Meet your first congressman (well in this issue, a Senator)

Today the Swanson Blog is going have its first issue of Meet Your Congressman (though in this issue, it will be involving a Senator), but first we have a couple of items to mention first:

Hillary joke of the Blog: Until Senator Hillary Clinton realizes there is no hope short of divine intervention of winning the Democratic primary, I will show an anti Hillary joke in each issue. And there are plenty going back almost 20 years so I have plenty to use. Here is today's Hillary joke:

China and Burma: In the past couple of weeks, a deadly cyclone has caused horrific damage in Burma killing (at the latest count) over 100,000 people and another 2 million in danger of dying due to either disease or starvation. The ruling junta of Burma has blocked most foreign aid, and has stolen most of what was donated for itself. Even though all foreigners have been banned from the hardiest hit areas, footage shot by locals have been smuggled out showing how bad the damage is and the horrific conditions that the survivors must live in. If that wasn't enough, a week later in Western China, a major earthquake struck killing (at the latest count) 35,000 dead and another 30,000 missing. Grief turned to anger among the survivors when many realized that most buildings collapsed because the buildings were not up to code and local officials were bribed to look the other way. While the Chinese government has been quick to act (as well to allow foreign media in to film the damage), don't be surprise to see some high level trials and a round of executions - remember this is the nation that executed a government official over bad dog food.

On to Today's Topic

Meet Your Congressman: Senator David Vitter, Republican, of Louisiana

Member of the Senate since 2005, before that serving in the House of Representatives representing Louisiana's First District beginning in 1999, and before that Vitter served in the Louisiana State Legislature. Vitter has made a name for himself as a hard core champion of "family values". A strict Catholic (at his home parish Vitter is a lector - that is he reads the Bible passages during mass), Vitter has built his whole political career on the "family values" theme, and he even used his family very publicly during his campaigns; you can see some of his political ads on Youtube. The problem is Vitter's children are still in elementary school. Now why I don't have any issue with adult and teenage children taking part in the parents political campaigns, I have never approved of using young children who probably don't know what they're doing in political ads.

Anyway, since entering the halls of congress, Vitter has become one of the most vocal members of the Christian Right, and since his election to the Senate, one of its more powerful members, speaking out against the evils of gay marriage, single motherhood, reproduction rights, as well as the rights of those who are not religious or simply hold religious beliefs that are not in line with the Far Right. No friend of science, Vitter even got $100,000 earmarked for a creationist museum in Louisiana. The Christian Collation has rated Vitter a 100 out of 100, meaning that this man is a full blown theocrat.

But Vitter's record does not stop at voting for abstinence only sex education, speaking out against reproduction rights and blocking legislation that would allow adoptions by homosexual couples. Vitter has been also a die hard follower of the Bush/Cheney administration, even by Republican standards. Vitter has without question voted to allow government spying, to expand the usage of the death penalty, to drastically cut spending on public education, and to deny health care for up to 4 million children (how very Christian). On immigration, he was one of the hard line Republicans who refused to vote on the compromise bill worked out by Senators John McCain and Ted Kennedy, thus causing it to be defeated. As for his environmental record, well let's just say he is no fan of setting aside land for public usage (though he is in favor of allowing hunting on publicly owned land).

However, Family Values remained Vitter's staple. You can check out footage of Vitter on the Senate floor giving speeches on the importance of family and the sanctity of marriage, and how important marriage was, and how dear a few liberal activist judges change the law to redefine marriage and family, because that undermined the sacredness of marriage and it is that sacredness that is the whole foundation of our values; and how dear they take God out of the public schools, because how else could our children be instilled with wholesome values and how dear Hollywood force all that sleaze and violence on us ect. And Vitter never ceased to show off how much he loved his family and how close he was to his wife Wendy and his four children.

Then, in July 2007, the scandal broke.

It turns out Vitter's phone number showed up on the records of a convicted Madam based in the DC area. While Vitter had successfully ducked several accusations earlier in his political career, this time the proof was there for all to see. Vitter quickly admitted to DC attorneys that he used the service occasionally back between 1999 and 2001, and the authorities left it at that and no charges were filed. Soon after another Madame in New Orleans went public stating that Vitter was a regular back in the 1990's. Some of prostitutes went public and revealed details of his private side. Apparently Mr. Family Values not only regularly used prostitutes, but also had a fetish for wearing diapers - though they did say he was a nice guy compared to most other customers. So what does Vitter do? Like any good politician caught with his pants down, he made a statement admitting that he had sinned in the past, all of this with his wife by his side. You can go on Youtube and see the entire brief statement. Here is a picture from it:

Now what makes this even funnier is back in 1999 when Vitter was running for congress for the first time (and don't forget when he was also a regular of the women in the employ of the Canal Street Madam), Wendy Vitter had publicly stated if she ever caught her husband cheating, she would simply castrate him. But what does Mrs Vitter do? She simply stated that it was a private matter that was settled a couple of years ago and then went after the media for making a big deal out it (after all, when your whole political carrier was built on defending Biblical values and "saving marriage" you have every right to privacy when you're found out to be a lying hypocrite). The Vitters then left without answering any questions. As of the writing of this issue, there is still no word on the status of Senator Vitter's penis.

Meanwhile up in Washington the Republican Party stood by Vitter and defended him - one of his more vocal defenders being the foot-tapping-in-the-mens' room Senator, Larry Craig. While a few die hard social conservatives did call for Vitter to resign, most have forgiven Vitter and welcomed him back in fold. However, the damage was done and since the scandal, Vitter no longer speaks out on the issues that he made his name with, and with the Democrats running the Senate, Vitter has lost most of his influence. Meanwhile back in Louisiana is it too soon to tell if Vitter will be running for another term in 2010. Only time (and the voters of Louisiana) will tell, if Vitter gets another six years in the Senate.