It’s the Hypocrisy, Stupid
The Ensign affair showed how media has different rules for covering scandals, wholly dependent on the politician's party. Watch out, Governor Sanford.
What’s better about the Ensign affair and any other Republican affair is that the leftist can feel morally superior — jeering during a time of another person’s personal failure — and achieve the desired result of having one less voice from the opposition with which the leftist disagrees. No wonder it makes front page news at the Washington Post. The “Scarlet Letter” is fun and effective!
Republican sex scandals are the delight of leftists. They have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
A Democrat can hire a prostitute, keep a whorehouse in his home (and one actually did), and there’s no shame. A Democrat can store $90,000 from a foreign government in his freezer and there’s no shame. A Democrat can experience tax paperwork “irregularities” and hold the highest tax regulating office in the land, and, without shame, talk about enforcing tax code. A Democrat can let a girl drown, cover it up, and there’s no shame.
What I don’t understand — since the only moral stand to take these days is amorality — is why the left gets so upset about things like gay marriage, abortion, and the environment. Since there’s no right or wrong, and imposing values is the real wrong, why do they feel right about imposing their perspectives on these subjects?
I mean, who are they to judge?
And herein lies the rub. It’s not that morals are wrong, necessarily, it’s that morals that disagree with a leftist’s morals are wrong. Only problem, the leftist’s morals aren’t exactly absolute. They change with the trend and the mood and the science. And really, the only function of the leftist’s morals is to serve as a hammer over the head of anyone who disagrees.
Again, what’s important is feeling better than other people. That’s why global warming as an issue is so great. There are a million ways to hector the populace with rules and regulations. A myriad of ways to censure and cajole. The modern leftist makes Pharisees or the knitting circle prohibitionists look positively suggestive and open-minded.
It’s not morals and codified ethics and lists of rules and regulations that’s the problem. It’s whose morals get elevated and who violates those morals that are targets for approbation.
Many Christian conservatives still view the Bible as the foundation of all knowledge, and try their best to abide by the moral imperatives therein. As a Christian knows and is fully aware, the reason there is grace is because “all fall short of the glory of God.”
Should Christian politicians (or those claiming to be Christian) abandon their morals and distance themselves from ideals because they are human and cannot possibly live up to them? Is the only solution to discard ideals and morals completely, to be amoral and unidealistic cynics so as to never fall short of high standards and thus never be accused of hypocrisy?
I don’t hear anyone calling for Al Gore to step down from his post as chief global warming (or is it climate change now?) apostle because, in his personal life, he’s an energy hog with a carbon footprint dwarfing that of hundreds of average American families per year. For a leftist, Al Gore’s evangelism trumps his excessive energy consumption and ostensible Earthicide.
Al Gore’s energy consumption would be a sin, unless of course leftists don’t truly believe that the earth is slowly marching toward it’s inevitable demise, but rather that the Earth will survive and their real aim is to control what they believe is the immorality of capitalism — a system where there are winners and losers.
True hypocrisy is trumpeting a belief system one knows is false, and violating it ostentatiously. If leftists truly believed the Earth was dying, wouldn’t they be living differently? And I’m not talking about recycling plastic bottles, because everyone does that now. I’m talking serious, radical life changes. But it’s not like there’s the threat of hell if a leftist violates his conscience. It’s not like a leftist has to fear being put on the front page of the Washington Post if he flies his private jet around the world to preach about the evil of American consumerism.
When Christians violate their conscience and the laws of God, it’s not because they think the laws aren’t worthy of keeping. It’s because they are fallible. They also don’t just answer to themselves, their conscience, or their spouse. They answer to God. And, as it turns out, the Washington Post editors.
What the leftists desire is to remove the Judeo-Christian ethic from the public discourse. One way to do that is to shame and name call those who hold the ethic and violate it. So that’s why the Post blares a senator’s “sin” on the front page. That is why Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter is not off-limits. The left wants those on the right who hold moral absolutes to be shamed into silence.
And it’s not that the leftist doesn’t want morals in the public discourse. No, not at all. He wants amorality to become the new morality. Or rather, he wants his version of morality to become the new morality until he changes his mind tomorrow about what is or isn’t moral.
So, should Senator Ensign resign? That choice is up to him. If he chooses to stay in office that’s his business. It’s his constituency’s business to decide whether to vote for him again.
What is our business, as Americans, is pushing back the fascistic attempt by the left to control the dialogue and public policy by using blackmail and public shaming when conservatives hold beliefs with which they disagree.
The solution to a culture where people violate ideals is not to discard the ideals so everyone feels better about himself, but to reapply oneself to the ideals.
Redemption. It’s a basic Christian tenet. And every single Christian needs it daily. It doesn’t make one a hypocrite to acknowledge it.
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Dr. Melissa Clouthier is a chiropractor who blogs at MelissaClouthier.com and Right Wing News.
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101 Comments
1. Ed Wallis:Melissa,
THANK YOU for expressing the “classic Marcuse horsecr*p” of the Left in such a clear, unambigugous manner…
…and, to providing a crystal-clear summary: “The solution to a culture where people violate ideals is not to discard the ideals so everyone feels better about himself, but to reapply oneself to the ideals.”
Jun 24, 2009 - 3:06 am 2. Don:SO I guess we can define the Democrat party as the Amoral opportunistic party now . . .? So is it the media that owns the dixiecrats? Or do the Democrats own the media . . . either way the relationship appears more and more incestuous (not that there isn’t anything wrong with that for a Dem either?).
Jun 24, 2009 - 3:11 am 3. lefroy:Imagine if GW Bush had got a ****job from a 20 year old intern. We would never have heard the end of it. A despicable, patriarchal abuse of power, a grave example of exploitation by men in positions of power etc etc. we would still be hearing about it.
But Clinton did it, and the chattering classes went “tut tut”.
Jun 24, 2009 - 3:25 am 4. Ed Wallis:An excellent video on this topic:
THE HISTORY OF POLITICAL CORRECTNESS:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8630135369495797236
Jun 24, 2009 - 4:32 am 5. "progressive"watch:The former msm has gone beyond the concept of he’s our SOB to another concept–he’s not an SOB. They have adapted a religios concept of once saved always saved,once a leftist-statist always saved. The leftist-statist belongs to the class of the always saved,the individual cannot be lost.
Jun 24, 2009 - 4:42 am 6. Tom W H:So what is the point of this article? Amoral people can do whatever they want. If you stand on morals, then when you fall everyone can point and laugh. Fact. So, either don’t cave and fall, or don’t set yourself up for it. Right? Maybe if you are considering a run for office, and stand on morals, we need to set the bar higher? Otherwise every single person that runs on morals is a sitting duck, the amoral are just waiting to take a shot.
Jun 24, 2009 - 5:20 am 7. Dave:Tom,
“so what is the point of this article?”
Read it a couple dozen more times. If you don’t get it, you never will.
