"Family Values" Republicans who don't practice what they preach

Family Values Republicans Devoid of Any Values Other Than Hypocrisy


These are just 2 recent examples in the news. Normally, I try to avoid the overt partisan BS that permeates ATS of late because let's be honest, politicians in general seem to throw away any semblance of values once they step foot on the stage whether it be at the local, state or federal level and there are likely just as many whack jobs with a D next to their name like Anthony Weiner. The difference, in my mind at least, is that the 2 Republicans I am referencing ran for office on a platform claiming to promote "family values" and if, as is the case for one if these fools, trafficking young boys for sexual gratification is the idea of Family Vslues they believe in then I think were all better off without them.

Our first superstar of Family Values hails from Oklahoma, the same state where a woman and her daughter were recently convicted of incest for marrying one another (and where the mother had also married her son a few years prior) so perhaps Oklahoma is the new Florida? Lest I digress further, let's see what he's been up to when not pontificating about how everyone else should live their lives...



[Quote]Ralph Shortey, former Oklahoma state senator and a county campaign coordinator for President Donald Trump’s campaign last year, will plead guilty to a child sex trafficking offense for soliciting sex from a 17-year-old boy in March.

It would seem that Mr. Shortly was caught with his own shorty in a Super 8 Motel with a 17 year old boy that he met on Craigslist, offered to pay him for sex, sent photos of a prepubescent girl and so,I cited nude photos of the boy in addition to paying him for his services at the motel. Personally, I don't particularly care what two consenting adults do with one another on their own time and technically, the boy was over the age of consent in Oklahoma but paying anyone under 18 for sex is child prostitution in Oklahoma and as a state Legislator, he had to be aware of this. But what makes it vile and hypocritical is his campaign platform and voting record...

The two-term former Oklahoma Republican state senator was first elected in 2010 on a “family values” conservative platform. According to the Associated Press, Shortey “routinely voted with his Republican colleagues on bills targeting gay and transgender people, including a measure passed earlier this year that would allow business owners to discriminate against gay people.

So apparently, he's against treating gay people fairly as long as he doesn't get caught in the act. Disgusting and a monstrous hypocrite. Not exactly what. I consider good old fashioned family values.

Our second memberof the brain trust is a resident if the lovely state of Ohio

An Ohio Republican state legislator who consistently touts his faith and his anti-LGBT stances resigned this week after being caught having sex with a man in his office.

Representative Wes Goodman, who is married, was reportedly seen by someone who is not a staffer having sex with a man inside his Riffe Center office. The witness told Ohio House Chief of Staff Mike Dittoe of the situation early Tuesday afternoon, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

Dittoe told House Speaker Republican Cliff Rosenberger, who met with Goodman. Shortly after the meeting, Goodman resigned due to “inappropriate conduct.

Hypocrisy knows no bounds for some people because despite his enjoyment of the company of other men,

This comes as a surprise to many constituents, because Goodman has consistently spoken about "natural marriage" being between a man and a woman. His campaign website, which is now offline, outlined his views on family: "Healthy, vibrant, thriving, values-driven families are the source of Ohio's proud history and the key to Ohio's future greatness. The ideals of a loving father and mother, a committed natural marriage, and a caring community are well worth pursuing and protecting."

Goodman’s twitter bio describes him as: “Christian. American. Conservative. Republican. Husband to @Beth1027.” His tweets are protected and his account is private. His Facebook page has been taken offline.

He's the 2nd Ohio State Republican to resign for inappropriate sexual conduct in the past month so apparently they aren't far behind Oklahoma and Florida for being bat s# crazy. Again, I couldn't care any less what two consenting adults do on their own time. Just don't be a lying hypocrite that is an embarrassment to your family and the constituency that depends on you. At least this one wasn't taking advantage of minors and only had to resign in disgrace. I feel for his family because they didn't do anything to deserve the scrutiny they will have to deal with and it will follow his kids around at school and thst isn't fair to them in any way. It's a shame.

As I said above, there are plenty of Democrats who are just as tainted. But they aren't running around telling others how to run their personal lives while engaging in very activities that they want to see others punished for doing. Idiots I can deal with. Idiots who are lying hypocrites, now so much.


www.newsweek.com... /rss/yahoous/news

www.newsweek.com... &utm_content=/rss/yahoous/news

A couple bad apples do not a party make.

Same with cops.

Your two examples are not indicative of the entire Republican party, sorry. Nor the whack jobs on the left, i.e., Waters, Pelosi, fill in the blank...

a reply to: peter vlar

We are all responsible for ourselves.

I am a Conservative and I live it every day (not religious though).

originally posted by: EternalShadow
A couple bad apples do not a party make.

Same with cops.

Your two examples are not indicative of the entire Republican party, sorry. Nor the whack jobs on the left, i.e., Waters, Pelosi, fill in the blank...

