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   Twenty years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Gnter Grass still thinks reunification was a bad idea.
 Forty years of writing from Taylor Branch, James Fallows, Katherine Boo, Marjorie Williams, Joshua Micah Marshall, and more.
 With help from Washington, the for-profit college industry is loading up millions of low-income students with debt they'll never pay off.
 The best recent memoir from republican Washington is a hoax. That should tell you something.
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July 10, 2009
SO MUCH FOR RUGGED INDIVIDUALISM.... Sen. John Ensign (R) has put some effort into cultivating a certain image. For example, he's a rugged westerner. Looking at the photo montage on his website, we see Ensign -- sans tie -- in a variety of "tough" settings, such as chatting with U.S. troops. Having an extra-marital affair with an aide, who happens to be married to another aide, makes the Republican senator look like an ass, but it doesn't necessarily interfere with the image he's developed for himself. But it's the details that are emasculating.
This, coupled with Ensign's decision to let his dad pay his mistress and her family, makes him appear about as un-rugged as any politician I've ever seen. Now, if Ensign decides to stick it out and ignore calls for his resignation, he won't face a re-election fight until 2012. In the interim, he'll have time to rebuild the brand and look "tough" again, but it won't be easy. Maybe he can take up bear wrestling or something. —Steve Benen 2:15 PM Permalink | Trackbacks | Comments (33)Comments
Just another example of the Republican Party doing what it does best - covering up it's skeletons in a very half-assed way. Oh, and didn't I read somewhere a few years ago that Hillary Clinton also is a member of The Family? Posted by: Limbaugh's Diabetes on July 10, 2009 at 2:16 PM | PERMALINKNevada has a reputation as a tough state, but who do they send to the Senate? Ensign and Reid, the two biggest wimps on the Hill. This, coupled with Ensign's decision to let his dad pay his mistress and her family, makes him appear about as un-rugged as any politician I've ever seen. Exactly; he's a typical Gooper: all hat and no cattle, as the saying goes. And it really is time the FBI or someone opened an investigation into this cult called "The Family." Posted by: electrolite on July 10, 2009 at 2:25 PM | PERMALINKIt's the John Wayne school of conservatism. Never actually serve in uniform or put your life at risk, but act like a macho dickhead anyway. Posted by: Speed on July 10, 2009 at 2:25 PM | PERMALINKOh, it'll be quite easy for Ensign to regain is tough-guy image. If there is one surprising thing I've learned in the last 30 years, it's this: Republicans don't have scandals. Scandals are for Democrats, and they cost them their career. Republicans, on the other hand, can get away with anything -- even breaking the law. Pedophilia was just barely enough to get one to resign, as well as an admission of guilt in soliciting a prostitute, but only just barely. Ensign will be fine, if he chooses to ignore the scandal and pretend nothing happened. The bar for a career-killing scandal keeps getting raised. These days, it's almost impossible to clear. Posted by: teece on July 10, 2009 at 2:26 PM | PERMALINKif he hasn't already taken up some bare wrestling, he sure didn't get the family's $96,000 worth! oh, bear. . . nevermind. Posted by: zeitgeist on July 10, 2009 at 2:31 PM | PERMALINK*The Family*: a Christian intervention group for wayward sheep? Srsly, guys. You're doing it wrong. Posted by: MissMudd on July 10, 2009 at 2:55 PM | PERMALINKSteve--You should update with a link to this amazing interview Maddow did with Thom Hartmann, author of a book The Family and the C-Street group. Short version: These people really, truly believe their calling is to help the powerful stay powerful, by any means necessary, and that God has ordained it as such. Seriously. That's why Ensign and Sanford didn't resign -- no matter they do, it's okay because they're the chosen ones. It's frightening on numerous levels, and MUST be exposed. Soon. Posted by: Mark D on July 10, 2009 at 2:58 PM | PERMALINKrelated fake news SUB-ROSA NEWS ENSIGN PARENTS DONATE TO SANFORD PARAMOUR Michael Ensign, father of embattled Senator John Ensign, disclosed today that he and his wife had made gifts to the mistress of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford. The gifts, in the form of travelers checks in $12,000 increments, had been mailed to Argentine reporter Maria Bellen Chapur and her family. Mr. Ensign explained that the gifts were just part of the pattern of generosity that had earlier led them to offer gifts to videographer Rielle Hunter, whose affair with Senator John Edwards had engendered so much sympathy on their part. While well known for its philanthropy, the Ensign family has apparently turned down the request from the city of Los Angeles to help pay for the extra security needed for the Michael Jackson memorial. homer www.altara.blogspot.com Posted by: altara on July 10, 2009 at 3:07 PM | PERMALINKRe; Ensign's parents giving some of the $12K checks to the children of the cuckolded aide and the cuckoldette aide, would that make the older Ensigns the schtup parents? Is that how it will be explained to the children? Posted by: SF on July 10, 2009 at 3:08 PM | PERMALINKYour model of manhood is so outdated and repressive. I personally am strongly attracted to men who are confident enough in their masculinity and sexuality to lay their vulnerabilities down before friends and humbly ask their parents