GOP watch: The Ensign affair

Posted: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:07 AM by Domenico Montanaro
Filed Under: Republicans

The Las Vegas Sun: “Sen. John Ensign … acknowledged an extramarital affair with a member of his campaign staff. The affair took place between December 2007 and August 2008 with a campaign staffer who was married to an employee in Ensign's Senate office. Neither have worked for the senator since May 2008.”

Video: Hardball’s Chris Matthews and a political panel discusses Ensign's admittance of his affair

The Washington Post: “The news was the latest setback for a party that suffered losses of at least 13 Senate seats in the past two elections and saw Sen. Arlen Specter (Pa.) defect to the Democrats in April. Any further instability in their ranks is unwelcome news for Republicans, who viewed Ensign as a telegenic communicator who could deliver the conservative message on political talk shows in a congenial matter. Ensign did not directly comment about his political future but said he was ‘committed to my service in the United States Senate.’ He does not face reelection until 2012 and had taken preliminary steps to explore a run for the White House that year, making a trip three weeks ago to Iowa, the first testing ground on the presidential primary calendar.”

"Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's supporters are holding a Web-a-thon to raise money for her legal defense fund," AP writes. "Organizers of Conservatives- 4Palin say they hope to raise more than $500,000 in a week. Palin has said she has amassed more than that in legal fees while fighting ethics complaints."

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Comments

I love it
Ensign and Newt. The 2 crusaders vs Clinton AND>>>>>>>
We know the rest
the GOP is such a disgrace.
PLEASE, get rid of all of them

Nj (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:14 AM)

Another swinging dick uncovered...forgiven and soon forgotten...hopefully...
Shame and hurt and unhappiness seem to take morals and values and judgment to after thoughts these days.
The Senator will probably be back on TV saying how wrong things are in the world and how only he can change it...
crock of crap...get rid of him Nevada!!!

BJ, CA (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:21 AM)

Yeah another repugnant one liar who supported that creepy Defense of Marriage Act shows just how much he respects marriage, by having an affair with a married woman. Sure looks like his presidential ambitions have gone up in smoke, the best thing that could happen to our country except for one other creep who needs to have her presidential ambitions dashed.

Speaking of the Unethical Woman it is so funny how Sinner Sarah has to raise lots of money from idiots so she can defend herself against so many ethics probes. This Criminal in a Skirt has got to go people of Alaska, don't let her rip you off anymore than she already has. Her and her creepy psychophants have to give it up about Letterman, he apologized twice so end of story. So sickening how she whines freedom of speech when attacking her is our excercising of our freedom of speech.

Impeach Palin Now!
Impeach Ensign Now!

Eric, Salinas, CA (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:23 AM)

Fighting ethics complaints! Well there's a surprise. Sounds like all her trash talk at rallies caught up with her.

As for Ensign - he's human. My question tho, if this person hadn't tried to extort money, would Ensign of fessed up?

Sure hope MSNBC will have more of Richard Engal on. I feel about him the way some (Feisty!) feel about L.O'D!!!

cindy, las vegas, nv (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:24 AM)

Eh...Another senator who is a lying, cheating dirt bag. To try to make this a 'Republican only' issue is completely brainless.

It's a human condition for one thing and nearly all of the people on cap. hill are doing it but haven't been caught yet.

Remorse? Ha! This guy came forward to keep from being extorted by his side dish.

BamaBoy (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:27 AM)

I can handle the infidelity. I can't handle him getting up on a soapbox!

Pride goeth before a fall! (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:36 AM)

Ensign is just another lying/hyprocrit in a long line of holier than thou, so called family values and defense of marriage and lets not forget conservative GOP. First he got on his soap box in the Senate rails against Clinton and condems gay marriages insisting on a constitutional amendment to uphold their lying/cheating marriages. What's even more sleazy he was carrying on w/ an employee's wife and was forced to come out w/ truth because of blackmail. HOW SWEET IS THAT! He reaped what he sowed. When are the GOP going to get that thier santamonious and self-rightous B.S. is slowly but surely not going to get them voted to high office.

Juan, Ft Lauderdale, Fl (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:37 AM)

Where are the pictures?
Where is the soiled dress?

