Zeev's Turnips Talk Politics (ZTTP)

[Rick Faurot]

Cosponsor of the Federal Marriage Ammendment resigns.
Ranked 2nd MOST CONSERVATIVE by the right-wing National Journal....
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until an audio tape surfaced:
August 30 RICHMOND, Va. (AP)

U.S. Rep. Edward L. Schrock abruptly announced Monday that he will not seek a third term in Congress, citing unspecified allegations that have "called into question" his ability to serve.

Although Schrock did not comment on why he decided against seeking re-election, several Virginia Republicans said allegations that Schrock is gay have roiled the party since they were posted on a Web log Aug. 19.

Schrock is married and a conservative who voted for legislation to ban gay marriages.

Republicans from Schrock's conservative district, which includes Norfolk and the resort city of Virginia Beach, said they had planned to discuss the allegations at a party meeting Tuesday. Now they'll meet that day to choose a replacement candidate.

"We're shocked and stunned more than saddened right now," said Virginia Beach Republican Party Chairman Mark McKinney. "What I read on the Internet was a complete and utter surprise to me."

Schrock, 63, a retired Navy officer and Vietnam veteran, said in a five-paragraph statement that allegations have surfaced in recent weeks "that have called into question my ability to represent the citizens of Virginia's Second Congressional District."

He continued: "Therefore, as of today, I am stepping aside and will no longer be the Republican nominee for Congress."

The release said Schrock would not comment further on his decision, nor did he comment specifically on the allegations.

Allegations that Schrock is gay were posted on blogactive.com by Michael Rogers, who said his blog is aimed at exposing "hypocrites" in Congress.

Schrock's decision leaves the Republicans scrambling to field another candidate to oppose Democratic lawyer David B. Ashe.

"I am totally, totally shocked and disappointed. Whatever it is, he should have stayed in and fought it. He's a good Republican," said Juanita Bailey of Newport News, a delegate at the Republican National Convention in New York.

U.S. Rep. Tom Davis, a fellow Virginia Republican, said Schrock had indicated he was considering retiring when he spoke to him last week.

"He's a very intense guy, and he's got a lot of things going on in his life. I'm really sorry to see him leave."

Ashe was shocked by the move.

"Wow. I had not heard that. That's really something," Ashe said in a telephone interview. He said his thoughts were with Schrock and his family and he thanked the congressman for his career of service.

With Schrock out of the race, attention turned to state legislators as possible replacements on the Nov. 2 ballot. The 2nd District Republican Committee planned to choose a nominee Tuesday, just three days ahead of a deadline to get names on the ballot, state GOP spokesman Shawn M. Smith said.

Tom Davis and his wife, state Sen. Jeannemarie Devolites Davis, said four legislators had expressed interest in running for Schrock's seat.

Schrock was elected to the seat in a 2000 Republican sweep of Virginia in an area that is home to the world's largest U.S. naval base.

In January 2001, Schrock was elected president of the Republican House freshman class and landed a seat on the House Armed Services Committee.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/20...

Rep. Ed Schrock, a two-term Republican congressman from Virginia, announced that he would resign abruptly today, citing unspecified allegations.

Those allegations were that he was gay, and that several voicemail messages he left on a phone sex service came into the posession of gay activists, who posted one on their blog.

Schrock said only: “In recent weeks, allegations have surfaced that have called into question my ability to represent the citizens of Virginia’s Second Congressional Distict.” He would not elaborate on the allegations.

Over the past two weeks, a Washington-based Web site has spread claims that Schrock was gay, and the Virginia Pilot noted this in their article but failed to elaborate. That site claims that gay activists are in posession of tapes of several phone calls to gay phone sex lines.

Rep. Schrock was one of several dozen to cosponsor the Federal Marriage Amendment of July 2004, which aimed to constitutionally prohibit gay marriage.

A ranking member of a popular liberal blog site, Daily Kos, has said that he has heard one of the tapes. The alleged tape one of Schrock’s calls is now available on the Internet, at BlogActive.

Raw Story’s transcript of the tape is as follows (click here for audio file).

“Uh, hi, I weigh 200 pounds, I’m 6'4? (inaudible) blond hair….very muscular, very buffed up, uh, very tanned, uh, I just like to get together a guy from time to time, just to, just to play. I’d like him to be in very good shape, flat stomach, good chest, good arms, well hung, cut, uh, just get naked, play, and see what happens, nothing real heavy duty, but just, fun time, go down on him, he can go down on me, and just take it from there… hope to hear from you. Bye.”

“I’ve actually heard part of one tape, played to me over the phone by a “friend in high places” in DC,” the Kos member said. “The tip-off was probably when he said, ‘You must be very discreet. I cannot overemphasize that,’ while the rest definitely did not sound like what a member of Congress might say.”

The member noted, “The National Journal ties him as the second most conservative person in all of Congress in 2003, behind only Dennis Hastert. A strong family man with a wife and kids, Schrock was a co-sponsor of the Federal Marriage Amendment and opposes any possible rights for gay people, including non-discrimination in employment.”

The Virginia Pilot reported in October 2000 that Schrock favored ending the Clinton administration’s ‘’don’t ask, don’t tell'’ policy on gays in the military, BlogActive said.

“He supports asking enlistees whether they have had homosexual experiences in an effort to to try to keep gays from serving. ‘You’re in the showers with them, you’re in the bunk room with them, you’re in staterooms with them,’ Schrock said.”

Schrock has a 92 percent vote rating from the Christian coalition, and a zero percent rating from the Human Rights Campaign.

Schrock said he would not seek reelection in a press release.

“After much thought and prayer, I have come to the realization that these allegations will not allow my campaign to focus on the real issues facing our nation and region,” Schrock said. “Therefore, as of today, I am stepping aside and will no longer be the Republican nominee for Congress in Virginia’s Second Congressional District.”

All three of Rep. Schrock’s offices stopped taking phone calls on Friday. BlogActive, the Washington based site that leveled the charges, has yet to break the story into the national media.

http://www.bluelemur.com/index.php?p=275