Hypocrisy: 1) a feigning to be what one is not or to believe what one des not; the false assumption of an appearance of virtue or religion 2) an act or instance of hypocrisy
Dave Barbee, head of the Richmond County Georgia Republican Party and on the Augusta Housing Authority board, sent a racial and politically charged e-mail to local developers, Braye and Clay Boardman last week.
In the e-mail, regarding a development project in downtown Augusta, Barbee wrote, “We will be making downtown whiter, with moving 200 whites in, and moving 500 blacks out!”
Rep. Quincy Murphy, US House District 120 said, “This e-mail discusses the political motivated strategy to change the ratio of blacks and white residents in downtown Augusta.”
With a tearful apology, Barbee explained that “it was poorly worded, that is was not intended to be insensitive, and that it was taken out of context.”
How can it be taken out of context when that is exactly what he wrote?
Barbee said it is all just a misunderstanding. This apparently taken from the Gonzales/Craig/GOP Handbook on the same page as the “I don’t recall” strategy.
Amid calls for his resignation Barbee stated, “I think it’s unfair, and I need to stay in my position, and fight for the people who live in these public housing projects.”
And just how would he be fighting for these people? By moving them out their homes?
Hypocrisy.
The GOP faithful must be throwing up all over their shoes right about now. One member after another of the Moral Majority is falling off the Christian Coalition wagon.
Last week it was revealed that Senator Larry Craig had been arrested in the Minneapolis airport bathroom while trolling for sex. Craig said it was all “a misunderstanding.” (see above)
After initially announcing his resignation from the Senate at the end of this month, he now says he will fight the charges and may not resign. The GOP is upset, since many Republican politicos pressured him to quit.
Outraged by Craig’s behavior the GOP apparently didn’t mind that Senator David Vitter had procured high- end prostitutes from the D.C. Madame, since they didn’t call for his resignation.
I guess it’s only immoral if you cheat on your wife with another man.
Hypocrisy.
This is the same Republican leadership that covered up the behavior of Mark Foley. For years Foley had been making sexual advances and sending sexually explicit e-mails to teenage male pages on the Hill.
The Republicans had hoped to keep this open secret under wraps until after the midterm election. However, Lane Hudson, the gay rights activist who disclosed Foley’s misconduct to the media, ruined that scheme.
They purposefully ignored Foley’s inappropriate behavior in order to maintain control of the House, to the detriment of vulnerable young men.
Hypocrisy.
Salon.com reported that in August, Glenn Murphy, a Republican county chairman from Indiana suddenly stepped down as president of the Young Republican National Federation. In a letter to the Young Republican leaders he claimed he was obliged to resign because of a pending major business opportunity.
However, it wasn’t a business opportunity that sidelined Murphy, but a party. Murphy is under investigation for sexually molesting another man after the party. (for a more detailed and explicit explanation see salon.com/opinion 08/31/07)
Hypocrisy.
Perhaps Foley, Craig and Murphy could attend the same 3- week retreat that “cured” right-wing evangelical preacher Ted Haggard of his “sexual immorality.”
Last November it was reveled that Haggard, head of his Colorado Springs church and president of the National Association of Evangelicals, had been having drug-fueled sex romps with a male prostitute.
On Sunday he was denouncing immoral behavior in the pulpit, asking for money in the church collection plate, and then enjoying drugs and sex with a male prostitute during the week.
Hypocrisy.
Haggard had regularly used his religious clout in support of Republican candidates, and according to salon.com, he had participated in a weekly telephone conference call with Bush and other evangelical leaders.
These are the same evangelical leaders who denounced Richard Cizik, vice president of the National Association of Evangelicals, for speaking out about global warming. The leaders, James Dobson, Gary Bauer, and Tony Perkins all felt that Cizik should stop talking about global warming because he was diverting attention from the more important issues of abortion and homosexuality.
Perhaps they should focus more on global warming since their message against homosexuality doesn’t seem to be sinking in and the GOP “closet” appears to be full.
“I hope you have not been leading a double life, pretending to be wicked and being really good at the same time. That would be hypocrisy.”
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) The Importance of Being Earnest, 1985
Cheri Cabot, Politics Correspondent
Cheri’s column, “Personal About Politics”, published every week, will reflect on how the life of a 58 year-old, middle class woman is affected by politics, policy and the current state of the nation - a look at the personal aspects of politics. The articles will be posted to Politics.gather.com as part of Gather Essentials.
Cheri is a freelance writer living in Southern California. She has two grown children, one in Iowa and one at Columbia University, and is the proud grandmother of two. Cheri is also a purveyor of fine coffee, warm chatter and dry wit.
You can find all of Cheri’s columns on Personal About Politics at www.ccabot.gather.com.
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Comments: 50
Excellent article, as always.
The truth is, when it comes to Hypocrisy, you can find an equal amount on both sides.
When it comes to racism, you can find a lot on both sides, in guises usually to ballance out proportions and thus making things equal, and in effect stiring up more problems than they help.
How about one who sought outrage from the populace for Clinton cheating on his wife . . . while cheating on his own wife?
It's not the same on both sides. There is some on both sides . . . but it is one heavily skewed issue.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
That's right, their platform is implicitly 'sleaze'.
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
"equal (if not more) number of instances of hypocrisy from the left."
