Courtesy Nevada Sen. John Ensignās extramarital affair, weāre in the middle of a prime moment. Not only do Americans increasingly support things like same-sex marriage and letting gays serve openly in the military, but one of the leading members of the opposition ā the GOP ā just so badly tarnished the notion of āfamily valuesā that to not exploit the Republicansā moral hole would be legislative malpractice.
A staunch opponent to gay marriage and adding gays to hate crimes protections, Ensign just opened up the GOP to an assault on the very morals and ethics it supposedly maintains.
Thereās Ensignās affair, sure, but what about the cash he paid his mistress? And how he used GOP funds to pay her son? When quizzed on the scandal, top Republican leaders had (for once) nothing to say on the matter, either refusing to comment or simply noting Ensignās affair was a āpersonal matter.ā
But that little personal matter means plenty to us.
Ensign just enabled Democrats to make moot any Republican opposition to gay rights legislation. The GOP throws around the term āfamily valuesā so often, itās worth less than the dollar. And now, if the Dems could get it together and put a repeal to, say, DADT on the books, or go so far as to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act, Republicans would have a difficult time maintaining that āsanctity of marriageā talking point theyāre so fond of, given Ensignās absolute mockery of it.
Rich
But they wont…
SM
@Rich:
How about the MILLIONS OF GAY PEOPLE in the United States who want full equality use this to start winning issues.
But they won’t
Bruno
Um, if it was as easy as capitalizing on the GOP screwing up their display of family values, we’d have had marriage equality 30 years ago.
Zack
Havn’t you heard. According to Ensign himself, his adultery has “strengthened” his marriage. Of course us homos are still tring to destory it but by golly,his cheating isn’t.
Kieran
You have absolutely no clue. The worst possible things for Dems to do is to get involved. This man is self-destructing by himself. The media is sniffing the story out on its own. The Dems don’t even need to touch the situation to get a win without looking mean or unseemly.
But of course, any chance for this site to whine and get in a self-righteous huff…
mb00
Nope, they the Dems won’t do a single thing about it because they don’t want to lose the Freakstians who do vote democratic. The democratic party will always sacrifice us for the Christian majority. Always. This man isn’t the first to have had an affair and be caught doing it, nor will he be the last. If the Dems wanted us to have full equal rights, they would’ve done the right thing decades ago and given us those rights without having to wait for some GOP so fuck it up.
mb00
and we can always write him and tell him exactly what a hypocrite he is:
http://ensign.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=Contact.ContactForm
Joanaroo
Unfortunately the Dems seem to need common sense first to tell them to get moving and get pro-gay work done! They are dragging their feet and need some motivation by putting a fire under their butts. Any more pandering to the Christies by Obama and he might as well change his party.
InExile
Write your congressman and senator today.
Tell them no more money$$$$ and no more support until they produce and pass legislation on repeal of DOMA, DADT, and legislation on ENDA , Hate Crimes, and Civil Unions with full federal benefits.
They really need to hear from us on these issues. With Obama’s CNN coverage 2 days ago saying he wants to work with congress on repeal of DOMA, the religious right must be flooding our politicians with letters telling them NOT to repeal DOMA!
osocubano
And what evidence is there to conclude they aren’t morons?
gayvirgo
I would like to see someone ask an anti gay rights senator or activist the following question:
“Given the facts that have now come to light about Sen. Ensign’s affair, his use of public funds, etc, and his contribution to the erosion of traditional marriage, would you be willing to sign legislation stripping him of his right to marry?”
I agree with Maddow in that this issue opens up that hole in the argument. I have often wondered why no one takes up this point. I mean if they want to protect this ‘historical form’ of traditional marriage then where are the consequences for harming that form with adultery and divorce?
Thom Freeheart
When Rachel Maddow goes after Barack Obama and the Democrats for stepping on the civil rights of gays the way that she goes after Republicans, THEN I’ll give a shit about what she says.
Robert, NYC
Lets be realistic, I detest the hypocrisy and double standard of the GOP and the Dems alike, just as bad. What his aberrant behavior does is weaken their moral argument against same sex marriage and also helps to destroy the myth that our right to marry doesn’t have anything to do with the break up of theirs. This is proof enough. Last time I checked, there is NO marriage equality in his state to affect his own or anybody else’s. End of argument. Where is the religious right in all this, why aren’t they taking him to task as they did with Larry Craig and others? Remember Clinton’s impeachment? ALL down to THEM led by adulterer Henry Hyde (now deceased), seconded by fellow adulterer Newt Gingrich et al, both with strong religious beliefs.
