
It is interesting that most of the same Democrats who dragged the Iran-Contra hearings out for seven years at a cost of more than $50 million for the taxpayers and millions for those unjustly accused and never charged or indicted, convicted and then acquitted in appeals courts, are now demanding a thirty day wrap-up of the Clinton impeachment inquiry.
Rep.Bob Clement (D-TN), said the day of Clinton’s Grand Jury Testimony, less than a month ago, "My expectation is that the President testified completely and truthfully. I am looking forward to hearing him address the nation regarding this matter. …My hope is that today's proceedings will bring us toward closure, so the healing process can begin."
Yesterday Clement urged a "no" vote on the Hyde Resolution saying, "The economy is at stake. There are a lot of regional and ethnic problems we don’t need to be preoccupied with Monica." Voters need to ask themselves if they really want people in the Congress who exhibit such poor judgment as we have seen among those Democrats who voted "No" on the Hyde Amendment. Do we really want people running the country who either are easily deceived or who see no problem with both immorality and law breaking by those in power?
However, there also were members of Congress who gave brief, but very thoughtful messages to the American people. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA ) observed, "This will be a vote that we will one day need to explain to our grandchildren - why did you vote the way you did?"
Why, indeed? In fact, with the election of all members of the 106th Congress which will take us into the 21st century, that is a question every voter should consider.
Probably the best answer given was by Rep. Mary Bono, who is serving the remainder of her late husband’s term. Sonny Bono was killed last winter in a skiing accident at Lake Tahoe. Mary said, "People ask me where I get the strength to serve in the Congress after Sonny’s death. I tell them I get the strength from a day at Lake Tahoe when I gathered my children around me to tell them about the death of their father. We must look our children in the eyes and tell them the truth. This impeachment inquiry is about the truth. When we get to the truth, we will come together. I say the only way we can get to the truth quickly is through the Hyde Resolution."
The vote to pass the Hyde Resolution was 258 to 176, with 31 Democrats, many of them in tight races adding their vote to all 227 Republican votes. The real battle line between the two groups, based on the debate we heard today, is the issue brought up first in 1992 and again in 1996 - does character matter? After 30 years of sixties philosophy - that character DOESN’T matter - the nation selected a man most knew lied.
It appears that a lot of people, 59% of the Congress included, are beginning to suspect that - maybe it actually does matter, when it comes to sending our sons into undeclared wars overseas or our daughters into internships at the White House. Maybe sodomy in the Oval Office is not what we need right now as the World economy stumbles and World Peace is increasingly fragile. Maybe integrity really DOES matter after all.
To comment:mmostert@originalsources.com