Reason 7 to vote Democratic

Reason 7 to vote Democratic: Republic morality -- or, rather, the lack of.

While Republicans often embrace religion- and morality-based issues, some party members nevertheless engage in questionable behavior. And, at least in one recent incident, key Republican leaders in Congress apparently knew about a U.S. House member’s questionable behavior for more than a year and did nothing.

The person in question: Former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley. The Florida Republican allegedly sent sexually explicit e-mails and instant messages to male, high school-age pages who worked for him and other congressmen at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.

Foley abruptly resigned from office Sept. 29 when ABC News confronted him about the issue.

If that’s not enough, consider this: Kirk Fordham, Foley’s one-time chief of staff, said he notified House Speaker Dennis Hastert’s chief of staff in 2003 about Foley’s inappropriate conduct. Obviously, little, if anything, was done.

And that’s simply not acceptable. Let’s put an end to the hypocrisy that has gripped the Republican Party, which has long tried to maintain a monopoly on morality issues and has failed. Vote Democratic.