Robert, NYC
@gayvirgo:
The historical tradition of marriage is all based in religion. That’s what we need to be mindful of. Civil marriage is an entirely different form of marriage without any religious component. Therefore, NO religious cult should have a say in who is entitled to a civil marriage which it does NOT OWN anyway, nor should it be entitled to any input in the political process since its virtually all tax-exempt at our expense. They can’t have it both ways, either pay up or STFU.
scott ny'er
we need more comedians, like Letterman, going off on this hypocrisy. When popular comedians bring these issues up, it tends to help shed some light on the less illuminated.
galefan2004
Are you kidding? Seriously, do you think this is the first time the GOP has tarnished its image on “family values”? If you do then you have a terrible memory. The thing is, when you start attacking the whole party based on the actions of one person, all you really manage to do is fuel the fire of the religious right. The Dems and the gays are better off just letting this incident play out in the media instead of trying to capitalize on it. When you start sinking to other people’s levels to try to win the game you lose a crap load of respect, and the gay community will get nowhere without the respect of straight allies.
J. Clarence
They won’t. Partly because the Democrats have their own sex scandals, and the Senate just doesn’t work that way. They protect each other. Oh also, because Harry Reid is a spineless old fart.
Cam
Again, can we just say that ANY politician orwell known person, who is virulently opposed to gay marriage is automatically …
1. Cheating on their spouse or
2. a Closet Case.
That is the case with ALL of them, seriously.
Tom D Frog
Yes the liberal and gay friendly media outlets should skewer GOP asses who spout family values while not living them.
Why has Mel Gibson not been drawn and quartered. Last I checked this BIG OLD CATHOLIC just got divorced! That is fundamentally against his religion. So, he can run around saying the Bible says marriage is between a Man and Woman but when it comes to the Bible forbidding divorce as the Catholics believe, well then it isn’t about the Bible but the laws of the State of California.
The Hypocrisy of religious people pisses me off. Especially when no one calls them on it.
t.
edgyguy1426
If I were in charge of advertising, I’d come out with a ‘Family Values’ or ‘Traditional Marriage’ Top Ten Offenders List. But I’m not SO.. I’ve decided to make my own list and make my own little guerilla posters in my own neighborhood.
Maybe put one of those little black bars of shame over their eyes…
Cam
@Tom D Frog: You said “Yes the liberal and gay friendly media outlets should skewer GOP asses who spout family values while not living them.
Why has Mel Gibson not been drawn and quartered. Last I checked this BIG OLD CATHOLIC just got divorced! ”
__________________________________________-
You are SO right, in fact, he runs a church that still has mass in Latin because they think the current church is too liberal. Yet he cheated on his wife and is getting a divorce. Remember, these “Family Values” folks ONLY want to talk about the rules that they are in no danger of breaking. i.e. they love talking about gay issues if they are straight, but will NEVER mention Adultery or Divorce. No way, that would lose them too many of their flock. Hypocritical idiots.
Mike
People fall, they stumble and get back up, including republican congressmen. Who cares if he had an affair. He said he was sorry, he wishes he could take it back. Republican or democrat, just try to understand and leave the guy alone.
Dennis
@Mike:
People use gays as punching bags, hypocrite douchebag people cheat on their spouses, get divorced, and then have another “sacred” marriage, people like to wear diapers and visit hookers while defending traditional family values, etc. etc. etc.
Hey genius, the point here is that he is another asshole who actively discriminates against us, and in private, he’s a lying cheating “sinner” and hypocrite…NO PASS, no forgiveness until he apologizes to US, the people he attemts to harm, while doing his own shit in private.
Captain Freedom
The GOP is a one-word punchline. Anytime you want to bash the Christian Race Party you only need to say “that’s so Republican”.
I say we not waste our time on this. This is pure self-destruction of a party that is already falling apart. The Democrats will try to exploit this to distract attention away from the fact that their LGBT policies are truly not much different under Chairman MaObama.
The Guy Formerly Known As Devious Steve O
I’m all for every last one of these GOP douche-spews to die in a horrible, fiery crash of some sort… especially the ‘family values’ crowd. Hey! What about the whore wife in all of this? She’s just as guilty.
Robert, NYC
@Mike:
Yes, people do fall and get up and move on. BUT….in his case….he espoused strong religious beliefs, beliefs that caused him to vote against marriage equality while he made a conscious decision to commit adultery with another married women over a period of time. If he had any decency, he would have ended it after the first contact with the woman. We’re supposed to give him a free pass while the bastard votes our rights away? Same applies to straight Dems too. Its obvious that HYPOCRISY AND BIGOTRY DON’T APPLY IF YOU’RE STRAIGHT and even more so if one happens to be religious and a republican. They’ve LOST all arguments against CIVIL marriage equality in my book. They’re the biggest detriment to marriage and FAMILY VALUES, not us.
Name(required)
Why exploit him for being a republican when the democrats are the one who’ve been taking our money and fu$king us.