( we're all waiting )
Let's also not forget that this is the party who embraced the candidacy of "former" Klansman David Duke with open arms -- and, apparently, a locked-tight CLOSET door.
Your icon is great!! Did you make it or find it somewhere? I want one.
Oh, and a point for the left....they're not the ones voting against gay marriage and trying to control private lives, then going off to commit the same behavior they've been preaching against---that's your old family values crowd
Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~
Ohio's Jim (Beam Me Up) Trafficant is in jail on a 2002 bribery conviction.
And Louisiana Rep. William Jefferson is under investigation over a telecommunications deal in Niger. And what about that $90k in his damn freezer. AND DEMS RE-ELECT HIM!!!!!! This is the REAL problem with Dems. At least we get rid of our corrupt pols when it is blatantly obvious... you guys stick your heads and the sand.
Pelosi and Reid crying about Republicans 'party of corruption' and then you have Harry Reid in this scandal:
"Land deeds obtained by The Associated Press during a review of Reid's business dealings show:
_The deal began in 1998 when Reid bought undeveloped residential property on Las Vegas' booming outskirts for about $400,000. Reid bought one lot outright, and a second parcel jointly with Brown. One of the sellers was a developer who was benefiting from a government land swap that Reid supported. The seller never talked to Reid.
_In 2001, Reid sold the land for the same price to a limited liability corporation created by Brown. The senator didn't disclose the sale on his annual public ethics report or tell Congress he had any stake in Brown's company. He continued to report to Congress that he personally owned the land.
_After getting local officials to rezone the property for a shopping center, Brown's company sold the land in 2004 to other developers and Reid took $1.1 million of the proceeds, nearly tripling the senator's investment. Reid reported it to Congress as a personal land sale.
The complex dealings allowed Reid to transfer ownership, legal liability and some tax consequences to Brown's company without public knowledge, but still collect a seven-figure payoff nearly three years later.
Reid hung up the phone when questioned about the deal during an AP interview last week."
Robert Byrd... Klan leader. Dems love him.
Ted 'The Swimmer' Kennedy... enough said.
Former democratic Alabama Governor Don Eugene Siegelman and three other individuals have been indicted on charges related to a widespread racketeering conspiracy that included bribery and extortion in exchange for official acts, the Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Alabama announced today.
could go on and on and on.... Dems are far more corrupt than Republicans for the simple reason that they have controlled congress for a longer period of time. Power corrupts.
Thanks... yes, I made it. You can use a copy if you like.
Thank you Cheri.
Blessings
And you bring up William Jefferson....one Dem compared to 12 (or is it now 14 ?) GOP politicos are being indicted or investigated. And we are not talking about things that happened 7 years ago, but within the last couple of years.
Don't forget, Vetter and Craig were first in line to demonize Clinton and his "naughty" behavior....all the while they were involved with even naughter behavior....just as Newt Gingrich was screaming Clinton was immoral, he was having an extramarital affair. It's the Hypocrisy.
Don, you had to dig pretty deep to find any immoral behavior, but immoral behavior is running rampant in the GOP. It's practically a disease.
As Don S. said, "the old Clinton cover, you are so damn predictable donny"
Now all that's missing is the name calling...but that will come soon, I am sure.
No one ever found a Democrat doing the shoe-under-the-stall mating dance in a public restroom, did they? I'm mildly surprised someone didn't just make it up. They're not bad at that.
Oh, and I read today the Ted Haggard and his wife are asking their supporters to support them for two years so they can go back to college and get degrees in social services! Is that not the height of hypocrisy? He was raking in $200,000 when he was preaching from his pulpit about immoral behvior and spending his money (from parishioners) on drugs and male prositutes. Now he's begging for financial support. This from the man who had the ear of W every week. That is pathetic. Who is left that supports him?
gosh...why didn't I think of that...asking people to support me so I can do...whatever I want!!
Absolutely right, Spartan.
Larry Craig was a nasty piece of work -a harsh and vindictive man who was eager to spread lies about the poor, the disadvantaged, and folks who were gay and lesbian.
Most Americans know which party has been out-of-control with power and money.
Bush, Cheney, Rove....the list goes on and on of those who created the war but have never fought in a war. Bush and Cheney fought very hard to NOT go to Vietnam, yet now they are experts about both Vietnam and Iraq.
Total hypocrisy!
Romney's idiotic comments about his sons "serving" by doing campaign work was a good illustration of his myopic, self-centered views.
Fortunately, all his money has purchased very little support -and he currently has voter negatives that are slightly higher than Hillary Clinton's negatives.
Could not happen to a nicer flip-flopper.
Kathleen L...I totally agree!
He has been among Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's most aggressive fundraisers, generating more than $100,000 for her presidential run.
Ah.... just run-of-the-mill, everyday supporters of dems.
As New Jersey Democrats Meet, Corruption Arrests Steal Spotlight
(note the source is New York Times... not a fringe site like libs like to reference) Read the story... it's a mess.
And what exactly are the "fringe" stites you are talking about Don....I would like names....no just a vague reference to a "fringe site".
Let's talk about Randy "Duke" Cunningham. Let's talk about the GOP Senator from Alaska and his son...both being investigated for bibery. There are at least 12 GOP senators and congressmen under investigation by the FBI.