Please, feel free to point out where I said this is about the entire Republican Party because I didn't. I was calling out the massive hypocrisy of 2 specific Republicans who ran on platforms of supposed family values who then proceeded to engage in activities that they took verHy public stances against and voted on legislation that was completely antithetical to the activities they were engaging in. And I'm pretty sure neither Waters nor Pelosi have ever solicited underage prostitutes so I don't see how the analogy is logical. Especially since I referenced the resident scumbag of the left, the pedophile Weiner. A scumbag in politics is a scumbag, I don't care what party you're a member of. As I stated in the OP, these two examples are particularly prescient because of the platforms they ran on and the bills then sponsored or voted in favor of that were completely contradictory to what they were doing in their private lives. Apparently it doesn't bother you that one of them was caught, literally, in bed with a minor who he had been paying for sex because you're too focused on partisanship.

a reply to: Metallicus

I absolutely agree. As I said in the OP and my above reply as well, I'm simply marveling at a couple of specific, monstrous hypocrites for their public persona compared to how they conducted themselves in private. It's not an indictment of all conservatives or republicans and I'm willing to bet that you're not logging off of ATS to browse Craigslist for underage boys. It seems to be quite a common occurrence the last decade though, especially with the more religious parts of the right, to be embroiled in drug related scandals or getting high in seedy motels with male escorts despite preaching no some faux morality crusade by day.

Bi sexuals tend to be turned away by the gay community. Its the old problem of making it appear to be a choice. As such bi sexuals often hate gays and visa vversa. This is simply a hatred built up between the two communities.

originally posted by: peter vlar

originally posted by: EternalShadow
A couple bad apples do not a party make.

Same with cops.

Your two examples are not indicative of the entire Republican party, sorry. Nor the whack jobs on the left, i.e., Waters, Pelosi, fill in the blank...

Please, feel free to point out where I said this is about the entire Republican Party because I didn't. I was calling out the massive hypocrisy of 2 specific Republicans who ran on platforms of supposed family values who then proceeded to engage in activities that they took verHy public stances against and voted on legislation that was completely antithetical to the activities they were engaging in.

Then change the title in your post because it implies that. As it reads:

"Family Values Republicans Devoid of Any Values Other Than Hypocrisy"

Not to mention that while trying not to engage in partisan politics and discussion, this OP is exactly that in its intent! These two INDIVIDUALS will be dealt with regardless of their political platforms. Bad on them for being scumbags, but by making the distinction that they are "republicans", you DO imply the party is responsible for the individual deceit and corruption.... like its part of their playbook.

I'm not even sure what this OP is trying to accomplish other than the usual attempts by both party loyalists trying to always take the moral high ground when both parties are complete sh# to begin with!!

Side stepping and clever insinuations at this point are useless as a way to sway public opinion as most of us have heard it all and it's frankly getting really freaking boring.


ETA:

P.S.
Allow a commenter the time to answer your reply before you add another complete paragraph to your reply.
It makes me look like I'm ignoring your points and cherry picking your original reply.

Great for discrediting ... Bad for discourse.

If you're going to add ...put the "ETA" before your added content. Thanks.

a reply to: peter vlar While I like your thread and as myself am a Democrat but also very conservative, I believe the "elite" on all sides do nasty things. I shook hands with Shortey on two occasions and always had a bad feeling about him. The first time I was a little upset because he didn't even know my last name and was there to give me a award. How stupid does one have to be to do that little bit of homework. The dude was and is a creep amd deserves to be put behind bars. And let's hope he is behind bars in Oklahoma. Those inmates are harsh to say the least.

a reply to: EternalShadow That is their thread title and there is no reason to complain about that. Just use facts and reason with the OP. If he bites his tongue then cool. If not then what a way to stick to your guns! Try not to snowflake and deal with it, I did.

originally posted by: dragonridr
Bi sexuals tend to be turned away by the gay community. Its the old problem of making it appear to be a choice. As such bi sexuals often hate gays and visa vversa. This is simply a hatred built up between the two communities.

It's not nearly as dramatic as many make it sound. The source of the contention is what bisexual people call "bi erasure" where the lgbt community often overlooks or refuses to acknowledge bisexuality as being officially "queer" or that it simply doesn't really exist. And it's far from some turf war crisis that some make it sound like.

Personally, I'm the opposite. I can't, for the life of me, imagine a world where I automatically cross out 50% of all adult humans from my dating pool. I think all straight and gay people are missing out, lol.

a reply to: peter vlar

This isn't a new problem. If you wanted to be extra combative and thorough, there is a looooong history and a looooong list of this happening. It's fairly typical: stuffy family values anti-gay conservative gets elected by people who hate the same things he does and then he gets caught with some rent boy or underage kid in his bed. It's been going on for decades.