Dennis
@Name(required):
I support the current harder line that gays are taking against the DNC 100%… but it is flat out wrong to say there is NO difference between the parties.
The fact is that 90+% of ANY (little) progress we’ve made has been with democratic sponsorship/support and 90+% of LGBT political persecution has originated from rethuglicans.
Dems need some ‘tough love’ from us to deliver, but relying on neo-cons, Jeebus freaks, and Limbaugh fans to EVER reliably deliver for us is insane.
schlukitz
@Robert, NYC:
“Where is the religious right in all this, why aren’t they taking him to task as they did with Larry Craig and others? Remember Clinton’s impeachment?”
Because the religious right is every so ready to forgive and forget…just as long as it is one of their own…a god-fearing, heterosexual…created in the image of god.
But forgive a faggot, who “chooses” to live against god’s laws?
No fucking way. Hell will freeze over before that ever happens!
Robert, NYC
@Dennis:
Dennis, NOT ONE republican including McCain has ever authored ONE piece of equality legislation in the history of the party and none will because they’re beholden to the immensely wealthy and powerful right wing religious mega churches and other religious businesses that donate vast amounts of money to make sure we remain where we are. Religion controls everything they do. They have over 1 million Log Cabin members, not one of them has had any influence on equality legislation within their party and the reason why? Its not a high priority for them, maintenance of the status quo is first and foremost, accumulation of wealth, fancy health insurance coverage, the biggest tax breaks for the wealthiest among them and to hell with the “little” people, you and I. Log Cabiners are that naive to think that because they are republicans, theirs is a party of inclusion. Until it runs on equality issues, it will remain what its always been, an extremely regressive party of exclusion. It cost them the last election and it will continue to do so. It has absolutely NO appeal to the younger generation of voters, the ones who helped get Obama elected, a generation that overwhelmingly believes in our equality and are pro-choice. If the GOP hasn’t learned that, it will remain where it will always remain, in political exile, deservedly so. I’m grateful to the Limbaughs, Hannity’s, Becks, Savages and O’Reilly’s of this world, every time they open their mouths they alienate the GOP even more to the right. Long may that continue.
schlukitz
@Robert, NYC:
“They can’t have it both ways, either pay up or STFU.”
I agree 100% with you.
Unfortunately, they are not about to to do that, Robert. The religious right in Maine have just hired the same legal group who successfully defended Prop8 in California and and another NO Prop could be on the ballot as early as the November elections, if the required number of signatures can be collected to do so.
I believe there is a post about this on another thread.
And, as was sadly demonstrated in California, our Prez. will look the other way as he explores new ways in which to insult and put us down with.
It is becoming increasingly obvious that these retards will spend themselves into oblivion, even if it means loosing the roof over their heads to the mortgage company.
Such is the madness of lemmings.
I believe there is a post about this on another thread.
schlukitz
Pay no mind to the last sentence. I forgot to delete it when I copied and pasted it up to the end of the third paragraph.
schlukitz
@Tom D Frog:
“Especially when no one calls them on it.”
And why is that , I ask? Even the atheists, who are the most despised segment of our population by organized religion, followed by LGBT people who are non-religious, feel this need to be “respectful” to an organzation that is not in the least respectful to anyone, not even to their own.
They lie, cheat, steal, malign, persecute, demonize, sexually molest and even have killed people in their dark past and eveyone give them a free pass…plus a tax-break as a reward.
Why are we so fucking afraid of these people…in the 21st century, no less? We’ve learned that the world is not flat. We’ve learned that the sun does not revolve around the earth. We’ve sent a man to to the moon and sent our robotic space craft to beyond the moon and we have an “eye in the sky” peering into deep space that is constantly “redefining” the universe that we live in.
So why are we still fearful of demons, worshipping sky pixies and so unwilling to challenge people who are still living in the dark ages and who are totally unwilling to be challenged or take a look at their outdated notions of “tradition”.
Tradition = The willingness and desire to remain stuck in ignorance.
And we all know well the reason why these ignorant fucks choose to remain stuck in their ignorance.
It’s all they’ve got. When the reality of the world finally crumbles their dark world of existence, it’s all over for them.
The Pope, the bishops and all the minions of the church will have to go out and find a job, just like the rest of us and do an honest day’s work instead of living off their flock like parasites.
Oh, and they will also have to pay taxes…like the rest of us.
I like that part the most! I so love a story with a happy ending.
schlukitz
@Mike:
“Republican or democrat, just try to understand and leave the guy alone.”
