Sex Scandal Brings Down Senate Candidate

[DoYouEverWonder]

Sat Jun 26, 2004 01:57 AM ET

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Republican candidate Jack Ryan quit the race for a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois on Friday, in a blow to his party, amid allegations that he took his television star wife to clubs and asked her to have sex with him in front of strangers.

His decision left Republicans with an even tougher challenge in their effort to hold onto the seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Peter Fitzgerald.

<snip>

In a written statement, Ryan blasted the Chicago Tribune and other media for suing to have his sealed divorce records made public, saying "the media has gotten out of control."




I know this isn't really new news, but what a great headline. I especially like Ryan's quote about the media. Too bad the fact the media is out of control never bothered him before they went after him.

[No Mandate Here.]

1. When a Politician says something as chilling as...

"...the media are out of control.", it scares the daylights out of me. Evidently the crime here is openness and freedom of information.

Are we supposed to feel sorry for Ryan? ...or should we feel sorry for ourselves?

We must continue to try to get media consolidation and ownership rules rolled back even further, and demand openness. We need to help the sheeple see what is happening.

[oldhat]

2. Blow

Jack Ryan quit the race for a U.S. Senate seat in Illinois on Friday, in a blow to his party

Was this blow delivered in public with his wife?

[RC]

3. Wife?

She is only a woman.
Who cares? It's the republican party that's important here. :eyes: :crazy: :nopity::wtf::think: :puke:

[kungfugrip]

4. Sorry someone found out your kinky sex habits and Republican holiness

don't match. Was the media out of control for Clinton?

[Demeter]

5. Jeri Ryan Refused to Be Assimilated

Resistance is NOT futile! Seven of Nine is One for One!

[struggle4progress]

6. dupe?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=645916

[no_hypocrisy]

7. A missed opportunity. Ryan played it wrong. Never should have quit

or apologized.

As a corollary with Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, a politician's private life is private. It is none of anyone's business as it does not affect his/her ability to carry out government duties and obligations.

One can make the argument that all Ryan did was make a proposition, and to his own wife no less. He didn't do it. He was married and asked his wife to be his lover, albeit in front of strangers. I don't think this issue should be debated as it is irrelevent.

Ryan should have come out and been unapolegetic. He could have greatly influenced the tenor of the republican party by saying, "Enough!" and how the republican party is too focused on American's sexual lives in private. (Note: not in public as if Ryan went to the club and was on display.) I am disappointed in the senator's choice to demur and defer to the republican "leadership" which is a hotbed of sexual hypocrisy. If he didn't have enough character to stand up for principle, then maybe he should have resigned.

[StClone]

8. That was my take

He should of never bowed out.

He did nothing illegal but it sure kills them when a GOP "member" is Big Dog'n it.

[GinaMaria]

9. he caved to gop pressure

they wanted to replace him before the 'sex scandal'. This was their excuse. I think he could have recovered from it, but from the start of the scandal the Illinois gop said, if there's something in your divorce procedings that you don't want your child to know about then you shouldn't run....or something like that. It's bs. he wasn't polling well against Obama. They used it as an excuse to dump him.

Can't imagine what it feels like to be in the middle of a press feeding frenzy. I'm sure it feels out of control and you just do what you have to do to stop it or minimize it.

[AlecBGreen]

10. so...

does this mean we might pick up a seat in the Senate? Illinois should always be DEM IMO. Birthplace of Lincoln...right?