Jun 24, 2009 - 5:46 am 8. sheesh:An article on Ensign . . . let me see, how would a conservative put it? . . . What took so long?
“The equation goes like this: God Believer + Open About It + Sin + Republican = Hypocrisy.
Now if you’re, say, Bill Clinton? God Believer + Open About It + Sin – Republican = Virile.”
But Clinton got impeached. And Vitter’s still a senator. Even so . . . according to Ann Coulter on Tom Foley, “He did the proper thing when he was caught in a humiliating scandal, he resigned immediately.”
Oh, such rich ground on this one – deep, dark, damp loam – just like they have in Argentina.
Here’s what to expect – all the conservative family values fiends here who spend 24 hours a day calling liberals godless libertines will now switch to “everybody does it” for the purposes of this post, and then flip flop back to “liberals are shameless.”
Bring it.
Jun 24, 2009 - 6:20 am 9. Phil:T-shirt slogans:
Avoid Hypocrisy!!!!… just Advocate Evil!!
Being a democrat means not having to have ANY morals!!!
Jun 24, 2009 - 6:52 am 10. Mike W.:Typical Republican response. “B-b-but Clinton did it too!”
When you get a bj from your intern, that makes you a scumbag.
When you claim to be morally superior and try to use your public office to stuff your religious morals of fidelity and family values down other people’s throats and then you nail your best friend’s wife and bribe her and her family into keeping quiet about it, that makes you a scumbag and a hypocrite.
The conservatives on this board are just as spineless and hypocritical as the Ensigns and Vitters of the world – they claim to be morally superior to everyone else, especially the godless liberals, but then when it becomes apparent that they are just as sleazy and immoral as everyone else, suddenly it’s all “well, everyone does it, so you can’t blame us!”
But we do blame you, because you’re a bunch of two-faced cowards who always fail to practice what you preach yet always find a reason why it’s somebody else’s fault.
Jun 24, 2009 - 7:55 am 11. dmartin:I am in total agreement. I just think conservatives need to maintain a zero tolerance policy for this kind of behavior, regardless of party.
Jun 24, 2009 - 8:07 am 12. Mike O'Malley:Commenter “sheesh” wastes our time trotting out the stale Move-On.org talking point about the Clinton impeachment.
No Mr. Sheesh, Pres. Clinton wasn’t impeached because he had an affair. He was impeached because:
1)-The president provided perjurious, false and misleading testimony to the grand jury regarding the Paula Jones case and his relationship with Monica Lewinsky.
2)-The president obstructed justice in an effort to delay, impede, cover up and conceal the existence of evidence related to the Jones case.
Mr. Sheesh, why don’t you return with your taunt “bring it” after we find prima-fascia evidence Sen. Ensign committed perjury and/or obstruction of justice.
Jun 24, 2009 - 8:16 am 13. Mike O'Malley:I agree Ms. Clouthier that the media has different rules for covering scandals, wholly dependent on the politician’s party. One might expect therefore that an ambitious Republican aspirant to the White House would understand this and act accordingly. In this case, Sen. Ensign did not act accordingly. So, I suggest the primary issue is not the hypocrisy, but the stupidity. What on earth was Sen. Ensign thinking? How can we trust this man’s awful judgment and lack of self-control in the Office of the President of the United States. In this regard, Sen. Ensign becomes comparable to Pres. Clinton. Whether or not Sen. Ensign remains in the Senate is one issue. Another and a more important question is whether Sen. Ensign has demonstrated the character and judgment required of the office of POTUS. IMHO, the answer is no.
Jun 24, 2009 - 8:31 am 14. blotto:MikeW:
“When you claim to be morally superior and try to use your public office to stuff your religious morals of fidelity and family values down other people’s throats…” Cite just one instance of this happening.
“…then you nail your best friend’s wife and bribe her and her family into keeping quiet about it…” If you are referring to the Ensign case, it was the other way around.
“…but then when it becomes apparent that they are just as sleazy and immoral as everyone else, suddenly it’s all “well, everyone does it, so you can’t blame us!” Not once in the article nor a poster has even intimated this.
“But we do blame you, because you’re a bunch of two-faced cowards who always fail to practice what you preach yet always find a reason why it’s somebody else’s fault.” Wow Tom, you really do take this debate thing personally. Maybe a clue into your psyche?? Projection, perhaps? A typical progressive response. The article if you read it was examining two ideas: The dicotomy of official responses both by the MSM, and government to the individual’s faults; the other is the response by the individual themselves to their faults. To wit: we are ahamed of our behavior while progressives proclaim it as a badge of honor.
Good thing you and progressive live in a nation that was founded on morals and beliefs in our God, instead of say Islam. Poor Perez Hilton would have received much more than a punch on the nose for his behavior.
Jun 24, 2009 - 8:34 am 15. Kelvin:Also, don’t forget about Gov. Mark Sanford. He who left town last Thursday without notifying his wife, staff or the Lt Gov. so he could “clear his head”. His staff then said that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. But his vehicle was found at the Atlanta airport. After local officials and press made inquiries, we find that he was in Argentina. He has a news conference scheduled today at 2 ET. I can’t wait to here what he has to say about this situation.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/23/sanfords-story-questioned_n_219809.html
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/24/report-south-carolina-governor-traveled-argentina-appalachian-trail/
Jun 24, 2009 - 8:37 am 16. 1MPTomb:“Let me esplain, no, it will take too mush time, let me sum up”… Republicans are held to higher standards by liberals and Democrats, because they feel, whether or not that Republican has publically stated he is a Christian, that Republicans need to be held to higher standards. It is the way Democrats and liberals fight. Because they have no new ideas for making the country better and are dragging us down the slope to socialism, they have to have some way to bring Republicans down. Democrats and liberals have no moral standards and as such, they cannot be held accountable to wrongs they commit. Republican does not necessarily equal Christian. All politiacians caught with their pants down, so to speak, should be fired from their jobs, no matter to which party they belong. All politicians should be held to the same standards. I believe the Constitiution addresses the issue of the type of man we should elect as our representatives.
Jun 24, 2009 - 8:45 am 17. Mike W.:Why did Mark Sanford lie about his trip to Argentina?
Why did his wife claim he was “writing something” when he clearly was not?
Why did his staff say he was hiking the Appalachian Trail when clearly he was not?
Why did he cut off all communication with his staff?
Why did he travel alone to Argentina in winter, without his family, on Father’s Day?
What was a married family man doing on a secret weekend alone, not telling anyone where he was, in Argentina, in winter?
Sounds like good ol’ Conservative Christian values to me!
Jun 24, 2009 - 9:23 am 18. 1MPTomb:Wow, Mike W., what a stretch to assert “Good ole Conservative Christian values” on a scenerio in which you don’t even have all the facts.
Jun 24, 2009 - 9:47 am 19. blotto:What does this thread have ANYTHING to do with Gov. Mark Sanford?
