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Alabama's Governor has resigned rather than face impeachment over campaign finance violations linked to the cover-up of an extramarital affair.
Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley has resigned after pleading guilty to abusing his office, allegedly to conceal an affair with a political adviser.
[...] The Associated Press describes the scene as the plea agreement was signed:
"Bentley appeared sullen and looked down at the floor during the Monday afternoon session. ...
"The agreement specifies that Bentley must surrender campaign funds totaling $36,912 within a week and perform 100 hours of community service as a physician. He also cannot seek public office again."
The governor, a Republican, was briefly booked into Montgomery jail, according to local media reports, before heading to the state Capitol to announce his resignation.
Republican state Rep. Ed Henry, who had introduced articles of impeachment against Bentley last year, said, "I think we have a great day for Alabama, where justice was done. Corruption was spotted, recognized and dealt with. ... even though it was slower and little more painful than we had anticipated."
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 12 2017, @03:09PM (4 children)
Not sure of his political stripes, but he seems more like an idiot to me. From http://www.businessinsider.com/robert-dianne-bentley-alabama-governor-wife-sex-scandal-resignation-2017-4 [businessinsider.com]
When a former Alabama governor started sending suggestive texts to a member of his staff, he probably didn't expect them to sync with the state-issued iPad he had given his wife.
This link has a screen shot that is claimed to be of the texts.
And the NY Times claims that he hid behind heavy duty Christian "morality" -- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/11/us/alabama-governor-robert-bentley-sex-scandal.html [nytimes.com]
To many of the conservative Christians who unexpectedly propelled Mr. Bentley, a Republican, into power, his demise was a dispiriting setback in an age when they feel their values are under siege.
“We’re sorry for him and his family, but at the same time, he made his choices and did what he did,” said the Rev. Joe Godfrey, the executive director of the Alabama Citizens Action Program, a church-supported group that holds substantial influence in the Legislature. “I don’t know that people feel had; I think they feel disappointed. Here was a man who had a chance to accomplish great things, and he failed.”
(Score: 3, Insightful) by DannyB on Wednesday April 12 2017, @03:38PM (2 children)
I expect that some of these Christians, whether genuine true believers, or just playing a plastic game, have unrealistic expectations about human beings, sin and temptation. Nobody is perfect, even if a believer.
When I'm looking at who to vote to put into power, my question is about what kind of public policy to they embrace. Not so much their personal lives, unless it will impact their public policy making. I would be fine with voting for a Christian -- if I could actually believe they were for good public policy. Instead, their agenda seems to be to create a theocracy. Or at least to somehow legislate morality. Here is a clue for Christian politicians: You cannot change people's hearts with legislation. You cannot create a society free of sin and evil no matter how hard you try. You can reach individuals. But if you want to work towards that goal, then become a minister or missionary instead of a politician. If you aspire to politics, then consider the reality that there are people who believe, there are people who don't believe. There are people who just want to work and have a decent life. There are people who want to not work and steal from others. You have a lot of different constituents to serve. Try to make policy that helps the people who just want to work; that encourages others to aspire to the same, and punishes those who steal. There is a limited pool of resources. Maybe think about how much some people should be allowed to have. One common Christian message is about wealth transfer when one person has two loaves of bread and another has no loaf of bread. If you are a republican, maybe don't transfer wealth from the person with no loaf to the person that has two. There are many, especially old testament, messages about how God hates those who hurt the widows and fatherless (eg, orphans).
People who talk about family values the loudest are likely the ones who embrace it the least. People who hate gays the most are probably the ones with internalized homophobia. (eg, they hate themselves for the thing that they hate publicly, or to be more blunt, they recognize their own urges.)
If you eat an entire cake without cutting it, you technically only had one piece.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday April 12 2017, @04:34PM (1 child)
Your argument might work better if you separated the Christians-who-see-any-non-believer-as-someone-to-convert (either in person, or by force of law when they support politicians) and the Politicians-that-suck-up-to-Christians ??
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Wednesday April 12 2017, @05:31PM
Maybe. I'm not sure.
Let's call the "Christians who see all non believers as converts" as the "Evangelists". (Just because it is a convenient term. But I'll keep the quotes around it.) Let's call the second group the Suck-Ups.
Now the Suck-Ups may or may not be "Evangelists". They just want to get elected. So the set of Suck-Ups and "Evangelists" may have a non null intersection. But I am confident that the Suck-Ups are not a subset of "Evangelists".
Now of the "Evangelists" I think there may be two kinds. Those who see a convert as some kind of score. A win. A recruit. A member. Then there are those who see all people as someone in need of a savior. The latter group should / would recognize that nobody can be made to believe by force. (Including legislation.) Belief must be an individual decision. Count the cost. Now, IMO: If you truly believe, and hold the flag very high, you will be ridiculed. Not voted for.
If you eat an entire cake without cutting it, you technically only had one piece.
(Score: 4, Informative) by bzipitidoo on Wednesday April 12 2017, @04:54PM
Seems that's how social conservatives operate. Hypocritically overlook sexual harassment and infidelity by people they perceive as powerful, rich winners who seem to support policies they like, while going bat crazy over supposed sexual peccadillos committed by those they don't like. I really do not understand why the likes of Newt Gingrich, The Donald, David Vitter, Larry Craig, and Clarence Thomas were allowed to finish their terms or are still in power, why the voters elected them. Seems it's "boys will be boys" and it doesn't matter where his dick was because "his heart was in the right place" and "forgiveness is divine".
Whether Bill O'Reilly survives remains to be seen. They don't all survive, just look at Ailes. But Bill Clinton is an immoral, depraved, cheating pervert who will burn in Hell for what he did!