Congressman Fossella Faces Pressure to Quit

Congressman Vito Fossella is the only Republican in the New York City delegation to the US House, representing Staten Island and part of Brooklyn. In recent days, police in Virginia arrested him for driving while having twice the legal limit of alcohol in his bloodstream, and the press has uncovered a second family he has started in the Washington area. Investigators have started probing the financing of a trip he made to France possibly with “wife” number 2. Now, the pressure on him to bow out with whatever grace he can muster is growing.

From somewhere in the pile of excrement into which he has stepped, Mr. Fossella said, “Over the coming weeks and months, I will continue to do my job and I will work hard to heal the deep wounds I have caused.” That’s what the politicians usually say in such a situation. It has become de rigueur. Nevertheless, he canceled a fundraiser Saturday, and his pal John Alexander (chairman and CEO of Northfield Bank) told the Staten Island Advance, “I think there is just too much going on, really, and it's not a time to have a fundraiser. We have been calling people today to cancel. It’s not a time to be asking people to donate money. You don't know what the congressman is going to do.”

The Advance and the New York Post, both rightist papers, have called from Mr. Fossella to resign his seat. The former ran a piece called, “Mr. Fossella, Resign,” which included, “In order to avoid prolonging the agony for his family, his friends, and even himself, he must leave now, remove himself from the public eye and allow this vicious one-two punch of scandalous behavior to recede into ignominy. He must do so for the sake of his family, his supporters and all his constituents in Staten Island and Brooklyn. He can no longer be of use as an elected representative now given his self-inflicted wounds.”

In an editorial called “Time to Go, Vito,” Rupert Murdoch’s minions at the New York Post wrote, “That Fossella betrayed his wife and family is between him and them. But his betrayal of his constituents was only marginally less egregious. Vito Fossella needs to just go away. Now.”

Meanwhile, House GOP Leader John Boehner has contacted Staten Island District Attorney Dan Donovan about throwing his hat into the ring. The seat is a relatively safe one for the Republicans, but if Mr. Fossella is the candidate, the seat will go to the Democrats in November. Timing has become the paramount issue. Should he resign before July 1, Governor Patterson can call a special election. If he waits beyond that date, the seat will stay vacant. Is it better for the GOP to fight the seat now and again in November (spending extra money, but having the advantage of incumbency) or merely once in November (saving some campaign cash, but lacking an incumbent)? This journal suggests, for the good of his constituents and his party, that Mr. Fossella get out of Congress today, and let Mr. Donovan have a clear shot at the job.

© Copyright 2008 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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