U.S. Electile Dysfunction 2016

[xilman]

Originally Posted by kladner

Summary:
Two very religious (by their own accounts) Tea Party legislators, each married to someone else, have an affair. Fearing disclosure, they concoct a scheme to make it appear that someone is trying to smear the guy with allegations of shenanigans with a gay prostitute. They hope that this will be far more salacious, and thereby divert attentions from what is really going on.

Am I right in assuming that at most one participant is male?

From your description, two husbands married to two wives could be having an affair with each other but your choice of "the guy" suggests otherwise.

[kladner]

Originally Posted by xilman

Am I right in assuming that at most one participant is male?

From your description, two husbands married to two wives could be having an affair with each other but your choice of "the guy" suggests otherwise.

Oops! The participants are male and female. They are both in hetero marriages with third and fourth parties.

[ewmayer]

Originally Posted by kladner

Two very religious (by their own accounts) Tea Party legislators, each married to someone else, have an affair.

Thanks for the behind-the-paywall synopsis, but - at the risk of my being seen as a pitnicker - 'twouldn't be much of an affair if they were married to each other, would it? I recall a funny Calvin & Hobbes daily strip along these lines - Calvin is home sick on a school day, lying in bed, thermometer in mouth, watching a daytime TV soap opera whose content is rendered via speech bubbles. I paraphrase:

*kiss* *smooch*
"Darling, I have a madly impulsive idea! Let's run off together and get married!"
"But dear, we already are married ... or did you mean to each other?"

Originally Posted by xilman

I still find it mildly ridiculous that anyone should be in any way interested in the sexual activities of anyone else, but that's life. I never claimed to understand it very well.

It may be ridiculous in general, but when it comes to people who do just that in a mass sense by publicly waxing indignant over certain practices they find repugnant/wicked/sinful/bad/naughty/evil/what-have-you and in many cases even advocate legislation which coerces the government into 'taking an interest', then are caught in flagrante, they are entirely fair game, IMO.

[LaurV]

What nobody stressed is the fact that these two idiots had (a football team of) kids at their homes, which may have to suffer (from the scandal, broken families, whatever). It is a pity when men/women think with their penises/clits (or viceversa? )...

[schickel]

I think the real money quote is this one:

In May, the two allegedly concocted a scheme to conceal their relationship.

Courser reportedly tried to get his former aide, Ben Graham, to send a mass e-mail suggesting Courser had been caught having sex with a male prostitute. It called Courser a "bi-sexual porn addicted sex deviant" and Gamrat a "tramp."

Such claims, Courser said, would make the affair seem "mild by comparison."

Just follow the logic here. They figured that if people found out that there was an affair involved that "at least it wasn't a gay affair". The horror!

It's also interesting how some people look at the possibility of redemption. Todd Courser, the male half of this couple stepped down while awaiting a vote to remove him saying:

Whether it was the third vote or the fourth vote or the fifth vote, they were going to eventually get me," he said according to the Associated Press.

He added: "It's been hell."

Cindy Gamrat, the other half of this dynamic duo asked for something a little less onerous in a speech before being voted off the island forced out in a 91-to-12 vote:

I firmly believe in restoration and redemption. I have done everything I can to redeem this situation, and I'm sincerely sorry for what this has caused. I still believe my actions warrant censure, but not expulsion.

I guess if you're really, really sorry that makes it all right.

[kladner]

Originally Posted by LaurV

What nobody stressed is the fact that these two idiots had (a football team of) kids at their homes, which may have to suffer (from the scandal, broken families, whatever). It is a pity when men/women think with their penises/clits (or viceversa? )...

I agree. The "Ranty", see above, expresses me well, in that regard. Thinking with "the little head" of whatever gender can lead to very bad results. I speak from experiences, unfortunately, but probably most people can.

[schickel]

Don't know if politicians behaving badly deserve a thread of their own, but there was a story linked from the above story from Michigan, also on WaPo's political blog:

Originally Posted by WaPo

Last month, a park ranger in Minnesota issued citations to a man and a woman, who, he reported, were "making out" in a car.

The reason you're reading about that encounter here, on a Washington Post political blog, is because the man and woman who received the public nuisance citations are Minnesota state lawmakers.

They're denying the ranger's account, which was noted in court records.

State Reps. Tim Kelly and Tara Mack, both Republicans, were issued citations following an incident that allegedly occurred on Aug. 25 in a park in Eagan, Minn., according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

"The two, who are married to other people, were in Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan when they were allegedly spotted by the officer 'making out' in a parked car about 4:30 p.m., according to documents," the Pioneer Press reported." The officer's notes claim Mack was half undressed when he approached the vehicle."

Just by luck, they have a good excuse: it was all a mistake!

"I was driving down to Red Wing through Eagan last Tuesday and met Rep. Mack to pick up some documents regarding South Country Health Alliance," Kelly said in his statement. "When we met, a park ranger approached my vehicle and told me I was double-parked. I disputed his characterization and got out of the car to take a picture. He became visibly agitated and returned to his own car.

"Approximately ten minutes later, he returned to my vehicle with a parking ticket citing a nuisance. When I asked what that meant, he responded 'whatever I want it to mean.'"

Too bad the park rangers haven't got their body cams yet. Maybe she was just keeping the documents secure....

[LaurV]

Well, how many 10 minutes she needs to pick up some documents? Hehe, this is like in the joke with the wife cooking something in a pot and telling the husband "I go to Jane (a neighbor) for 5 minutes, please don't forget to stir into that pot every 10 minutes"

[ewmayer]

Grief Without Wisdom: Joe Biden’s Empty Authenticity | Counterpunch

I briefly considered tuning in to Colbert's new vehicle until I saw the guest list for the inaugural night.

[R.D. Silverman]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

Grief Without Wisdom: Joe Biden’s Empty Authenticity | Counterpunch

Bob's rule #3, for every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.

[Brian-E]

Originally Posted by ewmayer

Grief Without Wisdom: Joe Biden’s Empty Authenticity | Counterpunch

Originally Posted by R.D. Silverman

Bob's rule #3, for every action there is an equal and opposite criticism.

Right, and only the original action requires any energy to carry it out. The criticism is effortless.