MikeW: Is there a point to your rants? Do you have any relevant comments on the article? Can you engage in debate? Behaving like a petulent child is not debate.
Jun 24, 2009 - 10:04 am 20. Kurt:While many Democrats like to trot out the old canard that Republicans who have are supposedly hypocrites because they represent a party which champions “family values” (regardless of whether or not the particular politicians have ever made statements claiming the beliefs that the Democrats try to ascribe to them), the fact is that Democrats still refuse to call the members of their party of the more prevalent sort of do-what-I-say-not-what-I-do hypocrisy that is par for the course for most so-called liberals. Pay taxes much, Mr. Geithner? Engage in funneling money to your spouse’s companies, Senator Feinstein? And of course I could go on and on, but the fact is, as Ms. Clouthier demonstrates, if it’s a Republican doing it, it is a scandal, but if it’s a Democrat there’s always a reason to look away or not report it.
Jun 24, 2009 - 10:24 am 21. avoidswork:It’s the hypocrisy, stoopies!
It is not about a double standard of those whose name follows with a (-D) rather than an (-R).
It’s about the fact that those who are Republican stand on a platform of family values and then go and diddle someone who is not their spouse. It’s the hypocrisy. Further, the Republicans shun a Larry Craig but give a high-five to Vitter and Ensign. So, it’s okay to frak someone who is not your wife, but don’t be caught with a member of the same sex. Theoretically, doesn’t cheating hurt the family – period?
Now, Dems had this guy named Spitzer. Big tough prosecutor soliciting sex. He resigned as governer.
Vitter (DC Madam) did not resign from his Senate seat. Mark Foley (Page scandal) was embraced. Ensign (blackmailed) is embraced.
All the Republican/Christian-Conservatives have to do is step away from the soapbox of family values when you are not exemplifying it yourself.
Oh, and was that choadtard Newt Gingrich in the middle of an affair during the whole Clinton/Lewinsky thing? And didn’t rep. Dan Burton (also on soapbox of anti-Clinton) fail to mention his illegitimate child during his family values speech?
Hypocrisy regarding sex, thy name is Republican.
Jun 24, 2009 - 10:30 am 22. Master D:Ah stupid question, and obvious answer is because Republicans are the ones who tout “family values” and go so far as to restrict marriage rights, abortion rights, and assistance to struggling families. They do it in the name of their religious views and their claim to have the moral upper hand on family values compared to democrats.
Jun 24, 2009 - 10:46 am 23. 1MPTomb:So, basically, what you’re saying is Republicans, whether Christian or not, are not allowed to have human failings, just becasue they stand for family values? Republicans have the nobler aspirations, even when they fall to the temptations of their human nature. The difference is, because Democrats have no moral standard, anything goes. Just proves my point that Republicans are held to a higher standard and are not allowed to be “human”. Democrats, because they support socialism, deviant sex and murder in the womb have no values.
Jun 24, 2009 - 10:49 am 24. 1MPTomb:OOps, didn’t finish my thought. Should read, because Democrats… have no values, therefore are not accountable for any wrong-doings.
Jun 24, 2009 - 10:51 am 25. 1MPTomb:Oh, by the way, Master D- when has a Democratic government EVER wiped out poverty as your allusion to “assisting struggling families” aaserts? Answer: NEVER. All “welfare” has done is made those families dependent upon the government. Christians, on the otherhand, give much more to charity than do Democrats and liberals.
Jun 24, 2009 - 10:57 am 26. Mike O'Malley:avoidswork, also avoids facts as he states: “Now, Dems had this guy named Spitzer. Big tough prosecutor soliciting sex. He resigned as governer.”
Gov. Spitzer resigned because was under intense pressure to resign in order to avoid prosecution on various felonies including the Mann Act, I recall. See my point about the Clinton impeachment above.
Note also that Gov. Spitzer’s replacement Gov. David Paterson admitted to having numerous affairs, yet he remains governor of New York State without pressure to resign. Gov. Spitzer prosecuted and sent people to prison for the very crimes he willfully committed. That was the true scandal.
Moreover there is a significant difference in the case of Mark Foley too. He was grooming underage teenagers for sex.
Jun 24, 2009 - 11:04 am 27. Mike W.:AWOL South Carolina governor Mark Sanford may have briefly checked in with his office this morning to assure them he’s fine and he’ll be back at work tomorrow. But he hasn’t told his wife, according to her.
A CNN reporter tracked down Jenny Stanford at her Sullivan Island vacation home. Sounding less like the wife of a 2012 presidential contender and more like America’s favorite reality TV star announcing her separation from her husband, she said: “I am being a mom today. I have not heard from my husband. I am taking care of my children.”
Notice how Sanford’s wife doesn’t say “our” children. She says “I am taking care of my children.” That’s powerful stuff. And he was gone for Father’s Day.
Jun 24, 2009 - 11:11 am 28. Mike W.:So let me see if I understand the strategy right – the Republicans are attempting to create so many competing sex scandals among their 2012 contenders that the press won’t know which one to cover, and in all the utter chaos and confusion over which Republican sex scandal is more juicy, the press will just drop the ball? So how long do we have to wait until Jindall gets caught pants-down or Palin gets caught skirt-up?
Jun 24, 2009 - 11:40 am 29. Mike O'Malley:Say Mike W, isn’t character assassination fun?
Do yah think you could hold off on the insinuation until the Gov. Sanford returns to South Carolina? Yah know FDR was secretly away from the White House on a number of occassions that were not related to one of his several mistresses: Labrador, Yalta, Pottsdam …
Jun 24, 2009 - 11:50 am 30. Mike O'Malley:Well lo-and-behold! I’ll just have to reiterate … one might expect therefore that an ambitious Republican aspirant to the White House would understand this and act accordingly. In this case, Gov. Sanford did not act accordingly. So, I suggest the primary issue is not the hypocrisy, but the stupidity. What on earth was Gov. Sanford thinking? How can we trust this man’s awful judgment and lack of self-control in the Office of the President of the United States. In this regard, Gov. Sanford becomes comparable to Pres. Clinton. Whether or not Gov. Sanford remains in office as governor is one issue. Another and a more important question is whether Governor Sanford has demonstrated the character and judgment required of the office of POTUS. IMHO, the answer is no.
Jun 24, 2009 - 11:57 am 31. winout:Time for the Republicans to clean house. If you can’t run your own house how are you going to run the State house?
Jun 24, 2009 - 12:01 pm 32. Mike O'Malley:Hmmm … time to take another look at Rudy?
Jun 24, 2009 - 12:02 pm 33. Kelvin:Republican 2012 candidates are falling like dominoes. At this rate, there will be no need for a primary.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_sc_governor_where
Jun 24, 2009 - 12:08 pm 34. 1MPTomb:The question before us is, will Gov. Mark Sanford be villified in the press for his absence exponentially because he is Republican? What if he were a Democrat? Most likely, if he had a D following his name, his absence would be explained away and reported (if at all) on pg 42 of the NYT.
