Scott DesJarlais is the Representative for Tennessee’s 4th Congressional district. He is a Tea Party Republican and a Pro-Life advocate.
He’s also a doctor who was having an extramarital affair with one of his patients. And when she got pregnant, he pressured her into having an abortion.
When confronted with the tape of their phone conversation, DesJarlais’ response was to deplore the way the media is playing “gutter politics”.
Which is more repugnant? The zealots or the hypocrites?
I’m the other kind of hypocrite. I have no family values, support abortion, but can’t get anyone to have an affair with me. 
Maybe if you weren’t in the gutter, the press wouldn’t have to play gutter politics.
I didn’t go to the link, but there should be some sort of award for how that title managed to pack so many “just wrong things” into a single sentence.
Doctor/Patient
Pro-Life/Abortion
Married (presumed)/Mistress
AND he’s a Republican Congressman! I’m sure his Church and his mother are very proud of him.
Also lowering the bar on brains. According to the story, he recorded the phone call to the girlfriend, then later played it for his wife, thinking it would somehow help in his attempt to patch up the marriage.
Good idea. I think I’ll patch that leak in the dam with explosives.
“See, Honey? I’m really trying to hold our marriage together. I had my mistress get an abortion and everything. Now do I have to get the gun again?”
Not making up that last part. He did brandish a gun during his divorce and threatened to kill his wife and himself.
His Church is the Episcopalian Church, I am surprised to see. I’m not sure they want him. Usually a Godless Liberal church. On the plus side, his name is kinda cool.
But wait. These claims are over a decade old. Repugnant and hypocritical, sure. But do we care now, except in a tabloid-fodder way? A new transcript which only strengthens claims that it seems people already knew?
They often seem to be the same people. Plenty of hypocrites are very, very zealous about applying their “morality” to other people.
The tape of the phone call has just appeared. Granted, somebody has obviously been holding it until election time but the news media is reporting it now because this is when they found out about it.
I guess I could take the time to develop a sound reason why I don’t feel it’s appropriate to support this guy, but I read the article and decided this piece of dirt isn’t worth it. My honest reaction is, I fully support tabloid fodder to the extent it reduces this dickhead’s chances of being elected. I really don’t care if that’s fair or not.
I think it’s fair.
Family values candidates are establishing a standard. They say people who don’t live moral lives aren’t fit for public office. So when they’re found to not be living moral lives, they should be considered unfit for public office by their own standard.
This judgment doesn’t even require you to agree with their standard. Just the fact that they don’t live up to their own standard is enough - if they can’t meet their own standard, what are the chances they’re capable of meeting any other standard?
Wait wait wait… exactly how did a guy who threatened a murder-suicide as the solution to a divorce get elected in the first place?! :eek:
It’s right there in the OP - Tennessee.
Lowered him a bar, when he was only three.
Dammit, now I have that stuck in my head.
Same way a family values candidate who made his mistress get an abortion can lead in the polls: accuse your enemies of dirty politics and claim you’re the victim of the liberal media.
Only if you’re of a certain age. IIRC, Fess Parker died fairly recently. (OK, per Wiki it was 2010)
At the Alamo?