Is there a man among us who has not on occasion proposed something a little adventurous to his wife? Is this not a good thing rather than a bad one? Did we not have a President who proposed freaky to an intern working for him?
Ryan will lose because he is a Republican named Ryan. Whether he loses by one vote or a million matters not.
In part. But also because he's lost the support of the state GOP.
From the Trib:
The political impact of the revelations on Jack Ryan's candidacy will play out over the next several days. One prominent Illinois Republican, U.S. Rep. Ray LaHood of Peoria, said he was "shocked" that Ryan would run for public office carrying such baggage and called on him to get out of the race.
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Ryan refused requests from his opponents to release the file, saying it could harm his son and only dealt with custody matters. At one point, State Republican Party Chairwoman Judy Baar Topinka said she asked him flatly whether there was anything embarrassing in the file. Topinka said Ryan assured her there was not.
"I consider him an honest man and I take him at his word," she said shortly before the primary, which Ryan won over seven opponents.
On Monday, a source close to Topinka, who is also the state treasurer, said she felt Ryan had misled her. "She stuck her neck out for him and he assured her nothing in those files was embarrassing to him or to the Republican Party," the source said. "There's a general feeling by a lot of people that they've been lied to."
LaHood was even more direct. "In the interest of saving further embarassment for him and his family, he needs to immediately withdraw from the race," he said. "There is no way Republicans in Illinois will vote for somebody with this kind of activity in their background."
From the Sun Times:
Former Gov. Jim Edgar was stunned to hear about Jeri Ryan's allegations after Jack Ryan called Edgar over the weekend to describe the files, but made no mention of the sex clubs. Based on that characterization, Edgar told reporters earlier in the day the files would not likely sink Ryan's campaign.
"Edgar kind of feels like he took this guy at his word and is kind of stunned it could be different from what he was told," the source said.
Others quoted in the story either say he's a good candidate or it's no big deal. However, this is going to hit him in the pocketbook, the all-important fundraising. And without donations, he's toast.