for...sorry, I can't do it. Laughing too hard. Posted by: shortstop on July 10, 2009 at 3:08 PM | PERMALINKApparently 'The Family' exists to legitimize the sense of entitlement and superiority that derive from accumulating wealth; they are God's chosen people who will eventually allow goodies to trickle down to the serfs. It really doesn't surprise that another Christian fundamentalist cult has found a way to support the divinity of the wealthy, it just saddens. Posted by: -jlinge- on July 10, 2009 at 3:08 PM | PERMALINKSomeone explain to me again why Elliot Spitzer Roland Burris' situtations are scandalous and he needs to step down, while Vitter, Craig, Sanford, and Ensign are ok. Oh yeah, IOKIYAR. Posted by: Winkandanod on July 10, 2009 at 3:10 PM | PERMALINKBear wrestling, huh? A yankee showed up in a saloon in Alaska dressed in expensive outdoor duds, ordered a pitcher of brew and began bragging about his conquests with women. A local advised him than in Alaska a male isn’t considered a man until he can chug a pitcher of beer in 2 minutes, screw a 300 pound Eskimo woman and wrestle a bear. The yankee thought for a moment, lifted his pitcher of beer and chugged the lot in under 2 minutes. He slammed the pitcher on the bar and without saying a word, bolted from the room. Several days later, he entered the bar again; clothes shredded and bleeding from head to foot and bellowed, “Now where is that Eskimo woman I’m suppose to wrestle?” Now THAT’S a tough (and stupid) hombre! The only reason this guy is a Senator Mommy and Daddy. Why shouldn't they foot the bill for his fuck-ups too? Want to know what is wrong with our country? 97% of the time you have to be rich to become a Senator. Posted by: koreyel on July 10, 2009 at 3:22 PM | PERMALINKI can see the election commercials now. Mark Sanford spent thousands of South Carolina's dollars to leave the country for sex. John Ensign's parents paid nearly one hundred thousand dollars to silence his concubine. Democrats. At least we pay for our own whores. Posted by: doubtful on July 10, 2009 at 3:50 PM | PERMALINKDear Mr. Spitzer: Your knowledge of where Wall Street's bodies are buried could be useful in office these days. My I recommend you give Mr. doubtful a call and retain him to manage your campaign? I think he has a winning ad concept for you. Sincerely, ... if Ensign decides to stick it out ... Sounds like he made that decision some time ago. Posted by: A Third Grader on July 10, 2009 at 4:08 PM | PERMALINKTough in Nevada? Damn straight - You try riding a strip bus from the Tropicana to Binyon's on Saturday night. Posted by: berttheclock on July 10, 2009 at 4:18 PM | PERMALINKFYI, Hillary Clinton is also a member of "The Family". It's one of the (many) reasons I did not support her. Posted by: Brautigan on July 10, 2009 at 4:36 PM | PERMALINKHow stupid are these guys? A United States Senator puts it in writing at the urging of his Senator friends, that he is ending his extramarital affair? And his parents pay hush money! And us snobs on the left thought Bush was the dumb one. The Mistress and her Cuckolded Husband should be out shopping a really big tell-all book deal. Then they can stop with the extortion already. Posted by: bcinaz on July 10, 2009 at 4:39 PM | PERMALINK"Maybe he can take up bear wrestling or something." Heh. OK, so the Sanford and Ensign stories have officially delivered. So now I'm waiting for the Palin fiasco to get really funny really fast. Posted by: KilgoreTrout XL on July 10, 2009 at 4:42 PM | PERMALINKMaybe he can take up bear wrestling -- Steve Benen The little teddies on his bib? I've heard he prefers to pat the little duckies on it. And, anyway, his favourite bib is the one made especially for him; the with the letter blocks, all of them stuck on C. Posted by: exlibra on July 10, 2009 at 4:49 PM | PERMALINKChopin, @15:21, It wasn't a Yankee; it was a *Russian*. Posted by: exlibra on July 10, 2009 at 4:52 PM | PERMALINKexlibra, I wonder if you would mind emailing me at shortstopbats1000 dot gmail dot com. I've got something that may interest you. Posted by: shortstop on July 10, 2009 at 4:57 PM | PERMALINKIf Ensign resigns as Senator, there are a number of male enhancement drugs who could hire him as a spokesman. Posted by: mlm on July 10, 2009 at 6:03 PM | PERMALINKIf Ensign resigns as Senator, there are a number of male enhancement drugs who could hire him as a spokesman. That's a really good idea. Maybe there could be three bathtubs. He'd be in the one in the middle, his parents would be in the one on the left and the entire C Street household would be in the one on the right. Posted by: shortstop on July 10, 2009 at 6:13 PM | PERMALINKYou know, fact-free appearance-based denigration of a male politician's conventional masculinity sucked when Maurine Dowd did it to Gore and to Kerry. Remember how that sucked? It sucked. And Steve Benen : it sucks just as much, is just as sophomoreishly-locker-room lame, when you do it to Ensign. I am seriously disappointed. Change the parties and the names around, and this post could have come from any lamer at any of a hundred right-wing sites: "so-and-so is a girlie man *snigger*"
Maybe he can take up bear wrestling or something. Hint to Ensign: the base seems to perceive shooting wolves from helicopters as manly sport. Posted by: stvwlf on July 11, 2009 at 2:20 AM | PERMALINKWasn't "The Family" the group that Charles Manson created? Posted by: garnash on July 11, 2009 at 8:27 AM | PERMALINKteece said: "Republicans, on the other hand, can get away with anything--even breaking the law."
Jeff Bewkes (CEO of Time Warner)
November 2009
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