EXFOLEYATING. Noam Scheiber highlights (with suitable amusement) the early signs that Republicans are going to be dogged by "concerned citizens"-style groups regarding Foleygate; meanwhile, Josh Marshall makes a big-picture case for why this scandal is going to devastate the GOP. His point about Tom Reynolds deserves elaboration. Reynolds is caught in the middle of the cover-up story, which is bad enough, and even worse given his crucially important role as NRCC chairman. But Reynolds's perch as head of the campaign committee was already becoming extremely uncomfortable, given that his moderate New York district seat is far from safe. As The Hill noted over the summer, Reynolds has been airing reelection ads in his district that take pains not to mention his party affiliation -- an awkward tactic for the guy who's in charge of boosting his party's national prospects this fall. Foleygate just adds another huge headache to an already distracted NRCC head.
--Sam Rosenfeld