Now, if only the Republicans and the Democrats would just try to understand and leave us alone.
galefan2004
@Cam: Have you seen Passion of the Snuff Film? No one that has honestly seen that movie can claim that Gibson is straight. If that movie was made by a gay producer the content wouldn’t have changed but the reception would have.
galefan2004
@schlukitz: The churches are HEMORRHAGING members. They lose more than they gain every single year. Religion is slowly dieing, but a 2000 year old movement doesn’t disappear over night. Oh, and the atheists I know are far from respectful of religion.
schlukitz
@galefan2004:
That is such encouraging news. All of it. š
Andrew
Here’s Sen. Reid’s statement on the matter (through a spokesman):
“āThis is a very personal matter. Senator Reidās thoughts are with Senator Ensign and his family as they go through this difficult time.ā
Wow. Those are some tough words. Damn. I hope Ensign doesn’t jump off a bridge, despondent from such a harsh rebuke.
This will blow over. The GOP will remain, in the eyes of the American general public, the party of “family values” and “traditional values” and “moral certitude” blah blah blah.
Robert, NYC
@schlukitz:
Yes, I read about that earlier today. Maybe we should all get a proposition of our own going in the thirty states where DOMA exists such as having the anti SSM religious cults’ tax-exempt status removed for starters, just to give them a dose of their own hate medicine. We’ve become too passive.
drresol
Thing is, if you asked my dad about this (minister, hardcore republican), he would definitely express disappointment and perhaps even disdain towards this mans conduct, but *politically* he would still vote republican. Even for this man. The key is that he votes anti-gay/”pro-family values”, so he’s representing what pops and his fellow godly republicans want represented, regardless if he himself isn’t living up to it in his own personal life.
Robert, NYC
@drresol:
That’s hardly the domain of republicans, even some democrats think and vote the same way. What it boils down to is that people who react in this manner are actually supporting hypocrisy as well as promoting it. That’s the dilemma these so called “christians” find themselves in. Hardly what one would call honest and decent. Rewarding that kind of behavior by giving blind support to it by not holding the party to a higher standard is immoral no matter which side of the aisle one happens to be on. In any event, Ensign’s behavior has definitely eroded the GOP’s anti equality stand and persistent support of DOMA and DADT. There are many more people like Ensign, in both parties….its just a question of time before they are found out. Beware of the family values politicians from now on, there are plenty of skeletons in their closets and they are all suspect as far as I’m concerned.
drresol
@Robert, NYC:
True it exposes galling hypocrisy, but I still don’t think incidents like Ensign’s will actually erode the strength of the GOP’s stance on DOMA or DADT. They hold those positions (obviously) because there is a sizable base of anti-gay voters to draw from and thus benefit from said position, not because they actually hold those beliefs personally. Obviously Ensign and Larry Craig are not “pro-family”(at least not their own). And besides…”pro-family” is just a euphemism for anti-gay. It just makes it sound less harsh.
I think all these incidents do is merely change the name/face of the republican politician voting against our rights. The underlying problem is the anti-gay sentiments that make it beneficial for them to do so.
Robert, NYC
@drresol:
I’m not sure about that. Listening to Megan McCain recently who I think holds the key to the future of the GOP, thinks this sort of thing and the anti-gay attitude of the GOP is going to further alienate them. She thinks it will NEVER attract the younger upcoming voting generation because many don’t identify with the conservatism or religion in the equation. What I do think is that their persistent hypocrisy will serve to weaken their argument, the moderates will eventually have to confront the issue, sooner rather than later. They have no choice if they want to remain a viable alternative.
Personally, I agree with Bill Maher….the Democrats are the new moderate republicans (centrists), the republicans are the looney extremist right. The only true lefties are Dennis Kucinich (my idol), Ralph Nader and to some extent Ted Kennedy. The democrats need to get back to their roots and core values to make any discernable difference between the two we currently have, that are almost the same party.
galefan2004
@Andrew: The truth is that the Dems understand that old saying about not throwing rocks from your glass house. There are very few members of congress that don’t cheat on their spouses. The majority of the year they are nowhere near their spouses and they still have a lot of down time.
drresol
@Robert, NYC:
I think I see your point. True, the older, fundamentalist christian base (like my aforementioned dad) will continue to vote republican (regardless of the candidate), but *only* for as long as they continue to represent the values he considers important. (which, unfortunately includes anti-gay sentiments)
But the key is, the GOP may eventually realize it’s no longer beneficial for them to support those sentiments. The past election stunned them, I think, to learn that their religious base alone was no longer able to sway an election for them. Hell, they even threw Palin out there; the poster child for religious fundamentalism. But I think you’re right about the younger generation…they tend to support gay rights far more than older generations (who are dying off). And by extension, they’re also more likely to be influenced by incidents like Ensign. The GOP will eventually have to shift their strategy if they don’t want to be marginalized more and more, and I think they might have realized this…some of them, anyway.