Jun 24, 2009 - 12:11 pm 35. Erasmus:Sorry, Sanford has to resign. He abdicated his duties as governor to run off to Argentina to do, what again? It took him a full week to break up with his mistress in Argentina? Surely a phone call would have sufficed? An email? A text message?
My guess is that he didn’t exactly tell the whole truth even when he admitted to the affair, and only said as much as he did because the McClatchy reporter caught his dumb ass in the Atlanta airport.
By the way, there should be an immediate hearing in the SC Legislature where Sanford’s staffers are made to testify UNDER OATH as to why they gave the “hiking” cover story to the press. Did they lie out of a sense of loyalty to Sanford, or were they ordered to lie?
I also take it Sanford should be ordered to reimburse the state for the use of the vehicle as well as the expenses incurred in the search for the Runaway governor. I would say that a 24 hour deadline should suffice.
You guys can scream “Bill Clinton” til you literally turn blue, but with each Republican sex scandal, with each Republican leader or spokesman on their third marriage (Newt, Rudy) or third divorce (Rush), the whole “sanctity of marriage” jive that you trot out to appease the homophobes in your part gets harder to defend.
Jun 24, 2009 - 12:16 pm 36. Edward A:And, now it has surfaced that Gov Mark Sanford has admitted being unfaithful to his wife. Another example of the decline of the family-oriented Republican party. Maybe the GOP should refrain from getting involved in social morality issues and get back to the business of economics and foreign policy. It is getting more embarrassing to admit one is a Republican today and avoid the snickers from the Democrats (who are far from perfect, too.)
Jun 24, 2009 - 12:20 pm 37. 1MPTomb:Kelvin- “no need for a primary” Gleeful, are we? We have time before 2012 and I doubt Obama will have much to defend by then.
Jun 24, 2009 - 12:24 pm 38. J. Rockford:Mike W. “When you claim to be morally superior and try to use your public office to stuff your religious morals of fidelity and family values down other people’s throats and then you nail your best friend’s wife and bribe her and her family into keeping quiet about it, that makes you a scumbag and a hypocrite.”
Liberals, always with the strawman. We never get any evidence of a Repub trying to force religion or family values down other people’s throats, but the Repubs always get accused of it. Of course, liberals are always trying to shove their values — abortion for convenience, environmentalism at all costs, homosexuality, anti-Americanism, pacificism, socialism — but then that’s OK.
Jun 24, 2009 - 12:42 pm 39. Ms. Attitude:Clinton’s little stain wasn’t a big deal…well, have you seen his wife?
Jun 24, 2009 - 12:52 pm 40. macko:Alinsky teaches the left to never have principals or try to stand on moral ground because you can be out maneuvered and every human is fallable.
It just comes natural for so many on the left to have neither principals nor morals.
Jun 24, 2009 - 12:53 pm 41. 1MPTomb:The crux of the matter is, where Rebuplicans call for the resignation of a liar, whether because of adultery, or lying to your constituents as to where you have been; Democrats defend their politician’s lies, ie, Clinton and his intern, because they have no moral standard. All politicians should be held to the same standard. If you lie to your wife about sleeping with someone else, what other lies will you tell? If you cheat on your taxes what other wrongs can you justify?
Jun 24, 2009 - 12:54 pm 42. Ratatosk:Simply put:
The equation goes like this: God Believer + Open About It + Sin + Republican = Hypocrisy.
Now if you’re, say, Bill Clinton? God Believer + Open About It + Sin – Republican = Virile.
You’re missing one ingredient in that list “Wants to Legally Define Morality For Others”. If the Republicans didn’t scream about “Gays Will Destroy Marriage” then perform in a way that ACTUALLY DOES destroy the sanctity of marriage… I wouldn’t care if they and their families have issues, any more than I care if Dems have similar issues.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:03 pm 43. avoidswork:No. Republicans are people. People are entitled to feelings/mistakes and the like.
Once more, with feeling: These are people (Vitter, Ensign, etc.) who STAND ON THE SOAPBOX of FAMILY VALUES blathering here, there and everywhere about this/that/other “destructive” thing to the family THEN same person on said SOAPBOX just so happens to be frakking someone who is not their spouse.
Often with bonus points such as being, I don’t know: Speaker of the House of Representatives lambasting a President for lying about sex while cheating on wife #2 with to-be wife #3; or members of the Senate who speak/advocate for family values (especially under reelection times) and then either call madams in DC or New Orleans OR have affairs with staffers/wives of staffers.
Again, the hypocrisy is specific:
These are specifically men who have stood on soapboxes of “family values” only to demostrate they do not practice what they preach. And now, peoples, you get to add Gov. Mark Sanford to that list. And that dude went off the grid, to Argentina while his staff LIED LIED LIED to the public about him being on the Appalachian Trail instead of like, Buenos Aires or something…
Same with Spitzer: Hard-liner on the same, specific acts he was caught doing – prostitution, hinkiness with public funds. And because of him being known for THAT (and the sex solicitations) he resigned. As he should have.
And yes, Mike OMalley, just like with Spitzer, the hypocrisy/stupidity is intertwined. Spitzer says don’t do this (text about, talk about, etc.) because people are listening and that is exactly part of how he got caught.
Clinton is slightly different in the sense that his impeachment was based upon the fact that he LIED. About sex (lame), but he lied.
Wash rinse repeat: the hypocrisy is SPECIFIC — Crusade for cause X (family values). Soapbox up, villify opposition about cause X (family values). Get caught in something directly contradictory to cause X (affairs/prostitutes/etc).
RECALL: Republicans are the ones all up in someone’s business about things pertaining to sex. It’s not a Democrat thing, but a Republican thing. And, instead of having those who do not violate the family values yakking on the soapbox, you get these hypocrites.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:06 pm 44. Cichawoda:36. Edward A:
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:06 pm 45. Moogie:“It is getting more embarrassing to admit one is a Republican today” – did you hear the one about Nixon?
“There are times when an abortion is necessary. I know that. When you have a black and a white,” he told an aide, before adding, “Or a rape.” – it’s been an embarrassing to associate with Republicans for a very long time.
http://preview.tinyurl.com/l7d8rq
#4 Ed Wallis: THANK YOU! You posted a link that I have been dropping all over the place in here and other blogs. That video explains practically EVERYTHING we are seeing today, and have been seeing for decades. I believe, however, that the goal of P.C. is being realized in Obama and his ilk – the culmination of decades of demoralization, programming and indoctrination have come to fruition.
Thank you Melissa for an excellent essay and a concise explanation about the difference between conservative morality and liberal moral relativism.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:11 pm 46. 1MPTomb:“Clinton’s little stain wasn’t a big deal”…his lying about it was….