It's gotten to the point where, when I see somebody "doth protesting too much" against gay folk, I just assume they are in the closet. I've seen it time and time again. There's no reason to hate something so much unless you have personal shame and guilt tied to it. Similar with transphobia. Most "tranny chasers" (guys who like trans women for the wrong reasons) are outspoken transphobic conservatives. I know this for a fact and you can ask just about any trans woman who actively dates men or any trans sex worker. It's an obvious trend.

As I always say, they like to "punch in public, love in private". In other words, they like to bang what they hate.

a reply to: Abysha I like where you are going with that. I think you may be my friend back in Oklahoma but he is too busy working on a masters to post here. I agree 100% and have seen this happen many of times. Those that are closed in a closet need to unlock the door and be present. The mic is in their hands and and will only sink deeper if they do not stand up. The OK dude should have done this years ago and not have used a 17 year old. But he could have remedy his position and did what was good for him. But no he f'ed up and acted like a creep.

a reply to: peter vlar

First of all, its worth stating that "family values" is a meaningless term. Some of the most malfunctional interpersonal relationships ever studied have been between members of families, and have involved child abuse, murder, psychological torture, physical torture, deliberate starvation, false imprisonment, abortions performed with a fist to the gut, genital mutilation, and a plethora of other, gross, unimaginable criminal behaviour, from parents toward children, children toward parents, and so on and so forth.

Family values could mean any damned thing, but its absolutely not the case that it should bring automatically to mind the cookies and cream, picture postcard nonsense that people have been trying and failing to live up to since the middle of the century before this one. Why do I say that? Because that existence has a) never existed in a stable state, and b) is only tolerable for any length of time if someone is being oppressed, repressed, or denying some things about their lives and the way they are living them. In truth, the term "family values" as used by the modern Republican Party is a tool of authoritarianism, and nothing else. It certainly does not reflect a healthy and balanced reality.

And there can be no better evidence for this, than the fact that even its most staunch advocates are turning out to involve themselves in behaviour that their false paradigm refuses to accept as decent (despite the fact that this perception is outmoded and needed to be on the trash heap by the time the 40s rolled around, but unfortunately still exists).

While its true that the behaviour of individuals does not suggest that the behaviour of the whole is like unto theirs, it DOES suggest that the entire authoritarian platform is invalid. If "family values" includes adultery, while on the taxpayers dime no less, then family values has no meaning of any kind, and if it does not, but even its most vocal advocates cannot keep it in their pants, then the platform is too weak to be of any use. In either case, its obsolesence is beyond doubt at this point, and those seeking to dress up their homophobia as a simple desire to see the family ideal upheld, will have to come up with a new way to normalise their inhuman loathing of their fellow human beings.

a reply to: peter vlar

So you put down a couple of instances,there are millions of Republicans,sounds like your grasping at straws at best,opinionated liberal

Don't know about anyone else, but I tend to practice what I preach.

Only married once, love my husband and my son and bend over backward to make sure they both have what they need all the time.

a reply to: EternalShadow

Plenty of bad apples. On all sides. Yes a party.

Like Reagan selling arms to Iran, like giving saddam weapons of mass destructuon, like leading the house against Clinton's impeachment and then being busted with a prostitute,...plenty of examples. Same with the dems.

Also police in general are not good at their job. They may not be racist mad men like the media presents but they are poorly trained and out of shape across the board by majority. So of coarse bad things happen. If I was a poorly trained electrician I would also make bad decisions.

a reply to: peter vlar

I like to call it Ted haggard syndrome.

The holiest are the creepiest

In my expirience truly spiritual aware people are soft spoken and introspective.

Those who sermonize are often the offenders.

a reply to: luthier

I'm not sure you can measure that rule well by politcians though.

In a lot of red areas, the people are pretty deeply religious, so they expect their politicians to be. The pols aren't cut from the same cloth but they have to make that cynical ploy to satisfy their voters because the voters are there in the churches every Sunday.

Now, you can look at the voters and try to tar and feather them, but there really is now way to split out the genuine from the false there.

a reply to: peter vlar

Party before everything else.

a reply to: EternalShadow

No, it implies that republicans who ran on a family values platform are scum bags. Just because the word republicans is in the title doesn't mean all republicans. Do all republicans run on a "family values" platform? Did you bother reading the links? It's in the title of the first article as well. I didn't edit any if my posts to add anything. If there were edits, it would say so at the bottom.

So no... I don't imply any such thing, I mention partisan politics and that both parties are equally guilty. I also discuss how while there are Dems who are equally vile, these two losers are more vile in my mind because they are the ones who claimed a moral high ground, not me, and then engage in activities that they publicly denounce. If you can't understand any of that without attacking me while ignoring what these vile hypocrites have done there isn't much to talk about.