It Could Get Worse in Bama

I noticed in yesterday's news from Bama.....some Democratic representative (state-level) from Montgomery had decided to make an open threat against various Republican legislature guys......talking up the idea of exposing their extramarital affairs....IF they don't stop criticizing gay marriage.

Patricia Todd, a representative from Birmingham and Democrat....talked up the suggestion.  She's openly gay (the only one in Bama's political scene doing so).

The whole thing goes to hypocrisy, and she figures the threat will wake folks up.

The problem I see with this type threat is that once you suggest these three guys (or six, or ten) who are having extramarital affairs....may  or may not be having such affairs and it ends up as slander.  This means they hire Bama lawyers, take you into court, and unless you have some evidence (real evidence)....it's not going anywhere and you end up paying damages.

Bama political figures are smart when they finally get into a divorce situation....they make it tough for the wife trying to divorce them to settle up unless there's a form signed that they will never disclose the whole episode.  If they fail on this....the husband brings the form back into court and the wife could lose what she won.  So, I'd question that Representative Todd has real proof....just gossip.  And gossip invites slander episodes, unless you get to absolute facts.

What happens in Bama once you start slanging gossip, slander and political fits?  It just gets the state political mess deeper into mud than when you started.  We barely have six guys in the whole state who could pass a morals test and complete audit of their character and economic situation.  No one wants to be a city mayor, county commission guy, governor, or state representative because they'd get all upset if you found out they were con-artists, three-times married, bankrupt once or twice, into bondage, a swinger, current KKK-member, a Catholic, border-line psycho, a graduate of Auburn, or got arrested in Chattanooga for being drunk and disorderly last year.

Folks in Bama want purity.  You can't drink, swear, or be divorced.....if you intend to run for office.  You need to swear on a dozen Bibles about your character.  Every campaign picture needs to feature your wife, three kids, and dog.  You drive only GM, Ford or Chevy vehicles.  Your front yard condition is in the top ten priorities of appearance.  You must never have tried marijuana, or wasted any time learning a foreign language.  We tend to expect our political folks to stout or a bit heavy....always with a fake smile....and be on a first-name basis with the local minister.

This talk of extramarital affairs?  Maybe Representative Todd thinks you can cure all ills with this type of talk.  But folks get peeved, and basically fire that guy....to bring in the ultra (even more conservative character) candidate to replace the loser who couldn't keep his pants on.   On top of that....these pretender conservatives start to look around and think....well....let's ID all the gay or bondage characters in the Bama statehouse.   A Democrat or two that was thinking they were all safe....then wakes up and realizes that the whole story is out.

So, I'm not really thinking this suggestion by Representative Todd helps matters.  We will simply go to a deeper pit of political turmoil, if you ask me.