Here's one of my pitiful toons.
Posted on 03/31/2016 2:34:53 PM PDT by drewh
When is an affair just an affair? And when is someone’s private sex public business? Those are the questions of the moment following two sets of high-profile allegations involving Republican politicians engaging in extramarital relations. Last week, the National Enquirer alleged that GOP presidential candidate Ted Cruz had been “caught cheating” with five mistresses, choosing not to identify the women by name. Earlier in the week, a story broke that Robert Bentley, Alabama’s virulently anti-gay governor, was having an affair with Rebekah Caldwell Mason, his married chief of staff. As Neal Broverman reports for the Advocate, rumors of their affair had been circulating in Washington for years. Both deny the allegations.
Many believe that what takes happens in the bedrooms between consensual adults should stay there, even when it’s politicians whose policies we disagree with. My colleague, Mary Elizabeth Williams, argued that this is hardly the worst misdeed Cruz has ever committed; however, in our extremely sex negative culture, it may be the one that ends his White House run. “[O]f all the reasons that Cruz shouldn’t be president, is an accusation that he slept with other women really the one he ought to go down for?” Williams asks. She astutely notes that—given the possibility that the report was leaked by a Trump staffer—the story is “intriguingly timed, to say the least.”
Should it prove legitimate, inquiry about Ted Cruz’s sex life is more than just “gossip”—as Politico’s Jack Shafer likewise suggested. Cruz’s alleged affairs are worthy of inquiry for the same reason that it’s news when closeted Republicans like Larry Craig foot-tap for sex in an airport bathroom or Randy Boehning is caught on a gay hookup app: Their lies hurt people. Their duplicity, often cloaked political rhetoric, profoundly affects the populations against whose interests they consistently voted, even while engaging in the exact behavior they deemed despicable.
Exposing the hypocrisy of legislators not only makes our political system more honest—it can actually change behavior. After Boehning was outed by Dustin Smith last year, following a chat between the two men online, the North Dakota politician actually told reporters that the leak was a relief: “The 1,000-pound gorilla has been lifted.” To hold politicians accountable for their infidelities is to hold them to the same standard that they do millions of Americans across the country.
There are a number of reasons Ted Cruz’s sex life matters. Aside from his platform, reports indicate that a Super PAC associated with the candidate’s campaign donated $500,000 to former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina last July. Why would a pro-Cruz PAC give money to the competition? Media sources have suggested that the reason for the contribution may have been that Cruz was allegedly having an affair with a staffer on Fiorina’s failed presidential campaign. If Cruz coordinated with his PAC to bribe Fiorina’s camp with what amounts to “hush money,” that’s not only sleazy. That could amount to a federal crime. A GOP operative was sentenced to two years in prison last year for breaking campaign finance laws, which stipulate that candidates and their political action committees cannot communicate.
I’m starting to believe the NE simply made up the story. Or got a tip that they believed and are now learning they’ve been played.
There are too many people in this country who hate Cruz for something like this to not be out there.
Very good analysis. One thing Trump could do is talk about how he has moved on from his younger sexual indiscretions and, looking back, how bad they are for the culture. By giving the mature perspective, The Donald can move from being the wild uncle you see at Thanksgiving to America’s Grandfather who sits you on his lap with the years of his great wisdom. That Grandfatherly nature I am sure is one that The Donald’s inner circle knows about. It is the one I wish could be revealed to all of America.
Trump in his statement, upon learning about the NE story, hoped it was not true:
“Ted Cruz’s problem with the National Enquirer is his and his alone, and while they were right about O.J. Simpson, John Edwards, and many others, I certainly hope they are not right about Lyin’ Ted Cruz. I am sure Trump has had friends smeared by similar stories in the NE and knows how bad it is when they are false. Still, the jury is out whether the Cuban Mistresses story has legs. My patience is wearing thin waiting for the other shoe to drop.
The Enquirer is not releasing this story in a way that is all that advantageous to Trump. They are releasing it in exactly the way they have done so many others before. They first publish a teaser which is short on facts and then then they dribble out more information in a way that maximizes their sales. We will not get the full story from them all at once unless other sources start scooping them. This is how they maximize their sales from a story like this one.
It is possible that the Enquirer will sense that the Cruz - D.C. Madam connection will steal some of their thunder and try to get ahead of it by releasing more than they would prefer to. The mistake some people here are making is assuming that the Enquirer acts like a traditional news source. It is all about sales and politics takes a back seat.