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:11 pm 47. Cichawoda:It’s the holier than thou thing.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:18 pm 48. Mike W.:If an organization goes around telling people that their members have a better set of moral standards, that their standards come directly from God, that their way of seeing the world is the only righteous way, that they can decide on who should be allowed to do what because they live by a higher moral standard – than the next morning you keep seeing them leaving with their pants down and in shame – what possible conclusion can you reach?
My experience has been that the louder somebody bangs about their morals and righteousness the more likely it is that they don’t have any of either.
macko: “Alinsky teaches the left to never have principals or try to stand on moral ground because you can be out maneuvered and every human is fallable.”
Alinsky also teaches the left not to nail your best friend’s wife, especially if she and her husband both work for you.
Alinsky also teaches the left not to run away from your responsiblity as governor of a state in order to nail your mistress in Argentina and then lie to everyone about where you went until the press catches you in your lie.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:20 pm 49. 1MPTomb:#43- Again, this thread is about the media and society giving a pass to Democrats when they trip up, then holding Republicans up as pariahs when they do the same thing. If a politician runs for office on the platform of family values, but hasn’t had an affiar, that’s O.K., but later falls to temptation, he is WORSE because he had values in the first place, than if he had NO VALUES at all?????
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:24 pm 50. Dave:Sorry, but President Clinton was not impeached for sex or adultery with miss Lewinksy. He was impeached for lying under oath to cover his predatory behavior towards others. Big difference.
The argument that we should not value traditional marriage above other relationships because some people in the party that tends to support it screwed up is inane. Would you then agree that all Democrats should be for legalizing prostitution because of Eliot Spitzer? How about legalizing bribery because of the string of corrupt Democrats from Blago to William Jefferson? Maybe, Democrats should keep their mouths shut about “global warming/climate change” because Algore produces more greenhouse gas than a small city? That is the extent of the logic. Its silly and it gets us no where.
Its endless opportunism non-stop with leftists and their media allies. The real hypocrisy is how we all hear about it being a personal family issue when it is Democrats, but when it is a Republican the whole party and platform is smeared.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:28 pm 51. Moogie:“Clinton’s little stain wasn’t a big deal.” Hmmm… I heard it never did come out of the dress.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:28 pm 52. DavidN:The amusing thing about the posts disagreeing with Ms. Clouthier’s point is that they insist that Republicans are always trying to be morally superior, and then getting caught with their ****’s in their zippers. But the strange thing about this assertion is that *after* Edwards was caught cheating by his wife, confessed to her, and was forgiven—let me repeat, *AFTER*—he said in a campaign Q & A that he thought the question of fidelity to one’s spouse was a reasonable issue in a campaign. This was an obvious shot at Bill Clinton, and through him his wife. He repeatedly lied when denying he’d cheated on his wife, who of course was famously sick at the time. And he had defenders who insisted that there was insufficient proof until it got too overwhelming for even the most ideological skeptic to still remain in doubt. From what I gather he still has a few true believers. The most fun part (for me) is when the feminists involved suddenly turn into rampant misogynists and rip the women involved to pieces. Bill Clinton’s mistresses, Edwards’ campaign worker he had the affair with, Gary Hart’s lady, all are just beyond printable words. When a Republican gets accused of similar activities, we might not even hear the names of the women involved. What was the name of that Oregon senator who was accused of sexual harassment? The media investigated, and assured us he was guilty, without ever releasing the *names* of most of the accusers, and the guy (Bob Packwood, I just remembered) had his career destroyed. I’m not saying he wasn’t guilty (apparently everyone knew he was like this, for years) but if he was a Democrat, you can bet he’d have survived in office for a good while longer, maybe until he retired or got past the urges stage.
Is there hypocrisy on the Republican side? Of course. Larry Craig is the obvious example. Vitter seems to me more in the Pat Robertson mold, a southern revivalist who got caught straying. The interesting thing is how the left displays hypocrisy too, and doesn’t get called on it: the attacking of the women involved is pretty much completely a Democratic phenomenon. No Republican could get away with it, in any fashion.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:30 pm 53. J. Rockford:#44 It is getting more embarrassing to admit one is a Republican today” – did you hear the one about Nixon?
That was what, 40 years ago. Not defending it, but things have changed. I mean, many Democrats were actually in favor of national defense back then.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:31 pm 54. TomF:Well, I hope that I will always be ashamed of my sins. God can forgive sins, but unrepentant shamelessness is not to be forgiven.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:45 pm 55. Pat J:Watch out, Governor Sanford.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:47 pm 56. Ratatosk:—————————
Ha! Too late!
If a politician runs for office on the platform of family values, but hasn’t had an affiar, that’s O.K., but later falls to temptation, he is WORSE because he had values in the first place, than if he had NO VALUES at all?????
To paraphrase a great man:
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:50 pm 57. Becky:It is better to be thought a valueless, godless heathen, than to open your mouth and/or zipper and remove all doubt
It isn’t amoral. It’s having morals but not telling others what their morals should be. Republicans are ALWAYS trying to force others into the same moral box and that is why they are laughed at when they don’t meet their own standards. And it is laughable. I don’t really care what you do in your sex life (abandoning your state and going missing is another matter). But if you try to legislate your morals and religious values on everyone then you don’t live up to your own standards, you are hilarious! And then people know you are phony. I doubt any of you understood a word of what I just said, though.
Jun 24, 2009 - 1:55 pm 58. Cichawoda:53. J. Rockford:
Jun 24, 2009 - 2:09 pm 59. Cichawoda:The point being – I don’t think the Republicans have had anything to be proud of since Eisenhower
“many Democrats were actually in favor of national defense back then”
Going back to Eisenhower – remember how he warned about the Military Industrial Complex – Republicans still think that feeding that beast is The same as “national defense”.
52. DavidN:
Jun 24, 2009 - 2:12 pm 60. 1MPTomb:“Bill Clinton’s mistresses, Edwards’ campaign worker he had the affair with, Gary Hart’s lady, all are just beyond printable words.”
can you give links to examples?
Becky- I guess since you believe we shouldn’t hold politicians up to a moral standard, you believe anyone can hold office without any boundries. You think having an affair with one’s mistress is fine. Abandoning your state is not. Why? You just said having an affair was O.K., but leaving your duty and your job is not O.K. They are both morally reprehensable, but why, in your mind, is one all right, but the other isn’t? Do you beleive we should have no morals in our country? Since representatives don’t have to pass a religious test, we shouldn’t demand that they be upright moral men and women? They can lie, cheat, steal and give aid and comfort to our enemies whenever they want?
Jun 24, 2009 - 2:15 pm 61. Mike W.:56. Ratatosk: “To paraphrase a great man:
It is better to be thought a valueless, godless heathen, than to open your mouth and/or zipper and remove all doubt”
Priceless.