Jamit2me (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:42 AM)

People make mistakes, we're all human. The problem with the republicans is their over the top hypocrisy on all issues moral. So here you have a guy who is demanding Clinton resign because of his affair... what do you think the odds are he will resign? He also is against marriage equality for gays and lesbians. So, it's OK for him to break his "sacred" vows, it's OK for felons to get married, it's OK to get married as a prize on a TV show, but can't let those gays participate because of the "damage" it would do to the institution. How ridiculous is that?

Mike, Redondo Beach, CA (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:50 AM)

Of course, I don't trust politicans as a whole, so finding out one was cheating on his wife (no matter the party) is not a big shock. Is there a law against cheating on a spouse? No. But the way I look at it--someone who lies and cheats in one aspect of their life will lie and cheat in all aspects of their life. How could we trust Ensign again?

The big problem I had with Clintons affair was that he lied to the american public, lied under oath, used SS to cover up his personal issues, and that is was obvious that his marriage was more damaged by the affair becoming public than the affair itself (smacks of a marriage of political convenience). The impeachment of Clinton should have solely focused on the perjery and lack of trust with the american people. Details of the affair were not important and only served to turn the investigation into a circus.

A Voice (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:50 AM)

Sure hope MSNBC will have more of Richard Engal on. I feel about him the way some (Feisty!) feel about L.O'D!!!
cindy, las vegas, nv (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:24 AM)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ohhh.. I like him too… He does great work over there in the Middle East – but with all the turbulence going on in Iran at the moment – I’m kind of glad he’s home…

Ps: And he’s single you know ;0)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PPs: As for Ensign - he's human. My question tho, if this person hadn't tried to extort money, would Ensign of fessed up?

OH HELL NO… just another family values guy that got busted with his pants around his ankles… at least this time it was with a woman!

Feisty Redhead Roselle, IL (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:51 AM)

it is typical so called Christian Republican Values...
Now we know what they are. They are too busy to condemn others while they forgot to look at their sins. Is that cute? I bet that he will not the only one hahaha

keith (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:53 AM)

One of the leaders of the party of Family Values (GOP) has fallen off his high horse. What a jerk. Maybe this Party will quit preaching to us.

Seattle Sue (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:57 AM)

Yeah yeah another morally superior republican caught with his pants down. Both sides are guilty of this but the republicans have the audacity to tell the American people they have the moral authority to deny equal rights to the gay community. Do as I say not as I do. :)
Sarah haven't your supporters already paid enough of your bills? i.e. Clothing, travel expenses, etc.
Fiscal responsibility begins and ends with you. Stop playing the victim. Be a leader if you truly want to have a political future.

dan Austin, tx (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:58 AM)

Please go back to the republican primaries of 2008 and consider the candidate's marital situations. John McCain tossed aside the wife who remained faithful to him through his period as a POW for a much younger, wealthier attractive babe, while still living under the roof of his legal wife. He later had to be taken to court over support.
Fred Thompson had his new, young trophy wife. Rudy Guiliani was on his third wife after living with his first for 11 years before he realized she was his second cousin and telling his second wife, Donna Hanover over a TV press conference that he was through with her.
Mitt Romney, Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee are still married to their first wives.

Compare that group to Barack Obama and his family life. He is obviously deeply in love with his wife. He is the one best suited to run on a theme of family values.He's not about to cheat on Michele because she might kick the xxx out of him, although she is far too refined to do so. This issue is out of play for the republicans in the 2012 election.

Tim Stocken, Highland Lakes, NJ (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:05 AM)

Why would Governor Palin need a legal defense fund if she has done nothing wrong or is lily white and pure as some seem to think she is?

Ensign is from the state where the Mustang Ranch flourished. Is it any wonder that he's caught with his pants down but nobody in that state is likely to be worried. He better not even think of national level politics or he is toast. On second thought the act itself may not upset Nevadans but the hypocrisy might. He could be toast anyway. We can only hope.

eagle1776 (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:14 AM)

Another one bits the dust! Now if only we in Oklahoma
find a way of sending Colburn and Inhofe back to the farm.