The only meaningful difference is that Cruz is innocent of the charges.
Here's one of my pitiful toons.
The Enquirer is very good at milking a story. They will make as much $$ as possible from this, just like the others. If they already have ‘the goods’ they will sit on it until they fear another tabloid will ‘scoop’ them. If they don’t have enough info, they will solicit leads. They pay their lead sources in tips and 5 digit sums for the story. Regular news does not work that way. And if they are paying, they are verifying upfront so they are not later sued. Their legal team plays a major role in auditing NE stories, but occasionally they get stung.
They did not tease the Palin(Bristol) story. They phoned her 48 hours before print release.
That is exactly right. I doubt that they considered the Bristol Palin story to be high value. Was it actually shocking in any way? I doubt whether it sold many issues. The illicit sex life of Reverend Raphael Cruz Jr. Presidential contender however is worth big bucks to them and has the potential to spike their sales for months if they can manage to drag it out.
Ugh, did someone really post that? I haven’t been around much today so I guess I missed it.
Then again, since the GOPe bought Megyn, she was happy to have fatty Moore there, to do his tired old act.
Redstate and National Review - Hillary supporters, imagine that!
Do you think they are paying anyone for the Cruz story?
Nice ‘toon. :)
Absolutely.
Full disclosure. I think it works similar to the tips for outing the Hollywood stars. They pay tips for leads ($20-$100) for people in the service industry- Limo & taxi drivers, concierge, hotel desk clerks, hairdressers, fitness trainers, medical staff,and people who work security detail. When a participant sells her or his actual story, the price would vary greatly on how close the cheater was to the winning the election.
They likely scan every person who wants to be potus and they decide whose ripe to follow. And if the affair isn’t current, the trail is narrow. They comb through political gossip sites and put feelers out. Given Bill’s reputation in Arkansas, its truly amazing that he was never caught. I can’t imagine they were not able to find a story while he was campaigning. That’s truly a wasted opportunity of a target rich environment.
There's one man who knows whether the charges are true or not. That's Ted Cruz. If they're true he should drop out now because there's no way he can win with this hanging over his head.
Of course if they're true we're past the point of no return. He totally screwed conservatives by running for president knowing this could come out at any time.
I agree. I think he is also smart enough to know this, but sometimes even smart people can be subject to wishful thinking.
I would hope that he understands this will destroy him if it is in fact true, and I hope he would not put us supporters in such a position if these allegations are in fact true.
For those reasons, I don't believe them to be true. It would be insane for him to keep campaigning if these accusations are true, and I do not believe him to be in absence of his facilities.
Of course if they're true we're past the point of no return. He totally screwed conservatives by running for president knowing this could come out at any time.
This is one reason I don't think they are true. He would become a very despised man if he didn't drop out if those allegations are true.
The truth will out eventually, no matter what he does. If these assertions are true, we will eventually know about it.
You believe that way because you want to think the best of him, as we all do with our candidates in the beginning.
So many politicians and preachers have demonstrated that they have the audacity to engage in numerous affairs, publicly lie an deceive, and carry on without remorse. It’s not uncommon.
I can’t imagine the mental torment they must have within their own minds assuming they began life with a conscience. It will catch up with them as they ageand reflect back upon their life.
And while many here would anticipate a despised candidate does not prosper, recent history in the WH proves the exact opposite.
I have a much bigger problem with a potus candidate who is not constitutionally qualified than one who had past marital problems. And he would have known about this likely since high school, since he is so smart.The RNC & DNC should be rejecting candidates that do not meet the qualifications as defined in the constitution. Instead they are nonchalant or knowingly defiant.
We can’t allow that precedent. No one questions Ted’s loyalty or love of country. That’s not the issue. The real issue is that he opens the WH for future usurpers that may merely pretend to love America and not have our best interests at heart. Look no further than the current WH!
The description that frequently pops into my head when observing Ted is "tone deaf." He has a knack for missing clues that's rare in a politician. This endears him to policy wonks and movement conservatives but it's problematic in a national campaign outside the Texas GOP conservative stronghold.
While I agree only a fool would carry on campaigning if these charges are true I'm not sure Ted is clued in on this.
Although the thought of it makes me want to vomit:
Why isn’t the press talking about Hildabeast’s sex life?
I’m sure it’s filled with all sorts of women.
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