Jun 24, 2009 - 2:16 pm 62. Cichawoda:50. Dave:
“not value traditional marriage above other relationships”
But the behavior of so many “righteous” Republicans and Conservatives demonstrates that they are simply lying about their stand on the issue. I mean from the Catholic church, Baptist preachers, Conservative homophobes, porn buyers in the Bible belt and the typical Republican who believes in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a series of successively younger woman.
You can’t sell me the value of your ideas if you yourself can;t live by them.
Jun 24, 2009 - 2:27 pm 63. Rick:The failings of one politician or preacher is a tragedy for that person and immediate family but does not mean the standard of behavior they were trying to live up to is wrong and should be abandoned.
Jun 24, 2009 - 2:32 pm 64. Cichawoda:60. 1MPTomb:
Jun 24, 2009 - 2:34 pm 65. newguy40:“having an affair with one’s mistress is fine. Abandoning your state is not.”
An affair is a private matter between him and his wife and children. By abandoning his post he potentially endangered the functioning of his state – it’s like a soldier leaving the guardhouse – it;s a form of treason.
#62 hit it out of the park for me…
You can’t sell me the value of your ideas if you yourself can’t live by them.
St Francis said, “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.”
For those who have a limited, no or bad experience with the Church, there is no second chance when the church’s visible faces fail to live up to their values.
Jun 24, 2009 - 2:38 pm 66. Marie Claude:See if Berlusconi will resign becuz of his unumerable sex affairs
Jun 24, 2009 - 2:42 pm 67. Erasmus:Republicans don’t attempt to force religion on people? So when Newt told that crowd in Virginia that American society was under threat from “paganism”, what exactly was he getting at there?
To paraphrase something an NRO blogger posted in a rare bit of common sense – “..we will stop caring about the private lives of politicians as soon as the politicians stop caring about ours”
It’s time for the GOP to get out of the God business once and for all.
Jun 24, 2009 - 2:44 pm 68. Moogie:Damn. I just wrote one of my best comments EVER, but when I hit the “submit” button, it disappeared into the ether!
Well, just accept that it really was one of the best comments ever.
To all of you judgemental moral relativists out there, I just have one question: if morality is relative to you, then why do you give a crud about the immorality of others? You should be rejoicing in the indoctrination of yet another such as yourself! Be glad! Nevermind what the sinner’s moral stance was before his/her fall. The important thing is that the person has now slipped down that slope into your nirvana of relativity, so welcome him/her with open arms!
Jun 24, 2009 - 2:44 pm 69. Scott:To #57 Becky:
Please point out the issues where Republicans/Conservatives are guilty of trying to legislate their morals upon others…and where the Democrats/Liberals aren’t doing the exact same thing.
It doesn’t exist. In fact the Liberals seem to be more concerned with moving towards socialist totalitarianism and invading every aspect of our lives.
1) “Climate Change” laws.
Jun 24, 2009 - 3:03 pm 70. Bart:2) Youth indoctrination via public schools and universities.
3) Re-writing of history, see #2.
4) PC speech.
5) Sweeping social programs in which only half the population pays for.
6) Unconstitutional take over of private business and flouting of contract laws.
7) Multiculturalism, its worked so well in the EU…
A very wise man, Mark Hall, lead singer of Casting Crowns, a pop gospel group perhaps stated the entire issue in the best way I have ever heard it stated. And, it is the absolute truth. “I don’t think it bothers the world so much that Christians sin. I think it bothers the world that we act like we don’t.” You can sum up the Republican Party in those two sentences.
I am a conservative and a Christian backslider. I walked away from organized religion because of the overt hypocrisy of the leaders in my church. I was a lay leader, head of the board, Sunday school teacher, etc. But, when the realization of the extent of hypocrisy within the ranks manifested itself during a vote to keep perhaps the most educated and Godly man I have ever known from staying and the behind the scenes phone calls, lies, and innuendos, I walked away and never looked back.
We need to first admit that no matter how much we pray, fast, tithe, attend worship services, and all of the other accepted practices of Christianity, first, last, and always, we are ALL sinners and as an earlier poster said, “Fall short of the glory of God”. When we walk around with the airs and attitudes of the pharisees, practicing a vanity based faith, we set ourselves up for a fall. Mark Sanford and so many others in the Republican Party have done just that.
I screw up every day. If every sin I committed was manifest in the form of nails in a board, the thing would weigh several tons and sink like a rock in water. I am not perfect and do not expect anyone else to be perfect either.
We have a right to expect our leaders to be of good character, good moral standards, and above all, honest with a strong dose of integrity no matter which side of the aisle they occupy. The main problem is that we no longer have leaders, we have politicians. I have no faith whatsoever in any politician. Too many have crossed my path during my lifetime and not once have I been disappointed since there are no expectations.
Jun 24, 2009 - 3:05 pm 71. Aureliano:Wow. The anti-Christian bigots are coming out of the wordwork on this one.
And what’s up with the whole “Family Values” canard? What is this, the 1980s? The only people who use that term (or the term ‘neocon’) are liberal Democrats (and Keith Olbermann) — only 20% of the population. The other 80% of the populace are just thinking: “Sanford, you’re married. Bad, politician, very bad. No re-election for you.”
Not that making hay out of it is bad politics, it’s just that actually believing this is indicative of the righteousness of liberalism and the wisdom of unlimited government, same-sex marriage, Black Liberation Theology, or anything else is, well, quite stupid.
Oh well. The dumb monkeys who think they’re going to thrive in a new society based upon politico patronage are just meat to be used and abused anyway. Let them think they’re striking a blow for ‘their side’, the useful idiots. We’ll feed them new slogans in 2010.
Jun 24, 2009 - 3:07 pm 72. Cichawoda:68. Moogie:
Jun 24, 2009 - 3:08 pm 73. Cichawoda:“I shall reject ethical absolutism. But I shall also reject ethical relativity. Morality, I shall try to show, is relative in the sense that it is relative to the universal needs of human nature. But it is not relative to the particular needs of particular nations, ages, or social groups. Consequently it does not vary from place to place or from time to time. Morality is universal, but it is not absolute.”
- Walter Terence Stace
Republicans talking about moral standards is like Stalin talking about freedom.
Jun 24, 2009 - 3:10 pm 74. Erasmus:68. If your own personal morality is important to you, why exactly do you care about the morality, or lack thereof, of OTHER people?
Live your life as holy roller as you want, that’s your right. Just don’t freak out when confronted with the reality that not everyone shares the exact same view of religion as you do. Moreover, you have absolutely no right to force your religion on others.
Jun 24, 2009 - 3:45 pm 75. Ratatosk:if morality is relative to you, then why do you give a crud about the immorality of others?
I don’t. I think its wrong to bind up heavy loads on others, knowing that you yourself cannot carry the burden. How can one speak about the sanctity of marriage and some ephemeral “degradation” while literally breaking the bond themselves? It’s not an issue of judging sexual exploits, it’s an issue of saying one thing and doing another. “Benefits of Marriage for me because I have a sham of a morally acceptable marriage, but not for you because you have a sham of a morally acceptable marriage”. How uncommon do you really think this sort of moral “cognitive dissonance” is?
