Posted on 06/22/2004 4:29:42 AM PDT by Mike Bates
The divorce records of Republican Senate candidate Jack Ryan have been released. Last week a California judge ordered the documents opened in response to a lawsuit started by the Chicago Tribune and Chicago’s WLS-TV.
The files disclosed allegations made against Ryan by his former wife. She said that he insisted she go to sex clubs with him. According to the Associated Press, actress Jeri Lynn Ryan described one spot as "a bizarre club with cages, whips and other apparatus hanging from the ceiling."
She also charged that Ryan wanted her to perform sex acts in public so that others could watch.
For his part, Ryan denied the allegations, asserting that he had merely arranged some "romantic getaways." Using some Clintonesque parsing, he admitted: "We did go to one avant-garde nightclub in Paris which was more than either one of us felt comfortable with. We left and vowed never to return."
Oh, so that’s what they’re called these days. Avant-garde.
We all know that some spouses make spurious statements when love sours and the only dates the couple has are in domestic relations court. At this point, it doesn’t make much of a difference who, if either, was telling the truth.
This incident effectively kills any possibility of the very liberal Democrat Barack Obama not being elected in November. The odds of Mr. Ryan winning have always ranged between slim and none. Slim just left town.
Sex scandals work for Democrats. They don’t for Republicans.
A Tribune poll taken at the end of last month showed Obama with a commanding 22-point lead.
With the mediocre operation he’s run so far, it didn’t appear likely that Ryan would be able to turn things around. His campaign had failed to catch fire, even among many Republicans activists.
Running touchy-feely ads about how he taught in an all-black school doesn’t appeal to the party’s base. And it certainly wasn’t going to diminish Obama’s 90 percent plus lead among African-Americans.
Some observers think Ryan initially made a crucial mistake during the primaries by not disclosing documents relating to his split-up. Perhaps seeing Democrat Blair Hull’s candidacy crumble when details of his divorce were revealed strengthened Ryan’s resolve to keep the records under wrap.
He asserted this was to protect his son. At the same time, the candidate claimed that there’d be no embarrassment to the party if the information were made public.
If he genuinely believed that tales of sex clubs with cages and whips wouldn’t prove awkward, then Ryan is simply too dumb to be in the Senate. With people like Patty Murray (D-Wash) roaming the corridors there, that’s saying a lot.
I think Ryan’s actual first mistake was in running at all. Did he really think that the media would be satisfied with anything less than complete disclosure?
The next blunder was that of Republican primary voters. They chose him when there already was widespread public awareness of his messy break up and his efforts to cover things up. Illinois has become a Democratic stronghold in recent years, but that’s no reason to treat the Republican nomination so carelessly.
What happens now? Again, it doesn’t make much of a difference. Mr. Ryan will maintain some of his support.
A few Illinois Republican leaders will call on him to drop out of the race. Congressman Ray LaHood has already done that. Apparently, Jack Ryan’s campaign isn’t playing well in Peoria any longer.
Former Governor Jim Edgar on Monday continued to back Ryan and suggested it was time to move on. That statement was given after Mr. Ryan had assured Edgar that there wasn’t anything too terrible in the documents. It’ll be interesting so see Edgar’s reaction after he finds out for himself.
Jack Ryan may remain the candidate or there may be another. Either way, the Republican standard bearer will get clobbered.
The Illinois GOP has moved into full surrender mode. And just when President Bush needs every vote in the Senate he can get.
notice how they take HER allegations as gospel whilst taking everything the republican says as a lie/spin?
Of course, as we all know too well, a politician's sex life is private grounds and off-limits.........
....Ooops, that is, if that politician supports abortion on demand and has a (D) after his/her name.
Exactly. The GOP in Illinois is comatose thanks to the Ryans for a generation. John F*ckin' will win the state and on his coattails Barack Obama will enter the U.S Senate. And we can thank GOP primary voters who could have picked Keith Oberweis. Instead they wanted a RINO and what they got was one with both feet in sleaze. Sex scandals NEVER help Republicans.
Ping!
The local media is having a field day with Ryan's divorce. Jack Ryan is toast!
You only missed one key point, and it is Ryan's biggest mistake.The appeal to the Male voter.
Ryan: Hey, listen we all make mistakes, but If you were married to Seven of Nine, wouldn't you get a little freaky too?
Its too late for the apologetics. It sounds Clintonian.
No, worse camle, they are taking her allegations in a messy DIVORCE as gospel. She has issued a statement calling him a good man and a good father....That, is going unremarked upon....
Jack Ryan would never have been the GOP nominate if the RNC didn't heavily promote him to the locals. Ryan was promoted here on FR in the spring of last year. People assured me that Ryan's divorce was no big deal.
I hope the RNC learns that next time, it wishes to promote someone on the locals, it ought to do extensive background checks on the candidate.
Humor challenged this morning...?
Karl Rove shot himself in the foot again. This was the White House's preferred candidate and now they face the less than pleasant prospect of a very liberal Democratic Senator from the Land Of Lincoln.
Yes it is. What the judge did in acceeding to the media's demands was illegal. But its too late since its all out now. If there was a way to sue a judge for violating the confidentiality of a divorce proceeding...
I voted for Obama in the primary because I thought he would be the weakest RAT candidate. I though, no way would, IL voters settle for a Far Left Marxist. However, Ryan is enough of a dud to lose to Obama.
geez thanx fer pointing out that things are WORSE (sigh!;-))
I thought his surname was a handicap considering who used to be governor in the state. But as it turns out, he's more handicapped by being a fool.
If only Senator Fitzgerald could be persuaded to run again. He may have been a loose cannon at times, but his defeat of Carol Mosely Braun was a classic.
Regards, Ivan
What was Ryan thinking when he thought of running for public office? He knew what was in the divorce papers and should've considered that if this came out--and it did--that his political career was toast.
I sometimes I think Ryan is really a RAT operative who's goal is to sabotage the IL Senate race. Thanks to Jack Ryan, the RATS wouldn't have to spend much money pick the IL Senate seat. The DNC is free to allocate more funds to Senate races in CO, FL, and OK.
I sometimes I think Ryan is really a RAT operative who's goal is to sabotage the IL Senate race. Thanks to Jack Ryan, the RATS wouldn't have to spend much money pick the IL Senate seat. The DNC is free to allocate more funds to Senate races in CO, FL, and OK.
Uh huh. And now the RNC will have to spend money just to keep the GOP Senate majority. Thanks for nothing, Ryan.
This is so Slick Willie-esque. And with him jerking around the press when the whispers first started, he's not going to find any friends there. Ryan ought to take Rep. Ray LaHood's advice and pull out of the race.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.