Republicans Gone Wild!

Stupid Is As Stupid Does Vol. 2…enjoy…

This edition will deal with the recent spat of Republicans getting into hot water. You know, the same Republicans that claim family values are of the utmost importance…until they decide otherwise.

First up, is a story that broke last week.

Hypocrisy, thy name is Ensign.

John Ensign that is. This upstanding gentleman is the Senator of Nevada. Last week Mr. Ensign admitted that he had carried out a nearly year-long extramarital affair with a female member of his campaign staff.

Normally, this is where the story stops being interesting. It’s not shocking that yet another politician admits that he cheated on his wife. This is obviously a moral issue and I bet every person here would have a different opinion in regards to what a politician’s next step should be.

Should they automatically resign? Does their personal life matter if they are still doing their job well? These are questions that could be debated forever. However, the reason I have such anger is because the story does not stop there.

Not only did he have an affair with someone he works closely with, but she was married…to another one of his employees! Oh, and the husband wasn’t just an employee, he was Ensign’s freakin SENIOR AIDE. If this is how he treats those closest to him, how can he be trusted to treat the general public well?

Still not angered? Is this story still kinda “ho-hum, no surprises here”? Don’t worry it isn’t done.

According to a Washington Post story, the woman’s salary doubled during the time she had the affair with Ensign. Her husband also got additional pay during this time and their son was put on the payroll.  No red flags there…

So, to recap – this moron completely abused his power and had a hand in giving the whole family extra money. It can safely be assumed that he did this to take care of his mistress and to ease his guilt over what he was doing behind the father and son’s backs.

What’s that you say? Shouldn’t Ensign get bonus points for randomly admitting the affair? Most politicians lie in the face of overwhelming evidence that they are cheaters before finally admitting the truth, so this was a nice change of pace, right?

Yea..no. Soon after his press conference, some media outlets reported that the husband found out about the affair and was threatening to go public.

Oh, but it’s not done. Here’s where the hypocrisy comes in…

Ensign was EXTREMELY vocal during the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal back in the late 90s. He called out Clinton for his actions saying, it was “an embarrassing moment for the country…I think we have to feel very sad for the American people.”

He even went so far as to say Clinton should resign – “I came to that conclusion recently, and frankly it’s because of what he put his whole Cabinet through and what he has put the country through…He has no credibility left.”

So, regardless of where you stand on this issue, how could you not demand that this man resign? If he doesn’t, he is a complete hypocrite and HE will be the one with no credibility left. How can you publicly call someone out and demand they quit their job and then not follow your own advice?

Politicians have their word and that is about it. The public has to trust them to not only do what is right for the community/country, but also practice what they preach. His attacks on Clinton seem so empty now and it would be hard to rally behind this jackass the next time he calls someone else out.

If I was a constituent in Nevada, I would be calling for this man’s resignation letter IMMEDIATELY.

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The next story hits close to home because it involves South Carolina’s Governor. Republican Mark Sanford has had a crazy week.

A few days ago the media in South Carolina started reporting that Governor Sanford was essentially missing. NO ONE knew where the hell he was. Not even his WIFE. However, no one seemed to be concerned. It was odd to say the least.

The details slowly started to come out yesterday and it got weirder and weirder. Here is a timeline that I stole from The State, which broke most of this story:

“Thursday

Sanford leaves the Governor’s Mansion in a black State Law Enforcement Division Suburban assigned to his security detail. A precise time is unavailable.

Friday

Law enforcement officials get no response to phone and text messages sent to Sanford.

Saturday

The governor’s office reports to police that there is no reason for concern but provides no details.

SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) chief Reggie Lloyd confirms that Sanford’s whereabouts are known.

Sunday

Lt. Gov. (aka the man who should be in charge when the Governor is missing/hurt/otherwise unable to do his job) Andre Bauer learns Sanford’s whereabouts are unknown.

Monday

Monday morning — Reporters hear rumors that Sanford’s location is a mystery.

2:30 p.m. State Sen. Jake Knotts issues a statement raising questions about Sanford’s absence, asking who is in charge of the executive branch of S.C. government.

2:40 p.m. The State newspaper posts an online article saying Sanford has been out of reach for four days.

2:50 p.m. The governor’s office issues a statement that Sanford “is taking some time away from the office this week to recharge after the stimulus battle. … We are not going to discuss the specifics.”

3 p.m. The Associated Press reports that first lady Jenny Sanford says she does not know where her husband is, but he is taking time away from their four boys, “to write something.” She says she is not worried.

Midafternoon Sanford security officials are told by the governor’s office that he is OK. No details are provided.

3:40 p.m. The lieutenant governor’s office says Sanford’s office says it has spoken to Sanford and knows where he is.

5 p.m. As media inquiries escalate to include national news outlets, Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer issues another statement. It says in part, “Before leaving last week, (Sanford) let staff know his whereabouts and that he’d be difficult to reach.” He declines to elaborate. Sawyer also doesn’t know whether Sanford is still in the country.

10:05 p.m. The governor’s office issues a statement saying Sanford is hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Staff members do not know where Sanford is on the trail and will not say whether he is hiking with anyone.

Tuesday

9:42 a.m. The governor’s office issues a statement saying staffers have spoken with Sanford and he will return to work today.

Wednesday

Gov. Sanford arrives in the early morning at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport for the drive back to Columbia.”

Yikes! Sanford held an odd, rambling press conference today to explain where he was. Well, as it turns out Sanford was in Argentina…visiting a married woman with whom he has been having an affair with for the last year. (For those who are curious, Sanford’s wife has known about it for 5 months.)

There are so many issues here. Once again, there are obvious moral issues –  cheating on your spouse, lieing to those closest to you (telling his staff he would be hiking the Appalachian Trail when in actuality he was in another country), and allowing your subordinates to look incomptent – but these things could be debated in regards to if we, the public, needs to know about them.

What can NOT be debated is that because Sanford completely abused his power, possibly broke some laws, and did not pass along his plans to staffers which meant NO ONE WAS IN CHARGE OF THE STATE WHILE HE WAS GONE, the public needed to know.

He was completely unreachable while he was out visiting his mistress, which means if there was some kind of state emergency, the State of South Carolina would have been screwed.

The Lt. Gov should be the next in charge, but if he is unprepared or unaware that he needs to step in, valuable time could have been wasted.

What type of emergency could have happened? Oh, I don’t know…maybe an out-of-control wild fire…or a hurricane since it is hurricane season. What’s the big deal? Can’t the rest of the state government step in?

Well, remember when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and how devastating it was to that city? Imagine the same scenario made worse because the Governor was nowhere to be found and important decisons were delayed due to the fact that no one knew where the Hell he was or how to reach him!

The whole state and federal government was in tact and bracing for Hurricane Katrina and we still fucked it up!

To me, this situation is unforgiveable. Sanford should resign for these irresponsible transgressions.

I don’t know how, but I am going to make my opinion known to the Governor’s office. Even if it is just a letter or email to other legislators, I plan on submitting something.

Side note – He is just as big of a hypocrite as Ensign. He did the whole “Clinton should resign” dance and called out a few other politicians for lieing to the public or cheating on their wives. He also had campaign ads toting his Christian values and honesty. Douche. Bag.

Affairs are nothing to laugh at or ignore when they involve those governing our towns, states, and/or country, but it’s an issue that could be debated. Do we need to know about their personal lives if it does not affect our own lives, prevent their jobs from being done, does not abuse power, or does not involve using any State-issued funds? Where does privacy end?

“Luckily,” these two situations don’t need to be debated. These two men took their affairs above and beyond the basic moral implications.

Both should resign effective immediately.