There is a wonderful story of a man that said “Judge not, lest ye be judged.” If some people judge what is and isn’t moral, you can be sure others will return the favor tenfold.
Jun 24, 2009 - 3:54 pm 76. macko:Mike W.
Actually Alinsky said you can’t be a monogomist “and” be a community organizer.
Jun 24, 2009 - 3:57 pm 77. Moogie:# 74: “Moreover, you have absolutely no right to force your religion on others.”
I love it. Just love it. I have never, ever, “forced” my religion on anyone in this entire world. I have never, ever, said I was morally superior to anyone – EVER. Where did you get the idea that I was saying these things? Where did you get the idea that I was forcing my beliefs down your throat? All I did was ask a question.
And you answered it by being highly judgemental and assumptive. Moreover, you have no right forcing your immorality on others.
By the way, that neat little guy who said “Judge not lest ye be judged” was not talking about the judgement of a person’s actions. If he was, we would have no laws whatsoever. He was talking about the judgement of a person’s heart – specifically, that person’s heart and their relationship with God. Only God knows the content of one’s heart.
Jun 24, 2009 - 4:34 pm 78. 1MPTomb:#74- Oh, my goodness, I have “forced my religion on you”, I am so sorry, I’ll get a spatula and scrape it off right now. Grow up. You have the choice to accept the relationship God wants with you or not.
Adultery is a lie, not just to the wife and kiddies, but to all the constituents you represent. If you will lie to your wife, you will lie to voters. That makes adultery just as bad as “leaving your post”. A lie is a lie is a lie.
Jun 24, 2009 - 5:29 pm 79. Voltaire:It is a fact that George Bush forged an unholy alliance with the religious right and the equally famous military-industrial complex. It is also a fact that he rewarded these people and pushed the social agenda of fundamentalist Christians while trying to subvert the clear division in America between church and state — and typically attacking science while promoting “faith”.
However, it is NOT TRUE that if you do not have Christian morals, you have NO morals. After all, the Bible condones slavery, calls for the silencing and subjugating of women, and the death penalty for homosexuality, back-talking teenagers, and followers of all other religions.
The humor comes when those people who make political and financial gain out of supporting these “traditional values” are hoist by their own petard. And yes, these people DO claim the high moral ground and make hay with it or it wouldn’t be necessary to point out the incredibly obvious point that Christian morality is not the only “moral system” in the world; and that others who do not profess it, can, nevertheless, be good, healthy, concerned, and yes, moral people. (By the way, Republicans are supposed to be money oriented, Democrats are supposed to be people oriented. So a money scandal involving Democrats is more “Dog Bites Man” news and a sex scandal with Republicans is also bigger news. Why hasn’t anyone mentioned that since it’s so “on topic”?)
But if you don’t get this already, perhaps all this internet stuff is just pig wrestling, as we say in the South. One is advised not to do it because you get all muddy and the pig enjoys it. But it’s nice to see that decent people are standing up against the Rush Limbaughs, the Dick Cheneys, the George Bushes, the Governor Sanfords, and their still passionate, if shrinking, supporters these days.
Thanks Mike W., Avoidswork, Master D., Erasmus, Winout, Kelvin, and Becky for speaking up and saying the obvious when it needs to be said. Just be sure and wash up before you come to dinner!
Jun 24, 2009 - 7:39 pm 80. myth buster:Sen. Ensign shouldn’t resign because it would be dangerous for the country. He is from a state with a democratic governor (who has an approval rating 1/4 of Ensign’s, BTW) while the Democrats stand on the precipice of a filibuster proof majority while threatening to pass very destructive legislation. Thus, it is in the best interest of the country that he serve out the rest of his term, promising not to seek reelection, rather than resign. If the situation was different, I’d say he should resign, but right now, we need a Republican as a placeholder, even if he is a scumbag.
As for the whole, “Republicans may not need a primary,” bit, be careful what you wish for. Mike Huckabee would clean Obama’s clock.
Jun 24, 2009 - 7:52 pm 81. sheesh:12. Mike O’Malley: . . . “No Mr. Sheesh, Pres. Clinton wasn’t impeached because he had an affair.”
So, you believe that Scooter Libby should be in prison then, right? Good. Me too.
Jun 24, 2009 - 8:51 pm 82. sheesh:18. 1MPTomb: . . . ‘Wow, Mike W., what a stretch to assert “Good ole Conservative Christian values” on a scenerio in which you don’t even have all the facts. What does this thread have ANYTHING to do with Gov. Mark Sanford?”
It has everything to do with Mark Sanford, for all the obvious reasons.
Jun 24, 2009 - 8:53 pm 83. sheesh:46. 1MPTomb: . . . “Clinton’s little stain wasn’t a big deal”…his lying about it was….”
Another believer that Scooter Libby should be in prison. They’re coming out of the woodwork.
Jun 24, 2009 - 8:54 pm 84. mystercy:When a political party bases its entire platform on being the morally correct party after publicly humiliating a standing president for his indiscretions, they deserve the hyper scrutiny they get.
Jun 24, 2009 - 11:27 pm 85. TomF:Conservatives are the biggest whiners I’ve ever heard. The reason the media appears to be left-leaning is because they have no choice but to expose the GOP for the bigoted, hypocritical, un-American dimwits that they are. You make it easy for them.
There is a story of five believers in the Soviet Union during “The Great Patriotic War” (WWII). Most Christian believers were pacifists who refused to carry arms. Some were shot for treason as a result. On one occasion an officer made five believers dig their own graves. Upon completion, he asked those who would renounce their faith to step forward. Understanding that they would die if they did not renounce their faith, two stepped forward. The officer approached those two and shot them, but not before saying this, “If you will renounce your God you will surely betray your country.” The other three he sent off to carry messages, supplies and stretchers of the wounded and the dead. The officer understood that some loyalties are greater than others. Loyalty to God, wife, and family supersede loyalty to the state. If one is not faithful to God, wife and family how can we expect faithfulness to the state?
Jun 25, 2009 - 12:17 am 86. 1MPTomb:Republicans do not base their entire platform on “family values” any more than the Democrats base theirs on “no values at all”. All those candidates who professed to be Christians, including Clinton, Carter, et al, check the fruit of the tree to judge for yourself if they are truly Christians. I, myself do not believe that there are any true Christian politicians serving at this time mainly because politics has been professional for a long time and anyone who runs is in it for the money and power. It still doesn’t mean you hold one politician up to higher standards than another. All politicians will say anything just to get votes, including Obama, who based some of his candidacy on the “transparent” lie that he is a Christian. I don’t see any of you people calling him on his lies.