Peter Gatliff aka RailroadMike Lawton Oklahoma (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:15 AM)

Palin was cleared of any ethics violations.

Sorry, the Dems have lost this one, along with CBS and Lettermean.

She's just a natural born threat to Dems, isn't she?

Personally, I think the Dems are suffering from Palin Paranoia.

Bad Chihuahua (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:22 AM)

Perjury is not just lying under oathe. The question being asked must be relevant to the case at hand. Clinton's consentual affair with Monica had nothing to do with Paula Jones's allegation that Bill harassed her for sex. Can't establish a pattern of behavior after the fact, in a timeline. Bill was under no obligation to tell the truth to an irrelevant question.

PCR (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:27 AM)

if a "guy", can't call him a man...lies to and cheats on the mother of his children, the woman he claims to love, vowed to be faithful to and share his intimate life, home, bed and body with exclusively... in the witness of God and man...

what makes you think we have a snowball's chance in hell that he'll be honest with us? you can count on him to lie the enamel off his rotten teeth.

don't give me the "he's only human" crap, as if being human robs you of your choice of being an honest and trustworthy husband to your wife...

I'm human and there is nothing..absolutely nothing that could tempt me to betray my wife..even if she betrayed me...

that's what a real MAN does when he chooses to give his word to his woman...the rest of you are just boys.

laughs @ clowns (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:34 AM)

A Voice (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 9:50 AM)

Which is the MAIN reason I've never supported Hillary Clinton. I think she is incredibly smart and talented; but comes off as a dope 'standing behind her man'. That undercut any other message she could have scored with, just my opinion.

Hillary Rodham was probably a better person than any of this; but Hillary Clinton was all too happy to go along to get ahead. That is a complete feminist failure, in my book.

Clara Kansas City, MO (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:34 AM)

Just more of that wonderful morality and family values that the GOP love to harp on.

I love the smell of GOP hypocrisy in the morning! (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:38 AM)

Look for the following comments from the right...
"This isn't news."
"We don't care about his personal affairs."
"We should be supportive of him and his family in their time of need."
"This is just a liberal media smear campaign."
"What about Clinton's affair(s)."

Yet if this were a Democrat...
"Typical Democrat."
"Democrats have no moral values."
"Democrats are full of scum."
"This is what all Democrats do."
"Liberals don't believe in God."

This is yet another reason Republicans should end their "cultural war" on America. They're losing it.

(I wonder what the bouncy bouncy man has to say about this.)

http://jawillie.blog.com

jawillie Philadelphia, PA (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:40 AM)

"Why would Governor Palin need a legal defense fund if she has done nothing wrong or is lily white and pure as some seem to think she is?"

Eagle1776, not to comment on her ethics or personality, but sometime innocent people are accused of crimes. That is why our legal system has to assume they are innocent until proven guilty. And she was found innocent of the ethical issues. Now, if you don't like her personality, that is a matter of opinion. And you're welcome to have and express that opinion. But let's try to be honest and fair when we start throwing around legal and criminal charges in the place of personal critics and insults.

If you said:
Ensign = hypocrit, I'd say I think so too
Palin = attention hog, I'd also agree
Palin = unethical and illegal conduct, I'd say you need to prove it.

Of course, the whole issue with Ensign just proves the point that most republicans are not actually conservatives. Conservativism is a way of life, a way of thinking, much more than a political party or ideal. Just because one party claims to be more conservative than another does not mean the party philosophy is actually conservative, or that politicans will live up to the way of life.

A Voice (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 11:50 AM)

Lying Hypocrites! No Family values, just racist rallies and bluster about being "RIGHT". What a sham.
QUEEN PALIN can pay her own legal bills... OR she could call up her mentors RushNewtHannity and DICKCheney and let them pass their well filled HATS for her cause!

Qtip (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 12:17 PM)

She's just a natural born threat to Dems, isn't she?

Personally, I think the Dems are suffering from Palin Paranoia.
Bad Chihuahua (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 10:22 AM)

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No not at all we just don't like DUMB politicians.

SAM, USA (Sent Wednesday, June 17, 2009 12:20 PM)

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