September 12, 2007
by Robert Fantina
|
Once again, the world has been subjected to the blatant hypocrisy of a conservative Republican Congressman. Had Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) been caught with his hand in the cookie jar it would barely garner any notice. That his hand was spotted in a far less auspicious place has shocked, tantalized and disgusted. Mr. Craig quickly pled guilty to a lesser charge than he could have faced, and hoped that the rug under which he had swept the entire incident would remain in place. Alas, that was not to be.
Mr. Craig had been a gleaming, if not rising, star in the moneyed skies of the Grand Old Party. For twenty-six years he represented the good people of Idaho, espousing such conservative themes as opposition to abortion, continuing the war in Iraq and, ahem, opposition to gay marriage. That he was caught red-handed, one might say, with his pants down (one might also say), soliciting a male undercover police officer for sex in a men's room appears to be the height of hypocrisy.
Bowing to intense pressure from his Republican colleagues, who see their artificial corner on 'family values' (whatever on earth that means) fading into a sordid sunset, Mr. Craig announced his resignation from the Senate. But wait! After giving it some thought, he announced his intention to unresign, pending the outcome of some investigation or other, and counsel with his attorneys to determine how easy or difficult it might be to 'unplead' guilty. The messy saga, with all its negative publicity, continues.
It is difficult to justify adultery under any circumstances; it is a betrayal of the deepest trust between two people. When President Bill Clinton was accused of, and finally admitted to, an extra-marital affair, the right wing of the Republican Party was aghast, launching a costly investigation and calling for his head on a silver platter. Then Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich (R-GA) was chief among them, leading his Republican white knights on Washington's frenzied witch-hunt.
Yet similar to Mr. Craig trolling men's room stalls while voting against gay rights, Mr. Gingrich's behavior did not stand up under close scrutiny. While condemning the unfaithful, adulterous Mr. Clinton, the married Mr. Gingrich was himself sharing a bed with a woman other than his wife. Unlike Monica Lewinsky, Mr. Clinton's paramour, Mr. Gingrich's girlfriend's name did not become a household word. Yet Mr. Clinton was able to repair his marriage; Mr. Gingrich divorced his second wife to wed his girlfriend.
It is almost unnecessary to mention would-be GOP presidential candidate Senator John McCain (R-AZ) in this context. Leaving the once beautiful woman who'd borne and reared his children, and who lost her beauty in a devastating auto accident, for a still-beautiful 25-year-old heiress should not, one supposes, compromise his credibility on the illusive 'family values' issues. Nor should the serial polygamy of former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, also seeking to be his party's standard-bearer, give one second thoughts. "Do as I say, not as I do." Be faithful to your opposite sex spouse, cherish your children, work hard (two jobs is preferable; one to pay for medical insurance, and one for all the other expenses), and live the great American dream!
(Article Continues Below)
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, the third member of this unholy triumvirate currently constituting the so-called 'top tier' among the throngs seeking the GOP nomination, does not hesitate to tell all and sundry that he and he alone among that motley threesome has had only one wife. And he did not delay in running as far and as fast as possible from his prominent and proud supporter, Mr. Craig, after the senator's rather dramatic downfall.
What is a good, God-fearing, Bible-thumping conservative Republican voter to do? Where oh where is the new Ronald Reagan (married twice and estranged from his children, but who cares? He's dead now so we needn't look too closely)? Who, these conservative Republicans wonder, left adrift in a rudderless boat tossing on a sea of immorality, can be trusted to lead them? Who to assure that women know their true place, apparently in the home and in the secret apartment?
Who to protect the children from seeing two men or two women together, which apparently will immediately cause these impressionable children to shun the example they have seen all their lives and start playing house with their same-sex friends? Who to protect them from the evils of government-provided health care which will, as Mr. Giuliani recently warned darkly, give the United States a system like Canada has, where everyone has basic medical coverage (horror of horrors!)? Who will protect vulnerable U.S. citizens from threats that don't exist? Who will colonize third world countries to enable gas-guzzling SUVs to continue to ferry children to soccer games?
Perhaps someone will rise up, like a Phoenix from the Republican ashes, to lead the conservative flock back to Nirvana. Mr. Romney will not fit the bill; oh no, despite his one, long-term marriage and his almost too squeaky clean sons and grandchildren, he falls out of consideration because of his religion, which is unacceptable to the Republican right (despite any narrow-mindedness this might indicate, one must be thankful for any reason people don't vote for Mr. Romney). Will it be Fred Thompson, erstwhile actor and former senator from Tennessee? Hardly! Not with that much younger, perennially underdressed trophy tart he married.
Perhaps Texas Representative Ron Paul would be a good choice. No, too intelligent; the voters on the right want a president they can feel comfortable having a beer with, like President Bush. The ability to lead the planet's only superpower in an increasingly complex world takes second place (or possibly third) to the beer factor. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback sees himself in this role, but his conversion to the Catholic faith raises some questions among fundamental Christians. Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee? Are the Republicans really ready to embrace (theoretically, of course) someone with such an unusual name? Probably not.
Indeed, there is a great dearth on the conservative landscape, and one wonders in tense anticipation (and not a little horror) who will come bounding out of nowhere to lead the charge back to the dark ages. Whoever it is must reach the high standard that has been set: he must not be caught in bed with anyone other than his wife; when going to a men's room he must use the facilities therein provided for their stated purpose and that purpose alone; he must be a member of, or at least be willing to convert to, a religion where he can easily find a mega-church in Arkansas, Texas or Oklahoma.
And finally, he must, whenever possible, channel the spirit of Ronald Reagan in all his speeches. Until such a paragon appears, perhaps the members of the Republican right had better stay home on election day.
If you enjoyed this post, please consider the following:
1. Make a donation of $1 or more to help keep this website active.
click here
2. Click Here to Subscribe to the Free Populist Party Newsletter
3. Share this page or get the Populist Party RSS Feed
Robert Fantina [send him email] is a long-time activist for peace and social justice. He has worked with the Coalition for Peace Action in New Jersey. Following the 2004 presidential election, he moved to Canada, where he now resides. Robert is the author of Desertion and the American Solder: 1776-2006.