Jun 25, 2009 - 6:46 am 87. macko:When you want to rant and rave about a republican’s infidelities but not a democrat’s infidelities because a republican believes in strong family values it just shows you lack credibility to criticize anyone.
The present administration is continuing the same policies that the previous administration was so badly criticized for yet those voices fell silent. To me that shows that the oh so outspoken critics of the previous administration lack credibility.
Jun 25, 2009 - 7:15 am 88. The Shadow:Wow what a Republican shill – Classic case of someone who is in the pocket of the Republicans trying to take a story about how a conservative Republican revealed his hypocracy and spin it into a story against the Democrats. These are the tactics that reveal the poverty of tactics of the conservative movement
Jun 25, 2009 - 7:27 am 89. jay evans:Events like these, with Republicans at the center, attempt to take the spotlight off the latest Democratic foible. i.e. Obama’s mealy mouthed juvenile dithering over Iran
Jun 25, 2009 - 7:32 am 90. J. Rockford:58. Cichawoda: Going back to Eisenhower – remember how he warned about the Military Industrial Complex – Republicans still think that feeding that beast is The same as “national defense”.
By military-industrial complex, are you referring to the companies that produce the world’s finest military equipment for the USA? You know, the F-22 Stealth fighter, The Arleigh Burke guide-missle destroyer, the M-1 Abrams tank, Virginia Class attack submarine, Patriot missile, F-18 attack aircraft, Nimitz aircraft carriers, just to mention a few. These same companies also provide quality jobs for American workers, by the way?
Are the weapons terribly expensive? Yes they are. Does a new weapon system take too long to get to the warfighters? Yes, it does. And why is that? Could it be because Congress and the government bureacracy has slapped so many ridiculous rules and regulations on the process? Or maybe because the Congress and military keep changing the specs? Whose fault is that?
Keep feeding the beast — give me a break. Liberals live in a dream world where national defense is a waste, that security just happens, and that there is no evil in the world.
Jun 25, 2009 - 7:49 am 91. Susan:You’re all a bunch of idiots. Clinton is still the butt of jokes for the Monica scandal, and the reason that Republicans take so much flake when they screw up is because they are the ones who claim to be the moral party. They are the pot calling the kettle black, so the title of this piece is correct…it is the HYPOCRISY stupid. But not in the way this blogger puts it. Republicans like to persecute everyone else while they are doing the exact same thing. They are hypocrites of the worse sense.
Jun 25, 2009 - 9:32 am 92. 1MPTomb:Susan- let’s see- President gets cuaght with his pants down- lies about it, gets impeached but still goes on as president, gets lucrative lecture deals and everyone is hokey dokey about it. Governor admits to affair and all the leftys scream,”Look at the hypocrit!”. You do the math, Susan. I’d rather have the one who admits to the sin, than the supposedly “Christian” president who STILL won’t admit to his numerous affairs. If you don’t believe Clinton is a supposed Christian, then look up the Baptist Cooperative Fellowship and see who founded it.
Jun 25, 2009 - 9:54 am 93. 1MPTomb:OOps, should be “who speaks at CBF assemblies”.
Jun 25, 2009 - 10:07 am 94. Cichawoda:90. J. Rockford:
“Are the weapons terribly expensive?”
The US dropped about $625 billion in taxpayer dollars on its military, while all the rest of the world together spent $500 billion. (The aggregate global figures come from 2004, but have been steady over the prior decade.) However, if you also add in nuclear weapons costs handled separately by the Energy Department, Veterans Affairs, interest on money borrowed to fund previous wars, and the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the total rises to a jaw-dropping one trillion dollars per year.
So do you feel twice as secure as the rest of the world? With just 2 friendly borders to “protect” what is it we are buying and whose pockets are being stuffed. All that money and we are having trouble beating 2 negligible and backwater countries with their RPGs and AK 47s – where would we be if we had to face a real enemy?
“Of all the enemies to public liberty war is, perhaps, the most to be dreaded because it comprises and develops the germ of every other. War is the parent of armies; from these proceed debts and taxes … known instruments for bringing the many under the domination of the few.… No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.”
Jun 25, 2009 - 11:54 am 95. The Shadow:— James Madison, 1795
IMPTomp – The problem is that the Governor was a hypocrit professing that he stood for values that he violated at will. We knew what Clinton was
Jun 25, 2009 - 12:11 pm 96. Cichawoda:92. 1MPTomb:
Jun 25, 2009 - 12:50 pm 97. 1MPTomb:“gets impeached but still goes on as president”
The House impeached him but the Senate fell short of the necessary 2/3 needed to remove him from office – so he had no choice but to go on. As far as a remember ol’ Bill would be the last one to admonish anybody about marital fidelity. That whole “private and legal sexual activity’ is not a big issue for liberals – whatever gets you through the night. On the other hand when you go around saying you are “holier than thou” and are obsessed with what others do in the privacy of their bedroom – sure as hell you are a hypocrite and you will be hoisted on your own petard.
Cichowoda- Oh, so why did none of the liberal cabal not only NOT scream for Clinton’s resignation, they aided and abetted him. He’s just one of the boys, what he did didn’t hurt anyone.? They are screaming for Ensign and Sanford to resign. Hypocrit, thy name is Cichawoda.
Jun 25, 2009 - 1:18 pm 98. The Shadow:Shadow- That’s sick, to elect a liar, knowing what he is.
IMPTomb – Pretty common knowlege he was cheating on Hillary – Then you look at whom he was running against – If we asked our leaders to be pure, who would we get? I prefer them not to cheat and to back humane policies, but if I had a choice beteen the two – Remeber the story about Shindler’s list . He was an imperfect man, but he did much more good than Pius XII and many other “good men.”
Jun 25, 2009 - 2:39 pm 99. Cichawoda:97. 1MPTomb:
Not sure why you are painting me as a hypocrite – I never defended Bill or am I particularly surprised by guys in power chasing tail. Bet you that what we find out about is just the tip of the iceberg and not just in politics. And to boot it’s been going on since way before biblical times.
So:
As long as you don’t try to impose on me standards you can’t keep = I don’t care.
As long as it doesn’t interfere with your duties – I don’t care.
As long as it is legal – I don’t care.
As for Sanford – he should be kicked out, he abandoned his post for some noocky.
Jun 25, 2009 - 3:15 pm 100. Cybergeezer:Switch to the Democrat Party; That’ll solve all problems and get the media to stand up for you!
Jun 25, 2009 - 3:34 pm 101. abi & co:Guess he should have checked his “equipment” at the door..like Clinton…or…heck, there are so many dems to refer to, it’s like confetti.
Some of you are so self righteous. Of course he’ll go, he’s a republican. The press will crucify him, only because he’s not a dem.
We need a third party, a party “for the people”..imagine that, a party that actually takes care of the tax payers..wow, what a concept. right now France has us beat, yuck.
Jun 26, 2009 - 4:09 pm